1/72 Sukhoi Su-6 AM-42 Engine

Description

This is an injection-plastic aircraft model kit.

The Sukhoi Su-6 was designed as a competitor to the famous Il-2 Shturmovik, however due to teething troubles with the untested engine, plus the fact that the Il-2 was ready first, it never saw widespread service. The original design was a single-seat aircraft with two 23mm cannon and 2 7.62mm machine guns. No defensive armament was fitted, as it was expected that fighters flying top cover would take care of that problem. In 1942, there was a competition for a two-seat “shturmovik”, and Sukhoi responded by redesigning the Su-6 with a back-seater operating a 12.7mm machine gun. Also, the wing cannons were changed to 37mm units. Although superior in most respects to the Il-2m3, Ilyushin won the contract as the Il-2 was already in mass production and the changes needed to the m3 version could be carried out on the already moving assembly line. Finally, yet another contract was put out in 1943, at which time Sukhoi re-engined the type with the AM-42 V-12 engine of 2000 hp, fitted new metal wings and changed the wing armament yet again to 23mm cannon. Weight reductions allowed for an increased bomb load of 600kg. In spite of all this, the winner was yet again Ilyushin with the Il-10.

Valom’s kit represents this third version, with AM-42 engine. The kit includes photoetched parts for the cockpit panels, belts, bomb fins and gear doors. Two vacuformed canopies are included. Panel lines are recessed and while not as fine as a Hasegawa kit’s, will look fine under a coat of paint. This kit will require some modeling skills, but nothing beyond the abilities of those with a couple of kits under their belt. It will, however, give you the chance to put something “different” on the shelf, and fill a gap in any collection of Russian or ground-attack planes.