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UM
1:72
PETLYAKOV PE-2FT SERIES 87
'INBOX Review'
Reviewer: Hrvoje Šafhauzer (rec.models.scale)
Vladimir M. Petlyakov worked under the general supervision of A. N. Tupolev in TsAGI (Central Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic Institute), and eventually was head of a design team that developed ANT-42/TB-7 four-engined heavy bomber, which eventually became a Pe-8. However, like so many people in the Stalin purges, he was imprisoned in 1937, placed in a special prison attached to aircraft factory No. 156, and ordered to establish a team for developing a high attitude fighter. Resultant VI-100 was a stressed skin, low wing, twin engine monoplane, of clean lines powered by in-line engines driving constant sped propellers, heavily armed and all electric. First flown in December 1939, a prototype shown excellent performances but was not accepted in production.
By mid-1940, the Soviet High Command rightfully was in doubt of the need for another high altitude fighter besides the MiG-1/3 series, and more importantly was impressed by the results of the German dive bomber actions in Poland. Consequently, transformation to a dive bomber was ordered and the PB-100 prototype soon emerged, with high-attitude equipment removed and a bomb bay capable of holding either four 250 kg FAB 250 or six 100 kg FAB-100 bombs. Four external bomb pylons were provided also, and for bench-type dive brakes similar to those at Ju-88 were placed under the outer wing panels. The lower part of the nose was extensively glazed, and furnished with a bomb aiming device. Two 7.62 mm ShKAS MGs were placed in the upper nose, and fired by the pilot. A navigator/bomber/gunner was now placed right behind the pilot and manned a dorsal rearward firing 7.62 mm ShKAS, and the radio operator/gunner was buried in a mid fuselage manning a ventral rearward firing 7.62 mm ShKAS. Pe-2 proved better that Arhangelsky's redesign of Tupolev SB-2 into a SB-PK (Ar-2) dive bomber, and production started in early 1941, and at the time of German onslaught in June 1941 there were at least 290 operational out of some 460 produced, equipping bomber and fast bomber units of VVS.
With its turn of speed of about 500 km/h, the Pe-2s were able to mostly evade Bf-109 Es, but with the major use of the improved Bf-109 Fs yielded the higher losses. Use of the skiis during winter that could not be retracted completely into the nacelles did not help in speed increase either. Front line units requested improvements, so the Pe-2 FT appeared in 1942. The 1100 HP Klimov M-105/VK-105 RA engines were retained initially, but the engine nacelles were refined and as well as all joints. The firepower issue was solved by substituting the three 12.7 mm UBS MGs for the 7.62 mm, each one in nose, dorsal and ventral positions. Other fixed nose ShKAS was retained and one ShKAS was added to be fired either to port or to starboard by radio operator/gunner, and the crew was provided with armor plates. Streamlined dorsal gun fairing limited the field of fire, eventually being supplemented by a lightweight MV-3 turret, and a bay for a 100 kg bomb was made at the end of each engine nacelle behind wheel well. Nose glazing was reduced, and tail cone shortened. Maximum speed rose to 540 km/h, improving survivability. Further incremental improvements during the war included self sealing tanks, with use of the cooled and filtered exhaust gasses as inert tank fillers, and eventually when the became available, the 1260 HP VK-105 PF engines were used giving a speed of 580 km/h and maximum bomb load was increased from 1000 kg to 1200 kg. These improvements were reflected only by the series numbers, and tracing them without vast references or access to Soviet/Russian archives could be onerous. Fact that dive bombing was possible with external bomb load only, had little impact since Pe-2s were predominantly used for level bombing at the beginning of the war.
Such was the importance of the Pe-2s to frontal units that a dual control trainer version Pe-2 UT appeared in service in 1943 only, enabling proper crew training in dive bombing techniques. Later in war, dive bombing enabled even better efficiency of this bomber, especially in a situation when most of the German fighter units were recalled from Eastern Front and posted to Reich Defense duties. Very few further variants appeared in service, the Pe-2 R photo-recce, and Pe-3/-3 bis fighter variants based on Pe-2/-2 FT respectively. Petlyakov died in a flight accident in a Pe-2 in 1942, so further development was headed by Myasitchev. Several substantially modified designs appeared like Pe-2 VI high attitude fighter with a pressurized cockpit, the higher power VK-107 engines, canon and machine gun armament, and enlarged wings moved to mid-wing configuration, but found no favor with VVS. Mid-wing configuration could eventually lead to bigger bomb bay and higher bomb load, but still lower that with Tu-2S that entered the service in 1944.
After the defeat of Japan at end of WW II and abandonment of the dive-bombing concepts, the Pe-2s were quickly replaced in Soviet service with more fighting capable Tu-2s, but were freely supplied to the European client states. Czechoslovakia and Poland got significant quantities, but the number of the late-version Pe-2 FTs, together with Pe-2 UT trainers, appeared in the air arms of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia, where they soldiered on into early 50s. Finland had eight examples from German 1941-war booty or captured, including a Pe-3, and used them extensively during the Continuation War against USSR, including clandestine long-range reconnaissance operations deep into Soviet territory. Being developed from a fighter, Pe-2 was maneuverable aircraft for its size and stable bombing and gunnery platform, with the only drawbacks being high landing speed, tendency to fall into a flat spit when stalled, and highly dangerous tendency to bounce during harder landing with the possible fatal consequences for the inexperienced pilots.
