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Hello. I present you my latest finished model.The 1:72 Sale Zvezda Mi-24V in the colors of the Macedonian air force.I fully rescribed the panels because the kit ones are almost non existent.I also riveted the model to give it a bit more authentic look.The cockpit was upgraded by the eduard pre colored Pe set that is actually a bit bigger than the kit parts and needs quite the trimming with a metal file for it to fit properly.The paints used are revell enamels.I managed to scratchbuild the aso-2v Flares on the back and designed and printed the decals myself on a laser printer and microscale dekal paper.I couldnt reccomend the paper enouhg.One of the best I have seen.I will be definetley getting more of it in the futre.

Hallo This is the start of my Mi-24. All you see is the job from 08:00 until 15:45 this day. First of all I had to get a picture of this kit. How do parts fit, what is the overall design and how about handling. Well, after that closing up process, I got to the etched parts and made many cross switches between instruction from Zvezda to Eduard. In my mind I had to place two sets from etched parts in. Cockpit interior and cargo interior. With both in mind to check what makes sense, and what to leave out. Actually the instruction from Eduard surprised me until this hour. No flaw noticed and as you see all parts fit. The instruments at this set are much better from production as all seen before. However, I proceed that way, that I install prepainted etched parts before spraying. I mask them and this works well. So I can hide the gluing margin or leftover. · For tomorrow I have left some interior for the WO, still to finish and some electronic boxes from unpainted fret. · And to finish the big rear bulkhead from the cargo room. · The back seat cushion I will probably create by scratch. The next challenge is my resin rotor. Here I have to be careful. Since I am not sure if I will use the resin engine installation from Black Dog which I get by the end of this week. The rotor I think I will use in every case from the Reskit. The gear box from Reskit or Black Dog? This question I will decide at weekend. Happy modelling

Hi All A while ago I came across this picture and thought 'that would make a good little diorama' Fast forward a few years to earlier this year and my club decided to hold a diorama build. Originally the theme was build a diorama of a picture on an A4 base but the picture requirement was dropped. This then was an opportunity for me to recreate the picture in plastic. A Zvezda Bf-109 was duly purchased and built but I was unsure of the colour scheme as the fuselage sides seemed very dark. Fortunately fellow Britmodellers came to my rescue after I posted the picture and it was revealed that this aircraft, with another, was captured by the Russians in November 1942 and given to the Americans who repainted it in Olive Drab and Neutral Grey (thanks Troy Smith, Lusitanian and GRM for the detailed info). See below. For some reason it looks like the bottom engine cowl was left painted in RLM 65 when you look at the first picture. I duly finished the aircraft as 'EB-1' and managed to cobble together two figures in poses as close as I could get to the mechanic and the cop watching him. Thanks for looking Mick

Those who have followed my recent builds will know of my affinity with the 747. Whilst my current 747-436 tribute build is stalled (I'm still waiting for replacement decals), I thought I would turn my attention to some more modern 747 kits. Hopefully they will be far less hassle and go together much more easily than the venerable Revell 747-400! The only modern version of the 747 is the -800 variant. Both Revell and Zvezda have 1/144 versions of this aircraft, but which is best? There's only one way to find out - build them both! To start, here are the two boxes: First impressions - the packaging on the Revell box is superior, as are the decals. The quality of the sprues looks pretty comparable - time will tell as the build progresses... More on that later! Regarding the schemes, I am going to venture into the world of custom decals and build these two as 'what ifs'. Both models will be finished in a 'Utopia' or 'World Image' livery, used by British Airways at the turn of the century and then dropped in favour of the current 'Union Flag' scheme. It was a bit marmite(!), but I quite liked it and thought it would be an interesting side project to design something completely different and previously unseen on a 747. One model will be finished in the 'Youm al-Suq' design, representing Saudi Arabia. This scheme was only ever used on two aircraft - an Embraer 145 (G-EMBJ) and a 737 (G-GBTA). Images of these two aircraft can be seen on the artist's website: https://www.shadiaalem.com/british-airways-utopia-project I purchased some decals designed for the 737 and set to work on photoshop, amending the design to fit a 747. Here's the original decal: Then after many, many hours of work, I created something 747 sized: The other airframe will receive a variation of the 'Colum' livery used on my tribute build. This design was quite well received and there were several different versions of this design in use. I am basing my decal on G-BGDR, a 737-236. I bought these decals earlier in the week and have a few hours of work ahead of me... Here's how they look, compared with the 747: Obviously they need enlarging and I will have to make a few modifications and additions along the way! I hope to turn my attention to these two models soon - I need a break from the endless round of filling/sanding/priming which seems to be happening with all my other projects at the moment! Just gluing plastic together will make a pleasant change...

