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For many years I have been working intermittently on a project to build a model airliner representing each of the European national or “flag carrier” airlines. Aer Lingus is next on the list so for this GB I thought it would be fun to build a Zvezda 757-200 as EI-LBT “St Brendan” one of a trio of ex-Finnair aircraft which they leased from ASL Airlines (previously known as Air Contractors). “St Brendan” served with Aer Lingus from 2014 to 2020. The Zvezda Boeing 757 came out in 2021 but I haven’t got round to building one yet so it’s a new kit for me. There have been some beautiful builds posted on Britmodeller and I know I’ve got a lot to live up to! I’ll be using Drawdecal decals supplemented by Authentic Airliners windows and details. I may throw in some BraZ resin bits but I’ll decide that later. Otherwise it will be an OOB build apart from altering the door layout. Dave G

Good day, Here is my second submission for the year. The highlights of this kit are as follows………….. 1. Airframe : Model Master Euro One Grey, AK Pale Grey (AK11013), Vallejo White Grey ( 71.119), Neutral Grey (71.051), Russian AF Grey (71.346), Vallejo light grey wash, Tamiya NATO Black (XF-69). 2. Cockpit : MRP Light Blue (MRP-A033), Ejection seat - Tamiya Flat black (XF-1), Life Color Ocean Grey, Mission Models Tire Black (MMP-040), Tamiya Black & Grey panel line wash 3. Exhaust section : AK Jet Exhaust (lacquer base), AK Steel (lacquer base), AK Metallic Purple (lacquer base), Tamiya Gun Metal (X-10), Tamiya Black & Grey panel line wash, Tamiya Titanium Silver (X-32) dry brush 4. Weapons : Kh-31P / Model Master Euro One Grey, Gunze Silver, Brunt Iron, KAB-500 / Tamiya Flat White (XF-2), NATO Black (XF-69), Titanium Silver (X-32), AA-11 / Tamiya Flat White (XF-2), NATO Black (XF-69) 5. Landing gear and bays : Model Master Aircraft Grey, MRP Green (MRP-034), Vallejo Black, Brown, & Light Rust washes, Chrome oleo piston struts. 6. Misc : Black and medium grey chalk pastels were used on the airframe. Tamiya Clear Red & Green for the ID wing lights. Tamiya Flat Red for the intake and exhaust covers. 7. Extras : Master metal pitot tube, True Details resin ejection seat, Quinta Studios 3-D instrument panel decals. This is the first kit I have made from Zvezda. The fit and detail between parts is excellent. The kit comes with seven different underwing weapons options which the extras are saved for future projects. Seated and standing pilot figures are provided. I used the kit included decals and they are very nice. My only quibble is that this kit tends to be a bit over engineered as landing lights, Infrared cockpit pod, and various intake scoops were separate tiny parts. I lost the infrared lens into the abyss when it snapped from the tweezers I was using to hold and place it. Fortunately I had something similar in the spares box. While the kit supplied ejection seat is very nice, the level of detail for the aftermarket resin type is excellent and then Quinta Studios 3-D instrumentation panels are superb and add quite a bit of realism. While I largely enjoyed this multi-role version of the Fulcrum from Zvezda, due the large amount of very small parts, I can only recommend it to those with some experience. Thank you in advance. Respectfully submitted, Mike I have become much more enamored with the various paint sets provided from manufacturers such as Vallejo & Ammo / AK. I used this one for the Fulcrum….. I would like to provide an endorsement for the newly discovered Yellow Frog Tape brand here found in the US. I do not know if my friends and colleagues abroad have this particular brand of tape available to them. I learned of this masking tape from a trusted friend who pretty much knows everything related to the hobby ( Shout out to you QT!!!! ). The tape as you can see, is similar in appearance to the trusted Tamiya brand and possesses the same properties at a much more friendly cost. It did not pull up the paint however it tends to become a bit “weak” when used along curved surfaces over an extended period of time however I found this is not a significant issue whatsoever. And in closing, it has been a mind numbing 30 years since I last built a Mig-29 Fulcrum. This is the venerable but still quite lovely offering from Hasegawa. Where did the time go to my friends????????

Continuing the lockdown builds with the fresh Zvezda kit of the A350-1000. I'm aware that Aeroflot has (and only will have) 350-900 and I initially planned a conversion, but it turned to be way too complicated than just shorting down the fuselage so I went with a kind of 'what if' Aeroflot 350-1000. Pas decals livery fitted fine but the livery turned out to be not so simple as I expected. I had to copy the decals for the tailcone masking of grey/blue border (second time lucky). The kit fits very well except for the cockpit windshield which fits horribly wrong. Probably should have gone for the decal one. Gone through every airliner modeller's trial and error of masking the windows with a silicone masking liquid ended up quite bad. Never again. Other than that it's an enjoyable build, highly recommended. *THAT* winglet two of my last build together, as a random coincidence they're exactly the same length 1/144 and just 40 cm apart in real life Cheers, Steve

This is part 2 of my Kitty and Sledgehammer diorama. The Tiger got finished today so i made a start with this Russian howitzer. These things were used during the defence of Leningrad so it is pretty likely that the 2 models would have crossed eachothers path during the winter of 1943. This model is from Zvezda. And compared to the RFM tiger this feels quite different. The plasic feels a bit softer and there is a lot more flash and cleaning up to do. However the fit is decent and the details are good. The partcount is pretty low and there is no PE or decals involved. Pretty straight foreward building. And after an hour this is what i got as a start. The gun is dryfitted to check the angles. The lower frame consists of seperate parts so it is important to check the fit and to make shure all the angles are correct. That's it for now. I'll keep you guys posted. Cheers! 🍻🍻🍻

Zvezda is to release in 2024 a new tool 1/144th Airbus A-330-300 - kit ref. 7044 Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?w=wall-29859496_2798054 V.P.

