ICM 1/72 72074 I-153 Chaika WWII Soviet Biplane Fighter Kit
Markings I-153, 70th IAP (Fighter Regiment), Khalhin-Gol, August 1939. I-153, 15th IAP (Fighter Regiment), Lithuania, June 1941. I-153, 72d SAP (Mixed Regiment) of Nord Fleet Air Force, Vaenga, 1941. I-153 flown by Captain K. V. Soloviyev, 71st IAP (Fighter Regiment) of Baltic Fleet Air Force, Lavansaari, Summer 1942. Model size (length x width) 86 x 138 mm
The last and most perfect in N. N. Polikarpov design bureau biplane fighters family was the I-153. It had gull-shaped upper wing, retractable chassis and more powerful armament with four ShKAS machine guns. Serial planes had M-62 radial engines, late series – more powerful M-63. The maiden flight was in August 1938. All in all in 1939-1941 it were made 3437 planes. In summer 1941 I-153 “Chaika” (the “Gull”) was the basis of the Soviet Fighter Aviation with I-16 fighters. I-153 were used in combat until mid 1943.