Russian Jets

Myasishchev M-6 (Bison-B), MiG-27 (Flogger-D), Antonov An-10A

I don’t think we’ve had a good look in the Gallery of Russian aircraft yet, so let’s go there this time. There aren’t many yet but let’s pick three that have something in common, perhaps the ones that are powered by jet engines.

The Myasishchev M-6 (which was given the NATO reporting name Bison) was Russia’s attempt to make a bomber similar to the United States B-52 strategic bomber. It is only a little smaller with somewhat similar performance but it lacked the range and payload capacity of the B-52 and was not successful as a bomber. A revised version (code named Bison-B) was used primarily for maritime reconnaissance and strike and later as an aerial tanker. Only 125 were produced.

This is the Anigrand 1/144 kit and when I made it this was the only kit of the Bison-B available in 1/144 scale. It is not a bad kit though somewhat simplified, but you hardly notice this because the model is so big, even in this scale. It is a full resin kit and not very difficult to assemble if you are used to that sort of thing. If you aren’t you may have more success with the recently released MicroMir 1/144 kit which is available in Bison-B and Bison-C versions and the VM-T version with its huge round backpack.

The MiG-27 (code named Flogger-D) was a ground attack version of the MiG-23 fighter developed in the 1960s when it seemed that variable geometry wings were the future of jet fighters. It differed from the MiG-23 in being optimized for its attack role with a different nose and engine. At one time it served in the thousands with Russian, Warsaw Pact and other friendly air forces but has not been replaced by more modern attack aircraft.

This model was made from the Hasegawa 1/72 kit which was first published in the 1970s. It is a typical product of that period and goes together easily to make a nice model. Because this kit was designed when the Iron Curtain was still firmly in place I don’t know how accurate it really is, but it looks the part. Reviews of later kits of this aircraft are not entirely positive so this might still be the kit to make, especially if you can find some after-market parts for things like ejector seats and weapons.

The Antonov An-10 was a medium range large capacity airliner developed in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. They were powered by jet turboprop engines and able to land at underdeveloped aerodromes. They began entering service with Aeroflot in 1959 but were withdrawn from civil service in 1972 when a fatal crash revealed metal fatigue problem in the wings of some of them. The remaining airworthy aircraft were then transferred to the Russian air force for military airlift services.

I have to admit that I remember very little about making this AWM Aviation Models 1/144 kit. That means that it did not cause me any problems during assembly and painting and I can therefore recommend it. Eastern Express also offer an An-10 in 1/144 but I would not be surprised if what you find in the box is the same as the AWM kit, that’s how these things go.