Known as the flying tank, the Ilyushin Il-2 was built in large numbers - more than 36,000 during World War II – and is one of the most-produced aircraft in history. Heavily armed and armored, the ground attack aircraft supported Soviet troops.
Typical of Zvezda’s recent releases, the Il’s kit features beautifully molded parts with nice detail and good fits. The relatively low part count belies the detail packed inside including a full engine and sharp looking pilot.
Overall, construction was trouble-free thanks to smart parts breakdown and great fits. Multiple build options are featured, including early and later production versions, raised or extended landing gear and weapon bay doors, two types of canopy, and two types of wing-mounted guns and rockets.
The only issue I ran into was when I assembled the nose. It is too wide for the engine cover resulting in small gaps. I left the upper cover loose to be able to expose the engine, but it wouldn’t take much work to fill the gaps and sand everything smooth.
The decals provide marking for four Soviet Il-2s on a sheet that is beautifully printed with thin carrier film. Color callouts are given for Zvezda and Tamiya paints. I used the suggested Tamiya colors and I think the recommended dark green (XF-61) is too dark and lacks contrast with the black areas of the camouflage. If I were to do it again, I would start with flat green (XF-5) and darken it with a few drops of NATO black (XF-69) to match the Soviet AMT-4 protective green. The decal went on without problems.
Overall, Zvezda highly detailed Il-2 was an enjoyable build with an easy-to-manage part count, great engineering, and nearly precise fits. I spent a little more than 40 hours finishing mine and I can easily recommend it to any modeler looking to add this important combat aircraft to their fleet.