ANT-5 (I-4, I-4z) Soviet all-metal biplane 1/72 scale Zvezda

Hi everyone!
I want to intoduce you a review of Zvezda manufacturer ANTONOV aifcraft  model kit.
Full name: ANT-5 (I-4, I-4z) Soviet all-metal biplane 1/72 scale Zvezda 7271
So lets go...

The ANT-5 was a Russian fighter biplane in the late twenties, early thirties. It was their first all metal fighter and saw service in the Spanish civil war. It was also built in three different models although the instructions are a little vague on this.

73 injection moulded parts in medium grey plastic on two sprues, decals for one aircraft only and 2 double sided A5 multi lingual instructions with history, 6 build drawings and colour\marking diagrams but no parts plan.

Zvezda often produce kits from other makers but I believe this is one of their own mouldings. The plastic is cleanly moulded with only a tiny amount of flash and some nice corrugated finish on the fuselage and rib detail on the flying surfaces but some of the finer parts are a bit over scale and the interior parts are some-what crude. Alternative parts are supplied for the other Mks, ( I-4 and I-4z), such as prop and spinner, lower wing, fin/rudder and armaments although you will have to study the instructions and box art to work out which is which.

The decals consist of six red stars, two white number twos and a crude instrument decal and again you will have to study things to work out what goes where.

If you really must have this aircraft in your collection then this is probably the best you will get. With some extra detailing and scratch building, it can be made into a nice model.

Antonov An-12BK Civil Soviet aircraft model kit

Check BUILT photos below!
---
Check molds photos below!
---
Check decals below!

For over thirty years the An-12 was the USSR's main military transport type. Along with its exploitation by the Airforce (VVS), the An-12 was extensively used in civil aviation. Big capacity, a long range, and low running cost became the major reasons for this aircraft's commercial success.

From the very start of An-12 manufacture, its military service was considered to be a priority. However, intensive development of the USSR's national economy and the vast territory of this country determined inevitable exploitation of this aircraft in civil aviation.

Civil An-12 aircraft were closely similar to their military siblings. Naturally, first of all their landing gear was modified and their armament were dismantled (the tail gun position sometimes remained, but with a so-called 'end-cap' installed). The 3 radar was taken out as well, and PO3-1 radar was installed in its place for the purpose of earth surface observation. This radar equipment had somewhat smaller dimensions, which is why the radome on the civil An-12 had a different shape as well. The Soviet Ministry of Civil Aviation used the civil version of the An-12 for solving various problems - delivery of food supplies to remote and inaccessible regions of the country, container transportation, and delivering aid to countries with the 'socialist way of development' (mainly in Africa and Latin America).

In 1966 Aeroflot opened the first international cargo route between Moscow-Riga-Paris, and in 1969 another one between Vladivostok and Amsterdam. The An-12 was used on this route for a long time.

At the start of the 1990s most military An-12 aircraft were taken out of VVS service in the now-dissolved Soviet Union, and sold to numerous newly created transportation companies. A significant quantity of An-12 aircraft were exported (mostly to Africa) where they remain in service today. However, quite often these machines do not satisfy modern standards and even expose flight crew to certain risks.

The majority of An-12s were built in the 1960s and should now be out of service; however at the present moment the Experimental Construction Bureau named after Antonov is considering extending the flying service of these aeroplanes until 2010.

I found built this model! In scale 1/72 this Soviet civil aircraft is really huge! Check this out!

This is built Roden 048 Antonov An-12BK Civil Soviet aircraft model kit!
Kit contain 240 parts.
Check this molds!!!

And check this decals!!!

1. An-12BK, Aeroflot airlines, early 1960th.

2. An-12BK, Aeroflot airlines, early 1960th.

3. An-12BK, Aeroflot airlines, early 1980th.

4. An-12BK, Ukrainian Cargo Airways, 2001.

5. An-12BK, VOLARE aircompany, Ukraine, 2002.

So I think this kit is really good and my review helps you!

Thank you for attention!

Antonov An-12BK Soviet aircraft.