While the @Homebee sleeps, I'll crack his news - 2! On Moscow "МИР ДЕТСТВА 2021" ( WORLD CHILDHOOD 2021) expo , has announced a 1/72nd of Yakovlev Yak-9 from Zvezda in 2022. B.R. Serge P.S. On street @Learstang the candy truck has finally turned over!

Hi guys. I started a new project a few days ago... It will become a Ukrainian Army Aviation Mi-24PU2. I started with the cockpit parts which were painted black. When the Ukrainian Mi-24s where upgraded to Mi-24PUs2 standard they got a new cockpit which give them night flight suitability. For the first time I got me some Quinta Studio decals. This set is for the M-24V and provides the needed black layout for my project. Applying them is very easy and worked very well from the beginning. Cut them out like normal decals, dip them into warm water for a few seconds and slide them to the plastic parts. Different to normal decals, the Quinta Studios 3D decals need an adhesive. Quinta recommends any PVA based glue, clear coat like Tamiya x-22 or cyanoacrylate glue. I used Micro Kristal Klear and it worked very well. The WSOs instrument panel is different in Mi-24V and Mi-24P so I had to use the kit decals here. In my opinion the seatbelts looks way better in vinyl than their etched counterparts from Eduard & Co. Regards Daniel

So here she is, my KV2. The Russian Juggernaut. If you are interested you can check my buildlog where you can see pictures of my various mistakes always nice for future reference. It was a nice build. I like Zvezda, they produce good kits for a good price. Nothing too complicated, just a straight foreward ootb build. I gave myself the extra challenge of adding figures and i really liked to learn new skills. I'm far from an expert but for a first time they look descent. Anyway, here are the pictures. Comments, tips, etc. Are more then welcome as always. Thanks for watching!

Wanting a rest from building aircraft I dug out a 1/35 Zvezda Tiger out of the stash to try some new weathering techniques and as a result this is simply a test vehicle, not a cabinet Queen, although I don't think it's too shabby. It's built from the box apart from the Friulmodel tracks and Aber aerial which I salvaged from an earlier kit that eventually ended up in the recycling. Paints are a mixture of Tamiya and Vallejo, Humbrol weathering powders and Windsor & Newton acrylic Matt varnish to seal everything in.

Part 2 of my Battlefield 2042 inspired dioramas, featuring 'No-Pat' or NP marked vehicles. This time the peculiar T-15, TBMP Armata variant. Again I went for a unique camo incorporating two different pattern styles into one. Initially planned in a lighter scheme, but I liked the contrast of Khaki and Khaki Drab with the Desert Yellow (I think it was). Thanks again for checking it out Gaz

And on to the next build. While i'm gathering resources for my Tiger project, i started with this Russian Juggernaut, the infamous KV2. This is a kit from Zvezda. Never build one of their kits before so i really don't know what to expect. First impressions: the parts look fairly clean, little flash or excess sprue. The plastic feels a bit the same like Italeri kits. It's sturdy but soft enough to work with or clean up. Altough the instructions are in Russian, the pictures are very clear so building this kit is pretty straight foreward. Today i started with the assembly of the hull and there were no problems. Lot's of small parts that add detail to the model. i'll try to work in segments as much as possible. So that i can paint up certain parts before assembly. Downside to the kit are the link and length tracks. I need to come up with a method to soften the straight upper track part to create sagg. Maybe work it with a blowdryer. I haven't decided on the direction i will take this kit. I found some pictures of a winter camo so maybe that will be the theme but as i said, i'm undecided.....we'll see... As always, feel free to tagg along, comment etc. All input is more than welcome! I'll keep you guys posted. Cheers!

