Building the ICM 1/48 scale Polikarpov Po-2

[@Shot5hells]

That looks fantastic, good job!

[@peterfearon317]

Thank you! Hope you found it useful.

[@rickmoreno6858]

I like this kits look and your narration of it! Got yourself a new sub!

[@peterfearon317]

Thanks for subbing. This was my first ICM kit but it won't be the last!

[@chancerNW]

Excellent build vid. Really well presented and discussed. Great Po2 certainly a tribute to the night witches. Well done. I've just found and subbed to your channel.

[@peterfearon317]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate any responses to my videos, but particularly favourable ones! I was inspired by the story of the Night Witches after a recent visit to Ukraine. I hope my future releases don't disappoint.

[@chancerNW]

@@peterfearon317 My main modelling genre is post war Russian and Eastern European aircraft in 1/72. So I really like to see other Russian aircraft builds. I look forward to your future projects.

[@Foksipanter]

Great content and narration. sub!

[@peterfearon317]

Thank you!

[@gordonriddell2493]

Hi Pete, Excellent Po-2 and a better fit than the Special Hobby range by the look of it. 1/48th needs PE enhancements and this is a sharp end product. As you mentioned the edges look very scale. The cockpit is excellent and again a great visual feature of the kit. I have always found the trickiest part of biplanes is ensuring the upper wing struts stay at the right angles to the lower. In my early days I'd get upper wings creeping off sideways before the glue set, or found that on setting the upper wasn't directly above. Those 8 small points take a lot of responsibility. I am impressed with your rigging, lovely thin even sprue it does take practice to get consistent diameter over length. A tip please - I have some Johnson's Pledge floor polish for pre-weathering coat but need to thin it, what did you use to thin yours?

[@peterfearon317]

Hi Gordon Thanks for the positive feedback! I've not tried Pledge but my old bottle of Kleer is always diluted 50/50 with tap water and works fine. Best regards Peter F

[@gordonriddell2493]

@@peterfearon317 Hi Pete, I've re-read the Pledge, it's a gloss floor polish that a number of modellers recommend in the 1/35th Military Modellers forum and its main ingredient is water even though it dries to a shine. Also I looked up sprue stretching and great for aerials but I see many use EZ rigging which seems to be a rubber thread that stays taught when mildly stretched. CA is used to stick it.

[@rickmoreno6858]

I have never thinned pledge. But you ought to have a serious thought of Moving from pledge, and going with laquer clear varnish s.

[@crmedina1]

Es un modelo soprendente!!.

[@kevinsands7639]

Thank-you for your info on this I have ordered this 1/48 model! Where did you get the Night witches decals I haven't got the kit yet and was wondering if the decals came with it? I have ordered the Eduard photo etched kit. Do you know where I can get the 1/48 scale women pilots either in resin or injection? I found an ICM mixed ground crew and pilots, I have ordered from Hannants models. I have found some decals of Nadezhda, Popova's plane at Hannants in 1/48 scale.

[@peterfearon317]

Hi Kevin. Thanks for your comments. The Night Witches decals are included in the kit and are fine. I used some after-market decals for the national stars, but really the ones in the kit are perfectly good enough.

[@kevinsands7639]

@@peterfearon317that is a fantastic job you have done on the aircraft, I have ordered a set of the Vallejo soviet paint 🎨

[@peterfearon317]

I was pleased with the Vallejo paints. I've not always been a fan of acrylics but these worked well.

[@kevinsands7639]

@@peterfearon317 if you go to e-b and type in 1/48 female pilot there are 2 resin ones, there is one standing and one seated especially for this aircraft. I'm thinking of putting the seated one in the front seat as you say you can't see in the front cockpit very well. Is the Halford primer paint acrylic I'm a bit worried about it melting the plastic?

[@peterfearon317]

The Halford Plastic Primer is acrylic and doesn't degrade the plastic at all. It works equally well as a base for enamels or acrylics. It's far cheaper than the modelling brands of spray primer, too.