So what is an Ekranoplane, exactly?

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Just to start another hare..... here we have the Zvezda 1/144 A-90 Ekranoplane 'Orlyanok' (which I believe means 'eaglet')....

Since walking to my head office from West Drayton station takes me right pasr AJ Aviation Models it seemed rude not to pop in and, well here we are.... I'd had my eye on this kit for a while. Always a bit of a sucker for an oddball plane....



You can read about it here....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-90_Orlyonok?wprov=sfla1

I also have plenty of refence photos on my Pinterest pages... look for Mark Corby - and then thousands of tank and plane photos!

Very simple kit - less than 50 pieces but nowhere near as crude as that might suggest... the light grey plastic cuts and sands easily - just as well as there seem to be at least 4 sprue attachment points to even the smallest part.
So, just started on an idle moment and have mainly been busy correcting a few missing bits and oversimplifications on the fuselage. Goes together nicely so far.... but I can see a bit of filling in my near future around the nose intakes - Mr Dissolved Putty and Mr Surface 500 are my friends.....

So anyway; bit the first. Fuselage as supplied above; as modified by me below... As you can see; the hinges for the opening nose were over-simple. Amended using reference photos. Also additional jet engine plates and portholes part drilled for depth before painting and glossing.... alittle bit of sanding and filling still required...



next to get the fuselage buttoned up....

This certainly is an unusual looking beasty! I will follow this with interest Mark, good work so far.

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Next update.... well the kit goes together nicely still but the detail is rather flat. So, just before I button it up I've been adding some detail and depth to the vertical stabiliser. Contrast the before and after fuselage halves. Fairly accurate to reference photos too... a little more cleaning up and then good to go.... suspect the nose intakes will require a lot of filling and sanding!

Dave is correct. The idea was that by flying very low over the water the aircraft would gain lift so that less power had to be used to fly the thing. They were following what albatross (the birds) do - they fly over the waves and gain a lift from the up-draughts as they pass over the crests. It enables these huge birds to fly very long distances with minimal effort and is one of the wonders of the natural world.

Steve.

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So the fuselage is buttoned up. And then i looked at the nose intakes vs. Some reference photos.... like this one...

... which ok, is somewhat foreshortened but. Well here is the work now being done to correct the intakes. Plastic card fillet - and plenty of filler in my immediate future....


The shapes needs some work.... but it's getting there...

Nothing like a bit of plastic card and lots of filler on a model. Which model is complete without them?

I think that when your mods are finished nobody will be able to see them - which is what it is all about!

Steve.

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And yes....plenty of filler....... having changed the intakes I then noticed that the canopy shape shouldn't be more-or-less straight as per the kit but shoukd have a pronounced tumblehome as per reference photos....


So i jettisoned the kit glass; packed out with plastic card and then lots and lots of passes with Squadron White Stuff (a little coarse but easy to work with); Mr Dissolved Putty (which I love) and Mr Surfacer 500 - both latter give a fine finish. I'm up to 800 grade wet and dry now..... have to get to 2000 grade yet..... at least!

So I am working out how best to represent the glass of the cockpit. It will be black paint likely with a touch of klear for shine but i think I need a really fine (50 microns if I can, or less) strip to represent canopy framing. I'm thinking of trying Parafilm M. It does stretch but it's fine and may work. I have a few other ideas if not!!!

Anyway. Have also got all the major assemblies on now too. Wings have been subjected to all the afore-mentioned sanding and filling - looking forward to re-scribing - not!

But here is the firat glimpse of the beast as it more-or-less looks fully assembled..... the rear view gives a really good sense of the very off planform of this ekranoplane....!

That is looking very good Mark. Do not forget that I do have some 10thou clear card if you would like it.

I am pleased that someone else also likes odd-ball aircraft! I really like these odd shapes and unusual aerodynamic designes - somehow they are more interesting.

Steve.

Hi Steve
Yes thank you for that. I hadn't forgotten - saw mention of Parafilm on a forum and remembered i had some so will just give it a shot. Suspect may deform too much.
Yeo - there is the Lun Ekranoplane and the Caspian Sea Monster still to go. As well as a Bartini-Beriev.....
Since that lot woukd cost the thick end of £300 i am indeed scouring for plans....!