[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

The area behind the seat was...empty.  What's worse is it slopes down, making the empty space even larger. 

So, I scratchbuilt a structure similar to the circuit breaker box on the MiG-29.  Didn't want to totally copy it, so I made some minor differences to suggest a more modernized version.

 

 

For the forward section of the maingear bays, created/invented by myself, I decided for the doors to be the same concept as on the MiG-31, meaning dual purpose as gear doors and airbrakes.

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Thanks, much appreciate the comments!

 

Pity the kit designers opted for crude slats for thrust vectoring while all the while the real Russian/Soviet designers were far ahead of this design with real thrust vectoring (if you've never seen the Su-37 displays, find it!)  Still, crude as it is, it's part of this design. 

 

I figured the sections in direct exhaust would have some sort of advanced material covering it, only to be stained. 

 

 

 

Then, once installed they should have some sort of "droop" on the ground while powered down. 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

I wanted to improve the look of the exhaust area, with the simple, toylike engines molded as one piece to the bulkhead. 

We'll have to ignore the fact that exposed engine exhausts are NOT stealthy. 

 

I discovered that Hasegawa F-4 Phantom exhausts are the perfect size, and much more detailed.  So, cut off the kit ones from the bulkhead, and the afterburner petals from the Phantom cans.  The F-4 cans were painted and airbrushed for exhaust grime, then installed once the bulkhead was painted. 

 

I did have to add a .040 strip of styrene to the bottom of the bulkhead to make it fit the MiG.  Trying to install the tails probably messed this up, but if you've ever tried this kit you'll understand.

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Thanks Brian, much appreciated!

 

Got the markings done; was going to use generic stuff from the spares, but ended up mostly using the kit decals (red below against the blue, and light gray above against the black) except for the insignia plus the red dotted stripe at the intakes.  Blue "05" came from an OOP Wolfpak sheet. 

 

I avoided the stencilling that was oversized enough to read, except the simple "OPASNO" markings, carefully placed (kit decal instructions often disregarded). 

Interesting that after 30+ years the red decals were generally okay, while many of the gray simply crumbled to bits.  They also had 'WAY too much adhesive, so each surviving decal was heavily rinsed before placement.

 

Really starting to take shape, at long last!

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

A word about the main landing gear.  The kit designers BASED the gear on the MiG-23 landing gear, but they did NOT copy it outright.  That being said, they did unknowingly copy one detail, part of the gear bay door that is permanently fixed to the gear leg.  Obviously the kit designers were not familiar with the MiG-23 other than in a general sense, and copied this detail without realizing what it was.  This needs to be removed.

 

 

 

A landing light was added to the nosegear (acrylic gemstone with facets sanded smooth & polished), and wires/lines added to all 3 gear legs.  Color is same as gear bays, a mix of both light and dark gull grays.

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Masked and painted the dielectric panels for the tail as any good MiG should have.  Took some thinking to figure out just what angles to use to complement the angles of the tails. 

Disaster when the tape actually lifted some of the weathered black from the starboard tail, but it was touched up fine.

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Painted the black uppers; used jet black first, then went back to highlight it all with Aircraft Interior Black slightly lightened with gray, extra-thinned. 

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Payback for all the work on the totally remodeled gear and weapons bays is having to mask it all.

Sprayed a blue from AKAN that is used on MiG-23 and Su-17 undersides.  Upper surfaces will eventually be black with some fading, with white dielectric panels on the tails.

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

All the gear bay doors ready for priming, plus the newly scratchbuilt doors for the small AAM bays (upper corners)

 

 

Detailing and painting of the gear bays and weapons bays finally done.

Went with a mix of gull gray and dark gull gray to approximate the color I see on MiG-29 and -35 gear legs and bays. 

Decided on a mix of white with a bit of light gray for the weapons bays (Su-47 had white weapons bay), just to make it a bit more interesting.

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Much appreciated, thank you!

 

Detailed the wheel wells, still lots left to do on the airframe bodywork, though.  Admittedly looks a LOT better not all blown up to larger size like this 😄 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Decided to take care of the weapons bay doors now, early.  Can't really do one long door on each side since the belly changes to angle upward right in the middle of all this. 

Was originally going to make both fore and aft doors longer, but realized the forward doors fit the upward-angled bit fine.  So, need to extend the aft doors. 

 

I calculated the total length of the revised rear doors need to be 43.5 mm, lengthened from 32.5mm.  Decided to make resin copies of one end of the doors.  Went for four, so as to have twice as many to choose from.  Doors are marked so as to know which was which (fore/aft, L/R)

 

 

Found out the oval-shaped indentions do NOT align while making the 43.5mm goal.  So, just have to make a super-lengthened rectangular-shaped area.

 

 

Priming shows it basically good, but still some sanding/scraping to get the shape just right.  But so far, so good.

[1/100 Robotech/Macross Destroid Defender]

Decided to dabble in some nostalgia from my teen years.  Loved the look of the destroid mecha in the Macross/First Robotech War (depending on how one follows).

 

1/100 Arii kit.  Biggest challenge is how not to make this look like a toy, especially with the awful, poorly-planned seams. 

Lots of drybrushing after airbrushing.

Chest-mounted searchlights created with acrylic gemstones with the facets sanded off then clear floor polish painted over. 

Green unit in the middle is bare metal foil with clear green overpainted.

Thanks for looking!

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Added the HUD from the Eduard PE set for the MiG-29 along with the kit's HUD glass.  Figured it wouldn't be far off since, technically, the -37 is a late 80's design. 😋

 

Also removed the curious position lights, RHAW gear or whatever they are from the tails and wings.  Funny how the top of the wings fit the fuselage with Tamiya-like precision, but the undersides decidedly less so.  The flaps have serious sink marks that need filling, both top and bottom.  The tails fit even less well than the wing undersides. 