Hi folks! Just completed a massive build Zvezda's 1/48 Pe-2, took me half a year (on top of school and sport and all else), but super pleased with it. I bought the kit at a model show last year, and honestly I think I envisioned this very diorama as soon as I picked up the box. The kit itself is excellent for the most part, although I did encounter a few small problems along the way, trying to get the engine to sit properly was a nightmare as it sagged down and wasn't properly attached, but I fixed it eventually. Some other small problems were trying to fit the fuselage halves, and those of you with eagle eyes can probably spot the noticeable seam line down the middle.. actually it's probably way more obvious than I thought at first oh well. The details in the engine and cockpit are excellent, and I decided to give quinta studio's 3d decals set a go. Awesome product, super easy to use, and really detailed. I'd 100% recommend. The only other additions to the kit were some cockpit and engine wires, but apart from that it was built completely OOB. The decals in the kit were alright, but the colour schemes were limited, and I therefore decided to find another scheme... only problem was that the only aftermarket decals sheet was one which came with no less than 104 different marking options, and the only one I could find came from Belarus for $70 aud+ shipping. But lucky for me, the modelling community is very kind, and it is thanks to @Thant Zaw Win that I was able to finish this project. He had previously built the eduard kit, and lucky for me he still had the decals for the scheme I wanted, and sent them to me, paying for all postage fees. Make sure to check out his awesome works, especially that pe-2 of his. Moving on to the diorama! Again, I was super pleased and even surprised by how well it turned out, although it definitely could have had some improvements, if only I wasn't so rushed (I finished it a day before the model competition which I entered it in) Anyway, the snow was made by a combination of vallejo's snow effects and microballoons from ammo mig. The trees were made using the wire tree technique and the resin figs are by cmk. My hands are getting sore lol so I think I'll end it here. Thanks for reading! (Really sorry for the massive paragraph) And some cockpit pics: That's all, thanks for viewing! Any questions or critisms are welcome! Again, sorry for the massive post.

Back at last after quite a while, hah. Finally completed this kit and diorama, plus another in a two-part series I'm basing around the Battlefield 2042 universe (hence the No-Pat NP logo on the sides of the vehicles, and their unusual camouflages). These vehicles are not present in the game, but they're of the era that would likely show up. First up, the 1/35 scale Zvezda Bumerang IFV. Thanks for checking it out ^-^ Gaz

In 2021 Zvezda is to release a 1/144th Boeing B-757-200 kit - ref. 7032 Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?z=photo-29859496_457589701%2Fwall-29859496_2617107 V.P.

Here is the Zvezda Tu-154M finished as LZ-BTX of Balkan Bulgarian Airlines circa 1994. The build is more or less OOB although I used BraZ engine fans in place of the unlovely kit items. Paint is Halfords Appliance Gloss White and Mr Hobby H338 grey with Humbrol and Tamiya metallics. Decals are by Two Six and are up to Ray's usual standards apart from a couple of minor points. The green sections of the two small forward doors on the right need to be shortened by just over 1mm otherwise the doors will be too tall and affect the placement of the main “Balkan” title. If you have filled the door outlines it’s easy to get caught out as I was. Also a bit of patching material would have been nice since the red and green stripes don’t meet under the belly and the green in particular proved difficult to match with paint. Windows are from Authentic Airliner Decals and I added a sensible modicum of stencils from the spares box. The obligatory soot staining was done with artist’s pastels. Thanks for looking and constructive criticism is always welcome Dave G

Hello Comrades! So let me show you the result of my last finished work in regular scale for me. Basically, I wasn't going to make another one of 737-series. That was finished with 4 ready models on the shelve. But one of them had found a new owner, and I've got some free space in 737s row. And after I've built Aeroflot aircraft, I've decided that UIA livery will be a good choice to place that models together. This was really quick built - it took only 2 weeks that is really "blitz-built" for me. (Usually I need at least 3 weeks or more). Zvezda-737NG kit is very high quality as always. And the only few words I'm going to say about the kit is that gradually the manufacturer upgrades kits. If the older 737-800 was accompanied with old-style Utair decals from the box, so fresh edition consists new-style Utair livery. Really it wasn't really important in my case, but by the way Zvezda upgraded the decal for pilots windows edges. Now they became thin and neat, despite the previous version that was too massive and non-scale looking. Paint-works in this built was as minimal as possible to create normal model. Usually when I need white and smooth surface, I apply a thin layer of Decorix from the can, and then use Mr.Hobby H-1 with airbrush. But in this case I've just covered plastics with three or four layers of Decorix primer, giving it some time for drying up between layers. And finally I've sanded the surface with sanding-paper (2500) plus a few water. The ready surface maybe is not as ideal as after Mr.Hobby paint, but really after covered with some Future, it looks similar. Blue tail was airbrushed with Master-Acrylic #36 (blue). Wing and stabs edges are covered with Tamiya X-11 chrome silver. Hot parts of engines are airbrushed with a mix of MAKR-aluminium plus some yellow and green Master-Acrylics. Tyres are Mr. Hobby H-77 tyre-black. Chassies I've painted with thin usual brush with Jim-scale light-gray. Decals I've purchased from Ascensio. I've used this production earlier (Norwegian 737MAX for example). So it's reach, good-quality decals. The only one thing is too thick white background for blue-area elements. In fact, the decal-sheet was enough to get ready model. But I've used some out-of-box elements as well. The technical stencils look more natural in Zvezda's decals, and also I've applied decal windows edges for passenger windows and for cockpit as well. I wasn't going invent a bicycle one more time, so the lacquer is Pledge Fuutre (two layers) under decals. After decals were applied and dried up, there is one more layer of Future, and a thin layer of satin lacquer (Future + 5% X-21 Flat base) as final coverage and to reduce surplus shine on the photos. As the model was finished, I've noticed some disadvantages as always. But generally I like the result. Hope you will like it too The comments and criticism are welcome as usual. Respects, tMikha.

