1/48 Polikarpov I-153 “Finnish Air Force”

Description

This is an injection-plastic aircraft model kit.

From the manufacturer:

The Polikarpov design bureau developed the Soviet I-153 (Chaika, meaning “seagull” in Russian) in 1938, after being requested to build a biplane fighter with performance surpassing that of the earlier I-15. The Chaika featured retractable main landing gear, a more powerful engine than the I-15, and a gullwing upper main wing layout developed as an improvement to the pilot’s field of vision. The Chaika saw combat during the Battle of Khalkin Gol in the summer of 1939, the “Winter War” with Finland, and the early part of Soviet participation in World War II. Final production numbers of the type were in excess of 3,000 aircraft.

Finland was forced to use the entirety of its resources in its national defense in the “Winter War,” which began with the Soviet invasion of the country in November 1939. To augment its air force capacity, which was already pushed to its limits, Finland also made use of captured Soviet aircraft which they had either acquired on their own or purchased from Germany. One Finnish Air Force unit using such aircraft was .3/LeLv 6, which was equipped with I-153 fighters used in anti-shipping patrols and attacks over the gulf of Finland.

This kit is molded in gray and clear plastic, and includes decals.

• [Mold Color]: Gray, clear
• [Includes]: Decals