COBI Building Set HC CW Lim-1 Polish Air Force 1952 (COBI-5822)

Construction set of the Polish fighter aircraft LIM-1 (MIG-15) with NATO code name Fresco. The assembled model has a removable cockpit cover for easy installation of the pilot figure. The model can stand on its own landing gear or on the included stand with a description. Due to the model's design, the landing gear legs are not retractable, but they can be easily removed. A figure of a Polish pilot is included.

Interesting facts:
» The design of the completely new Soviet jet aircraft was significantly aided by the plans of the Focke-Wulf Ta 183 aircraft, which were seized in German factories at the end of World War II. 
» The biggest problem for MIG designers in the early production of jet aircraft was the engine. The Soviets initially tried to improve the original German BMW 003 engines, but these attempts were not very successful. Eventually, MIG had to ask the then leader J. Stalin to try to buy a British license from Rolls-Royce. Historical records state that Stalin responded to this request: Which fool would sell us a license for the results of secret research? The Russian delegation was all the more surprised when British Trade Minister Sir Staffard Cripps sold them one. The engine was transported to the Soviet Union, disassembled, and copied.
» Rolls-Royce subsequently attempted a legal settlement of 207 million pounds, but never received any money from the Soviet Union.
» The MIG-15 from the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau first took off from the company airfield in Nizhny Novgorod on December 30, 1947.
» The first combat deployment of the MIG-15 took place in 1950 at the end of the Chinese Civil War and subsequently during the Korean War, where the fighter initially had no competition.
» The air superiority of the MIG ended only with the arrival of more modern versions of the American F-86 Sabre fighters during battles in the feared area known as MIG Alley.
» From 1951, the MIG-15 was licensed and produced in the Polish WSK Mielec plant under the designation Lim-1.
» MIG-15 fighters served in many Warsaw Pact armies until the late 1970s, when they became hopelessly outdated.
» Currently, only North Korea operates a squadron of MIG-15s.
» Although the MIG-15 was a good aircraft, it had one fundamental flaw. When throttle was added, the flame would blow out, i.e., the engine would simply stall. This situation occurred to new pilots as well as experienced pilots in stressful situations. Later modifications eliminated this problem.
» More than 18,000 units were produced in various versions.

Technical parameters of the original:
Dimensions: span 10.08 m, length 10.1 m, height 3.7 m
Weight: 3,681 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 6,038 kg
Powerplant: jet engine Klimov VK-1 with thrust of 26.48 kN
Maximum speed: 1,076 km/h
Climb rate: 51.2 m/s
Maximum flight altitude: 15,500 m
Range: 1,920 km
Fuel tank capacity: 1,460 l
Armament: 37 mm N-37 cannon (40 rounds) + 2x 23 mm NS-23 cannon (2x80 rounds) and up to 500 kg of guided or unguided missiles
Crew: 1

Parameters:
Number of figures: 1 pc
Scale: 1:32
Dimensions when assembled: 32 x 32 x 11 cm
Box dimensions (packaging): 40 x 28 x 6 cm
Number of blocks: 504 pcs
Package weight: 785 g
Recommended age: 8+
Blocks can be combined with another well-known brand: Yes
Collection: Cold War