An-124 Ruslan

Modelsvit 1/72 scale model

Giant box...

Kit contents - wrapped in cling film and packed with polystyrene.

Major parts are fibreglass resin - with a glass-smooth surface finish.

Massive decal sheets......

... provide for six different options.

Generic sheet for all versions.

Construction booklet is comprehensive - with a full colour painting guide.

Injection moulded parts for the cockpit.

Made up cockpit - the rear of which is hidden when the side panels are added.

Plastic rod to widen the nose section, plus plastic card 'ledge' for the cockpit assembly.

Lots of filler needed to blend in the nose section.

Plastic inserts for wing root intakes...

Wings have metal rods and can be removed for trasnport.

Model temporarily taped together - with MiG-25 for size comparison.

Parts for the 'hot' section of the turbofan.

The front compressor section and cowling parts.

One engine assembled .

Clear canopy added, blended in with filler - and masked off.

Flap track guides added - and filled!

After a few primer coats and rubbing down, the windows are finally masked ready for the white primer.

A few coats of white primer, followed by a coat of gloss white, then masked off ready for the light grey undersurfaces,,,

All masking removed - ready for decals.

Complex undercarriage.

Port wheel bay and struts finished.

This is the port wheelbay from the 'outside'.

Starboard wheelbay under construction.

Each wheel is made up from 4 parts.......

..... and there are 24 of them !!!

The nose strut is too long......

.... so it was replaced by a shorter length of aluminium tube

Wheel bays temporarily taped in place.....

It looks like it might work!

The kit instructions are wrong !!!

Correct way of fitting brackets.

Door brackets fitted.

Mainwheel doors.

Door support brackets.

Assembled nosewheel leg at left - unchanged parts at right.

Corrected and assembled nosewheel leg.

Door braces replaced with brass wire.

Mainwheels almost ready for attaching...

Applying decals - top surface.

....bottom surface.

Decals are readable.

Engine nacelle decalled.

One side of fuselage decalled.

Sub-assemblies almost ready for final build....

MiG-25 for size comparison.

Wheel bays glued in place - and covered by main doors.

Port side wheels attached - all ten of them.

At least they all touch the ground.....

Note how they are all cantilevered out from the fuselage.....

The 'flats' on the wheels have gone through the plastic in some cases.

Support made from clear acrylic to take the weight.

Four nosewheels.

Taxy lights and home-made decal on visor.

Finished Model...

How big is it???.... next to an A-400M....

Ken Duffey

May 2013