{"product_id":"icm-72093-zveno-spb-soviet-long-range-bomber-system-1-72-plastic-model-aircraft-kit","title":"ICM 72093 Zveno-SPB Soviet Long-Range Bomber System — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit","description":"\u003cp\u003eKit number: 72093\n\u003cbr\u003eAircraft\/system: Tupolev TB-3 Zveno-SPB with 2 × Polikarpov I-16 parasite fighters\n\u003cbr\u003eScale: 1:72\n\u003cbr\u003eBarcode \/ GTIN: 4820013490416\n\u003cbr\u003eKit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft model\n\u003cbr\u003eMaterial: Plastic\n\u003cbr\u003eDocumented production\/boxing date: 1999\n\u003cbr\u003eKit status: Discontinued\n\u003cbr\u003eThe manufacturer — ICM\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eICM 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhat is actually in the kit?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the most important feature of 72093.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe box contains the components to build the complete Zveno-SPB combination:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1 × Tupolev TB-3 four-engine bomber\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    2 × Polikarpov I-16 fighters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Attachment equipment for mounting the I-16s beneath the TB-3's wings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Conventional plastic construction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Decals and instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    All three aircraft represented at 1:72 scale\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\n\u003cbr\u003eLarge model in 1:72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe TB-3 itself was enormous, so even at 1:72 the completed model occupies considerable display space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe box dimensions are recorded at approximately 37 × 24 × 7.5 cm, with a shipping\/product weight of about 450 g.\n\u003cbr\u003eTooling and build character\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is vintage ICM tooling, and contemporary modeller experience suggests that it isn't an especially easy build.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eI would specifically check a used box for:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    both complete I-16 airframes;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    the TB-3 fuselage and all four engine nacelles;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    the wing attachment components;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    propellers and undercarriage;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    clear parts;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    original decals;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    instruction sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eI have not found a reliable contemporary source giving an exact total parts count, so I would not quote a number for this kit.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Zveno-SPB concept\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe real aircraft represented here was one of the strangest operational combinations of the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\n\u003cbr\u003eCombat history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Zveno-SPB was used operationally during the opening period of the German-Soviet War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn 1 August 1941, Zveno-SPB aircraft attacked targets around Constanța, Romania. The I-16s were released from their TB-3 carriers and attacked independently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSubsequent 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe aircraft represented\n\u003cbr\u003eTupolev TB-3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe TB-3 was a massive Soviet four-engine heavy bomber designed during the late 1920s and early 1930s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy the time of WWII it was obsolete as a front-line heavy bomber, but its enormous size made it useful for:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    transport;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    paratroop operations;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    cargo;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    special projects;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    the Zveno programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt could also carry very substantial loads for its era. TB-3s continued to serve in secondary roles well into WWII.\n\u003cbr\u003ePolikarpov I-16\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe I-16 was one of the Soviet Union's most important early monoplane fighters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination therefore paired an obsolete but exceptionally large bomber with a small, fast fighter-bomber, creating an airborne launch platform.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ICM","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57509850120572,"sku":"ICM-72093","price":73.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/F1C57116-CCD4-490E-A28D-632FC816A59D.jpg?v=1790574275","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/icm-72093-zveno-spb-soviet-long-range-bomber-system-1-72-plastic-model-aircraft-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}