Model of the month December 2025
A Colt for all occasions ...
The Antonov An 2
From the original to the model
The more than 1,000 scale models, primarily in the international standards 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32, form an independent part of the collections of the Aviation Museum Hannover-Laatzen.
Such true-to-life miniatures give visitors to the museum an overview of the history of technology, not only of the individual exhibits, but also of the development of aircraft construction, which can be seen here through the arrangement and comparison of the models. Sometimes they complement the presentation of the originals. Their craftsmanship alone is a pleasure to behold.
Today, we present the Antonov An 2 of 1947/48 as our “Model of the Month”. The large single-engine biplane from the Soviet Union was in active service as a multi-purpose aircraft for over 60 years and is one of the most widely built types worldwide. In military use by the Warsaw Pact countries, the aircraft was given the NATO code name ‘Colt’.
The model
Our model shows a passenger version of the multi-purpose aircraft in the colours of the GDR's Lufthansa airline before it was renamed ‘Interflug’. As a STOL-capable type, the An 2 was predestined for use on secondary routes and as a feeder aircraft. Its robustness allowed it to take off, land and be maintained even at second and third-class aerodromes.
Model kits of this type in 1/72 scale were produced from the 1970s/80s onwards by Italeri, Revell, Trumpeter and Classic Plane, offering a range of civil and military versions and decorations.
The original
Designed after the end of the Second World War in the Soviet Union by Oleg K. Antonov as a multi-purpose aircraft primarily for transport, agricultural and forestry flights, the Antonov An 2 became one of the world's most widely used types in a variety of civil, commercial, governmental and military applications. For more than six decades, the aircraft, which was also built under licence in Poland and China, proved its worth in passenger, medical and cargo services, surveying and aerial photography, patrol, search and rescue tasks, agricultural and construction work, and as a firefighting aircraft.
Strictly speaking, it was a one-and-a-half-decker with a significantly shorter lower pair of wings. The metal structure was partially covered with fabric, and the wings were braced with struts and wire. Similar in its extremely stable design to the Junkers W 34, it earned a reputation for great reliability and profitability, thanks in large part to the powerful Ash-62 radial engine.
Used around the globe, the GDR also utilised 74 examples of this type in its NVA, the GST and at Lufthansa and Interflug. Our model shows one such aircraft.
Data sheet for the Antonov An 2
Length 12 m, wingspan 18 m, empty weight 3,300 kg, maximum take-off weight 5,500 kg, range 845 to 1,100 km depending on payload, engine 1 x Shvetsov Ash-62 9-cylinder radial engine with 1,000 hp. Crew 1–2, max. 12 passengers in passenger version. Units built 1948 to 2001, including licences, approx. 25,000.
Come on in!
Have we sparked your curiosity about our collections, which include over 40 original and faithful replicas of sailing, light, commercial and military aircraft, twice as many engines, hundreds of pieces of equipment and our model collection? Then we look forward to seeing you at Ulmer Straße close to the Hannover Exhibition Centre!
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You can contact the author of the Model of the Month series here: Autor-MdM