The Little World

The rise of the eastern bloc modelling industry is a blessing and a curse – the former because it gives us good models to build and the latter because it chooses some of the most obscure prototypes.

At least they are obscure to a modeller in Western Australia. They might be household names in Minsk. This Grigorovich is one of the oddities – I did not even know of the name before buying the kit. The industrial nature of the design coupled with the fact that it is being presented with winter skis sold it to me. I have another Soviet plane on skis so this will make a sensible companion.

The kit, on four sprue trees, seems well-moulded enough. Certainly better flash control than an Amodel kit, but many of the bigger surfaces have tiny beads of plastic sitting proud of the main part. I suspect they are the result of air bubbles in the resin mould that this was cast into. Every surface will need inspection and correction.

The kit is a dual-purpose one, as it turns out. There are wheels and wheeled gear on the trees as well, though they are blanked out in the instructions. I’m committed to the snow-bird, so they will go to Soviet spares.

The instructions are adequate and the decals inspire me with no confidence whatsoever. But I have built eastern kits before and been pleased with the results – this should be no different.