Total production was said to amount 11427 planes, out of which some 300-500 were Pe-3 fighters, depending on sources. Considering this large production run, handsomely surpassing British Mosquito for instance, and merits the Pe-2s were never fully appraised by the Western authors, in spite of being a versatile design with use limited only by the nature of the Soviet AF's needs and operations.
I have purchased this kit in a specialized model shop in Belgrade, I think it was the last surviving one. I was hoping to get Zvezda kit of Pe-2 FT, but it was not available there either. I heard of UM previously as a producer of vehicle kits. When seeing this boxing I asked whether one with a turret was available, but a shop assistant, a known modeler and reviewer, assured me that there it was possibile to build turreted FT by opening a box and showing me the required clear part. This one has been definitely missing in my collection of locally used aircraft, and I have purchased it for that reason. As for a boxed subvariant, I have never heard of it before, but it seems logical an intermediate design for providing enhanced defensive firepower with not enough turrets available. Simply, streamlined rear canopy fairing was removed, canopy extended and left with rear open, and mounting for heavy UBS MG similar to one used at two-seat Il-2s introduced.
The kit comes in a sturdy box with top lid, adorned with drawing of two Pe-2 FTs dropping bombs in a shallow dive. Bilingual Ukrainian/English text quotes a variant boxed. Five sprues (one doubled) of light gray plastic contain the parts furnished with recessed panel lines, and the clear sprue is providing optional canopies, windows, and lower noses. PE fret is containing parts for detailing the bombs mostly, and fuselage interior. There are no pilots included. My copy had some flash around certain parts, especially on the doubled up sprue, and I have noticed sink marks on all engine nacelle ends. The internal and external bombs are provided, as well as two RS-82 and ten RS-132 rockets, with the latter looking too short comparing to equivalent Toko/Zvezda parts in Il-2 kits. Shrouded flame-dampening or individual engine exhausts are provided too. And, YES, the shop assistant was completely right. In fact, having proper information or planning, with this kit one can make any Pe-2 bomber, fighter or recce-plane, in use from 1941 up to post war including a ski-equipped version. No floats in this boxing are included thought – Soviets did not bother by converting landplanes to floatplanes, must be something connected with using such things in Russian steppes! All sprues, but one containing rockets, drop tanks and cameras, and marked UM105, are marked as UM101, and there is a vast selection of alternative clear parts. However, nature of the kit entails that the some assemblies like landing gear members are made of several parts, giving a nice chance to make mistakes or tendency to brake during handling with model. Kit blades are molded separately, as well as individual exhausts, not my preferred way of doing things.
Instructions are on two A3-format black&white pages folded giving eight A4 pages, plus an A-4 color page with both sides giving painting and decaling options. The instructions start with a page providing a very short history and usual assembly notes in Ukrainian, English in German, followed by through 24 construction steps described by exploded drawings, including a stapled correction regarding a correct tail cone to be used for this variant. Some parts shall be trimmed for option selected. Like with most other kits. Here are the shots of the sprues and a PE fret, note that I photographed sprue C only once to save space.
It would be hard to say it looking in the box, due breakout of the parts. Wing, and tail shapes look right but I would check more thoroughly during construction, and my meager sources are limited to drawings dating from 1970s. As for size, only the measurements after model completing shall tell.
Kit instructions outline all colors coded in letters and in Humbrol range only, with generic names in all three languages, while detailed painting instructions are provided for interior pars throughout the complete assembling process.
Decals are provided for two aircraft, but unfortunately painting instructions are mostly devoid of panel lines, and finer details. First one is a white 5 from unknown unit in Autumn 1942, in upper surfaces painted in dark gray, (Russian) light green and light earth, and lower surfaces in light blue. Distinctive signs are white spinners and white nose tip. Second one is a plane from box cover art from 205th BAP (Bomber Regiment) in 1943, in (Russian) light green upper and light blue lower surfaces, only distinctive sign beside fuselage inscriptions being the white nose tip. Decal sheet is providing a white-trimmed red number 1, while instructions are stating white 1! Also, there is unused white 12 on a sheet. Each option is provided with two backward firing RS-82 rockets on the launching rails placed at rear fuselage top, quite a scary and powerful deterrent comparing to bundles of toilet paper thrown into a slipstream by Fairey Fulmar crews!
Decal sheet is comprising some stencils, two set of red stars and individual aircraft numbers, as well as the decals for instrument panels and some other devices placed inside the fuselage. Since instructions do not mention stencils at all one is left to other sources. I had no experience with UM decals so only their application would tell.
Shake and bake this one is not to be! The whopping number of parts and wide choice of options is to lead towards a long build, especially if one is to detail the interior. Luckily for me there are no resin parts, and I am not sure that I would use most of the PE parts for detailing the bombs. Obviously this one is not for the beginners, and more experience would be required especially if making any option other than provided by the kit. On that ground I would recommend this one for more seasoned amongst us, as well as for the fans of Soviet aircraft. And, yes, the spares bin is to receive substantial influx in any selected built.
Review, as usual, courtesy of my valet.
SMAKR
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