Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Anything that flies goes here : fixed wings, rotary wing, airships and ..... balloons
Post Reply
User avatar
Tim R-T-C
Posts: 290
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:16 pm

Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Post by Tim R-T-C »

Image

In 1995 I was able to secure a visa to travel through Russia, I was keen to document the declining Soviet monuments and hidden cities long out of reach of the West.

As part of this I managed to travel to the 'lost' city of Kitezh. Located far East of Moscow, near Nizhny Novgorod, the city had become the site of a Soviet Air Force testing base in WW2, far out of reach of prying German eyes. During the Cold War it expanded to become a major development centre for aircraft and soon the space exploration program too. Unsurprisingly the city was off limits for Western visitors and disappeared from maps.

Travelling with my guide I was able to make my way to the city without any major problem. With the demise of the Soviet Air Force, the Developmental Airbase nearby had declined into disuse and there was no need for secrecy any more.

This photo is of one of the buildings of the Institute for Cosmology and Aeronautics in the centre of the city. Topped with giant and rather optimistic statues of cosmonauts waving flags on the Moon with a MiG jet stuffed and mounted outside too. It was certainly looking in a poor state of repair but did seem to be still in some use...

Image

Image

Image


I've always fancied making a plinthed aircraft vignette - lots of weathering potential and particularly after the astonishingly good Yak-23 scene https://www.kampfgruppe144.com/phpBB3/v ... f=3&t=7258 I wanted to give it a shot.

The building is scratchbuilt from styrene sheet, the topping is the classic Airfix 1/76 astronauts. The plane is of course the Eduard Mig-15, with Oilbrushers and Weathering pencils liberally uses.

User avatar
DH106
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:47 pm

Re: Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Post by DH106 »

I've long wanted to visit Kitezh but we couldn't afford to do it in the same trip with Mordor. I wonder whether the particular conditions there have proven a problem for the preservation of the MiG. Perhaps this would have been a more suitable craft for the memorial?
flyngsub.JPG
<

User avatar
DH106
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:47 pm

Re: Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Post by DH106 »

At the risk of starting a thread that would best be with "What If?" you might like this, circulated at the start of last month. Unsure if you have clearance to see this picture but it seems to have leaked into the public domain.
defenseblogc21snp.JPG
<

User avatar
Tim R-T-C
Posts: 290
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:16 pm

Re: Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Post by Tim R-T-C »

DH106 wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 2:13 pm I've long wanted to visit Kitezh but we couldn't afford to do it in the same trip with Mordor. I wonder whether the particular conditions there have proven a problem for the preservation of the MiG. Perhaps this would have been a more suitable craft for the memorial?flyngsub.JPG
Yes I still need to pour the resin and paint gills on the figures 😁

MikeV
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 4:02 pm

Re: Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Post by MikeV »

is that Ernie Lee walking past the MiG?

Stick & Strings Joe
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:18 am

Re: Postcards from Kitezh 1995 - the Institute of Cosmology

Post by Stick & Strings Joe »

Lovely diorama

Post Reply