RPM 72007 Beriev Be-4 (KOR-2) Soviet Flying Boat — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Manufacturer: RPM Models / Aeroplast
Kit number: 72007
Aircraft: Beriev Be-4, originally designated KOR-2
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / EAN: 5908222560072
Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit
Release: 2006
Manufacturer and kit history

RPM Models was a Polish manufacturer particularly known for unusual and lesser-known military subjects, including many interwar and WWII aircraft and armoured vehicles. The company operated from Warsaw and its catalogue was particularly useful to modellers looking for subjects that were not covered by the major manufacturers.

RPM released the Be-4 as kit 72007 in 2006.

This is an important kit for collectors of unusual Soviet aircraft because there are relatively few injection-moulded representations of the KOR-2/Be-4. A specialist flying-boat kit listing identifies the RPM kit as injection moulded and notes that it is one of the available Be-4 kits in 1:72.

The kit itself is an older, relatively straightforward short-run-style product rather than a modern high-pressure injection kit. Consequently, a modeller should expect some additional cleanup and test-fitting compared with contemporary mainstream releases.
Kit contents

The documented kit provides the components for a complete 1:72 Be-4 flying boat, including:

Injection-moulded plastic parts

Clear parts

Fuselage and flying-boat hull

Main wings

Engine and cowling components

Twin floats

Cockpit/interior components

Propeller

Landing/ground equipment as applicable

Decals

Instructions

The kit is listed with a product weight of approximately 0.10 kg, reflecting its relatively small 1:72 format.

I have not found a reliable contemporary source giving an exact parts count, so I would not use a specific number when cataloguing the kit.
What to check in a second-hand example

Because RPM kits are now older and increasingly difficult to replace, I would check carefully for:

Both fuselage/hull halves

Complete wings

All three engine/cowling assemblies

Propellers

Main floats

Clear parts

Decals

Instructions

The clear parts and floats are particularly worth checking because missing small components can make an otherwise inexpensive vintage kit considerably harder to complete.
The aircraft represented

The Beriev KOR-2, redesignated Be-4, was a Soviet naval reconnaissance flying boat developed by the Beriev design bureau.

The original KOR-1 was designed during 1934–35 as a replacement for the earlier Heinkel HD 55 shipboard reconnaissance aircraft. Its intended role was to operate from Soviet warships using catapults.

The prototype first flew around April 1936.

The KOR-1 experienced problems with its behaviour on water and with the structural loads associated with catapult launching. The design was subsequently developed into the improved KOR-2/Be-4.

The German invasion of the Soviet Union interrupted production. The Beriev factory at Taganrog was evacuated eastwards, and a small series of Be-4 aircraft was subsequently produced at Krasnoyarsk.
Operational service

The Be-4 entered Soviet naval service during the Second World War and was used principally by the Black Sea Fleet.

Its duties included:

Coastal reconnaissance

Maritime reconnaissance

Anti-submarine work

Transport and liaison

General naval observation

It was also associated with the Soviet cruisers Kirov and Maxim Gorky, making it an interesting example of a shipborne reconnaissance aircraft.

Unlike some earlier Soviet shipborne aircraft, the Be-4's wartime operational use was increasingly from water surfaces rather than shipboard catapults, particularly as wartime conditions changed.

The aircraft was relatively small compared with conventional land-based patrol aircraft, but its flying-boat configuration gave it considerable flexibility when operating from coastal bases.
Technical characteristics of the Be-4

The Be-4 used a single radial engine mounted above the fuselage/wing centre section in a configuration characteristic of many flying boats of the period.

Published specifications for the aircraft give approximately:

Maximum speed: 356 km/h

Service ceiling: 8,100 m

Maximum range: 1,150 km

Crew: 3

Armament: 2 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns

Bomb load: up to approximately 400 kg

These figures are given in the RPM product's historical description.

The aircraft was therefore intended primarily as a reconnaissance and naval-support machine, rather than as a dedicated fighter or bomber.
Why this is an interesting model

The Be-4/KOR-2 is an unusually obscure aircraft, and that is probably the biggest attraction of the RPM kit.

The model is not competing for attention with another dozen mainstream 1:72 releases of the same subject. For a collection covering Soviet naval aviation, interwar aircraft or flying boats, it fills a fairly unusual gap.

The kit's age and short-run character mean it is more appropriate for a modeller who is comfortable with:

Cleaning up mould seams

Test-fitting parts

Correcting small imperfections

Working with older decals

Adding scratch-built detail where necessary

The specialist flying-boat reference describes the RPM Be-4 as an injection-moulded option, while noting that other manufacturers have also produced the aircraft in different forms