Hi all,
As promised, here's a first look at the Antonov:
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She looks like she'll build well, if the parts fit is good they certainly look good on the sprue:
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I'm hoping to make a start today, probably the wings, as there's internal painting to do for the fuselage.
The Soviet Navy bird is quoted as wearing a color approximated by Gunze #34 for her overall blue, so I can check the shade in town. The side of the box shows a very bright blue indeed -- we'll see how it comes out, as I fancy something bright and showy,even if it's not absolutely historically accurate, though a military aircraft wearing non-camouflage colors sounds like a show-pony anyway.
Cheers,
Mike/TB379
ADDENDUM
First build report: I got started on the kit today and here's the first afternoon's input.
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First impressions: The Chinese plastic, as usual, isn't too enthusiastic about reacting with superglue. The panel lines, while recessed, are curiously amateurish, of uneven depth, and here and there they 'go over the lines' as if set up by a technician who didn't quite know what he was doing. Tamiya's computerised mlling machines spoil us, yes, but all the same a greater expertise could be wished for.
The outer edges of the floats were marred by vertical striations and I checked my references at once to see if they were supposed to be a weld seam (that's what they looked like) but nothing is visible. In any case, the floats would be made of marine-grade aluminium, and argon-welds are unlikely to look like German tank (flash) welds... I sanded them away and attempted to rescribe panel lines lost under the roughness.
The plastic both scratches at the slightest whif of a sharp point, and doesn't like to be scribed, paradoxical as that is! I'll decide later what to do about these details, possibly sand back smooth and ignore them.
That's where I am, I'll post as I go I don't know how quick I can be as I have far too many kits on my bench at this time!
Cheers,
Mike/TB379