Begemot Antonov An-225 Mrija “Cossack” (144-004 for Revell) 1:144

[Mike]

Antonov An-225 Mrija “Cossack” (144-004 for Revell)

1:144 Begemot Decals

 

 

Revell’s kit of this monster aircraft was released in 2018, and was joined last year by a simplified kit for in-flight only pose, and is now to be seen in a Zvezda box too.  The kit is nice, and could be used in conjunction with an ARK Model Buran for an unusual display, as the 225 was a developmnent of the An-124 initially designed to carry the Soviet Space Shuttle to and from the launch pad, but was re-purposed when that was cancelled due to the breakup of the Soviet Union before it had a chance to make its first manned flight.  It is a fairly regular site in certain parts of the world, including the UK, as it is now used purely for transport of large or heavy equipment with a maximum take-off weight of over 640 tonnes.

 

 

This decal set arrives in an unassuming ziplok bag, with two A3 sheets of glossy paper folded in half for the instructions, and a large sheet of decals.  The instructions are large due to the fact that there are 6 decal options of a massive aircraft, and the first two pages show the standard top and bottom view, taking up a lot of space for obvious reasons.  From the sheet you can build the following:

 

1. An-225 USSR Contingent Paris Air Show, 1989 – white with red cheat line
2. An-225 USSR Contingent Paris Air Show, 1991 – white with red cheat line
3. An-225 Antonov Bureau at Ukraine MAKS-2001 Airshow - white with red cheat line and Antonov branding
4. An-225 Antonov Airlines heavy lift company, Kiev 2005 - white with red cheat line and Antonov branding
5. An-225 Antonov Airlines heavy lift company, Kiev 2007 - white with red cheat line and new Antonov branding
6. An-225 Antonov Airlines heavy lift company, Kiev 2008 - white with blue cheat line and full Antonov branding

 

You can see all the profiles by visiting the two pages of instructions below at Begemot’s site:

 

http://www.begemotdecals.ru/doc/144-004 An-225 instruction.pdf

 

As we’ve come to expect from Begemot the printing is first rate, with good register, colour density and sharpness, with the little blue hippo logo in the bottom right.  There are a small number of silver panels with grilles printed on them in black, plus four circular silver decals surrounded by a 2mm circular line in black.  Here the registration has slipped slightly, so if your sheet is affected, just trim the edge with a brand-new blade before applying it, but it’s hardly noticeable, so I doubt anyone would spot it if you left it.

 

Conclusion

Begemot have a penchant for producing interesting and unusual subjects, and this one gives the modeller a good spread of options during the career of this unusual and unique aircraft, including the era when it was used for transporting the Buran, which I suspect will make more than a few sales happen.  Their attention to decal is excellent, and their decals are always good.  You can buy them directly from their site, or pick them up from their local distributors, a list of which you can see here.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of