Beriev Be-1 Bogatyr
Beriev’s only fighter design, built in small numbers and used only in the far northern regions, the Be-1 used design features reminiscent of small flying boats, but was in fact not capable of water operations. In fact, the Be-1 only ever operated on skis. Using two imported 400 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines in an uncowled, push-pull configuration was meant to bestow twin-engine reliability while still being easy to fly. The fixed ski landing gear also contributed to easy operation in rough conditions. The twin 23mm cannons in the lower nose packed considerable punch. The Be-1 reached the height of its success during the winter of 1941-42 when it operated in the fighter and ground attack roles at both Leningrad and Moscow.
The Model: this model started as a bit of silliness as I cobbled together some leftover pieces from other (soon to be revealed) builds. The fuselage and wing are from a 1/72 HobbyBoss Easy Assembly He 162. The horizontal tail is from the same kit, but heavily re-shaped. The vertical tail is from an Fw 190 from the same manufacturer. The engines, exhaust, and skis are from the old Revell Ford Trimotor. I started out being silly, but the more I played around, the more fun I was having with this little plane. Hope you like it…