Hello, it's me again So, finally I've finished with my last model of Airbus A-320 series, and with "parade" of 320's models as well. The main stages of the work you can find in WIP. And I want to tell a few words about the kit first. It was purchased about 1,5 years ago, that time there was no 320NEO in Zvezda catalogue, and this kit was named usual "Airbus A-321" (now it's named A-321 CEO and there is nice TAP-Portugal decal-sheet included). But that time it was provided with standard Airbus home livery out-of-box. So that time I had an idea to built the kit in Metrojet EI-ETJ livery in memory of that poor souls who were killed over Sinai in terrorist attack in 2015. But later I've refused from that idea, and kit was stored for all that time in reserve. Also I've "stolen" some parts to replace that I've lost during another 320's building. And now it's time has come! I've chosen Aeroflot livery as some challenge for myself: I've never done such difficult borders of colours on my models. Also, I work with Aeroflot every working day, I was their passenger for many times, but still I have no Aeroflot model on the shelve? Shame on me! So I think there is no need to tell about Zvezda kit - it's really high qulity product, as any other Zvezda civil liners. I've used only a few putty, to remove the slot between wings and fuselage. I think there is no need to tell here about painting progress in details. All that I've described in WIP topic. Only I will tell that most colours were Master-Acrylic and Mr.Hobby. The main gray-metallic was mixed from white and black MR. Hobby plus some MAKR aluminium. IMHO the result is not so far from prototype. BTW the prototype of the plane served in Aeroflot till 2018. Then it was transferred to Canadian Air Transat airlines. There it got a new livery and sucessfully flies till today. During the period it was in Aeroflot, it had VQ-BEI reg. number and personal name S. Korolev. And here I've to tell a few words about decals. I've purchased PAS-decals sheet. There were 6 variants of bording numbers but no one stencil for personal aiprlane's name. Really strange and upset fact. So I've used another one name-stencil from reserve out-of box sheet for A-320. So mu model now named Sofya Kovalevskaya. Let it be this way, BTW there are only 3 or 4 of Aeroflot planes that named in tribute of famous women, and Kovalevskaya is one of them. In conclusion I want to tell that it was another one interesting built. Though I see a lot of small disadvantages in the finished model, but anyway I like it and satisfied with the result. I'm really interested in your opinion about Aeroflot gray colour, whether it looks realistic or no. So criticism and comments are warmly welcome, as usual. Respects, tMikha. PS and one photo of my 320's finished collection on the shelve in concluding.

While the @Homebee sleeps, I'll crack his news - 4! On Moscow "МИР ДЕТСТВА 2021" ( WORLD CHILDHOOD 2021) expo , has announced a 1/48nd of Mill Mi-35 from Zvezda in 2022. B.R. Serge P.S. But if you think need to merge this branch with the Mi-24 from Zvezda in 1/48 - no problem!

Hi Everyone Sure I'm not the only one, but got into modelling during the pandemic to stop myself going mad. Us pilots were regularly locked up around the world in various countries & hotels & sometimes quarantined back on arrival. I decided to make a model of every type of aircraft I've been lucky enough to fly so far in my career, these are the first 2 that I've finished building. These are also the first models I've made since I was about 12, I know they're not a patch on some of the fantastic ones I've seen on here but I did my best . And yes I made some stupid mistakes, which I'm sure you guys will spot. The 757 was modified with some flaps by LACI with decals from Draw Decal, the 767 decals are from 26 decals Any comments welcome as I'm a complete beginner and looking to learn from the vast experience on here \

While the @Homebee sleeps, I'll crack his news - 3! On Moscow "МИР ДЕТСТВА 2021" ( WORLD CHILDHOOD 2021) expo , has announced a 1/48nd of Yakovlev Yak-9 from Zvezda in 2022. B.R. Serge P.S. As far as I understand, the whiskey truck overturned on the street @Learstang , in addition to the overturned candy truck!

