Anigrand 1/144 Buran (OK-GLI) Flight Test Prototype

The Buran spacecraft (Russian: Буран, "Snowstorm" or "Blizzard"), serial number 11F35 K1, was the only fully completed and operational space shuttle vehicle from the Soviet Buran program. It had completed only one (unmanned) spaceflight in 1988 before the shuttle program was cancelled in 1993. It was damaged by a hangar collapse in 2002.

Like its American counterpart, theBuran, when in transit from its landing sites back to the launch complex, was transported on the back of a large jet aeroplane. It was piggy-backed on theAntonov An-225 Mriya aircraft, which was designed for this task and remains the largest powered aircraft in the world.

Several shuttles were produced, one of those, the OK-GLI (and subject of this kit) was modified to fly with jet engines for aerodynamic testing. One painted mock shuttle (the former static test-article OK-TVA) is now a ride simulating space flight in Gorky Park, Moscow. The OK-GLI was sold by its owner NPO Energia, shipped to Sydney in Australia and subsequently displayed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Shortly after, the new owner went bankrupt and the OK-GLI shuttle then went to Bahrain for a number of years while legal ownership status was in dispute. The Sydney/Bahrain (OK-GLI) shuttle was acquired by the GermanTechnikmuseum Speyer in 2004, and has been transported to the museum, where it will become the world's first genuine space shuttle to be exhibited to the general public.

I'm glad to see that Anigrand is using sturdy, top opening boxes as it makes it much easier to keep all the various bits in one place. As usual, the kit comes in a multi-segmented poly bag with the big bits in separate sleeves with the small ones all together. A good look at this kit showed a pleasant lack of major molding flaws, though it isn't as totally clean as the image I grabbed from their website shows.

Since this is the aerodynamic test article, the kit comes complete with the four Mikulan jet engines that were part and parcel of the aircraft. Production Buran space craft would also have had two jets to help during the landing phase. Not sure how those would have made out during the heat of re-entry. The kit includes a ribbed cargo bay interior wall, an area that will require some time spent cleaning up the small bits of resin trapped in the corners of the ribs. In fact, once one puts on the door assembly, all that detail will be hidden anyway. However, it is a very nice touch for those who might want to stick something in there and have the doors open. This same ribbed detail continues to the inside of the doors.

A nicely done cockpit with generic seats and control sticks is provided. The clear resin windows are quite thick so little will be very visible once they are in place. Some may wonder at including resin landing gear struts with the weight of the fuselage and one-piece wings. However, since the struts are vertical to the craft, there is little problem with stress warpage.

The instructions continue Anigrand's use of  multiple photos of the completed kit showing the location of various parts. On a simple kit like this, it is a method that works quite well. the other side has the decal and painting instructions. Oddly, there is only a side and top view. Instructions state that the underside is black. Decals are rather thick and provide the basic black areas for  around the cockpit. The rest of the black areas will have to be painted as will the 'mid-grey' wing leading edge. The rest of the aircraft is white.

AIt is nice to see Anigrand expanding into real space. This is the first kit of their 1/144 series I've seen and it looks to be very nice. There are several other Buran-related kits including the Energia booster and the actual space-flight prototype available. For those who have an interest in the subject, I can think of no better kit to build as a first resin space model.

http://en.wikipedia.org

July 2008

Thanks to www.NostalgicPlastic.com for the preview kit. Get yours today and pay no shipping in the US or Canada