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Istrebitel' I-16; Armada Aircraft Profile #2

By Mikhail Maslov
M-Hobby Publishing [Moscow, Russia]
ISBN 5-85729-027-9
Softbound, 80 Pages

Reviewed by Erik Pilawskii

Author and aircraft restorer M.Maslov has outdone himself yet again with this stupendous work on the Polikarpov I-16 fighter. Drawing on the voluminous research employed in the restoration and completion of several original and replica I-16s in Novosibirsk, Istrabitel' I-16 is unquestionably the finest work ever completed on this critically important machine. This softcover book contains 80 pages in all, featuring numerous wonderful photographs and color drawings, not to mention countless pages of detail line drawings. The text is in Russian, with some English subtitles for photographs.

The fidelity and scope of the research in this volume is difficult to imagine, and it is a triumph of effort in this regard. Many aspects of the development and production of the I-16 are at last put right, and the sheer value of this work to research in the matter of the history of the VVS is incalculable. Modelers will benefit outstandingly from the superlative line and scale drawings, and from the copious photographic record (most never seen in the West) in this book. The language situation may present some challenges, but the visual references in this book are alone worth the cost, even to non-Russian speakers.

Simply put, Istrabitel' I-16 is an outstanding triumph, and the finest reference anywhere in the world on the I-16 aircraft. This title is enthusiastically recommended for any VVS enthusiast and/or modeler.