Zvezda catalogue 2025 is downloadable here (total 96 pages) : https://vk.com/doc6108131_682097510 The aviation pages are downloadable here : https://t.me/zvezdamodels/904 https://m.vk.com/doc582237887_682729881?hash=KyalVv2mlzXqiqspjVVSpCYeon3pXouHqHmMzU0gmZc New tool/parts aviation kits expected in 2025: Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?w=wall-29859496_2851458 - ref. 4808 - 1/48 - Sukhoi Su-30SM "Flanker-H" (thread) - ref. 4835 - 1/48 - Mil Mi-171 "Hip-H" (thread) - ref. 4837 - 1/48 - Yakovlev Yak-7B - late variant (thread) - ref. 7045 - 1/144 - Tupolev Tu-144 "Charger" (thread) - ref. 7047 - 1/144 - Airbus A-330-200 (thread) - ref. 7429 - 1/144 - Kamov Ka-52 Alligator/"Hokum-B" - ref. 7435 - 1/144 - Lockheed-Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon - ref. 7436 - 1/44 - Sukhoi Su-30SM "Flanker-H" - ref. 7501 - 1/144 - Vostock-1 (thread) To be followed. V.P.

After the 1/48th kit (link) and a lot of modellers requests, Zvezda has decided to add to its 2025 programme a new tool 1/72nd Polikarpov I-16 Ishak kit. Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?w=wall-29859496_2864276 V.P.

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!

Thanks Luis Pacheco - link Worth a dedicated thread ! A strong rumour coming from Moscovia: Zvezda could release a 1/48th Kamov Ka-52 Alligator/"Hokum-B" kit at the end of 2023. To be followed Source: https://dzen.ru/a/ZM4FGUonYhvCyrvu?share_to=vk&utm_referer=away.vk.com V.P.

Check out the new Zvezda 2015 catalogue http://scalemodels.ru/modules/news/img_8359_1419369777_Catalogue_2015_Cover_22_000021.jpg.html Can't wait!! Could a 757 and an MD-11 be a possibility now? Ian

In 2024 Zvezda is to release a new tool "easy-build series" 1/72nd Yakovlev Yak-1 kit - ref. 7327 Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?w=wall-29859496_2798054 V.P.

I had a large stock of Zvezda 777-300s and the last one,I did not just want to make another -300,also due to display space problems... I had a f-dcal 777-200 set in my stash,that I once received with a decal lot I won at sn auction. So,I decided to convert the Zezda kit to a -200 version. The cuts are simple to do and the following build is also straight forward. I cut off the raked wing tips to make a regular -200 and not an ER version. The raked wingtips are now in the spares box for my planned 767-400. The decals are good to use and fit quite well. The only downside is,that the GE engine logos are printed with a blue backing,so matching the color is tricky. I used Revell 54 blue for the belly and engines,which came closest to a match. The white is Gunze white primer 1500,coated with Gunze premium gloss. As I saw many pictures of the BA 777s being quite dirty,I decided to weather it more than I ususlly do.In some places I think, it should have been less,but overall I am happy with the end result. Cheers Alex

After my Caledonian 757 build,somewhere deep here in the RFI,I also had plans to do one in the Landor livery. The excellent 26 decal sheet offers both versions, so the build was underway in no time. The BA Landor livery is one of my favourite liveries and makes the sleek lines of the 757 all the more elegant. Painted with Gunze and Tamyia paints. Gunze grey 315 for the upper fuselage and Tamyia Royal blue, mixed with a few drops black for the underbelly and engines. All clear coated with Gunze Premium gloss. The usual modifications on the cabin windows for the correct layout and the option of leaving the windows clear. Cheers Alex

Zvezda's 757 kit is an absolute treat to build and looks just fabulous. As there are plenty of available decal options ,I brought a large number of them.2 -200s and 2 -300s are left to do... This one is actually a rebuild,as I did an Air Europe 757 a few years ago,then using a Minicraft kit. The result was less than stellar,also due to my lack of sufficient skills yet to produce something decent from the Minicraft offering... As I saw Air Europa's 757s invading our Swiss airports during the summer hollidays,I wanted one in my collection. So,here it is now,the new Zvezda kit. The decals are from 26 and even they seemed to be designed for the Minicraft model,fit well on the Zvezda kit.Just some minor adjustments were needed. With most of my 757s,I also opted here for clear windows. To get the window layout correct,just close up 4 windows ,counting 13 windows forward from the last,so you get the correct location. Then place the small door in the middle,were those 4 windows are supposed to be,and everything is in place. Cheers Alex