Zvezda is to release in 2020 a 1/48th Mil Mi-24 "Hind" kit. Probably the start of a family of Mi-24: D/V/P etc. Fingers crossed. Source: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235061306-zvezda-2020/ V.P.

My trip to Germany in October/November 2021 was the trigger that I needed to start to really get into Soviet planes. When I landed in Berlin for my MCC/JOC courses I didn’t had in mind that same airport was somehow part of the old Berlin-Schönefeld airport (the old airport of East Berlin). On the next day I was ready to start my MCC in a Boeing 737-800 simulator in an airfield in the surroundings of Berlin (Schönhagen - EDAZ). One of my instructors after some sessions and morning coffees told me that my other instructor who was giving me lessons also, was a pilot for Interflug before the Berlin Wall collapsed. He flew Tupolev’s and Ilyushin’s for a brief time. After this I’ve asked him how it was flying a very complex Soviet plane and to share with me some Interflug memories. I didn’t had a very much feedback because he was a reserved person. Well… I will just wonder how those times would have been… After my courses done I’ve visited Berlin, and since I’m a huge fan and a curios person regarding history and politics I’ve went to the GDR Museum and I’ve tried to collect the most interesting facts and histories regarding the Wall and also the whole system that divided Berlin and also a country in two once. I’ve started to read more about Interflug and the German aviation at the time and I had the idea that since I went to Berlin, it would be a nice idea to built an East-German plane so I can also have some sort of a good thing to reminds me the good times that I’ve spend there! So, 1 week after I’ve arrived from Berlin I’ve went to Amsterdam for my birthday and its a mandatory stop to visit Aviation Megastore. Still with this Interflug vibes in my mind I wanted to buy a model that Interflug had operated. I didn’t liked the Tu-134 with their livery, so I’ve decided for the Tu-154. It is a nice plane and the Interflug’s livery was kinda pretty on it! Well I’ve talked that much already, so maybe is better to go straight to business. Let’s do this! This is the Tu-154 box, with the classic Zvezda drawings as a cover. With this model you have three livery options: Classic Aeroflot Livery, Current Aeroflot Livery and the Open Skies Livery with Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut titles. Like I’ve said before, I will prefer to use the Interflug decals. Like normal, Ive started the model by glueing the windows in the fuselage. Since I’m gonna use decals for them later, I’ve just used the regular glue from Revell. After that I’ve filled a bit of the window holes with plastic putty in order to sand it with a 1000 sandpaper grid later on. Meanwhile I’ve also painted the “S induct” tube with a some sort of dark grey and since I didn’t knew how they would attach in the end (even with instructions), I’ve painted that whole area inside with Vallejo’s “Jet Exhaust” (77.713). It was also time for start the engines. And to be honest that was a bit demanding, when it comes to pick up the colors to apply. In the end, after watching so many pictures of the Tu-154 engines, I’ve decided to apply the “Engine Grey” (71.048) in the engine fans and the “Beige” (71.074) in the engine cones. After that, in the same way I’ve did with my Varig 767, the turbine outlets, I’ve painted them with the “Smokey Ink” (72.068). Heres the result: With them painted, I was able to assemble the S-Duct and finally attach the main fuselage together. The 20g weight was glued in front, the duct glued in place so as the exhaust tube that I’ve also painted with “Jet Exhaust” (77.713). With the windows already sanded and the main frame together as one, its time for sanding and putty! With the airplane sanded, it was time to give a first thin and irregular primer coat to check some imperfections. They appeared on top and a bit in the bottom of the fuselage. I’ve applied putty again and I’ve sanded it again. I think after these adjustments, the airplane is ready for the final paint job. I’ve started this with the elevators, because it would be easier to mask them in the end than if it would be the opposite instead. I’ve started with the same grey that I normally use for wings: 71.046 from Vallejo also. After this grey, I’ve masked again the elevators to paint the leading edges in aluminum and later on the sides in a red/orange shadow. I’ve also started to apply the main coats of white in the fuselage with the 62.001 shadow. I will continue with this process until I’ll have a consistent white layer. After this, I will use the same grey shadow as I used for the elevators and paint the lower parts of the fuselage. For now, let it dry and work on the other models (to make a better use of the limited time )

