Myasischev M-55 'Geophysica'
Modelsvit 1:72 scale kit
Modelsvit box art.
12-page instruction 'booklet'.
Construction diagrams - note the 22-part K-36 ejection seat.
Painting....
,,, and decalling guide.
Excellent decal sheet.
Crisply moulded parts....
.... with superb engraved detail.
The double-curvature laminar flow wings are beautifully excecuted.
Upper wing centre section.
Packed sprues.
Intake and engine parts...
Tailboom and fins.
Horizontal tailplane and dorsal eqipment package.
Undercarriage parts.
Open or closed cockpit canopy, dorsal 'canoe' and K-36 ejection seat.
Etched brass parts.
Closeup showing the stunning surface detail.
Cockpit tub - made up from a floor, two side consoles plus front and rear bulkheads.
A control column and even rudder pedals are included. Decals are provided for the instrument panels.
Cockpit and nosewheel bay sub assemblies fitted inside the starboard front fuselage.
Modelsvit recommend 18 grams of nose weight.
Cockpit, wheel bay and weight....
Nose all buttoned up.
I'll add the K-36 ejection seat at the end....
The twin jetpipes made up from two halves with an internal nozzle.
Full length intake trunking.
Compressor faces (top) - and rear turbines.
Intakes and jetpipes in place inside the centre fuselage 'bathtub'.
The 'bathtub' is made up from a section of the lower fuselage plus two side panels.
The lower fuselage with side panels and tailcone attached - lots of joints!
Top view of the centre-fuselage sub-assembly.
Weak joint between centre and forward fuselage.
Plastic card tabs added to try to provide more mating area.
Forward fuselage attached.
A closer view of the strengthening tabs....
Rear fuselage cooling duct - with etched brass vanes...
Cooling duct in place on the lower rear fuselage.
Underside of the rear fuselage shwing the duct.
This is what it looks like on the real thing (taken by me at MAKS 2013).
Top wing centre section added - a couple of gaps to fill around the intakes.
Underside view.
Joint lines at the rear end.
The long-span wings are made up from a full-length lower section and a shorter upper section.
Plastic supports added to the wing root.
The two underwing sampling pods - made up from 6 parts.... plus an etched brass plate for the starboard pod.
Tiny etched parts are included for the two sensors at the rear of each pod.
This is the rear of the starboard pod on the real thing....
The main wheel bays are in the front of the tailboom - made up from a folded interior and outer 'canoe'..
The tailbooms/fins are in two halves - the completed port assembly is at top.
The front tailboom sections and main wheelbays are attached to the underside of the wings.
Plastic plugs added to tailbooms to strengthen the join.
Tailbooms and horizontal stabiliser attached.....
Underside view.
How big is it? - Wingspan is 520mm (20.5 in), length is 315mm (12.4 in) - here it is next to a MiG-25 Foxbat.
First coat of grey primer.... top view....
.... and undersides.
22-part K-36 ejection seat......
Plastic seat - with an etched-brass harness still to be added.
White Primer - and a finishing gloss white coat.
The underside of the fuselage needs masking for the Light Grey coat.
All painting done - ready for the decals....
Decalling done.....
Dozens of sponsors logos along the fuselage.
Underside view...
A closer view of the logos - all perfectly readable and in register...
Not all the decals are oriented the right way up!
Logo on the real thing (taken at MAKS).
Another sponsors logo.
Finished Model...
Walkround Photos
Ken Duffey
Nov 2019/Feb 2020/July 2023