Amodel UT-2, 1:72

Started by Csaba · 4 · 3 years ago
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    Csaba said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    I found this today at the bottom of my "stash box". Long abandoned project, a tiny 1:72 kit, UT-2 from Amodel. It is basically ready to for painting after fixing the sanded surfaces. According to Scalemates, the kit is from 2011, but I believe that their data is incorrect. This kit has been in my stash for way longer than that, I would say 5 years more or so.
    The type was a lesser known Soviet trainer, a forerunner of the Yak-18. It was used after the war in the Hungarian Air Force, but its military career was very short. The planes were handed over to the flying clubs, but even there they were grounded within a few years.
    A more interesting connection to my native Hungary was one (or two) captured plane during the war on the eastern front. The decal sheet has markings for such a plane, but according to the latest research, the registration numbers are completely wrong. Most probably the plane was used with the markings G0+01, and not R2+30 as shown on the decal sheet. The Hungarian forces applied the insignia and national markings, but most probably kept the original Soviet blue-black-green camo.

    So, let´s see. Would be interesting to see this tiny trainer ready, in captured markings...

    5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Ultra limited run, ultra rare subject, not properly researched regarding some schemes...my kind of stuff!
    Love it, my friend @pikofix!
    It will just be absolutely cool to see this rare beauty finished!
    Looking forward to it!

  • Profile Photo
    Csaba said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    @fiveten - it is indeed a rare type. So even if I do everything I can, it will not wear a 100% accurate scheme.
    According to some sources, actually 2 planes were captured, the other was registered as R2+30, just as on the decal sheet, but no photos or the primary source of this information is known currently. Some says that an UT-2 was flown back to Hungary during the war, but again, there is no photo evidence.

    This is the most widely known photo of the captured plane. Note that the photo is mirrored, a mistake made at the original scanning. The Hungarian insignia and national colors are already painted, but the colors are heavily debated. Some says that the plane was painted over with an early German style splinter camo, with similar colors to that scheme. Others claim that the color variation is caused by the degradation of the original diapositive, and the plane kept its original Soviet black-green-blue camo. The scheme indeed fits the original Soviet scheme, but the colors look strange.


    The next photo is showing the plane (if it is the same captured UT-2, nobody knows for sure) shortly after being found by the Hungarians. The maintenance crew already started applying the insignia and national colors. However, the plane clearly wears its original Soviet camo. I doubt that the maintenance crew started with the insignia, and then repainted the whole plane. But that´s only my way of thinking, nobody knows what happened there. Maybe it was decided to repaint the plane later.

    Photos from Laszlo Winkler´s personal archives.

  • Profile Photo
    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Well, this makes the research all that interesing, my friend @pikofix!
    Isn't modeling wonderful?
    Looking forward to it!