1:144 An-225 Mrija. Landing gears

An-225 Mriya 1:144 — a metal landing gear set (Metallic Details)

A detail set in 1:144 scale aimed at the landing gear of a model of the giant An-225 Mriya cargo aircraft. It is not a kit but an accessory for a plastic model already built or under construction. With an aircraft of this size the landing gear carries appreciable weight in scale, and metal legs are markedly stiffer than plastic ones.

The real subject

The An-225 Mriya was a six-engine cargo aircraft derived from the design of the An-124, built as a carrier of oversize loads. A single example was completed, which became the heaviest and, in span, the largest aircraft in regular operation of its day. The weight was spread over an extensive assembly of landing gear legs with a large number of wheels placed along the fuselage. The single completed machine was destroyed in 2022.

Building and painting tips

Metal landing gear loads a glued joint as a lever, so count on two-part epoxy or thick superglue gel and let the joint cure fully in a vertical position, ideally overnight and with the model supported. Check the angles of the legs against the drawing before gluing; once cured they are hard to correct. Degrease the metal and lay a primer on. The legs look more faithful in a muted metal or light gray shade, and do not mix the tires from pure black but from a grayed dark tone. Apply pigment to the landing gear sparingly, only into the corners and on the lower edges.

Who the set is for

• builders of large airliners in 1:144
• those whose plastic legs sag under a heavy model
• modelers who want a faithful shape of the landing gear legs
• collectors with demands on the detail of the underside of a model

This is an accessory for adding detail to a plastic kit, not a model of its own. The kit, glue and paints are not included in the package.