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Decal Sheet Review:  Travers Ilyushin Il-2s

Original Review By Tomas Wroblowsky


Update:
This article has been updated with newer artwork and research. The original text has been replaced by current work, and has not been retained (in part due to the sheer size).

[ All decal sheet scans have been deliberately skewed and distorted at random angles to dissuade illegal reproduction or Copyright infringement by any such parties. The precise line and measurement of any specific marking, therefore, should not be taken literally from these illustrations. ]


Travers Il-2 Decals (pt. II), Catalog Number 72018
 
 






Very nice decal sheet, containing decals for six aircraft. Decals seem to be good quality and in-register.

Schemes
    Six Il-2 schemes are provided on this sheet.
 

  1. Il-2 "Yellow 82", with white writing "Valeriy Chkalov" on the fuselage sides. This aircraft was photographed on 16mm movie film, and alas it is irritatingly difficult to analyze its appearance. On balance, one might argue for a white interpretation of the numeral "82", and all other trim and markings (stripe, star border, etc). The aircraft gives the impression of being an all-metal single-seater, and the colouration is thoroughly unclear. It may be that the limited contrast shows AII Dark Green over Green, but Il-2s from this time wore only AII Green and Black lacqurs, and that would be the preferred guess. I think these markings are also offered both in DAKO and Smer kits, which is strange, because these two kits represent different versions of single-seat Shturmovik.
  2. Il-2 "White 1" of the HSU  Yu. Pavlov, Baltic coast, Autumn 1944. This machine wears AII Green/Brown camo with red or black spinner. The markings on the sheet.are disappointing, and the 'sea eagle' is given only as a black shape. Not a very useable Pavlov set, here.
  3. Il-2 "White 22", of HSU G. Beregovoy . This decal set is based upon a colour profile in Armada #4. It seems likely to have been made using the pilot's recollection, as no photograph of the specimen is provided. No further details are available, therefore, alas.
  4. Il-2 so strelkoy "Yellow 25". The sheet's recommended overall green camo is quite ridiculous, and probably also the red spinner. This set was based on a colour profile in AJ Press ML #22; there is no accompanying photo. The profile shows a 'strelka' (arrow) with the rear canopy removed, AII Green/Brown colouration, and a spinner with a yellow tip. Minus the photograph, nothing about the authenticity of the appearance can be said, but it is vastly more likely than the sheet's description.
  5. Il-2 "White 100" of HSU V. B. Emelyanenko. This looks to be a pretty nice set for "100". The sheet recommends Victory type stars, but white border varieties are more likely. Very attractive scheme, as far as I remember, it is also provided in one of the DAKO kits.
All colours are generic, but VVS fans will have no problems with that [ED: the painting guide, as usual, should be discarded at once]. Specific version of each aircraft should bring more problems. The instructions are not very useful for detail specifics, so good references are necessary.