4D Models 1/144 Antonov An-12

The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop tactical transport and cargolifter aircraft designed by the Antonov design bureau in Kyiv. Strictly comparable in dimensions and capabilities to the C-130 Hercules, it became the main Soviet medium range airlifter from the 1960’s to the beginning of the 21st century, and was exported to no less than 30 countries, along with the Chinese built unlicensed copy,the Shaanxi Y-8. The base airframe has also been successfully adapted to other roles including ECM, ELINT, search and rescue, geographic survey, and a lot of different one-offs.

The aircraft saw extensive use in the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980’s, mostly as a cargolifter, but also repatriating the bodies of personnel killed in the conflict, for which it gained the nickname of the “Black tulip”.

After the end of the Cold War, many secondhand examples found new roles flying as freighters, especially in less developed corners of the world where their ruggedness and ability to fly from rough airstrips makes them a valuable asset. Many are still flying in both civilian and military service, including with the Russian air force, mre than sixty years after their introduction.

I came across this kit while shopping at a certain Chinese online retailer that has the famous “buy a certain amount of stuff, get a couple free knicknacks” promotion, and since I happened to meet said amount, was not going to let the opportunity to get a free kit pass me by. A rather long time later, the somewhat mangled box arrived, fortunately with its contents complete and unscathed.

From what I’ve seen, 4D Models produce a series of rather simplified kits that are rather in the “unassembled toy” category, however, this one appears to be one of the better ones in the range. Checking Scalemates, the sprue layout doesn’t seem similar to the Hobby Boss or Eastern Express kits, so it’s likely their own mold.

The kit comes in a standard top opening box with a Photoshopped picture of a Russian example flying (with gear down!) over a mountain range. Inside are 43 parts distributed into three sprues in individual resealable bags, along with an unbagged clear sprue and a two part display stand and a set of pictorial instructions with building tips in Chinese. There are no decals or color callouts provided.

The plastic parts themselves are molded in smooth medium gray styrene with reasonably small sprue gates, and large pins and sockets suggesting a snap-fit approach although the instructions mentioning the need for glue. I could not find flash or sink marks in spite of some parts being rather thick. The only visible ejector marks were two small ones the underside of the horizontal stabilizers. Surface detail consists of recessed panel lines that are somewhat overscale. Interior detail is limited to a cockpit floor with five molded-in seats and a rear bulkhead, which given the scale and the small size of the windows will be more than adequate. Propellers are single-piece and can be made to rotate. The tail features the later style fin with the rear turret removed, which means it’s more suitable to a civilian or post-Afghanistan marking scheme. Landing gear is simplified with featureless wheels and struts, but again is acceptable for the scale. No indication of the amount of noseweight is given, probably because of the included stand, but there is plenty of room in the fuselage for it.

The only option provided is to build the rear doors open or closed, though the former option will mean you would have to scratchbuild the whole interior of the cargo bay and rear ramp.

There are only two clear parts provided, one being the top of the cockpit and the distinctive glazed nose, both being good candidates for a dip in Future or its current equivalent. The windows are deeply recessed making for a rather interesting masking job given their size. Fuselage windows are not included, those being molded as dimples, but it should be a rather straightforward job to drill out and make from Krystal Klear or white glue.

While I didn’t measure the kit for shape or scale accuracy, it does look like what it intends to represent, and the low parts count and design should make for an uncomplicated build. The lack of markings and color references opens a range of interesting possibilities, like a fictional scheme or one of those plain freighters with only a registration number flying mysterious cargo into mysterious places.

https://airvectors.net/avan12.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-12

scalemates.com

Juan C Corea

April 2026