Ushakov LPL Flying Submarine Concept (1934)

Scale: 1/72
Initial Release: 2008
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

During the 1930s, the Soviet Union was making a concerted effort to accelerate the development of both its navy and air force. In 1934, a military cadet named Dzerzhinskiy Ushakov responded to calls for creative solutions to the challenges of modern naval combat by presenting his superiors with plans for a "flying submarine" (LPL), a craft that could flying into enemy territory, submerge and then conduct surveillance and even torpedo attacks on enemy ships before flying to safety.

Although a radical concept, the Ushakov LPL underwent serious development for several years by the Soviet military until the project was abandoned later in the decade.

About the Kit

Although a fascinating and unique subject, Unicraft's 1:72 LPL Flying Submarine posed many challenges to the builder, not the least of which that the design from which it was mastered left no clearance room between the outboard propellers and the pontoons. The kit came with an alternative vacuform canopy section, but exploring that option was more than this particular model was willing to undertake.

This model was built from an original issue.