While I'm still trying to solve the problem with the Lufthansa DC-10 cockpit windows, I decided to start with my other kit that I had in my queue. In order to complete the complete line of Boeing passenger planes, I chose the Boeing 767 in the colors of the magnificent Brazilian airline Varig. The choice of VARIG started through a very strong link that I have with the airline and with Brazil itself: My grandparents emigrated from Portugal to Brazil in the 50's. They met there, got married and had children telling Portugal again already in the 1980's. On the trips they made from Rio de Janeiro to Oporto they chose Varig most of the times and even today, they always tell me how big, splendid and good the airline was in terms of service, quality and planes. Thanks to that and also thanks to my mother, my house is full of things from Varig. Cutlery, trays, blankets and more. Like TAP and Swissair, Varig is an airline that is in my heart, due to my connection with Brazil. An airline that unfortunately shouldn't have had the outcome it did. But turning now to the kit itself! I bought this kit on sale on eBay and with free shipping! I was quite satisfied however, a little suspicious that the kit is from Zvezda. Since I was a kid, I've been used to seeing Revell kits. That's why I always try to give preference to Revell, even knowing that most of the time the mold is not the best. The box is a normal Zvezda box, with the lid and the illustrations drawn, along with the classic box where the kit comes from, which is quite good and resistant and useful for storing things in the future! When I started assembling the kit I put the two main parts together and I was very surprised by the quality of the kit. The two pieces fit perfectly and at first glance everything looked in place. All the pieces have incredible lines and details that honestly left me with an excellent impression of Zvezda! For all kits to be so perfect, I started to have a favorite brand! The next step was to apply putty to all the windows as well as to make the necessary changes to the main fuselage. This Boeing 767 comes with the Aeroflot layout which consists of four doors at the front and four doors at the rear. It turns out that the Boeing 767 that I'm going to make, the PP-VPV has a different configuration: It has two doors at the front, four windows on the wings and two doors at the rear. I confess that I was very close to changing the plane to the -200 version. The 767-200 is an airplane that manages to have a very peculiar beauty. But after comparing the 767-200 and the 767-300 with the same painting (yes because Varig operated with both versions), I opted for the -300 version. Maybe one day I won't make a 767-200 with the colors of American or United Airlines The kit had such a good fitting, that the windows fit perfectly into the holes. Obviously, I putty and sanded everything and in the final result the entire surface was polished. I have to stress this one more time. The kit had such a good fitting, that I didn’t apply putty in the top and bottom. I just sanded it and then with the help of a scalpel I redid the lines I had erased with the sandpaper. It was a 1st time, not applying putty to cover bad fittings, which saved me a lot of time and patience! Zvezda you rock! After sanding and applying the wings (and those had to take a little plastic putty from Vallejo), I turned to the engines while the putty was not drying so I could sand again to apply the primer. I decided to follow the instructions and started with the low pressure turbine and nozzle area of the engines. After assembling (just to check the fit and shape of the engine), I noticed that this interior part would not be very visible. Anyway, I decided to apply a smoky color in order to simulate a little the metallic alloy already marked by the high temperatures there. Varig's 767 used to have General Electric CF6-80C2 engines. After that I decided to apply a primary white to reveal some imperfections as well as for the paint to adhere better when applying the final color. This afternoon I did it and left it to rest. Next time I will probably sand the imperfections a little and then start with the painting process!

