Zvezda Beriev Be-200, 1/144th Scale

So this then is the little Zvezda Beriev Be-200 flying boat. Typically Zvezda for these times. It fits a dream, and is a really beautifully presented package. Tooling wise some things could be a little better - Zvezda usually nail build and fit these days, but sometimes their surface finishes can let them down slightly. In this instance with clear machining marks on some exterior surfaces, and inconsistent depth to some of the engraved detail.

The slightly odd shape of the aircraft leads to some early building decisions, obviously in this case leaving the floats and engines off until the end of painting and final assembly, but fit is good enough that a dab of superglue is all that's needed to secure them. Tailplanes were also left off and painted separately. 

The model was not primed before painting, the initial coats doing the job fine, but in all honestly assembly is so good that there was little call for it. 

Initial paint was 3-4 light coats of Mr Color GX1 Cool White thinned with Mr Color thinner and wet sanded between coats with Trizact 3000 grit. This allowed a slow, solid build up of paint without losing detail. The light grey for the lower fuselage sides is Mr Color 16440 light gull grey, and the undersides of the hull is GX5 Susie Blue. A few coats of Mr Color GX112 UV cut gloss were applied heavily thinned and then sanded back again to get a smooth surface before applying decals. Decals are well printed and tough enough to withstand handling - which is good because things like the waterline marking are ultra thin and need lots of alignment!

After the decals were dry another couple of coats of GX112 were applied, and then the whole model was wet sanded with Trizact before moving on to final polishing, which was done with lint free tissue and light cut Turtle Wax polishing compound. This is applied and polished quite liberally to bring up a deep shine. Final assembly was then carried out including undercarriage and other details. 

This kit makes into a small model of a very attractive, unique type, and the lack of difficulty with building means it can be recommended to all but the very beginner - although the finishing may present other challenges, but fortunately there is an alternate Russian Navy scheme in dark grey and light blue included if lots of bright colours put you off. Highly recommended!

                       My thanks to The Hobby Company for the model.