by John Freeman
Photographs by the author
I was immediately attracted to this model because it represents a perfect example of the old adage, "If it looks right, it probably is right." It is one of the planes in that group of single engine fighters from WWII with lovely, simple, and clean lines, that you just know must fly wonderfully. Even though it was only an experimental prototype that never saw production, the lessons learned from it must have influenced further development.
The model comes from Kancho Iliev of Bulgaria. His 1:50 scale model of the Su-1, like the plane itself, is simple and elegant. The genius of the man as a designer is evident as you progress through the build. How does he design those wings so that, with no internal framework, they still end up with the proper slight dihedral of the outer sections? Notice the unusual little cooling air exhaust vent behind the cockpit no doubt a low pressure area.
I did have a couple of problems. I found it very difficult to get the fuselage sides to behave while I was gluing on the wing. Probably just my lack of expertise. The beautiful flowing fillets between the wing and fuselage didn't come together where they should have on the underside of the wing behind the leading edge. No biggie.
Kancho, as he says on his site, does not supply any directions with this model, although there are some directions included on the pages of the model itself. He does supply us with a good three-view of the plane. I was able to "Google up" some better drawings of the craft, and printed them out. (Sorry, but in spite of diligent searching, I can't find the site again!)
The model is available as a free download (thank you Kancho!) from Kancho Iliev's Web site at http://kancho.muncho.org/. Try it-you'll like it!
