https://flic.kr/p/T6onXJ][/url]Chaika-01 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr
This isn't my usual thing, but I have harbored a fascination with Polikarpov's ultimate development of it's biplane fighter line since I started buying Model Graphix magazine in the early 1980s. They had some kind of fixaton with Finnish WW II subjects at the time, so month after month it was Finland-Finland-Finland! Anyway, after seeing many articles of beautifully tarted up Heller 1/72 kits as well as a full-scale walkaround, I wanted a good kit of this tubby little fighter plane - but it had to be in Finnish markings and have skis!
https://flic.kr/p/24C2bEV][/url]Chaika-06 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr
I did get the Heller kit, reboxed by SMER believe, but it was pretty simple. I tried to build the 1/48 Classic Airframes kit, but that was before I could tackle multi-media limited run kits. Now ICM has offered a brand new kit in 1/32 scale. But it's not some dodgy old-school Eastern European dinosaur that looked like it used hard cheese for the molds, but a thoroughly modern long run injection molded kit.
https://flic.kr/p/24C2bzV][/url]Chaika-07 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr
But the old swastika ban rears its head, and so the kit's Finnish national insignia have the trailing "arms" as separate segments. I know I will just bodge them up and have crazy looking markings, so I got a mask set from Montex, which includes national insignia as well as individual markings.
https://flic.kr/p/24C2bMD][/url]Chaika-03 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr
And just to needlessly spend more money, I got an instrument panel from Yahu.
https://flic.kr/p/T6oo19][/url]Chaika-05 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr
And on the subject of Model Graphix magazine's "Finland phase", they also had an article of Finnish BMP-1s and T-72s, plus a build of a resin BMP-1. The splinter camouflage caught my fancy, and so when DML's kit appeared, I bought it and modded it to represent a Finnish vehicle. The decal sheet even included the serial number of the vehicle featured in the magazine walkaround!
https://flic.kr/p/2faa8Aq][/url]BMP-1 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr
DML's BMP-1 has since been superseded by newer kits, so I might have another go at it. I also have a Tamiya T-72 in the stash, and found a Finnish decal sheet for it! Oh gosh, that Finland thing is contagious...