Ilyushen IL-2 Stormovik

 
Kit Kit Manufacturer Scale Price Options Out of Box or Modified Rating
IL-2 Stormovik Accurate Miniatures (eventual rerelease by Italeri.) 1/48 $29 Modified (slightly) 8
The Stormovik was a WWII Soviet attack aricraft.  This is the original model, before they added a rear gunner (which they needed...)  This was a very widely produced aircraft (about 40,000 produced) and was heavily armored.

The kit itself goes together relatively easily, but be prepared to use super glue and model glue on the inner wing spars to give it the dihedral it requires.  There were tiny gaps here and there in my assembly, but nothing major.

I decided (if you're wondering about the "Modified slightly) to go and get some hollow tubing for the wing cannon <g> - it works better than trying to hollow out those thin plastic pieces!!
All in all, this is a good kit, but should probably not be the first one someone tries to put together. 
 8-2002 - Wow. This is an early review. If you're looking for more information, I'd say go to Kithobbyist and go to the VVS section. The camoflage that was given by Accurate Miniatures is questionable, though it does look neat. Other relevant data about this model... Good fit, but the counterweight on the tail is easily broken. Prepare to glue it back on, or replace it with wire.

You're given a good set of armament, with bombs (painted with Metalizer) and rockets. The front sights are a bit fragile, be careful if moving. And the biggest pain in using the decals are the front "aiming" markings (dive angle indicators, if I recall.)

I don't recall what I used to paint this model, most likely the Gunze paints I had discovered around then. I was somewhat sloppy with the white temporary paint, meaning to show a dirty temporary wash. It... sort of worked. I'd like to repaint this kit, frankly, or build a new one just to see what I can do with it now.

To answer one other question - there were three kits. This, a two seater, and a two seater with skis. The ski version comes with regular wheels, too, so you can do a normal two seater.

The decals went on reasonably easily, and seemed opaque enough. Recommended, still. Wait for Italeri to re-release this, and keep an eye on Eagle Strike to re-release Aeromaster's IL-2 sheets.