Sovietwarplanes

Hi,
I've uploaded a page on TB-7/Pe-8 at http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/pe-8/pe8.html (http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/pe-8/pe8.html).
The page is substantially a brief story and a collection of commented photos and links.
An huge amount of documents is avalable on  the big plane of Petlyakov, but it's for the most written in Russian and German; I think that a French translation does exist, but I haven't it.
Probably I'll add a page of images of details in the near future. Not profiles, for now.
Please, let me know any comment.
Regards
Massimo

Hi, Massimo :)

I finished 2 edition of my article (the first was published in the M-Hobbi 1/2010 9,10/2012) based on more than 10 years of research work to establish a first time detailed description of all the military modifications Pe-8, with illustrations.

If you're interested, do not hesitate to use this material for your work :)

Sorry but text Ru only, but as I understand, you have'nt a problem with it  ;D

http://heavybomber.ru/evo2.htm

Hi Psy,
your new page looks very good, thank you for having informed me on this edition.
I'll certainly read it more in detail with the help of an automatic translator.
By the way, have you any opinion about the use of light brown on Pe-8s built before summer 1943? Time ago, I thought that some of the photos showed this (as on the instruction sheet of the Zvezda kit) but now I see that some of the light areas have other likely explanations, as deicing devices on wings and traces of winter paint.
Best regards
Massimo

Unfortunately, the Pe-8 models from Zvezda is awful disappointment, these kits almost completely wrong, the instruction is not an exception. Course can't be any presenсe brown paint before 1943.

Hi,
what are the main defects of the kit?
Regards
Massimo

Too many, from wrong overall shapes, proportions, crossections, to chidish mistakes about aircraft basis. It's just a toy, not a scale model of real aircraft. When asked the Zvezda representative are about so low quality of the product, they responded that the model is looks like Pe-8! #Facepalm

If you looking for a model, you should choose Amodel versions, these have mistakes too, but not so fatal. Victor Bogatov (autor of master model) did very big research work, and help to me many for starting my Pe-8 research, his mistakes based mainly to lack critical info, which was appear lately.

A-model Pe-8 have very good fuselage and tail, not bad wing, but completely wrong engine nacells. Zvezda have great crew figures... and its all :(
 

I'll have to go with the "looks like one" unless someone re-does it, which isn't likely.  I already have the Zvezda kit somewhere in the pile.  As long as it builds ok, it can if nothing else be a chance to take some risks with new techniques.

Hi,
I have the Zvezda kit too. The Amodel costs about twice, so I don't think I'll buy it now. I'll face the thing when/if its time to be built will come.
At present time I've a wide choice of kits to build, so my idea is to go with those that doesn't give too much difficulties or unaccuracies.
I like cutting and sawing, but my past experience says that the major difficulties are psicological, in passing from the building to the painting stage.
Regards
Massimo

Well, collegues,for my opinion, it will be easier to make complete scratchbuild than trying to fix a zvezda kit.

Here's just me thinking out loud - but what about a "Zvez-model" hybrid?
Looking at pics of built models, I see that A-model has a more accurate shape of fuselage cross-section and more subtle surface detail, but it depicts a later machine...
What other parts (besides nose, engines, and obviously appropriate decals) would I need to convert it to an early "inline"?