Eastern Express 72218 Sikorsky S-XVI WWI Fighter — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Manufacturer: Eastern Express
Kit number: 72218
Aircraft: Sikorsky S-XVI / S-16
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / EAN: 4620748781427
Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit
Release: Catalogue-listed from 2018
Status: Discontinued / currently out of stock
Manufacturer and kit background

Eastern Express is a Russian model-kit manufacturer whose catalogue includes a large selection of Russian and Soviet aviation subjects, as well as many less-common historical aircraft. Kit 72218 was added to specialist catalogues in 2018 and is now listed as unavailable.

This is a particularly interesting subject because the Sikorsky S-16 was an early Russian fighter designed by Igor Sikorsky before his later career in the United States.

The kit is a relatively small 1:72 biplane, with the simple construction typical of Eastern Express tooling of this period.
Kit contents

The kit is supplied as a conventional injection-moulded plastic model and includes the principal components for the S-16:

Fuselage

Upper and lower wings

Interplane struts

Tailplane and rudder

Fixed undercarriage

Engine and cowling

Propeller

Cockpit components

Pilot's position

Machine-gun installation

Small ancillary parts

Decals

Assembly instructions

The catalogue lists the model at approximately 100 g packaged weight, with a box approximately 25.5 × 15.7 × 3.6 cm.

The kit represents the conventional landplane fighter/reconnaissance configuration rather than the later float- or ski-equipped adaptations.

For a second-hand kit, the parts most worth checking are the thin wing struts, undercarriage and propeller, as these are the easiest components to damage or lose.

Because this is a small early biplane, adding fine rigging will make a substantial difference to the finished model.
The full-size Sikorsky S-16

The Sikorsky S-16, also known as the RBVZ S-16, was a Russian single-seat biplane fighter developed by Igor Sikorsky during the First World War.

The prototype flew in 1915, with small-scale production beginning that same year. Approximately 35 aircraft were built.

Its original purpose was particularly interesting: the S-16 was intended partly as an escort fighter for Sikorsky's much larger Ilya Muromets bombers.

It was therefore one of the early attempts to provide a dedicated fighter capable of accompanying heavy bomber formations.

The aircraft remained in service after the Russian Revolution, with examples being operated by both Imperial Russian and Soviet forces.
Service and development

The S-16 was powered by engines in roughly the 60–80 hp range, depending on the particular aircraft and production batch.

Its relatively modest engine power limited performance, particularly as fighter technology developed rapidly during WWI.

The aircraft was nevertheless adaptable. Different examples were fitted with:

Wheeled landing gear

Skis

Floats

Different engines

Different machine-gun arrangements

The type survived into the early post-war period, with S-16 aircraft reportedly remaining in Soviet service until approximately 1923, principally in reconnaissance duties.
Aircraft specifications

Published figures vary according to engine and version, but the S-16 can broadly be described as:

Crew: 1

Engine: approximately 60–80 hp

Configuration: single-engine biplane

Role: fighter / reconnaissance / bomber escort

Armament: generally one 7.7 mm machine gun

Landing gear: fixed conventional undercarriage on the standard version

The relatively small aircraft produces an equally compact model at 1:72 scale, with the completed wingspan only around the 10 cm region.