TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) Brought back from the Shelf O' Doom, I present you with A-Model's Tupolev Tu-134A, done up in custom decals to represent "Zagreb," as flown by Aviogenex in the 70's and 80's. This one fought me hard. The wings and horizontal stabilizers are butt-joined, and you need to take an educated guess at the wing anhedral. Lining up the landing gear is a minor adventure. The paint? Oh, the paint. All those fuselage stripes are painted, touched up with decal painted in the right colors, which was by far the hardest part. Hard to photograph, because it needs a lot of space, it's about the size of a Lockheed Constellation in the same scale, and quite heavy. Yes, there's a flight crew on board--three little Yugoslavs from PJ Productions! Why? Because Aviogenex is probably the only non-Soviet airline to voluntarily purchase the Tu-134 and put it in revenue service. Before they replaced them with 737s, Aviogenex flew the wings off of the Tupolevs for 20 years, with only a couple major (fatal) crashes in-between. They may even have made a healthy profit despite the plane's carrying 30 fewer passengers, and weighing seven tons more--empty--than a DC-9-30. Enjoy! I'm just relieved to have crossed the finish line with it. Edited January 17, 2022 by TheyJammedKenny! clarification 54 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busnproplinerfan Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 I was wondering how this kit was, sounds like real "fun". Don't know if I'll ever get one. Nice work on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 10, 2022 Author Share Posted January 10, 2022 59 minutes ago, busnproplinerfan said: sounds like real "fun". Thanks so much! It was a labor of love. I actually like the way the radar-nose Tu-134A looks, and it's available in 1/72 scale, so there you go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) Respect, you fought and you won , nice work ! Wulfman Edited January 10, 2022 by Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamp Donkey Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 I love 134’s and that one looks fantastic SD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in a shed Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Brilliant work. Well done with the stripes they are always difficult to do and you,ve done a smashing job, nice sharp demarkations. Great build as well, The step between the windscreen and the fuselage takes a bit of getting rid of and again well done. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Excellent model! About a billion times better than the Plasticart one I made! Super impressed by your stripe work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vultures1 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Very impressive work! Sounds like it fought you all the way but the end result is great 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Very nice. I remember them well Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiampieroSilvestri Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Beautiful Tupolev Tu-134A! Saluti Giampiero 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djos Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Rare bird, great finish Regards Djordje 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Despite the trials, the end result is magnificent! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 20 hours ago, Wulfman said: Respect, you fought and you won , nice work ! Thanks, Wulfman! It won't be my last A-Model. 18 hours ago, Swamp Donkey said: I love 134’s and that one looks fantastic I appreciate them too, Swamp Donkey! The Aviogenex color scheme really helps the lines--thanks also for the generous compliment! 15 hours ago, Pete in a shed said: Great build as well, The step between the windscreen and the fuselage takes a bit of getting rid of and again well done Pete, having seen your work, I am really pleased you liked this one. BTW, the windscreen step is there, but I carefully hid it with the matte anti-glare panel. 15 hours ago, bianfuxia said: Super impressed by your stripe work. You should be even more impressed by the way the (unimpressive) photo quality masks all the mistakes! Thanks so much! 12 hours ago, RidgeRunner said: Very nice. I remember them well Wish I could say the same, RidgeRunner, and thanks! I remember traveling through Frankfurt in '91 and seeing one taxi past the observation deck. It sounded different, and certainly appeared otherworldly, in comparison to Western equipment. The look grows on you, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 11 hours ago, GiampieroSilvestri said: Beautiful Tupolev Tu-134A! Saluti, sir! I am most honored, considering your expertise in the equipment. 10 hours ago, djos said: Rare bird, great finish Thank you! I like to honor Yugoslavia the way it once was--a place with numerous flaws, but considerable charm. 9 hours ago, SAT69 said: Despite the trials, the end result is magnificent! So glad you like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Very nicely done. I remember seeing the Aviogenex Tu-134s regularly at Manchester - I've always loved the distinctive look of the thing. I built one of these a few years ago, not the easiest of builds but I'd build another if I had room for it (however I do have a few of the lovely Zvezda 1/144 kits in the stash), and you've done a great job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 36 minutes ago, zebra said: I do have a few of the lovely Zvezda 1/144 kits in the stash Thanks for your warm words, Zebra! I agree with you that the Zvezda kit is a real charm. If only the A-Model kit were that way. Would love to see yours, too, if willing to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 38 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said: Thanks for your warm words, Zebra! I agree with you that the Zvezda kit is a real charm. If only the A-Model kit were that way. Would love to see yours, too, if willing to share. Here you go: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 Wow! Nice! That's a beautiful scheme, and the homemade decals are first-rate! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VolkerR. Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 You earned my respect! But is was definitely worth your effort. Well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Excellent build and a great livery too. I remember those Tupolevs being frequent visitors at our local airport. Great sight,loud as hell...but loved it Thanks for sharing Alex 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 19 hours ago, VolkerR. said: You earned my respect! But is was definitely worth your effort. Well done! Thank you! Something "easier" next time, I reckon, like a Canberra PR.7 14 hours ago, Alex1978 said: Excellent build and a great livery too. Thanks, Alex! I always enjoy seeing yours, too. Yes, I assume they were screaming loud at takeoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Wow, spectacular model and I love the visible flightdeck crew! Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCI Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 awesome, mate! looks really nice, good crafting and of course a great choice, in fact one of my favorite paintjobs on the 134. i built the same in th small scale, but its appearance in 72nd is mighty!! well done 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomcat101 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Very nice build. The Tu-134 was not such a great airplane but I always liked the design. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jure Miljevic Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 Very nice build, I like the curtains in cabin windows. Is it just me or does white on the vertical tail company logo seem to be a bit translucent? I remember seeing Aviogenex's Tupolevs on Brnik a couple of times when a was a kid. Before swithcing to 737-200s, the company bought two ex-governmental 727-200. I built 1/100 Plastikard Tu-134 some forty years ago and foolishly gave it away few years later in an effort to free some space in my room, filled with hundreds of models. There is A-Model Tu-134 A in my stash, too, and I also intend to build it in Aviogenex livery. Cheers Jure 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now