Attention Comardes! Official Pride of Mikoyan-Gurevich GB Launches....

I know that feeling! I've tackled a couple of Eduard's limited edition releases of old kits. :-) The Trumpeter MiG 19 is supposed to be a straightforward build (excepting the NMF).

I'm not going anywhere, in fact I'm eying the Trumpeter 1/48 MiG 3. I'm tired of so so kits and want to build something that's nice for a change.

No problem! Sorry the kit turned out to be a dog. :-( But definitely jump back in with something else.

PB,

I'm going to have to switch to a different  kit/subject. This thing is just c**p. I installed the wings last night and the seams were just too much. I've already sanded off almost all of the detail due to the rest of the filling work that needed to be done. If this were a 1/48 it would be different, but 1/72, boy, I don't think there will be anything left but putty when I'm through.

I will do some research and come up with something else.....I thinking a MiG 3.

Steve

Steve, if you have time to make a patch I'd appreciate it! Just got a new computer this week so I'm wrestling with getting all my data back in order.

PB,

Are you or someone working on a patch for this GB. If not I MAY be able to help. I'm no computer graphics guy or anything but I might be able to come up with something simple.

Steve

PB, it is an AM Avionix set.   The detail isn't quite as crisp as an Aires set, but it'll do.

I'm going to omit some of the really fiddly bits on the bang seat as I couldn't get them to stay attached for love or money.

It will take some largish lumps of milliput to get the tub to sit right in the fuselage as there's no real locating pins or what-not to help seat it.

Great start, Dre! The detail in that resin cockpit is awesome. Is it kit or aftermarket?

Hypertex- try plain household bleach or brake fluid.   I recall hearing that they stripped chrome quite well.   I would be very wary of using any solvent-based products out of fear of melting or weakening the plastics.

Yesterday/last night's work...

first sprayed the resin cockpit pieces and IP screen a nice MM enamel Flat Black and let dry.

and then I mixed up a grayish-blue to use in the office.   It's a mix of MM enamel Aircraft Gray, Gloss White and some strong pure blue from the FS line...  still a bit too blue for some tastes but oh well. Under the right lights it looks spot-on, but under flourescents the blue really pops.

then I started on the landing gear legs.   Still a lot of work to clean up the seam lines and add some wiring and brake lines.

and lastly I tackled all the weapons pylons included in the kit- I won't need but a few for this MiG but I figured that the spares can be used on other modern Russian jets in the stash, thereby saving time down the line.

I need to go back and clean up the seams on these and then i can start to think about what weapons I'll use- probably some AAM's and a massive drop tank is all.

And that's all for now...

I have the same kit and removed the chrome by soaking it in Simple Green for a couple of days.  I still had to "encourage" some of the removal by scrubbing with an old toothbrush, iirc.  It was tough stuff!

Gary

I am having no fun at all stripping the chrome off of my Tamiya MiG 15bis. (This was a raffle prize, so the non-plated edition wasn't an option). My usual method is to soak the parts in nail polish remover  (with acetone) for 2 hours. Most of the plating and undercoat will just slough right off.

But get this, sprue B is different. The plastic on sprue B is a different color and the plating is absolutely impervious to nail-polish remover! And I mean impervious. Not one single flake came off. I have had to resort to my backup method of soaking in degreaser. This method only removes the shiny layer; the clear undercoat is unfazed. To remove the undercoat, I had to rub it off with a cotton swab dipped in Tamiya lacquer thinner. It's a ton of work.

I wonder if this super-sprue is an anomoly or if all these kits behave this way. I mean, why would Tamiya treat one sprue differently? (the sprue in question had the wings, wing tanks, gear doors, and other fiddly bits). One thing is for sure: I'm not going to buy any more plated kits!

That would be OK, but this is 1/32...   shouldn't be too hard to make some as I "borrowed" a photo of the other guy's to work from.

Dre

I was perusing another site and saw that someone had made some FOD covers for theirs...  I may try and make a pair for this as well.

