One of the most popular Russian airliners, the Tu-154 is a medium-range trijet. Zvezda's kit represents the reengined M version that first flew in the early 1980s.
Molded in light gray plastic, the parts have well-defined recessed panel lines and door outlines. Passenger windows are molded open rather than represented by decals. There are strips of clear cabin windows designed to attach from the inside before the fuselage is closed. The cockpit windows are molded as part of a forward fuselage insert so they're easier to blend without damaging the clear parts.
Small details like landing-gear legs and trailing edges are very fine.
And, Zvezda throws in a once-standard but now all-but-forgotten feature: A display stand! Nice.
The only complaint I have is the simplifed engine-fan detail. It's less obvious when the model is together, but it's disappointing given how nice the kit is overall.
Decals provide markings for three subjects: two Aeroflot airliners, one in the Soviet-era white-top scheme, the other in the current silver over dark blue. The third subject is a transport for the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. According to photos on www.airliners.net, the registration for the Gagarin Center aircraft should be RA-85655, not -85665. The decals are good, except the shadow detail on the Russian flag on the modern Aeroflot scheme is made of large dots.
After painting the interior of the fuselage NATO black and assembling the center engine ducting, I glued the fuselage together. I left the cabin windows out, preferring to use Testors Window Maker after painting. If you build the Gargarin Center transport, remember to open the holes for the belly windows. I assembled the side engines but left off the reversers for easier painting.
Major parts fit well; I used a tad of super glue to eliminate seams on the wings and fuselage. I left off the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and engines for painting.
I sprayed the fuselage Tamiya spray-can gloss aluminum. The instructions indicate Model Master bright blue (No. 2032) for the lower color, but that's too light. I used Tamiya royal blue, which seemed dark until I applied the decals. The wings and horizontal tail are light gull gray, and I airbrushed Model Master chrome silver for the leading edges and nacelle lips.
The decals are thin and respond to Micro Sol over a coat of Pledge Future floor polish. I was impressed by how well the long orange stripes fit, as well as how opaque they were over the dark blue. Unfortunately, the orange rings on the engines are much more translucent and almost disappear. The engines, wings, and horizontal stab easily click into place. I used a little super glue on the wings and engines to help cover gaps.
The nose gear is fiddly, but it fits; the six-wheel mains take time to paint, but they look the part and all of the wheels touch the ground. A clear landing light is supplied for the front leg, but there are no antennas.
Zvezda's Tu-154 was a pleasure to build - it captures the brawny lines of the airliner and matches photos at www.airliners.net as well as in
Tupelov Tu-154: The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner, by Dmitriy Komissrov (AeroFax).
I spent about 12 hours on the project, and I'd recommend it to anyone with a little experience.
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