Another of the excellent 757 kits from Zvezda. Royal Nepal Airlines used 2 757s on their routes out of Nepal,sometimes as far as Frankfurt. Today,A330s are used to do the job. The decals are from Flightpath ,but despite their age,worked perfectly. Its an interesting and unusual livery for the 757 and one that really suits the aircraft. Cheers Alex

I think it's time to build another airliner. In the late 1990s BA painted a small number of its aircraft with a Poppy scheme to coincide with Remembrance Day; usually this had a poppy and "Pause to Remember" applied to the fuselage but G-BIKW was (as far as I know) unique as the poppy was applied to a plain white tailfin (this was after its "Ndebele" World tails had been removed but before the current "Chatham" livery was fully applied). Here is a link to the scheme So, to be built from the Zvezda kit (which has the correct Rolls Royce engines) with 26 Decals. Unlike some other Zvezda airliners this kit has no option for dropped flaps or slats, so should be a relatively quick and straightforward project. It will probably be another week or so before I get started as there are still two F-15E to finish. Mike

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! 😉😁😁

Hi all. I want to show you my latest finished modell. As it was a commission build it was a in between project and finished very quickly. In 2002 Austria decided to purchase three former RAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The Aircrafts arrived in 2003 and 2004 at Fliegerhorst Vogler in Hörsching near Linz/Upper Austria. 8T-CA was built 1967 and former XV181 in RAF service. It has a landing mishap in 1975, was rebuilt by Marshall and also used as testbed for the Allison GMA 2100 engine before sold to Austria. In 2028 Austria will replace it´s three Hercules with four Embraer C-390M, they C-130 will be in service with RAF and AAF for 60 years then. The kit from Zvezda went together very nice and easy, no major fit issues and details also look very neat. Lots of extra parts for different versions are already in the kit. Some details had to be scratched from styrene, belonging to the wide range of different versions and modifications of the real aircraft. I used Gunze H306 for the overal grey scheme and Gunze H336 for the darker stone protection paint on the belly. Some dirt and soot was done with Tamiya x-19 smoke and Gunze H343. The decals from Brent-Air-Decals were also very nice to maintain and gave all the neccesarry details for the Austrian aircrafts. Thanks for watching, I hope you like it. Regards Daniel

Hello to all.I have jsut finished this model.I managed to rescribe the panels and rivet it.Quinta 3d ockpit was used and master pittotube and nose machine gun.I also did add a lot of additional scratch details.Painted in revell enamels and weathered with oils.The ub-32 rockpet pods came from the excellent eduard brasin sets.Decals I made myself at home.

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...😀

In 2024 Zvezda is to release a new tool 1/48th Polikarpov I-16 Ishak kit - ref. 4832 Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?w=wall-29859496_2798054 V.P.

Zvezda is to release a new tool 1/48th Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 kit - ref. 4833 Source: https://vk.com/zvezdamodels?w=wall-29859496_2798054 V.P.

A change from my recent 1/48 fast jets, and this time a 1/72 heavy companion for the Victor and Vulcans. I love the two-tone brown scheme of the RAF’s early Hercs, especially with the white above the cockpit. I’m often slightly reticent to do these types of kits as there is so much detail to build and paint on the interior, but I’ve wanted to add a Herc for ages and have seen some brilliant builds on here. I’ve read good things about the Zvezda kit, so here we go … Obligatory aftermarket, including masks which I think will be invaluable with so many small windows. Slightly intimidating number of plastic components! Crud n’ custard ready … I’m actually thinking of doing it with the white cockpit but two-tone roundels. I’ve seen a few photos with this combination, so a mix of the two options below: Please can anyone help with what colours I’ll need for the cockpit and interior?

Another 757 from my production line. Earlier this year,I posted the Caledonian 757 here on BM. Some more Zvezda 757s have been finished,I have not had the time yet to photograph them but they will be posted here as well shortly. LTS was the subsidiary of LTU,based in Munich-Riem in the early 80s. The first livery of it was the dark and light blue as showed here.Later on the livery was kept but the colour changed to red as with the LTU aircrafts and the name changed to LTU SÜD. The blue livery carried on with the Spanish subsidiary of LTU,named LTE,they later changed to the red livery as well. The Zvezda 757 kit is absolutely lovely and the fit is near perfect. I only changed the kits RR engines to early RR 235 engines. These are again from DRUZ and are simply gorgeous The window/door arrangement needs to be changed too as LTS used a different arrangement than what the kit provides. If one wishes to have open windows instead of decals,simply count 13 windows from back to forth and close the following 4.The smaller service doors will be placed in the place of the last 2 of the 4 closed up windows.The rest is identical to the other versions. . The decal set comes fgom AHS.The dark blue stripe is included there,but its just a straight piece,no windows or cockpit cutouts. So I opted to paint everything and use the titles and letters only from the set. All additional details come from the Zvezda decal set. An interesting side note:The registration worn by this 757 "D-AMUR" was later passed on to a LTU SÜD Boeing 767-300ER... Cheers, Alex