This is my Russian Space Shuttle - The Buran Energia. Built around 2001-2002 from a russian model kit brand called STA-START. A nice, enjoyable model to build with not too many parts.

It was built mainly out-of-the-box with some minor enhancements:

1) The shuttle did not have clear a transparent cockpit, so I put some silver foil behind the empty windows to simulate tinted glass.
2) Replaced some piping detail.
3) Drilled some tiny holes with X-acto knife for the small rocket engines on nose cone etc.
4) Scribed some wider lines on wing tips (the black part on the outside of wings).

As for painting, only the top part of the giant fuel tank was painted white. The other parts of the model like the 4 side boosters and the shuttle itself was left in its original moulded color and sanded down with very fine sandpaper to remove the 'shine'. Gray and black was added for the booster parts, and engine bells painted silver or black.

Weathering was done by shading a piece of paper with a 2B pencil and then rubbing this paper onto the model.

The decals were the supplied ones, with various others added to make it look a little more interesting.

The only problems I had were attaching the 4 boosters to the fuel tank, as the joints weren't very good.

Image: The underside

Image: The engines

Image: Portside