1/144 Lun-Class Ekranoplan Flying Missile Boat Takom #3002 Shrink

I want to clear some space on my shelves, so I need to part with some of my collection. THIS IS MY LAST ONE! This amazing craft is a Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV) designed in the 1970s and used by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s and 1990s. Technically not an aircraft, but capable of speeds of almost 300 knots, the MD-160 was the only ship of its class completed. The craft glides over the surface of the water much like a pelican, using ground effect to greatly reduce drag. To weaponize it, the Soviets (then the Russians) put six anti-surface guided missile launchers along the dorsal surface of the fuselage. I found plenty of listings for this kit on Pricetronic (mostly from overseas sellers), but as a Top Rated Plus US Seller, I have this in stock and can reliably ship this item to you very quickly. Here is what I found about this unique kit around the web: The takom-world.com site has a page for this kit that shows the wonderful box art and has the following information about this obscure naval oddity: Based on the experimental KM “Caspian Sea Monster", the Lun-class ekranoplan is a ground effect vehicle designed in 1975 by Rostislav Alexeyev. The unique design of the boat-shaped hull/fuselage combined with the large area wing allowed the ship to fly using the lift generated by the ground effect within 16 feet/4 meters of the water surface. The 380-ton Lun (Harrier) was powered by 8 Kuznetsov NK-97 turbofan engines mounted up on the front canards, providing a combined thrust of some 224,000 lbs through vectored nozzles which brought it up to a maximum speed of 340 mph/547 kph. The vehicle was crewed by 7 officers and 4 midshipmen who could be sustained for 5 days without resupply. Primarily equipped for anti-surface warfare, the Lun carried six lethal P-270 Moskit (Mosquito) guided anti-ship missiles mounted in 3 pairs down the dorsal spine, with each Mach 3 missile capable of precision strikes up to 75 miles/120 km away. The ship was defended by four 23mm Pl-23 cannons mounted in twin turrets at the tail and under the forward missile tubes. Only a single example was produced, and it never went into combat after entering service as the MD-160 with the Soviet Navy Caspian Flotilla in 1987. It was retired from the Russian Navy in the late 1990s and was abandoned at a Caspian Sea naval base in Kaspiysk until 2020. The Lun is currently on its final journey to preservation at Patriot Park near Moscow. Scalemates.com has a listing showing this is a brand-new tooling from 2021. The site has a link to download the complete full-color 10-page instruction set and painting guide. They provide links to several reviews and aftermarket products. There is a very informative Preview on the themodellingnews.com site that has several photos of the actual craft in operation and when it was beached, along with a wonderful cutaway drawing of the vessel. A shot of the cockpit is also pretty awesome, although you probably won’t see much inside your model. his completed masterpiece. The final comment is: “ This is the first "aircraft" - (or is it a ship?) kit made by Takom. The kit itself is in 1/144th scale, but it is still large at 51cm long! The kit comes with a full cockpit, a detailed rear gunner's emplacement and the launch tubes for the six large Moskit missiles on the spine of the Ekranoplan. ” James Wechsler did a thorough First Look Review on the amps-armor.org site, which starts with a brief history of the craft and the technical specs for it. He presents eight large photos to show the detailed grey and clear plastic parts, along with the decal sheet. He highly recommended this kit and ended his review with: “ Huge kudos to Takom for taking on this project.  The Ekranoplan is a very interesting and unusual subject that will make a most eye catching finished subject.  More credit for making the model a straightforward and well designed and molded kit that should be buildable by most modelers. ” James Wechsler also did a fantastic Build Review on the amps-armor.org site, which graces us with eighteen photos showing his progress and his completed masterpiece. He encountered no major issues and his Conclusion stated: “ This is such an interesting subject and makes for a striking model. Overall the kit is easy to build with just a little sanding and filling needed. ” If you prefer a video format, Hearns Hobby posted a 10-minute Unboxing Video on YouTube. You get a good look at the parts and a pleasant narration. Modellbau-Koenig did a longer (>16 minutes) Unboxing Video that is all in German, but you get a very good look at the instructions and parts being handled for the camera. My small hobby did a quick In-Box Review that gives you a good peek at the parts in less time. This kit is in a with realistic box art. As you can see from the pictures, the package is in excellent condition and is still sealed in the original shrink wrap, so it is factory sealed and absolutely gift-ready. This item contains one complete injection molded plastic model kit with grey and clear plastic parts and a sheet of decals. It requires cement and paint to complete as shown. I use Pricetronic Managed Payments, but I no longer ship internationally. Auction winner pays the winning bid and for a limited time, this large and heavy item is offered with $12 Flat Rate Shipping in the US! No reserve and a low starting bid. Check out my other great auctions and listings for combined shipping. Good luck! Those familiar with my listings can tell that I really enjoy these products and the modeling hobby. I like to provide more than just the bare facts about the items, trying to lead you into discovering more about the subjects and optimizing your builds (if that is your goal). I started out picking up models that I was interested in, with the eye toward building them when I had time. Always a bargain-hunter, I accumulated many more than I can build, so I found myself in a Collector status (sounds nicer than a hoarder). As I am sure you have noticed, my items are almost always sealed and in mint condition (I call them Gift-Ready), since I only open them when I am ready to build them. Now I enjoy making these products available to my fellow modelers; both Builders and Collectors. For the Builders, there are probably better (at least cheaper) ways to add to your project lists than buying from me, but you know you are getting top quality. For Collectors, my goal is to save you a few bucks over the competition for the same item in factory sealed and collectible (or resellable) condition.

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