Yak-9D (4815) 1:48 Zvezda The Yak-9 was an evolution of the successful Yak-7 fighter, and was intended to retake the initiative from the Nazis new Fw.190 and improved Bf.109s, which it successfully did. Production started in late 1942, and by summer 1943 there were enough in service to make a difference, playing a part in the crucial Kursk battle, thanks to its agility in the thicker air at lower altitudes and the heavy armament it carried. It was made in a number of different variants with different intended uses, with the D fitted with additional fuel tanks for longer range, and the DD for longer range still. There were also other versions with a larger 37mm cannon in the nose, and even a 45mm cannon in one variant that had to be installed with a muzzle brake. Post war saw the continued development of the type, which involved the installation of a more powerful engine, and these were later hived off to Soviet-friendly satellite states at the end of the 40s, where they served into the 50s, although their unusual lubrication system saw accidents caused by engines seizing due to forgetful pilots neglecting the hand-cranked lubrication lever in the cockpit. Something that might not necessarily be top of your agenda during a hectic dog fight or tricky manoeuvre. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Zvezda, and as it comes from Zvezda’s home country, the boat has been fully pushed-out, with the result a highly detailed kit. It arrives in a flimsy end-opening box, with a top-opening tray inside that is tough enough to hold everything safely inside, firm up the outer box, and comes complete with an additional captive lid/flap. Inside are six sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and the black and white printed instruction booklet, which has a separate painting guide in full colour, printed on both sides. A quick look at the sprues reveals that the detail is excellent throughout, with fine engraved panel lines and rivets where applicable, which are noticeably absent from the wings due to their construction with metal framework and a Bakelite impregnated plywood skin that was responsible for a major reduction in weight between it and its predecessors. There is also a complete engine that has some stunning detail moulded-in and goes all the way back to the cockpit, for which there is a very nicely sculpted pilot that has separate arms, torso and a choice of heads with goggles up or down at your choice. Other options include having the gear down, the engine exposed or closed up, with the additional option of closing up the landing gear and purchasing a separate stand for an in-flight pose. Construction begins with the engine, which is made from a substantial number of parts, and has some super mouldings that would make it a shame to pose it closed up. You will need the engine whether you display it or not, but most of it won’t require painting if you leave the engine closed. The radiator bath is next to be made, with back and front surfaces depicted, after which it is inserted into the full-width lower wing, which has a riveted armour insert behind the chin intake, and that also has front and back surfaces, plus a two-part fairing around it that has a seam up the middle, so will need careful fitting to minimise the seamline for easy hiding. The radiator intake also has a separate lip added to the front before it is flipped over and the wheel bay walls are made up, with the rear wall also forming a short spar that extends to the outer edge of the bays. Behind the spar a box is made up from individual surfaces, the aft section again forming a short spar as well as having tubular framework raised up that forms the rear of the cockpit. The floor of the cockpit sits on the boxed-in area, and has details such as rudder pedals and a choice of two control column types added, with a fuel tank and bulkhead in front, which are joined to the rear with more tubular framing that supports the cockpit sides and instrument panels, as well as other equipment within the cockpit. The instrument panel is well moulded, and four decals are included as well as a part that boxes in the rear of the panel, and a flat cross-member on which it sits at the front of the cockpit. If you're after more detail, Quinta Studio have already released a 3D Printed replacement that you can see here. The afore mentioned pilot is similarly well-moulded, with enough leeway in his arms to allow you to fine-tune them to reach the controls, plus a choice of goggles up or down, and you could incline his head up, down or to the sides to give him a little bit of additional character. The completed engine is decked out with four individual exhaust parts per side, and as some of them are twin pipes, care must be taken to correctly orient them firstly, and put them in the correct order. They aren’t hollow-tipped, but are very small, so with a dab of your blackest black it’s unlikely anyone will notice. The cockpit assembly is completed by bringing together the frames, the lower portion of the seat on its cross-frame, the vertically roll-quilted seat back set against the rear frame, the large cannon breech that runs through the prop, and the pilot if you are using him. At this stage the instructions have you inserting the landing gear legs and their retraction jacks, but these could be left off until later if you wish. The upper wings are joined to the lower after painting the bay roofs on the inside surface, and adding a pair of intake inserts to the wing root leading edges, and a cooling flap at the rear of the radiator, which has its actuators pushed through two holes from above. Wingtips with clear lights, the tail wheel leg that has a separate wheel and yoke half, and rear deck with equipment added are all built up in preparation for fixing the fuselage to the wings and internals. The inner surface of the fuselage halves are painted and has an additional frame added to the nose area on the starboard side, while a floor insert is prepared with the tail wheel for insertion later. The fuselage halves are closed around the existing structure plus the rear deck and a short bulkhead that also has the antenna moulded-in, although I would almost definitely knock that off during handling, so would probably replace it and drill a hole for later insertion of the antenna or its replacement. The port fuselage half is missing its side cowlings to accommodate the display option, and this is prepared with an intake in the lower nose, with a frame added to the inside for the closed-up version. The elevators and their fins are each made of three parts with the flying surfaces able to be posed, as is the rudder and both the ailerons, all of which are separate individual parts with lightly engraved fabric detail visible on the surfaces. If you are opening up the engine cowling, additional parts are included for the port nose machine gun as well as its ammo supply, made from a number of parts and nestling in the top of the engine. The canopy and its companion piece are then inserted in place whether you are showing off the engine or not. The section of the cowling at the very tip of the nose is used if you expose the engine, and this too has additional parts fitted underneath before it is installed behind the prop. The full upper cowling is supplied as a single part if you choose to close it up, leaving you with a neat panel line and one less seam, which is always nice. The prop is moulded as a single boss with the three blades integral, and this is surrounded by the spinner, with the boss and a cannon barrel part to allow the modeller to leave off the spinner front if desired. The canopy opener and the fixed aft section are added behind the windscreen and in front of the aerial antenna. After adding in the main gear legs during earlier construction, the task is completed by adding a captive outer bay door and inner door with actuator, adding two bay doors to the side of the tail gear leg, oil-cooler flap on the chin-intake under the nose, then making up the main wheels from two halves plus inner and outer hubs, after which they slip over the axles to complete the build phase. Markings There are three decal options included on the sheet, with a separate half-page of the instruction booklet showing where all the stencils should go, while the main markings are given on the colour sheet. From the box you can build one of the following: 1st Separate Regiment Normandy-Niemen, Pilot Marcel Lefebvre, #14 6th Guards Regiment IAP of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force, Pilot Grib, #22 64th Guards Regiment IAP, Pilot Denchik #3 Decals are printed for Zvezda in a similar style to Begemot, although no logo is included to confirm. They are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is a highly detailed model of this important WWII Soviet fighter that some may contend was the best of the war, and certainly one of the best Soviet fighters of the war. Lots of detail throughout, and with enough difference in personal markings to interest many modellers. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Alex at Quinta Studios

