Avis 1/72nd Mig-8 Utka completed

Here is the unconventional Mig-8 Utka (Duck in Russian) completed.

If the mythical Tour D'Argent restaurant in Paris produces arguably the best pressed duck, the duck that Avis pressed in its molding machines is not so great.

If you would like to build or buy the kit I think it would help if you read the review and step-by-step previous posting:
http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/12/avis-172-mig-8-utka.html

There a few things that need correction, and some could benefit from improvement, but even if you build it OOB it would be an acceptable model (provided that you bend the wing down to achieve the necessary anhedral).

This is a smallish but appealing subject provided by this triple-identity manufacturer, which has a stamped manufacturer seal on one side of the sprue tree that reads "AMODEL", and "MASTER 44" on the other, whereas "AVIS" is nowhere to be seen in the sprues, but is featured on the box. Mysteries of the Eastern European kit industry.

The parts are a tad chunky, there are no perks (no masks, no decals, no P.E. parts, etc.) and you will need to exercise those modeling skills, given the short-run nature of this release. And you will have to sweat on your own to mask the model in order to achieve its painting scheme.

Summarizing: a nice subject, of a welcome civil nature, a not so great molding and engineering with the limitations of short-run technology, and some amount of work for the modeler due to the lack of masks or even patterns to make the masks for the complex decoration. No decals either, even if the prop needs some. I don't think the manufacturer did great regarding these areas.

You get interior details and to some extent exterior details, reasonable, but not amongst the finest.

As said in the review, there is a resin kit of this same plane issued by Jet & Prop that looks far better, but it is (alas!) far more expensive too. And you have to deal with resin, which not all of us love.

Do not forget to put some weight inside the model's nose, there is tail-sitting potential here.

This one will make you huff and puff and bit, but unless you have the bucks for the other -resin- kit around, there is not much choice if you want your duck.