Dre, If I recall correctly, the old Monogram 1/48 MiG-29 kit come with FOD covers for the main intakes.  I built mine many years ago and would have to check it to be sure but I believe that's correct.  If that kit isn't up to current standards (remember, it was produced back when very little info was available about the Fulcrum), perhaps one could utilize those covers anyway?

Gary

Does anyone have good quality (read: LARGE) photos of the MiG-29's gear legs and wells?   I can't seem to find much online that shows the wiring/hydraulics, which I want to add.

I was perusing another site and saw that someone had made some FOD covers for theirs...  I may try and make a pair for this as well.

Porkbits

Looks like this GB is off and running! Awesome. I'll join soon. Damned job, wife, and kids! ;-)

Haha, you have the same problem as me! LOL!

Lol! Now THAT, my friends, is a seam. :-)

Looks like this GB is off and running! Awesome. I'll join soon. Damned job, wife, and kids! ;-)

Yeah, this is going to be a challenge all right, but I'll get it. In fact, my next few builds are going to be a challenge.

That's a significant seam line, modelcrazy.   I don't think I've ever seen one that bad ..  good luck!

Here is the update to the MiG-9M. As I figured, the fit needs quite a bit of filling. There goes a lot of the detail, raised of course, but I'll see if I can't scribe some new detail in or something. 

modelcrazy

Waynec,

From the research I've done, it looks like they only make targets. Mikoyan-Gurevich may have an offshoot company, but I can't find one if they do. Of course I'm not by any means a MiG expert.

Steve

figured as much. its not as if i don't have enough GBs already

Comrade Tex- I remember that MiG-17!   Still a supersweet camo job.

The 1/32 Hobby Boss kit that I got from dude is..  rough..  even without his extra work.   I just clicked on a Trumpeter kit to replace it.   Probably not any better but it hasn't been hacked up!  (yet)

Dre, I built the 1/48 Hobby Boss MiG-17F a couple years ago and was pretty underwhelmed by the kit.  There were major fit issues with the fore and aft fuselage joint and also wing to fuselage areas.   Just a word to the wise; be on the look-out for those when you tackle it.

Gary

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/p/153727/1651604.aspx#1651604

slideshow:

http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Texgunner/slideshow/MiG-17

Modelcrazy- sweet, an old school MiG-9!!

Hypertex- shame that chrome has to go, it looks so good.

Wayne- as far as I know MiG OKB only makes aerial platforms to destroy ground targets and other aircraft, but I too am far from an expert on their products.

I stayed up late last night polishing out the usual Trumpeter pebble finish on the plastic, working on the wings and other control surfaces and then I started early this morning on the clean up work on the resin cockpit set...  I need to do a little online sleuthing to find the right color paint for the pilot's office.

Here's what I've done thus far-

I think that I'll order a MiG-17 as I have a donated Hobby Boss MiG-17 that a friend started, but hacked up in an effort to correct the kit's inaccuracies.   Since he included a couple of resin cockpits, i need a fresh kit to put one into... and I don't want to try and fix his "work".

Waynec,

From the research I've done, it looks like they only make targets. Mikoyan-Gurevich may have an offshoot company, but I can't find one if they do. Of course I'm not by any means a MiG expert.

Steve

My Tamiya MiG 15bis is the chrome plated edition.

Look at that beautiful chrome. Too bad it has to go. It's a good thing this kit doesn't have a high parts count.

Chris

Welcome, Bruce! Added you to the roster.

And for Steve, a Skarabey MiG 9.

did MIG build ant ground stuff or just targets?

Comrade Porkbits,

Here is my offering to the State.

The Skarabey MiG 9, a kit witch was manufactured by our own workers in our very own Motherland!

Comrade Modelcrazy.

Comrade Porkbits,

Alright, I'm in, not sure what I'm billding yet. either a 1/48 Great Wall MIG-29 or a 1/48 Eduard MIG-21. I'll let you know for sure once I start the build.

Comrade Брюс

Five GBs lol. That's impressive.

But, no, I don't have a cutoff, other than the April 30th deadline for the group....and I'm sure that will get extended. :-)

So please join! The more the merrier.  Lemmeno what you want to build and I"ll add you to the roster.