Tupolev ANT-25 build

for the completed model please go here:
http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2013/03/ikar-172-tupolev-ant-25-completed.html


Following the previous posting:
http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2013/02/tupolev-ant-25-distance-record-ikar-172.html
with the kit review here begins the building process.
As said before, this seems to be a case of very good masters and horrid molding.
As you can see all parts are off the sprues, more or less cleaned up. The transparencies (not sure the name applies) remind little ragged chunks of iceberg, but I managed to separate at least the main parts (the little windows will be done with window-maker). The openings on the fuselage have been cut-out, filed and refined.

Some halves glued together and minor assembly:

 

It seems that the building board time is being consumed more on preparation than on actual assembling, but some times it is just like that. Here the fuselage sides are being thinned-down, to perhaps 1/3 of their original thickness. This was done to better suit some scratchbuilt interior details and open some hatches down the lane. The wing had some details applied and a few areas are being puttying to correct mold flaws.

Besides the colors, you should know that the position of the Venturi probes cluster differs between the two machines (N025 and N025-1). Also, the fairing that follows the wheels once retracted, does not have a flat front as depicted in the kit, but protrudes between the wheels in a more aerodynamic way (see original contemporary photos of the plane).

Firewal and some stringers in place:

More interior, still a stretch to go:

 

Nose panels were removed on both fuselage sides to partially show an engine borrowed from another kit:

Wing and aileron halves have been glued together, with some general tide up:

 Fuselage interior almost complete:

Logic, common sense, practicality, all dictate that fuselage fronts should be rendered as a separate piece. Of course in this kit not only was the very nose tip part of the fuselage sides, but, as indicated, covered in thick flash. I had to perform reconstructive nose surgery to mitigate the horrors. I don't mind to take the time to add details or do some preparation, but I really do not appreciate spending time fixing somebody else's sloppiness, carelessness and lack of regard for the consumer.

A few bits more on the engine:

Fuselage with all components and decals already inside, ready to be closed:

The trusty Mattel Psychedelic Machine was used to make a couple of copies of the transparencies to obtain better clarity:

Yet more tiding up required here and there on joints and spots, given the kit's poor molding:

The maximum thickness of the airfoil in one wing was 2 mm short of its socket on the fuselage, so two spreaders had to be glued to correct the discrepancy:

This version had 7 Venturis, so more needed to be scratched:

The model now assembled got very large, and care should be taken while working on it. I started to knock down stuff around.

CMK navigation lights:

 Small parts washed after some sanding:

Priming, more sanding and the long long way to Tipperary:

Painting begins with the white color:

And while paint dries some small parts are painted too:

 

To add yet another hoop in this obstacle course, the white decals are printed on white paper AND the carrier encompasses all images, so you have to cut the individual subjects.

I stated before that I was skeptic about the decals, but a small part with some irrelevant text that I cut and tried worked well.  Let's hope the rest goes uneventfully.

 

Attentive -and informed- eyes will notice that the Russians used, for the non-Cyrillic speakers benefit- "normal" characters; so, instead of "CCCP - H205-1" (Which in Russian would be SSSR- N205-1) they wrote "URSS - N025-1".

Again, please notice: not USSR, but URSS, as easily corroborated on contemporary photos. That alternative spelling is commonly used on another languages, Spanish and French among many others.