ICM 72093 Zveno-SPB Soviet Long-Range Bomber System — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Kit number: 72093
Aircraft/system: Tupolev TB-3 Zveno-SPB with 2 × Polikarpov I-16 parasite fighters
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / GTIN: 4820013490416
Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft model
Material: Plastic
Documented production/boxing date: 1999
Kit status: Discontinued
The manufacturer — ICM

ICM is a Ukrainian model manufacturer whose catalogue has become particularly well known for Soviet/Russian subjects, WWI and WWII aircraft, military vehicles and figures. The company remains active today, producing kits in scales including 1:72, 1:48 and 1:32. Its current catalogue demonstrates that ICM continues to develop new tooling rather than simply reissuing older products.

The 72093 belongs to the earlier generation of ICM tooling, dating to the late 1990s. It is particularly interesting because it combines several aircraft into one unusual subject rather than simply offering another conventional single-aircraft kit.

The historical trade listing for the kit gives US$33.60, compared with US$22.40 for the conventional ICM TB-3 kit 72091. This reflects the fact that 72093 effectively supplied the TB-3 plus the additional parasite-fighter components.
What is actually in the kit?

This is the most important feature of 72093.

The box contains the components to build the complete Zveno-SPB combination:

1 × Tupolev TB-3 four-engine bomber

2 × Polikarpov I-16 fighters

Attachment equipment for mounting the I-16s beneath the TB-3's wings

Conventional plastic construction

Decals and instructions

All three aircraft represented at 1:72 scale

A specialist catalogue explicitly describes the kit as “TB-3 Zveno Bomber System w/ 2x I-16 Fighters”, while another catalogue states “TB-3 ZVENO” with two I-16s.

This is important when checking a second-hand example: the two I-16s are not optional extras. They are an integral part of the 72093 boxing.

The kit is consequently much larger than the ordinary TB-3 72091. A modeller's build report confirms that the 72093 is the Zveno-SPB version with parasite fighters, describing the completed model as a five-aircraft assemblage.
Large model in 1:72

The TB-3 itself was enormous, so even at 1:72 the completed model occupies considerable display space.

The combination is particularly striking because the two small I-16 fighters are attached underneath the TB-3's wings. The result is a model that looks quite unlike a conventional aircraft kit.

The box dimensions are recorded at approximately 37 × 24 × 7.5 cm, with a shipping/product weight of about 450 g.
Tooling and build character

This is vintage ICM tooling, and contemporary modeller experience suggests that it isn't an especially easy build.

One detailed build report describes significant difficulties with the TB-3 construction and especially with assembling the complete Zveno arrangement. The modeller nevertheless reported that the finished five-aircraft combination was highly rewarding visually.

That is useful information for a collector because condition and completeness matter considerably. The kit has numerous large components and the Zveno attachment system contains parts that would be difficult to replace individually.

I would specifically check a used box for:

both complete I-16 airframes;

the TB-3 fuselage and all four engine nacelles;

the wing attachment components;

propellers and undercarriage;

clear parts;

original decals;

instruction sheet.

I have not found a reliable contemporary source giving an exact total parts count, so I would not quote a number for this kit.
The Zveno-SPB concept

The real aircraft represented here was one of the strangest operational combinations of the Second World War.

The Zveno programme began in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. The idea was to use a large bomber as an airborne carrier for smaller fighter aircraft.

The ultimate operational version was the Zveno-SPB — a TB-3 carrying two Polikarpov I-16 fighter-bombers beneath its wings. Helion's historical summary identifies it as the most successful Zveno configuration and records that the I-16s carried two 250 kg bombs each.

The concept solved a practical problem: the I-16s had relatively limited range when carrying heavy bomb loads. The TB-3 could carry them close to the target, where they could detach and conduct the attack independently.

The Smithsonian's history of parasite aircraft describes the Zveno concept as an attempt to extend the range and usefulness of fighters by carrying them on larger aircraft.
Combat history

The Zveno-SPB was used operationally during the opening period of the German-Soviet War.

On 1 August 1941, Zveno-SPB aircraft attacked targets around Constanța, Romania. The I-16s were released from their TB-3 carriers and attacked independently.

Subsequent missions included attacks against the King Carol I Bridge over the Danube. The system demonstrated that the concept could deliver fighter-bombers to targets that would otherwise have been beyond the practical range of the heavily loaded I-16s.

The operational career was short. The TB-3 was already an old design by 1941, while the I-16 was increasingly vulnerable to modern enemy fighters. Zveno operations consequently ended by approximately 1942.

The Zveno-SPB therefore occupies a fascinating place in aviation history: it was not merely an experiment that stayed on the drawing board, but an operational parasite-aircraft system that actually conducted combat missions.
The aircraft represented
Tupolev TB-3

The TB-3 was a massive Soviet four-engine heavy bomber designed during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

By the time of WWII it was obsolete as a front-line heavy bomber, but its enormous size made it useful for:

transport;

paratroop operations;

cargo;

special projects;

the Zveno programme.

It could also carry very substantial loads for its era. TB-3s continued to serve in secondary roles well into WWII.
Polikarpov I-16

The I-16 was one of the Soviet Union's most important early monoplane fighters.

It was compact, relatively lightweight and had retractable landing gear. For the Zveno-SPB application, the aircraft were modified to carry heavy bombs and attachment equipment.

The combination therefore paired an obsolete but exceptionally large bomber with a small, fast fighter-bomber, creating an airborne launch platform.