This Beagle is a DOG! ***Finished***

[Old_Tonto]

My entry for this group build is the Italeri 1/72 Ilyushin Il-28 - NATO code name 'Beagle'.



This aircraft fits in nicely with the early jets theme as it made its maiden flight on 8 July 1948 powered by a pair of imported Rolls Royce Nene jet engines - courtesy of a rather naive post war British goverment!

There are many parts but a lot of them are related to the bomb bay and bombs. I intend to have the bay closed so that should save some time and effort. Looking at the instructions it seems an awful lot of time will be spent working on the engine housing come wheel bay.



Some reviews say this kit is a pig but I prefer to judge for myself.

I intend to do a natural metal finish with East German markings. The GDR flew this type between 1954 and 1982 and Italeri provide appropriate decals - jolly decent of them.

[Andypops]

Nice choice and not a very often seen subject to boot.

I've got one of those in the stash.

It'll be interesting to see how this comes along.

[Martin R]

Ian,

I'll be interested in this one, too. I have the Airfix one in the stash, and if I didn't have a '262 to make, I'd have been doing that here.

regards,

Martin

[Old_Tonto]

I have been a bit slow getting started on this but I have put the pit together.



I am not spending too much time on the pit as the transparencies are so thick not much will be visable - just some colours.

It should look like this:




As you can see there is nothing in the way of detail privided for the navigator. I will scratch something together.

I have also assembled the wings & engines. The parts fit is haphazard at best, I have removed a few locating pins as they make the fit worse.

[MerlinJones]

I'm now curious as to where you got those images. Looking at the bottom one in particular, I'm wondering about the point of all those planks. campfires? Breakfast? the infamous Spetznaz He-Man test, you know? The one involving splinters?

Regards,
Bruce

[carlos]

I'm also impressed with those interior illustrations - could be very useful, especially for padding out the nose

I was curious about the wood too - strengtheners..??? - Maybe they're just there as an easy place to attach ad-hoc extras???

[Old_Tonto]

Yes I was intrigued by the wood as well. Maybe that’s just what they did in 1940’s Soviet bomber designs. I suppose these days it would be laminate floors throughout!

The images came from ACE Productions Il-28. The text is in Polish but there are hundreds of images with English captions – a very useful resource.

Back to the kit, it is really beginning to damage my calm. :
The wings are together and the engines attached.



It looks much better now that I have put the correct engine on the wing.

I added plenty of weight as it looks like a tail sitter before joining the halves together.



I have left the bomb bay open so I can add more weight if needed.
I thought the engine fit was rough but it is nothing compared to the fuselage which fits where it touches. You can't really tell from this picture but the lovely engraved panel lines don't join up at the middle.



It’s hard to believe but I did the best fit at the top! Now the filling has commenced. There are a number of these rather irritating blemishes in the surface.



I know I will destroy the panel details when I sand this lot smooth. I am beginning to wish I had not chosen a NMF now.

Still need to fit various hatches, mask & fit the clear nose + canopy. Dry fitting indicates that this will be a real stinker.

I thought this was supposed to be fun.

[ShaunW]

I've also read that this is a bit of a toughy - I'm sure that you're well up to the challenge OT

[sesquipedalian]

It would be fun to do a couple of Mig15s to recreate the boxart I think.

[Martin R]

O_T,

I sympathise. The only thing I can say is that I imagine my Airfix example will be even worse.

For a further stray thought, given my experiences of the Italeri A-20 and the Bf110G (which, accuracy-wise, is also a joke), a build of the SM79 in the Italian GB, and your one here does leave one with some empirical evidence that if an Italeri kit has 2 or more engines, it's fit will be rubbish. If so, why? If not, does anyone have some counter-examples?

regards,

Martin

[MerlinJones]

...The only thing I can say is that I imagine my Airfix example will be even worse.

Bad imagination! Norty imagination!
It's an ACE kit!
http://gregers.7.forumer.com/viewtopic. ... 86&start=0;

Regards,
Bruce

[Andypops]

...The only thing I can say is that I imagine my Airfix example will be even worse.

Bad imagination! Norty imagination!
It's an ACE kit!
http://gregers.7.forumer.com/viewtopic. ... 86&start=0;

Regards,
Bruce

Well I have to say that is seriously impressive stuff......an old kit that you made to a good standard and then on top of that the working features too!!
AMAZING!! and I mean that oft too overused superlative...it really is amazing...food for thought for sure.

[Old_Tonto]

I am slogging on with this kit. It has nearly hit the wall a few times.

As I suspected the nose glazing fit was a stinker leaving some big gaps.





I also discovered that the glazing framing is not correct. Why would it be?
So I did the best I could using my reference material in Polish!



One last image of the pilots station before it disappears under the thick canopy.


If its in scale the canopy would stop an 88mm round!

Anyway, I managed to get the wings on and it is not a tail sitter.





It is begining to look like a Beagle.

I hope to get her cleaned up, tail surfaces (lets hope they don't tip the balance!) added and ready for primer this weekend.

[ShaunW]

Keep at it OT. For it to look like a proper Beagle though you'll need to drill a hole in the front glazing to mount the Marlboro Light

[Old_Tonto]

Keep at it OT. For it to look like a proper Beagle though you'll need to drill a hole in the front glazing to mount the Marlboro Light

That would make a nice diorama.

No pics just yet as I am at work and the model is not. Some progress has been made (one step forward, two steps back. )

• The tail surfaces have been fitted twice! The locating pins make them sit straight but they should have a slight upward angle. Ironically the wings fit at an angle when they should be straight.
  
  I masked & fitted the three piece canopy – no trouble at all. It’s about time something went right with this kit.
  
  I left the bomb bay doors off so that I could add more weight if needed but it still stands on it’s legs after the tail surfaces were added so I decided to close the bay. The doors are too big to shut – or the hole is too small. After much cutting, sanding & gluing the bay doors are closed. Not very neat but how many people are ever going to see my beagles belly?
  
  Last but not least the tail turret is way too big for the hole that it has to fit in. I can either widen the rear fuselage (not likely not that I have the pig together), try to make the hole bigger or sand down the turret. The jury is still out on this.

Anyway, there is so much filler & missing detail now that I need to give it a coat of primer then assess my options.
It may yet turn into a target tug version without turret.

I need an easy build after this bugger!