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Valom 1/48 An-2 Vietnam/Afghanistan & An-2 with Skis

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

Valom has been getting some serious mileage out of their An-2 kit, and with good reason. It's a good looking kit and there's a huge range of potential marking options out there for it. The initial releases were reviewed here, and these two new releases employ the same basic parts, with some new additions.

The Kits

While the basic plastic is the same, the first kit offers something that many modelers were hoping for: skis. These are provided in resin and open up a huge number of options for the An-2 aficionado. The tail ski is one piece, while the main skis are made up from two main assemblies. The finished skis then fit onto new struts.

The second kit is a military variant, and the extra parts in this one are in the form of two rocket pods and their supporting pylon. Again, these are provided in resin and offer up some nicely detailed rocket pods.

For decal options, the military variant comes with the boxtop scheme of a Vietnamese An-2 and a second option of an overall blue-gray Afghani example. The aircraft on skis has some more color in its options, with one military option enhanced by blue titles and emblem. The second option is the boxtop scheme of blue and yellow, with red titles. Both kits have nicely printed decals and there should be no problem in application.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a 1/48 Antonov An-2, this is the best game in town. The resin updates for the skis is particularly welcome, and I am sure we will see some interesting marking options show up in aftermarket sheets before too long. My thanks to Valom for the review samples.