The I.A.R.80/81 in Check Your 6!

Appearing three times in the Battles Above 2 scenario book, the Romanian (or Rumanian if you prefer) Industria Aeronautică Română 80/81 series of aircraft were steady performers on the Eastern Front, and continued to serve even after being outclassed by later fighter designs. While modifications were made during the life of the I.A.R.80/81, those changes were not significant enough to greatly improve its performance. Decently agile, moderate in the amount of damage it could sustain, but light in armament, the I.A.R.80/81 soldiered on into the 1950s. The I.A.R.80/81 faced off against a variety of aircraft during its service life, ranging from I-16s to P-38s. It was used as a fighter and dive bomber on the Eastern Front, as well as a home defense fighter at Ploesti. Four hundred and fifty I.A.R.80/81 were built during the war.

CY6! gamers have made some attempts to rate this aircraft to varying degrees. One optimistic gamer rated the plane an A4 + 3, making it far more agile and maneuverable than the aircraft was historically. The ratings in the Battles Above book seem about right, B4 + 2 with no penalty to agility at maximum speed. This allows the I.A.R. series to dogfight with most enemy fighters and hold its own from a performance perspective. However, the Romanian pilots, while brave, did not have as much experience or training as their German allies, and should be throughout the war rated with the same proportion of crew quality as their Soviet counterparts.

What follows is a fairly comprehensive yet still in progress listing of the I.A.R.80/81 varients in game terms. The information was gleaned from The I.A.R.80 & I.A.R.81: Airframe, Systems, & Equipment written by Radu Brinzan. Published in 2011 by SAM Limited, it is an extremely detailed look at the indigenous Romanian fighter, and is replete with color profiles.

My preferred scale for air combat games is 1/285th, and hence my preferred manufacturer is Raiden, owned by I-94 Enterprises. Alas, there is not a Raiden I.A.R.80/81 being offered at this time. However, there are two other options, MSD Games (1/300 scale) and Shapeways (wwwitalik). I like the MSD line fine enough, but the scale difference does make itself apparent when comparing the MSD castings to the Raiden range. The Shapeways version has the landing gear in the extended position, so one would have to carefully cut away the gear. 

The I.A.R.80/81 is an oft overlooked option for gamers but one to consider for use on the Eastern Front.