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Best 1/72 Mig-25 and Mig-31?


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Hey guys,

Well, no need to make this complicated as the title of the thread says it all...what in your opinion is the best 1/72 Mig-25 and Mig-31 currently out there? Are there any aftermarket items for these aircraft out there (decals, resin, PE etc)?

Your thoughts and opinions are most welcome and I thank you!

Kindest Regards,

Don

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Hi Don,

Click the "Search" link in the blue banner on the upper right of the screen, and search for Mig-25 or MiG-31. There have been some really good discussions here over the last year or so that will help you out. Everyone has been very generous in sharing what they know.

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The Condor MiG-25 is the best in 1/72 scale, the Neomega resin cockpit is a worthwhile addition as are the Begemont decals. All are available at Linden Hill Imports. As far as the MiG-31, offhand I can't remember which kit is considered the best (there are basically two worthwhile kits available, with the best option being to combine them). I would highly recommend the Begemont decals for this also, especially since it contains decals for the instrument panels. There might be an etched metal set for these kits (Part?), in any event I would also recommend aftermarket K-36 seats.

Regards,

Murph

Edited by Murph
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Thanks guys. I will certainly see if I can't scoop a copy of the Begemont decals Murph mentioned, as well as the Condor Mig-25. If I understand this correctly, the Zvezda Mig-31 is the same as the Condor kit...yes/no? If so, does Zvezda also make the Mig-25 mentioned in Murph's post?

Again, thanks I appreciate it!

Regards,

Don

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Sorry to be a pain in people's rear ends, but I was just looking over at Squadron and is this the Revell kit to avoid?:

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=RG4378

And what about this kit, by Eastern Express (I have never heard of them before)?:

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=EE72115

This is the Zvezda Mig mentioned above yes?:

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=ZV7229

Cheers and thanks again folks!

Don

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zvezda brought the condor mig-25 molds, A zvezda 25 will be the same, dont even know if u can get the condor ones anymore.

zvezdas mig-25 seems the nicer of the 2 kits, my condor one is verry rought and fits like a dog. zvezdas is alot finer and has fairly deep engraving, where as condory has miniscule engraving.

regards

Raymond

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Zvezda MiG-25 is same like MiG-25 from Condor, but Zvezda MiG-31 is not the same Condor (ICM, Western Express) MiG-31, it is two different models.

About two MiG-31 models i cant say so easy what model is better, than other. At my look Condor (ICM) better - it have more thin and accuracy panelle lines.

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I only know Zvezda's offer, as I've build it. Usually people have considered Zvezda having better engineering and fit as well as more precise and detailed landing gears and other smaller parts.

One flaw is probably visible even in this picture: those trench-like panel lines. The ICM offering should have very delicate lines, but as I've heard the parts are not that detailed and the kit's harder to put together.

The overall outline of both kits should be ok.

EDIT: Here I was talking of course about the MiG-31! Condor really does the ultimate 25.

fb8e1375.jpg

Edited by janman
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Be aware that Zvezda do TWO MiG-31 kits (as do Eastern Express).....

http://www.aviapress.com/search.htm?where=...keywords=MiG-31

IIRC, they are re-boxings of the Condor & ICM kits - which are TWO different kits.

I can't remember which is which - but there are differences.

Use the Begemot decals - and you can produce a good model of the MiG-31...

bgm72006.jpg

As for the MiG-25 - Condor is the way to go.

They have now produced two versions - MiG-25P & MiG-25PD - with more to follow.

Zvezda are also re-boxing these kits - they have only done the MiG-25P so far

http://www.aviapress.com/search.htm?where=...&Go.x=11&Go.y=9

I have made the Condor MiG-25P and it is very accurate, though the breakdown of parts is a bit odd.

It has a good decal sheet - but strangely, no placement instructions! I assume that the Zvezda re-boxing addresess this failing?

However, with the NeOmega resin cockpit and the Begemot decals sheets....

bgm72015.jpg

bgm72016.jpg

a very good MiG-25 can be produced.

This site has some great walkround photos of MiG-25's.

This months issue (December 2006) of AFM has a good article on operational MiG-31's

Happy Modelling!!

Ken

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Sorry to be a pain in people's rear ends, but I was just looking over at Squadron and is this the Revell kit to avoid?:

Nope - this is a recent Revell reboxing of the Zvezda kit. Just to confuse you. 8)

Cheers,

Andre

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Be aware that Zvezda do TWO MiG-31 kits (as do Eastern Express).....

IIRC, they are re-boxings of the Condor & ICM kits - which are TWO different kits.

I'm quite sure that you are wrong. AFAIK, Condor made the MiG-31 kit and ICM reboxes it (and Kopro and MAC distribution). Zvezda boxes two kits (MiG-31 and MiG-31B) which are made by Zvezda (noticeably deeper and wider panel lines, better details on the missiles, narow side panels in cockpit, etc.).

You might find some earlier notes that the Zvezda MiG-31B kit is actually a rebox of the Condor kit, but there was a photo available of the contents of the box and it is clearly the Zvezda mold but with the added refuling probe.

