The history of development of this very nice looking fighter was unusual. The creators of the plane – Polikarpov and Grigorovich were in “Special OGPU Design Bureau”. It means there were in prison because of Stalin’s repressions. The task was simple: “Do the work, and then, if it will be successful, you will be free”. I-5 was successful. The base conception was taken from Polikarpov’s fighter project that was made in 1927. The work was complete in two month. Prototype of the new fighter made its first flight in 1930. There were built 803 planes. They were in service in RKKA’s air force till 1937, but in the beginning of the Great Patriotic war some I-5’s were returned from flight schools to active service.
The ICM kit is the best choice in 1/72. It has very nice detailing, but you should be very careful and accurate, because the use of the putty is almost impossible – it will ruin riveting and fabric imitation.
