The Little World

When I first started building plastic models in the 1950’s there were few Soviet-bloc models to be found.

A few oddities, like the Aurora MiG 19 which proved to be totally imaginary…or the Airfix MiG 15 which was somewhat better. And a lone copy of the Bison bomber that Revell put out in the 60’s. Otherwise, you were stuck.

Now, you cannot move in the hobby shop without knocking over a pile of Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, or Czech kits. I expect that Belarus and Lithuania will chime in soon and we’ll be able to buy vodka shots at the counter along with the paints.

I am not dismayed at the way the eastern European efforts have burgeoned – just a little sad that the US, UK, and French makers have fallen away. Of course some of their products are still being re-moulded, but so often by eastern Europeans or Asians. I’m only grateful that these new makers have not all decided to concentrate on the machines of their own country…we can still expect good models of western prototypes.

I find the Russian industriousness most fascinating as I also take a look at another hobby subject – photography – and note that they did not continue their earlier efforts in this. The Soviet era saw dozens of eastern-bloc cameras and lenses flooding the market – and more for their home consumption. Now they are gone – the only thing the LOMO people seem to produce is plastic junk and propaganda advertising to try to make it seem desirable. it’s a sham and the rest of the photo world knows it.

At least Zvezda are no sham. I’ve built several of their kits and find them excellent. As long as they are Russian or Soviet subjects, they seem to do a good job. One assumes they can get accurate plans…

Question: What do the Russians and other eastern Europeans do for paints? Who supplies them, and what specialised colours do they get?

Note: This was written well before the present war in Ukraine. I present it as an oddity, but still hope for some sort of sensible peace to eventually prevail.