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Final review: A&A Models 1/72 scale Bernini-Beriev VVA14KP1 Ekranoplan ground effect vehicle.
I was supplied with this model to review by A&A models free of charge. But they have not asked me to say anything and what I written here is my own opinion.
I think A&A Models should be commended for taking on unusual subject that the bigger manufacturers simply wouldn't touch. They have produced a model that largely speaking goes together well and ultimately comes out rather well.
I think my biggest message for others considering whether to get this model is this: When you are making your scale Models, where do you get your joy? Is it construction and problem solving or painting and weathering? If its the former, you will love this kit. If its the latter, think very carefully because a shake and bake kit this most definitely is not.
The plastic is nice to work with and the parts are largely very nicely detailed. Panel lines are recessed and took a wash very well. You could easily cut out the VTOL engine nozzle covers and make up a compressor and exhaust if you wished. There is no rivet detail but the plastic took my riveting took well enough. There were no injector pins left over as this is presumably a low pressure mold, and this saves time that is most definitely needed elsewhere.
You can see from the picture I havent weathered this at all. It was an experimental GEV that only flew once so I didn't want it looking beaten up notwithstanding the state it is now in just outside Moscow.
The kit does suffer from multiple problems. The parts on the frames are not numbered so you have to refer to the map on the inside front cover of the instructions. Unfortunately, there are also multiple frames with the letter M meaning you have to search for parts across multiple frames.
The cockpit builds up really nicely and there is scope for super-detailing if you wished by adding wires and so on. I love the molded seat and seat belt arrangement and was really pleased how that came together. Sadly most of it cannot be seen as the large office window on the nose is quite thick, but you can see enough to give the impression of a cockpit in there. Perhaps a vac form cockpit window would help here but there's nothing on the after market.
I then had a massive problem with the starboard side of the cockpit fuselage not being big enough to reach all of the way around. I was able to make it fit but it took a lot of filler and a lot of sanding.
Joining the sponsons to the main fuselage was tricky and again needed a lot of filling and sanding and the instructions aren't clear on the angles required to make sure the sponson wheels actually touch the floor so I needed to take on and off a few times until I got it right.
The undercarriage bays are made up of each of the four walls and there isn't much detail in there but under the behemoth this model is you can see precisely nothing unless you pick it up so there's nothing lost there for me.
Painting was fairly easy and if you wanted to weather more or re-recreate the current state of the real thing, that wouldn't be too difficult.
Finally, the decals were super, super thin and broke up on me a few times with one of the Soviet wings on the forward of the pontoons being completely missing.
Overall I really enjoyed this model. Its definitelt not a model for the beginner and if I were more into the painting, I don't think I would have done so this played very much to my strengths. I'm not a huge fan of the "what if" genre as I need a story and a fixed point in time the "what if" models don't give me. Its also nice to support a smaller model making company who will only get better and better if this model is anything to go by.
The kit certainly has its problems, but I commend A&A Models for taking on an unusual subject and would recommend this model with the caution I have laid out above.
