Monthly Archives: August 2012

The Soviet VVS has always been woefully underrepresented in the modeling world. While a new mold of the Bf 109 or Spitfire or Mustang seems to appear every few months, the aircraft that turned back the Nazi advance and won the Great Patriotic War get the shaft. Many subjects just aren’t covered at all, and many more are covered by dated, sub-par, or troublesome limited-run offerings. There are a few exceptions – Zvezda’s masterful La-5 and La-5FN, Trumpeter’s 1/32 MiG-3, and of course Tamiya’s new Ilyushin Il-2 – but by and large you’re left with something like the ICM LaGG-3 or MPM Pe-2…if you’re lucky.

Thus it was rather surprising when new kitmaker Xuntong Model popped up out of nowhere offering a Soviet bomber as its debut kit. From a business standpoint, I must admit it raised my eyebrows. But from a modeler’s standpoint, who cares, there’s a Tupolev Tu-2 in 1/48 scale! (more…)