Edited by ijozic
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I'm quite sure that you are wrong. AFAIK, Condor made the MiG-31 kit and ICM reboxes it (and Kopro and MAC distribution). Zvezda boxes two kits (MiG-31 and MiG-31B) which are made by Zvezda (noticeably deeper and wider panel lines, better details on the missiles, narow side panels in cockpit, etc.).

You might find some earlier notes that the Zvezda MiG-31B kit is actually a rebox of the Condor kit, but there was a photo available of the contents of the box and it is clearly the Zvezda mold but with the added refuling probe.

I was wondering that part too in Ken's answer and had some doubts about it.

Your comments sure help a lot in this matter, ijozic!

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Condor MiG-25P is no doubt the best choice in 1/72.

Though they also released a PD version,the parts in-box are just same as the P version.

ICM,Zvezda also reboxed the Condor Foxbat.

I'm now just quite curious about the two seat version.

1/72 MiG-31,which I'm recently concentrating on the subject.I have both Condor/ICM/EE kit and Zvezda one,but I'll still recommend Zvezda.

As you can check the pics in my in-progress thread,the Condor Foxhound looks quite odd and ugly especially at the nose.

mig-31_03.jpg

Condor

1698-Bild-019.jpg

Zvezda

mig-31-2.jpg

I think the first impression of the built-up model is the best way to decide if the kit looks "like" the real thing.

So Zvezda wins this time.

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As others said, there are basically 1 MiG-25 kit (I'd avoid the older Hasegawa kit) and 2 MiG-31 kits and a number of reboxings.

- MiG-25: Condor, also reboxed by Zvezda (but if you can find the Condor kit it's at half the price of the Zvezda release).

The Hobbycraft MiG-25 is basically the same as Hasegawa, but a little worse (a bad copy?).

- MiG-31: Zvezda (2 versions, with and without the refuelling probe). Not bad and fit ok, but a bit too simple in some parts (and deep panel lines). Also the windscreen seems a bit too narrow to me...

- MiG-31 Condor. The overall shape seems more accurate, but it's a more "rough" kit. Thick plastic and some "strange" fitting parts. This kit has been reboxed also by ICM, Eastern Express, MAC, and I think also Kopro.

There was also a deeply inaccurate Revell kit released in the late '80s, the "new" Revell kit is instead a reboxing (dunno if the Condor or Zvezda kit, haven't seen it, but it should be the latter).

Detail parts: there's a MiG-25 resin cockpit from Neomega (and soon there should be another one from Prop & Jet) and there's a nice photoetched set for the Zvezda MiG-31 made by Part.

Edited by Yuri
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<_< I had no idea that this was going to be such a tough decision and that there were going to be so many minor (and some major) issues between the various kits. This is all great news and information folks and I do appreciate it as I am sure others do as well (so keep it comming). As someone new to Russian aircraft I am certainly getting some good lessons and education.

Thanks again guys <_< !

Regards,

Don

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To add to the list of aftermarket items for the MiG-25:

- Equipage resin/rubber wheel set

- Hi-Decal MiG-25 A/E sheet

- Prop & Jet is planning (according to the Linden Hill website) resin burner cans, KM-1 seats, and a MiG-25RB conversion set for the Condor kit

And of course there is the recently released Condor MiG-25PU two seater...

Keith

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Man...I've been building MiGs since the 1980's...but what a wonderful time it is now for us MiG fans! :cheers:

Hear, hear to that. Still, no really good MiG-23/27 in 1/72 and the MiG-21 and MiG-29 need a bit of work but that's all part of the fun. Oh, and I am still waiting for those Eduard MiG-15s!!!!

Anyway, back to the topic, the Neomega site refers to their MiG-25 cockpit as fitting the Italeri/Zvezda kit. I keep hearing about Zvezda re-kitting the Condor Foxbat but has anyone seen it?

Edited by Vultures1
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Still, no really good MiG-23/27 in 1/72 and the MiG-21 and MiG-29 need a bit of work but that's all part of the fun.

Zvezda's MiG-21bis is nice. Pretty accurate and nicely detailed. Search the forum if you haven't. I've built on OOB.

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Zvezda's MiG-21bis is nice. Pretty accurate and nicely detailed. Search the forum if you haven't. I've built on OOB.

Fair call - I haven't tried their 21bis yet but am inclined to try it having seen the positive feedback on this forum.

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Well, here are a few of pics of the ICM kit. The plastic is very thick, and it took putty on all of the major body joints. The landing gear was a bit challenging to work with. My biggest complaint was the canopies had no scribing for the frames. They were just shapes and I had to wing it from photos. Also there was no provision for displaying them in the open position. I wasn't about to put up with that, so I scratchbuilt some actuators, canopy support frames, and braces.

The good is that the surface scribing is not overdone, and the model builds up impressively if you are willing to do the work t requires.

100_5229.jpg

100_5231.jpg

100_5226.jpg

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