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Ilyushin Il-28 (built August 2016)

Taking its first flight only three years after the end of World War II, the Ilyushin Il-28 soon became the Soviet Union’s first mass-produced jet bomber. It was powered by two Klimov VK-1 engines, unlicensed copies of the British Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. The IL-28 was a tactical bomber meant to support battlefield operations. However, a select few were modified to deliver nuclear weapons. Codenamed “Beagle” by NATO, Il-28s were widely exported to Soviet-aligned nations across the world. The presence of these aircraft in Cuba contributed to a buildup of tension leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The model is a 1/100 scale Tamiya kit. As with other kits of this range, it’s fairly simple and does not require a lot of time to assemble.