Begemot 1/144 Tu-160 Blackjack Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | December 2010 | Manufacturer | Begemot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Tu-160 Blackjack | Scale | 1/144 |
| Set Number | 14401 | Pros | Markings for 20 different Tu-160s |
| Cons | Nothing noted | Skill Level | Novice |
| MSRP (USD) | $7.50 |
First Look
Begemot Decals is an interesting decal company from Rostov-on-Don, Russia that offers a nice array of markings for Russian-built aircraft. In this release, they've released a decal set for the Trumpeter 1/144 Tu-160 Blackjack.
There are 20 aircraft covered in this set:
- Tu-160, Bort 33, 184 Guards Heavy Bomber Aerial Regiment (HBAR), Prikuli AB, Ukraine, early 1990s
- Tu-160, Bort 06, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 1995, 'Ilya Muromets'
- Tu-160, Bort 14, 184 HBAR, Poltava AB, Ukraine, Sep 1994
- Tu-160, Bort 05, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, Aug 1999, 'Alexander Golovanov'
- Tu-160, Bort 01, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2003, 'Mikhail Gromov'
- Tu-160, Bort 04, 121 Guards HBAR, Zhukovsky, MAKS 2005, 'Ivan Yarygin'
- Tu-160, Bort 03, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005, 'Pavel Taran'
- Tu-160, Bort 07, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005, 'Alexander Molodchij'
- Tu-160, Bort 02, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2004, 'Vasiliy Reshetnikov'
- Tu-160, Bort 16, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2004, 'Alexey Plokhov'
- Tu-160, Bort 18, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005
- Tu-160, Bort 11, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005, 'Vasiliy Senko'
- Tu-160, Bort 12, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005, 'Alexander Novikov'
- Tu-160, Bort 17, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005, 'Valeriy Chkalov'
- Tu-160, Bort 10, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2010, 'Nikolay Kuznetsov'
- Tu-160, Bort 19, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2006, 'Valentin Bliznyuk''
- Tu-160SK, Bort 342, Tupolev OKB, Paris Airshow, 1995
- Tu-160, Tupolev OKB, Zhukovsky AB, 2009, 'Boris Veremey'
- Tu-160, Bort 15, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2005, 'Vladimir Sudets'
- Tu-160, Bort 08, 121 Guards HBAR, Engels AB, Russia, 2008, 'Vitaliy Kopilov'
The decal printing is perfectly in register. The instructions are printed on two large sheets that provide not only decal placement for each aircraft, but also a nice color reference for each aircraft as well. Decals include the distinctive aircraft markings as well as Soviet, Russian, and Ukrainian national markings. Begemot also provides a set of the maintenance stenciling for the airframe.
For more information about this set and the other releases from Begemot Decals, visit their website at http://www.begemotdecals.ru.
My sincere thanks to Begemot Decals for this review sample!