by Peter Fulgoney
1/700 Tupolev G5 MTB's (Scratchbuilt)
These boats were built as a reaction to the sinking of various soviet ships in 1919 (Oleg, Andrei Pervozvanni, etc) by torpedo boats. It was assessed that a good number of smaller vessels were preferable to three or four cruisers and so a programme was established, headed by A.N.Tupolev to address this proposal. The result was a fast boat, up to 56 knots, named the SH4, which carried 2 x 450mm torpedoes, launched aft. This design was developed further resulting in the G5 variant, a sleek design like the torpedo itself built for speed in a typical 1920s design of a fine streamlined metal profile. Although the Soviets now had a powerful boat weapon, the greatest drawback was heavy seas which hampered speed, and observation, but overall the project was a success continuing with larger heavier types.
General specification original G5 series:
