62 FineScale Modeler September 2019T
he Antonov An-225 Mriya is a
strategic airlift cargo plane
designed by the Antonov Design
Bureau in Ukraine in the 1980s.
Powered by six turbofan engines, the single
finished Mriya is the heaviest aircraft ever
built with a maximum takeoff weight of
640 tons and a 290-foot wingspan. Even in
1/144 scale, it is a big airplane — over 2
feet in wingspan and slightly less in length
— so set aside some major display space.
Packed in a large box, the parts are
nicely molded with fine panel lines and lit-
tle flash, however, there are some sink
marks on the main fuselage. The upper and
lower wing parts are fragile near the trailing
edge, so be careful handling them.
The kit also provides two sheets consist-
ing of 55 decals each. Good thinking,
Revell.
There’s also a 31-page instruction book-
let with 94 steps, some of which might not
be used, depending on what version you
build. However, there are helpful color-
coded guides to help builders differentiate
between the four build versions.
Version 1 is the in-flight build and is the
quickest and easiest. It saves you 32 wheels,
20 gear struts and six doors along with the
loading ramp assembly. I built version 2,
with wheels down and cargo bay closed.
Version 3 has the nose door open to reveal
the detailed cargo bay, and version 4 has the
door open with the aircraft kneeling for-
ward and the ramp extended.
Inner fuselage assembly goes well
through Step 6 but must be aligned exactly
so that the outer fuselage pieces fit whileleaving the least amount of gaps to fill. You
may have to sand or slightly file parts 60-63
on the outer surfaces to get the outer fuse-
lage pieces (10, 11, 18, and 44), to fit prop-
erly with no large gaps. This was the build’s
most difficult segment. I used rubber bands
to hold the four outer fuselage pieces to the
inner frame so I could tell where I needed
to adjust fit.
In Steps 28 and 29 I had to adjust the fit
of the wing before cementing so there
would be no gaps. A little sanding of part
16 did the trick. There is no need to add
nose weights as the model sits nose wheel
down with no problems. If you are building
an open-door version, I suggest putting
parts 80, 81, and 82 in at Step 6 to make
the build easier.
I also assembled, painted, and put decals
on the engines and rudders before attach-
ing them to the airframe. There are a lot, so
pay close attention to pages 28-29 in the
instructions.
I then used Testors Model Master semi-
gloss white enamel, over sprayed with
Pledge Floor Gloss (PFG) to help when
applying decals. I started with nose decals,first cutting a small extra slice between the
ones that were already on the sheet to make
it easier and better to aid in wrapping the
decal around the curve of the nose piece.
That was followed by Micro Set and Micro
Sol.
For the rest of the long pieces, I fol-
lowed the side view of the decal instruc-
tions exactly. The decals were thick and
didn’t fall apart, although some did silver
from not applying enough PFG.
I then masked the bottom of the fuse-
lage, taking care to keep a white gap line
between the dark blue decal that almost
runs the fuselage’s full length. For masking,
I used removable clear wall-safe tape to
keep the decals from lifting, which still
happened in spots. A big thank you to
Revell for the spare decal sheet. It was
needed.
I then applied Testors gloss light blue
(RM11081) enamel to the plane’s under-
side.
Overall this build took about 55 hours,
but there still may be some gap filling
needed in spots on the fuselage.
The kit is well engineered and producesRevell Antonov An-225 Mriya
Kit: No. 04958 Scale: 1/144
Mfr.: Revell, revell.de Price: $117.95
Comments: Injection molded, 215 parts,
decals Pros: Subject and size are a win;
helpful multicolor instructions; multipart
decals fit perfectly with each other and
conform well to nose pieces; build
options Cons: Multipart fuselage a bit
tough to alignWORKBENCH REVIEWS