 

Also added wingtip lights (imagining some sort of Stealth treatment) using pieces of the kit's clear sprue, glued then sanded to shape.  They'll be masked with liquid masking before priming, then painted red/blue after painting.

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

For the intakes, first remove the curious position lights or whatever they are....

 

Also, no idea why the compressor face (engine front) is literally half the diameter of the exhausts.  Almost tried to install bigger compressors from spares, then thought, on a Stealth plane, this should be hidden.

 

Once the bulb-items were removed, the intakes just seemed 'WAY too open and exposed for a Stealth plane.  I just felt it needed strakes or something inside the intake ducting.

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Cockpit is painted MRP MiG-29 blue-gray, although in retrospect I think I should've gone for a darker shade.  Well, what can I say for a scratchbuilt 1/72 cockpit tub and panel....

 

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

No way to make a MiG-29 instrument panel fit this thing, nor any other panel I'm aware of.  Solution: Make a panel for the upper combing and fit a display screen to that.  Then, cut off the upper half (or more) of the MiG-29 panel, add another screen and other detailing, and fit that part to the tub. 

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Cockpit is too small to be realistic.  Found a way to shave off the bottom and corners of an Airfix MiG-29 cockpit tub and make it fit in the VERY confined forward fuselage, although it took carving away a big chunk of the aft decking.

 

For detailing...well....more than 25 years ago when I was young and ambitious I tried scratchbuilding a MiG-31 (it was literally a decade before a decent kit emerged).  I scratchbuilt (but did not complete) a VERY detailed cockpit, incorporating bits of Eduard MiG-29UB  brass.  Years later I only saved the cockpit; it was too good to scrap.

 

Well, the time has come.  I can use some of it for the MiG-37.

 

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

I was going to make it simple, but I failed...decided to detail all-out.  I have a couple dozen PE frets with leftover parts and decided to use them plus some styrene to detail the fictitious bays.   Lengthy process but fun! 

 

[Republic Airlines 727-2S7-Adv (Minicraft 1/144)]

One more airliner I decided to try.  Wanted something I had actually flown on as a kid. 

 

Added LACI flaps; was tougher than I thought and didn't go as well as hoped.  Even with a lifetime of modeling military aircraft, I was surprised at how many basic mistakes I was trying to overcome.  I must say you airline builders are most skilled in your area of specialty!

 

Also replaced the strut of the nose gear, after learning from a NWA build how weak that part is.  Also reshaped the lip of the tail intake to be sharper, and made clear wingtip lights.

 

[Hughie Hogg's VW Beetle (DOH)]

Okay, while making the horns, I still had to keep readjusting, as I realized they were a bit too long out to the sides.  Finally got the bodywork on it sorted, and painted.  I deliberately used brush painting for the central mount, as from the photos it appears to have that "wrapped" look.

 

Had a license plate made by a decal company that does custom work.  Turns out they were not waterslide decals, but photo decals in which you use the paper backing.  So, I used bare metal foil for the reverse side of the plate, in case anyone was able to glance behind it from one of the corners.

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

Besides the main weapons bay, I really liked the idea from another build I found online of two tiny additional bays for self defense AAMs.  As I wanted this to be a late Cold War bird, which is when the model was produced, I figured R-60/AA-8s would be feasible, even though R-73s/AA-11s would be more desirable.  Why did I go with the 60's?  Because I had a pair of 60's that I had modified the forward fins on.  And because I had no 73s.

 

 

After cutting out for the small bays, I changed my mind about the shape of the forward end, and added wedge shapes to give more pointy ends...

 

And, testing the weapons load.  The aft end of the Kh-31 is a bit too snug, but it'll have to do.  The aft fins (not yet installed) of the missile would not actually fit, so I figure they would have been folding fins for stowage, as I've seen on other missiles.  So, maybe this is a version produced specifically for the MiG-37s to carry.  I'm just glad I FINALLY made this work (mostly)!

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

1 hour ago, habu2 said:

But what about the main wing spar?  /s

 

Well, I'm hoping the weapons bay fits snugly under it....somewhere between the bay and the dorsal intakes....

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

I tried figuring if any Soviet/Russian air-to-ground weaponry would fit into the tiny weapons bays.  NOTHING.  Worse yet, Russian A-G missiles are pretty huge.

 

I finally realized a solution.  Connect the two weapons bays, fore to aft, right through the maingear wells, and it would be JUST BARELY big enough to hold a single Kh-31 missile, perfect for a Wild Weasel type.  Also add two smaller bays for a pair of self-defense AAM's.

 

The gear legs themselves already mount 'way outboard, so they won't have to be moved for the bays to be connected.  So, extend the gear bays forward so the gear would retract forward instead of to the center.  Simple.

 

[1/72 MiG-37 Ferret Soviet Stealth Fighter]

I was 17 when I bought the original 1/48th release when it came out in 1988.  I know it isn't everyone's cup-o-tea, but I totally loved it.  So ugly that it grabbed my heart. 

As I grew up and went through flight school, I realized the problems in this otherwise neat bit of fiction. 

 

PROBLEM 1:  It can't carry hardly anything in its TINY bays to make it worthwhile to operate in the first place. 

PROBLEM 2:  Really, it is about 30-35% too small.  A stealth plane with internal weapons bays should be plenty larger than an A-7 Corsair.  Even the undersized cockpit barely fits.

 

I finally figured out how to fix one of these issues (#1).  Here we go.

 

[Hughie Hogg's VW Beetle (DOH)]

Ok, a little more.  Finished the modified/corrected bumpers, plus the re-chromed parts, corrected the taillights from the Cabriolet kit, and started the steer horns.