AviaDecals 1/144 Tu-134 Part 1
By Matt Bittner
A new decal company has started out of Russia called AviaDecals. We were graciously sent their first release, for the Zvezda 1/144 Tu-134, via Begemot, as they are printing the decals for Avia. If the rest of their releases are this good, then AviaDecals are a force to be reckoned with.
What sets AviaDecals apart from the others is not just the subject matter – I know of no other 1/144 Tu-134 decals for all Aeroflot aircraft – but also how they handle their research. This is a top-notch release, and not only are the decals awesome, but the instructions are even better. One thing to know right away: the Zvezda Tu-134 is inaccurate, when it comes to the number – and placement – of the windows on the sides of the aircraft. What's really awesome, though, is not only does AviaDecals provide not only the directions on how to make the corrections, but also a template to create the missing windows. But that's not all. If you just want to build the Zvezda Tu-134 out of the box and not worry about the number and placement of the windows, then AviaDecals provides decals for that, along with decals to be used with making the correction. To me, that is top-notch customer service, catering to all aspects of the hobby.
So, what do you receive in the package. Not only the decals (and I'll get to what options they're for later in the review) but you also receive the above mentioned template to correctly place, and size, the additional windows (after filling in one of the spurious windows); plus, you receive a set of masks. No, not for just one of the paint schemes, you receive masks for all the clear parts (Zvezda has made all windows out of clear, injected plastic, and not "just" a decal) including fuselage-side windows, pilot's canopy and the clear nose. Plus, there are masks for the tires also included. Awesome!
When reading the instructions, it's important to note how you plan on proceeding. If you want to build the Zvezda kit out-of-the-box, then you need to look for the single asterisk on the instructions, those are the decals you need to use. If you've made the window correction according to the AviaDecals instructions, then you need to look for the double-asterisk. The single asterisk is called out as Option A while the double is called out as Option B.
There are three basic schemes provided for on the decal sheet: Variant 1 known as "Blue Bird', which was the standard Aeroflot scheme from 1970-1974; Variant 2 is the scheme that was carried by Aeroflot in 1980 as it was the "Official carrier of the Olympic Games in Moscow"; and finally the third scheme, Variant 3, is for markings for "Kaliningrad AVIA", the first airline of Kaliningrad, Russia (which is also where AviaDecals are from). There are multiple choices within each Variant as well:
- Variant 1
- CCCP-65655
- CCCP-65951
- CCCP-65976
- Variant 2
- CCCP-65024
- CCCP-65769
- Variant 3
- RA-65090
- RA-65845
All in all this is a stunning first release from a new company. Since the decals are printed by Begemot you can be assured of their quality and registration appears to be spot-on. With everything that's provided for in the package, there is nothing else needed. If you plan on building the Zvezda 1/144 Tu-134, then you must pick up this release.
I first want to thank Begemot for sending the sheet to review, but I also want to thank AviaDecals for answering a number of questions I had on the decal sheet. Top notch!