Hello everyone! Today I'm glad to introduce once more of my models, and to finish the "parade" of 737-family. The last one is most popular today type 737-800. Zvezda kit is neat, easy to build and needs only few putty, especially compared to previous EE 737-100. I've thought about livery choose for last one 737 for a long time. First I really wanted to build it in NOK-air bird livery, but later decided that it's too complicated for my skill till that days. Another one idea was Aeroflot classic old livery, but I am not a fan of "whatif" liveries. Finally I stopped choosing and purchased another one high quality and easy-to buy in RF livery from PAS. OK, it's another one standard and not eye-catching design. But first, I was a passenger on Nordwind couple of times (though flights were operated on 321) and the second and main reason that I've sent to trip this plane for great number of times as a handling-supervisor. Nordwind is one of Russian companies, far not the biggest but well-known inside the country. They operate park of different aircrafts (737's, A-321, 777-200 and -300). Mainly they perform domestic flights, and flights to Antalya (AYT) during high-season as well. In addition, I have warm feelings for this carrier for their easy-to-communicate and not arrogant flight attendants. Serving their flights, you will never be denied a cup of hot coffee in the cold season, a bottle of Cola in the hot, or some food if you feel hungry. So, enough lyrics, let's talk about painting First I've used ZIP-maket primer (that time I usually used it, but later replaced it with Decorix from a can). Grey colour of fuselage was mixed by eye from mr. Hobby #1 + Tamiya XF-24 Dark grey. Wings are painted by eye as well, the difference is in quantity of grey paint. Then I've chosen correct colour for engines, but finally stopped on Mr. Hobby H-18 steel. As I think, it's not far from real colour. Wheels, undercarriage and gear-flaps painted with zvexzda #30 light gray. Tyres covered with XF-85 Tamiya Rubber black. Wing-edges ant other heated areas painted with X-11 Chrome silver. Pledge future before and prior decals, as usual. And final layuer is mixed Future with 5% of X-21 Flat base. Decals from PAS are wery high-quality as usual. Technical inscriptions and others - from the included decal-sheet. (Basically it's Utair livery out-of box) Also I've added beacon on the top of fuselage (on the bottom there are a hole for the rack), and red and green lights on the wing-tips. Though highest quality, the decal has few minor disadvantages. For example, instead of "www.nordwindairlines.ru" on real plane, this inscription without WWW on decal-sheet. And what was pointed later by colleagues, I've applied some inscriptions not enough straight, and destroyed little red N logos on the engines. It's all on the side of my crooked hands Model was finished in last days of 2021. The last two fotos is for compare with prototype of the model. Respects, tMikha.

My last of the 1/144 787s and probably one of the most attractive liveries for the Dreamliner. ANA had signed a 5 year contract with Disney and painted at least 4 of their aircraft in special Star Wars liveries. Maybe some of you remember that a few years back,I already built that model,then with a 787-8,streched with resin plugs. After I had finished that kit,Zvezda announced their -9 kit... I actually never planned to build the R2D2 livery again because of its complicated design. But a friend kept asking to sell him that model,so last year I finally gave in and sold it,which led me to the point to build another one for my collection again. This time I used the 787-9 kit from Zvezda and a decal set from PAS instead 8A decs. The decals were great to work with and are also durable enough to accept some heavy handling and trimming. Again for the windows Authentic Airliner windows were used and details come from the nice Zvezda decal sheet and the spares box. Painted with Gunze white surface primer 1500,clear coated with Gunze premium gloss prior and after the endless decal session. All other paints are Gunze as well. Now my Dreamliners are all done and the Star Wars jet is back in my collection. No matter what,there wont be ever a 3rd R2D2 build May the force be with you Alex