Check BUILT photos below!
---
Check molds photos below!
---
Check decals below!

The An-12 (NATO code name "Cub") is one of the most famous Soviet types, developed by Oleg K. Antonov's design bureau in the late 1950s. Predecessor of the An-12, the twin-engined An-8 was the Soviet Union's first true cargo aircraft (it had a special ramp installation in the rear of the fuselage for easy freight loading), but at that time comparable foreign designs were equipped with four engines, for flight safety. At the end of 1955 the design bureau led by Oleg Antonov received orders for two new four-engined aircraft: the civilian An-10 and the military An-12.

Many successful features adopted on the An-8 were used during development of the A-10 and An-12 projects. Very soon, in March 1957, the first flight of the An-10 took place, and of the An-12 in December of the same year. After much intensive testing, series production began in the following year at the Irkutsk aircraft factory. In 1960 the Voronezh aircraft factory joined in production, and in 1962 Tashkent's factory. Production ceased in 1973 after 1,213 of this type had been produced. The An-12BK, equipped with more powerful AI-20M engines and some minor changes, was a widely used variant which began production in 1967. Other interesting modifications of the type are the polar An-12PL, the An-12BKL bomber which could carry up to 12 tons of bombs, the An-12BK-PPS with special radio equipment, the An-12BKT tanker, the naval rescue An-12PS and others.

Apart from the USSR, many countries have operated the An-12: Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Bulgaria, India, Algeria, Indonesia, Guinea, Ghana, Yemen, and China. China later built its own unlicensed copy of the An-12, designated the Y-8.

From the late 1950s onwards, the An-12 entered service in the Soviet national economy as well as with the arms of the military. The An-12 was the first Soviet military aircraft adopted by the Soviet Airmobile Paratroop forces; it was only plane which could carry AFV vehicles.

The An-12 had a long military service life: during the India-Chinese conflict in 1962, and in the 1965 India-Pakistan border conflicts, it was extensively used by the Indian Air Forces for transport and bombing. Egyptian An-12s delivered troops and UN peacemakers to the conflict zone during the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. At the time of the Prague Spring in 1968 the An-12 very quickly delivered Soviet troops to the Czech capital. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, many An-12s together with more modern IL-76s transported a huge quantity of Soviet troops and military freight to the country.

Even in the1990s "obsolete" An-12s still served in many countries. It took part in civil war in the former Yugoslavia and Angola; and Russia has used An-12s in anti-terror operations in Chechnya since this conflict began in 1994. In Afghanistan, An-12s belonging to the Taliban terrorist movement had been re-equipped for the bomber role, but were very quickly destroyed in late 2001, when operation Enduring Freedom began. At the end of 2000, about 167 of this type were still in service. Many An-12s are being used by air cargo companies, and Russia and Ukraine retain the type in their Air Forces at the present time.

I  found built this model! In scale 1/72 this Soviet aircraft is really huge! Check this out!

This is built Roden 042 Antonov An-12BK Soviet aircraft model kit!
Kit contain 246 parts.
Check this molds!!!
Two duplicate sprues are provided that include the 4 fuselage mounted ECM pods, cooling intakes, exhausts, and antenna. The other sprue contains the under fuselage bathtub housings and the enlarged tail cone housing in lieu of the B29 style rear gun turret. All of the parts to build the transport version are included but can be consigned to the spares box. The parts have very little flash and are crisply moulded.

Markings are supplied for 2 Soviet aircraft finished in overall compass grey. The 2 aircraft are red 14 of the Russian Air Force was stationed at Levashovo airfield in 2001, and red 90 of the Soviet Air Force based in the Baikal District in the late 1970s.

 

And check this decals!!!
The decals look thin and well printed. The sheet includes a nice rendition of the instrument panel and an anti glare panel. This kit should fill a gap in any modellers Soviet collection and will look good posed beside an EW fitted C130.

So I think this kit is really good!
Thank you for attention!

Start of this blog.

Hi everyone! This is my blog! I will post many interesting model kits reviews!
Please, enjoy!