Matchbox 1/72 Polikarpow I-16 (40019)

The Polikarpov I-16 was the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable undercarriage to enter operational service, and when it appeared in 1934 it was genuinely revolutionary — faster than almost anything else in the world at the time. It saw its combat debut in the Spanish Civil War, where Soviet pilots flying for the Republican side encountered the first generation of Bf 109s and proved the I-16 a match for the early variants. By the time of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, however, it was badly outclassed by the Bf 109E and F, and thousands were destroyed on the ground or in the air in the opening days of the German invasion. The Soviet pilots who kept flying I-16s in 1941 against overwhelming odds — sometimes ramming German aircraft when ammunition ran out — represent one of the most desperate chapters of the air war.

The fighter that led the world in 1934 — and fought for survival in 1941.

This is a vintage model kit. The box has been opened — see photos. Kit appears complete, but please look at the photos carefully. Instructions and decals are present. Box has dishing of the lid and shows rubbing on all the edges.