Years ago, Aviation Usk used to carry Czech-made resin aircraft models. The prices were reasonable and they had a great selection of odd aircraft, including Luft '46 stuff.
Although not up to modern resin kit standards, the models were still accurate in shape and scale. The two kits I did build were fairly easy to put together.
I think I got the Irbītis I-16 as a freebee as part of a kit trade with a fellow modeler who had also collected Czech resin kits from Aviation Usk. He didn't know what it was, and neither did I. This is probably a product of the mid 1980s, when Czechoslovakia was a single, communist country. The makers probably went on to master kits for CMK and others.
This kit sat in a box until recently, in a clear plastic baggie with "Iribitis I-16" in marker written on it. After a brief search, I found the plane's entry in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VEF_I-16 The "kit" is basically a solid chunk of resin fuselage and wings (with a hole for the cockpit), a clear vac canopy and a resin wafer with the tailplanes, tail wheel, spatted main gear and prop. Cleanup and assembly took no time, except for the three bladed prop, which I broke three times (one blade twice). I ended up replacing the prop with a 2 bladed prop from an Airfix Hs-129. I added a simple seat (made from paper) and painted the cockpit black - it was to hard to scoop out a reasonable cockpit out of the resin. I also added some tulle fabric behind the intake.
Here it is, ready for primer:
I have to marvel at this little kit. It has finely engraved lines and excellent fit. The somewhat brittle resin had not warped over the years and the various parts fit well with little or no filler.
The primer revealed a couple if small pinholes that were quickly filled in.
Now I'll have to think of a color scheme.
