Wings of the red star-- 1/72 Tupolev ANT 25

[yak face]

Heres something I picked up at the Newark expo show, and its something Ive been wanting for a while!Its a 1930's Soviet record breaking machine, made for long distance over polar flights Imagine my delight when I found this in a bargain bin for £3 . It hasnt got a box or instructions but is complete and has decals. I dont know the maker but its a bit of a flash fest (understatement ?!!) There are moulding seams and huge ejector pin marks all over but its just the sort of thing i love to get my teeth into. Luckily I should be able to guess the construction sequence as there arent that many interior parts and ive found some great walkarounds of the surviving museum example ( there were only 2 made ) for the details and colour scheme. Heres the sprue shots and a three view of what its supposed to look like - WARNING , the following images may cause distress. cheers tony

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[spanner570]

Thanks for the warning, mucker!

Good job I was enjoying a can of Boddies when I first looked at them photos......That's some clean up operation you have there good buddy, but you'll crack it, now't so certain....

[papa 695]

Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum FLASH Ahh Ahh ( pay back )

[yak face]

Touche !

[PaulTRose]

Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum FLASH Ahh Ahh ( pay back )

lol..beat me to it...i was going to say the last time i saw that much flash, queen were on the soundtrack

[Guest]

That could almost be some long lost Airfix kit from the 50's!! Looks yummy, though......happy sanding

[Guest]

I agree with Neil, could be airfix..... Not necessarily from days gone by either :-) :-) :-) :-)

Looks like a bit of work to do but I'm sure you'll bash it into shape Tony!

[yak face]

Well i started today , probably the biggest clean up job since the Exxon Valdez !!! (google it young uns!) I managed to stab myself in the finger 3 times , cleaning up ejector pin stubs ,some of which were 2mm proud and had to be sawn off with the razor saw!! In fact ive never used a razor saw as often , most of the parts needing to be sawn off the sprue.All the mating faces need sanding flat and most parts need fettling to get rid of flash/mould seams. The pic of the 2 rudder halves shows how much needs to be done to most parts before theyre even ready to glue together! Ive cleaned up and glued both wings , nearly running out of strong clamps. The left half of the fuselage had the openings for the prop and chin radiator totally flashed over about 1.5mm thick , the right half being not bad. I'm up to my knees in lurid blue plastic dust but I'm really enjoying it , weird or what!!

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[papa 695]

Stirling work Tony This reminds me of the Pegasus DH2 I did with all the flash to clean up

[flyjoe180]

Nice work Tony.

[Dave W]

Great stuff Tony.I was wondering when you were going to start this one.Ive nearly finished the Sea Fury I bought at the same show.

[eddiesolo]

Jeez, after cleaning up it is surprising that there is any model left.

Interesting build and should look superb when finished. Keep at it and enjoying the build.

Si

[yak face]

Have a look at this video , although not totally accurate regarding the design (it wasnt designed by Tupolev , actually it was Pavel Sukhoi's team under Tupolevs supervision) . The end bit is hilarious though - Tupolev strapping a propellor and engine to a sofa on skis , mad as a box of frogs!!!

[yak face]

And just try watching this one without wanting to jump up and do some cossack dancing!!LOL!!!

[Guest]

Lot of work, very well done.

Cheers francesco