1/48 Beriev Be-4
I've always liked out of the ordinary aircraft and when I spotted this kit on EBAY I had to have it. Only 46 of these were produced and during The Great Patriotic War they served in the Black Sea area. Post war saw service as catapult aircraft aboard warships.
This is a kit by Mars Models and along with Modelsvit and Dora Wings are producing some very fine kits out of the Ukraine. The molding is top notch with very little flash. But be advised there are some
small and delicate parts and removal from the sprues without damage or loss is a concern. Added details to the kit are lead wire ignition to the engine, and the pilots canopy hatch was opened and replaced with a home made vacuform hatch. I also made the tail beaching gear strut from brass tubing as the plastic part will not support the weight of the kit. Eduard seat belts and Aeromaster decals were used replacing the kit supplied items.
Dale, @dtravis
I have never seen or heard of one of these aircraft... and yet right here in front of our eyes we have a splendid model of one. Leave it to you Dale ! You always seem to have a knack for the seldom seen / odd / one of a kind aircraft. To me, this one looks a lot like a Widgeon, (or a Goose), minus one engine.
You also seem to always do such a fantastic job with each one.
Definitely "liked".
That’s a really nice build Dale! Camo and weathering is nicely executed. Thank you for sharing!
That's a wonderful model of a highly unusual aircraft! Well done.
I have to wonder what the sound level was in the cockpit! And don't even think about opening the cockpit as you taxi in to grab a dock rope!
Excellent build. Good to see something out of the ordinary.
Model in terms of quality and subject stand out. It seems like something that would appear in the Japanese anime Porco Rosso.
Well done. I know of only one or two other builds of this aircraft so almost as rare as the real thing
Thoroughly surprising and amazing. I actually had heard of it, but never thought anyone but some obscure resin company would make one. Your standard Dale Travis excellence in the outcome. Super work.
A real gem, Dale.
Everything on this build shows your high standards in modelling.
Really like this scheme.
Let me echo all praising words stated, above, Dale: this is a spectacular model!
If I'm the pilot, I sure am hoping that thing had really strong engine mounts.
Great job on that.
Fantastic work on this unusual model, Dale, it must have been spectacular to watch on take-off, just a bit of spray around... definitely liked.
Very nice build and it looks great! A true work of art.
Great work, Dale! Like you, I enjoy oddball stuff. Can I ask who you purchased it from? I’ve been eyeballing that kit but it seemed a bit spendy to me.
@j-healy Got it from an ebay seller gucio2001 in Poland. I've bought from him several times he's a good seller. He has one listed now for $54.95 shipped.
Thanks! I saw that. That’s reasonable. I originally saw these up in the $80s.
Another beauty Dale! I’ve seen a few of these kits made, they all look good, but yours tops them all
So you did it 😀
Yours turned out fine too!
What an odd looking plane - I like it, and you did a very nice build on this one. A great addition (and conversation piece) to a collection.
What they said, awesome build! I would think it must have been unnerving having that engine and prop just above your head.
Wonderful build of an unusual-looking duck. The designer must've had quite a sense-of-humor...and Stalin bought into it.
Thanks everyone for your generous comments!
Very different.
Very cool.
Very nice job!
That's a beauty! I have one of these in 1/72, and I really like the 2-tone scheme you selected - going to have to replicate that! If you're willing, let me know the paints/colors you used...
Thanks Greg. I used AKAN AE-9 green and Polyscale ghost grey .
Dale, I built a 1/72 kit if this a/c back in the '80s that was notable in that the elevators and horizontal stabilizers, assembled as intended, would have locked the rudder fast, requiring some careful reshaping of the butt join to relocate them. I remember having to replace the support struts, imagining what the gunner's station looked like, and scrounging his canopy from some other kit with surgery. My propeller came from the Matchbox Zero kit, and I scratched a towing dolly as I don't remember the kit coming with any wheely things.
Your build, by comparison, is a gem. I have the first two Mars kits, from Hannants IIRC, and they do look nice in their boxes, so it's good to know they can be built to a fine standard.
Congratulations on your doing such an outstanding job on this quirky little water sprite!
A beautiful model of a very cool subject. For removing delicate parts from sprues, I recommend a JLC razor saw. It's become one of my most indispensable tools. You can mount them to the included handle, but I most often simply hold one in my hand. It's also what I use to scribe panel lines.
Beautiful job on one crazy looking plane that I've never seen before. Very well done. But I sure wouldn't want that big propeller spinning above my head so I imagine it took some guts to pilot one of these Berieves. Must have been incredibly loud in the cockpit along with constant oil drips on the windscreen.
Glad you posted this.
Great job. I saw this kit recently as well, for the first time. I've been developing a taste for flying boats lately so this cool aircraft really caught my eye. I was out of empties to cash in so I didn't get it... yet. Now where's that Walrus I just bought?
Nice - I received one of these for Christmas, now I really want to build it.
Thanks for your complement. @rbungay It's a nice kit and goes together with no real problems. The rear beaching wheel strut is weak and I replaced mine with brass tubing.