1/72 KP and Marfix kits conversion

Polish Mistel

by Piotr Dmitruk

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  Polish Indepedance Day 2007 

 

Background  

 

In 1976 the Polish Institute of Aviation started designing a jet trainer, replacement for TS-11 Iskra.  It has been called initially Iskra-2, then Iskra-22, finally I-22 Iryda. In 1982 construction of two prototypes was started.  The first flight took place on March 5, 1985 .

Because aircraft should be equipped with Czech ejection seat VS1-BRI/P (used in L-39 Albatros), capable to ejecting the crew through the cockpit canopy at ground level with minimum speed of 150km/h, and there was no testbed that could reach such a speed available in Institute, it received SBLim-2 aircraft (licence-built Mig-15 UTI).  Over the fuselage a structure was built with a mock-up of the Irydas cockpit, ejection seat, cameras and measuring equipment.  This aircraft was not intended for flying, but only for taxiing, so airbrakes remained open, flaps closed, and there was metal sheet attached on the starboard wing, to balance the camera on the portside wing, and to keep aircraft straight with the runway.

Unfortunately the program was cancelled, and venerable TS-11 Iskra is still the basic jet trainer In Polish Air Force.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

The kit  

 

The SBLim-2 kit is an old injection-moulded Mig-15 UTI kit from KP. Polish Lim differed in details, e.g. armament, so I have changed  cannon placement with its cover bulges and shell ejectors.  New panel lines were scribed.  Wing fences were removed, and new made from metal sheet, as well as new airbrakes.  The jet exhaust from the kit was used, but complemented with visible details. Undercarriage is also modified kits item.  Wheel well covers are from photoetched set from ExtraTech.  I couldn’t forget the tiny mechanical wheel-down indicators. Cockpit interior is a resin set from Pavla, as well as the cockpit canopy.  Measuring equipment in the rear cockpit was made from scratch.

 

Irydas mock-up is a resin copy of a vacformed kit from Marfix, improved with plasticards, metal sheet, Plastruct rods, injection needles, wires, aluminium foil, and even wood sticks.

The structure under the mock-up was made with injection needles.  There is resin ejection seat from Pavla in the cockpit, and there is a scratchbuilt cage with piglet inside. Camera in the canvas cover on the portside wing was made with some plastic bits wrapped in thick self adhesive aluminium foil.  Except the orange paint, the whole model was brush painted.   The original aircraft looked very clean in the pictures, so only a little amount of wash and shading was used.  All decals were designed on my computer by myself and printed on my home printer, including inscription on the Irydas mock-up, which reads: “EXPERIMENTAL DEVICE FOR TESTING EMERGENCY SYSTEMS”

I would like to thank the employees of the Institute of Aviation for providing excellent and very helpful pictures of this aircraft.

 

Piotr

Photos and text © by Piotr Dmitruk