accuracy of Mig-29 model

Berny,

The monogram Mig has been collecting dust for four years. That's the point about the post. I was compairing the old mig that I built so long ago to the Academy model I'm doing now. They are very different and I was wondering as to why. The monogram Mig has not been offered for a while and there is no way I'd build a model so inaccurate.

Here is the information on the Monogram kit and the verlinden up date kit number 766.

The kits wings are too long in span and cord. The main gear and nose gear struts are wrong. The canopy frame is wrong. The drop tank is oversize. The pylons and launchers are incorrect.

The verlinden kit has the wing tips and trailing edge control surfaces. You will have to remove and reshape the leading edge of the wing. You will have to replace the airbrake section as well as main and nose gear doors, main and nose gear struts, numerious bumps, sensors and probes with the supplied items. Also included in PE and resin is a new gun port blast shield, seat, engine exhaust parts, chaff/flare dispensers, auxillary air doors, drop tank, pylons, canopy frame, and rudder.

It will take a lot of cutting, sanding and fitting new parts to make it a good kit.

I am currently building the Academy one and From what I've read the Monogram kit is very very inaccurate as this kit was supposedly manufactured based on photographs only.. In fact the size of the model itself may not be correct. I would definitely reccomend the Academy kit which has better details and a better fit. Italeri also manufactures a MiG 29 in the 1/72 scale.. so you might give that a try. But believe me, the missile pylons may certainly not be the only flaw in the Monogram kit...

Cheers,
Nandakumar

Demono69,

I have read in several places that academys decals can be kinda thin and at times pretty crappy to work with. I opted for cutting edge decals. And as I stated before the cockpit leaves something to be desired. If your into Soviet aircraft go ahead and get the academy SU-27. It has more detail then the Fulcrum. I was blown away when I opened the box. Well worth the $40. ( the decals are lame, but you can get aftermarket ones from Hi-decal for this model )

Like Sizemore, I have the Academy 2119. Although I haven't started the kit, the contents look amazing, with lots of detail. From what I've read, the Academy kits are the most accurate of any on the market.

Good luck on the build!

Demono69

The Monogram MIG 29 kit has a few problems with it. I think Verlinden released a kit to fix the wing problem and it had the correct pylons and launchers with them. I will try to find the verlinden up date and give you some more information on it.

sizemore,
Kool beans man....!!!!!!!!! I see what ya ment
Flaps up,MIke

Butz,

I'm working on the kit from academy you speak of now. The monogram kit was not so much of a disapointment as of a "Guess" by the guys who designed it. I have some extra parts from the monogram kit and these "proto-type" rails are in with them. I was thinking about using them on the academy kit, but if they are not accurate I'm not going to do it.
The academy kit is a modelers dream. I'm going to use an aftermarket cockpit by aires, but other then that the kit is great.

Whaz up Sizemore,
If you are really not pleased w/ the Monogram kit, Academy Minicraft made a few 29's in 1/48th.
Here are the kit #'s Mig 29UB #2119, MIg 29A #2116 and Mig 29A Ukraine demo team # 2128..
I have not looked at these kits in a while but I would think that the weapons and access would be more accurately done/researched(I could be wrong though).
I have not built these kits yet(looking forward too) but they are a definete step up from the Monogram issue overall.
Flaps up,Mike

What you have to bear in mind about the Monogram kit is that it was one of the first MiG-29 kits made by Western manufacturers. Like Revell's 1/72 Fulcrum and Airfix's 1/72 attempt, its largely based on Western observer's first "up close" look at the MiG-29 ( that was at an exchange visit in Finland in the early to mid 1980's) and the look was not all that "up close".

What you'll also notice about the Monogram kit is that the mud deflector on the nose wheels is absent from the kit and the afterburner detail is a bit questionable. Revell's 1/72 kit also had a certain degree of guesswork put into the details of it.

As for the rails you speak of, I've only seen them once on a photo of the Fulcrum and it was a very grainy picture of one of the prototypes from the 1970s.

That rail may be very accurate for a prototype, but I've never seen such an arrangement on a service Fulcrum