COBI Building Set HC WW2 Ilyushin IL-2 (1943) (COBI-5745)

Model kit of the Russian combat aircraft IL-2 version 1943 in the colors of the RA air force. The assembled model has a removable cockpit cover for easy seating of the pilot and gunner figures. The landing gear wheels are retractable and under the wings are mounted unguided rockets. The model can stand on its own landing gear or on the included stand with a description. The package also includes a figure of a Soviet pilot armed with a TT pistol and a rear gunner.

Scale: 1:32
Number of figures: 2 pcs
Dimensions after assembly: 46.4 x 36.3 x 12.5 cm
Number of blocks: 643 pcs
Blocks can be combined with another well-known brand: Yes
Contains glowing blocks: No
Material: Plastic
Collection: World War II

Interesting facts:
» The development of the Soviet aircraft Ilyushin IL-2 began in 1938. The initiator of the design and the project leader was Sergei V. Ilyushin himself.
» The first prototype flew in 1939 and serial production began in 1941. The IL-2 became the most used attack aircraft of World War II.
» The aircraft of the first series were all-metal with a wooden tail section. During the war, the Soviet Union ran out of aluminum, so it was decided to produce wooden wings. This construction eventually proved to be very effective. 
» Ilyushin was a very durable aircraft that often managed to return to its home airfield significantly damaged.
» For its durability, the aircraft earned the nickname "flying tank" from Russian soldiers, while the Germans called it "black death."
» The IL-2 was the first Russian aircraft with a heavily armored cockpit, which, however, ended with the pilot's headrest. The rear gunner was completely unprotected. The value of the material was simply more valuable to the Soviets than the gunner's life. Some things in Russia have not changed to this day. 
» The IL-2M3 Sturmovik was equipped with powerful machine guns, cannons, and bombs, allowing it to effectively engage enemy tanks, vehicles, and fortifications, but in the early days of the war, the aircraft was not successful. The cause was poorly trained crews and inadequate deployment strategy.
» From 1943 and with the advent of the new circle tactic, the situation changed, and the IL-2 aircraft became a feared opponent.
» The IL-2 1943 version was equipped with a pair of more reliable VYA cannons. The rear gunner position was installed during production and not as a field modification.
» The production rate gradually increased from 1942, but despite this, a dissatisfied Stalin threatened factory managers with execution if production did not speed up. IL-2s are as important to the army as air and bread, Stalin said during a factory visit on the 18th.
» A total of more than 36,000 IL-2 aircraft were produced, making them the most produced aircraft of World War II.

Technical parameters of the original
Dimensions: wingspan 14.58 m, length 12 m, height 3.4 m
Empty weight: 4,625 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 6,355 kg
Powerplant: 12-cylinder Mikulin AM-38F engine with 1,287 kW power
Maximum speed: 410 km/h
Climb rate: 10.4 m/s
Maximum flight altitude: 6,000 m
Range: 765 km
Fuel tank capacity: 749 l
Armament: 2x VYA-23 23 mm cannon + 2x SHKAS MG 7.62 mm machine gun + rear BEREZIN UB 12.7 mm machine gun + 400 to 600 kg of rockets or bombs
Crew: 2