Trumpeter 1/72 Tu-160 Blackjack
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History
 In
the mid-1950s, with surface to air missile technology rendering subsonic
bombers obsolete, attention turned towards supersonic bombers. In 1975,
the full-scale development of what would become the Tu-160 began at the
Tupolev design bureau. Based on TsAGI proposals for a multi-mode aircraft,
the Tu-160 combined the capabilities of the Tu-95 with the variable geometry
outer wing system of the Tu-22M and the supersonic aerodynamics developed
on the Tu-144. The result was a large and powerful supersonic bomber with
immense capabilities.
 The
configuration features a high aspect-ratio wing, four engines in two pods
underneath the fixed wing section, and all-moving tailplanes. All weaponry
is stowed internally in two large bays equipped with rotary launchers,
each capable of holding six Kh-55 cruise missiles. The first flight of
the prototype Tu-160 took to the air on December 18, 1981, and after several
years of flight testing, the aircraft entered operational service in 1987.
Currently there are only 20 Tu-160s operational in Russia, out of 33 manufactured.
 The
Kit
Trumpeter is not the first to come out with a 1/72 Tu-160 Blackjack,
as both Amodel and Master-Club have released 1/72 kits of this massive
bomber. However, the Trumpeter kit is probably going to be much more accessible
to most modelers, and probably easier to build due to better tooling.
In the massive box you get a huge number of sprues, with a total part
count of over 600 pieces. Most are molded in the typical Trumpeter light
gray plastic, with finely recessed panel lines throughout. A small sprue
of clear parts contains the canopy and other pieces, including a lens
cover for the targeting scope under the nose. Rubber tires, white metal
landing gear inserts, and photoetch round out the basics, with a nice
decal sheet providing two options.
 With
that short summation out of the way, let’s look at this kit in more
detail. Starting with the interior, this is a fairly well detailed cockpit.
Each seat comes in five pieces, which should look just fine considering
the limited viewing through the small cockpit windows. The instrumentation
is almost entirely photoetch, with a PE instrument panels for both the
front and rear areas. Separate control sticks and rudder pedals round
out the basic cockpit, and once finished it should be more than adequate.
Flipping this cockpit assembly over presents the nose wheel well. This
is also well detailed, with separate side walls and bulkheads.
  
Continuing with interior work, the next step concerns the weapon bays
and weaponry. The Tu-160 has two bays that are identical, so be ready
to do a lot of duplicate work here. The bays are made up of separate walls
all around, with the bulkhead getting added details. The rotary launcher
fits into brackets that are also separate, which is a good thing, as it
makes things somewhat easier for the modeler, as it is in this area that
the kit’s only major flaw presents itself.
 This
flaw concerns the cruise missiles provided. The Tu-160 originally was
designed to carry two Kh-45 missiles, one in each bay. This missile was
quite large and would have fit the Tu-160 bay tightly. The advent of cruise
missiles caused the Kh-45 to be canceled, and the Kh-55 became the primary
weapon of the Tu-160. The Kh-55 was much smaller than the Kh-45, which
means that there is a lot of empty space in the bay of the Tu-160. However,
in this kit, the Kh-55 missiles fill the bay up quite a bit. Luckily,
the bay is the right dimensions, which means the missiles will need some
surgery.
Using plenty of photos, I prepared some scale
drawings (PDF file, ~200KB) of the Kh-55 missile (and the Kh-15S “Kickback,”
which supposedly is the other weapon the Tu-160 can carry). Comparing
the kit missiles to these drawings show just how much longer the kit missiles
are to the real thing. For the straight Kh-55 this is a simple fix, as
you can just cut out the center section, glue the front and rear sections
together, and sand smooth. You will lose all the panel line detailing,
but that is not that big of a loss. At the same time, you will have to
remove a similar section from the rotary launcher, and relocate the rear
mounting bracket.
 The
Kh-55SM missile, with its conformal fuel tanks, presents a more complicated
picture. To correct these, you will have to remove several sections of
the missile at different points, to preserve the conformal tank. Even
then, you will have some extra work ahead of you, as the conformal tanks
are the wrong shape and too small in height in the forward section. Also,
the deployed engine is too long, and the extended wings are the wrong
shape, so if you want to display an in-flight missile, be ready for quite
a bit of work. One possible solution is to equip your Tu-160 with Amodel
missiles, but that would be expensive, and those have their own problems.
 With
the weapon issue set aside (by the way, if you decide to close the bay
doors, you will eliminate over 200 of the 621 parts in this kit), the
rest of the assembly should go quickly. The main gear bays are constructed
similarly to the other bays, with separate walls all around. The engine
pods are mostly integral with the lower rear fuselage piece, with separate
intake assemblies and burners. Both of these are nicely detailed, although
the painting instructions for the intakes are a bit off (the interior
should be black, rather than white, at least in all the examples I have
seen).
 The
wings offer something not available in the other 1/72 Blackjack kits:
dropped flaps and slats. These are very nicely done, and will really add
some action to the finished model. The spoilers are molded with the upper
wing, though, which is a pity as in most photos I have seen of the Tu-160,
at least some of these are up when the flaps are down. This will be a
simple thing to modify, though. The instructions indicate that the wings
are moveable, but the flaps and adjustable wing fence pretty much require
you to choose your sweep angle and fix it in place.
 The
main construction of this model will take some effort, both due to the
size and due to the multi-part fuselage. I would recommend attaching the
upper fuselage pieces together before mating them with their lower matches.
This will allow you to reinforce that area as needed, and get the best
possible alignment. In fact, I would recommend attaching the vertical
fin to the upper rear fuselage before any of this, to also aid in assembly
(that rear piece is much more manageable than the entire plane).
 The
landing gear is very sturdy throughout, with the main gear getting white
metal inserts for added durability. Additionally, there are metal shafts
for the axles, resulting in gear that will undoubtedly support the weight
of the finished model. Adding to the realism of the model, this kit comes
with rubber tires. The detail present in the gear almost makes them kits
in themselves.
 The
decal sheet is small compared to the size of the kit, but the Tu-160s
do not carry much in the way of markings. The finish for the Blackjack
appears simple, as it is basically overall white, but only factory-fresh
examples look that way. I recommend getting as many photos as possible
and work up a nicely weathered paint scheme, as these aircraft got a subtle
patchwork finish pretty fast. Two options are present on the decal sheet.
The first is “Il’ya Muromets,” aircraft number 06. This
plane has the blue and yellow chevron on the nose, and the white, blue,
and red chevron on the tail. The second option is quite a bit more bland,
aircraft number 02, with the name “Basilii Reshetnikov” on
the nose. No blue and yellow nose markings, no tail markings other than
the number and the red star. I am sure it will not be long before we see
aftermarket sheets for this kit (in fact, Begemot has announced a couple
of decal sheets, one which has all the aircraft as options, and another
that provides all the stenciling).
 Conclusion
This is an impressive model, to say the least. Be ready with lots of
shelf space, as the finished model will occupy about three square feet.
For those who want a detailed weapon bay, there will be a bit of extra
work, but nothing that is beyond the abilities of the average modeler.
If you are looking for a nice long-term project that will eat up a big
chunk of your Russian aircraft shelf, this will be the perfect kit for
you.
My sincere thanks to Stevens International
for the review sample.
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