Classic Airframes 1/48 MiG-3 (early)

[jrallman]

Well, the Polikarpovs are done, so it is time to dive into a MiG! I picked a real deusey to start with. This is the infamous "9" from 38 PAE of PVO Moscow 1941. This is an extremely well known MiG, but there are an endless number of opinions as to the proper color scheme for this plane. After looking at many of them and reading the reasoning behind each, I have decided to go with Massimo Tessitori's interpretation, for the most part. He reasons that since this was a recce MiG, it is more common to find recce planes in WWII in "cool" camo, such as blues and grays. Therefore, I will be doing this early MiG as "blue 9". Even if it isnt correct (though I dont see how anyone could say for certain) I think it is a really cool looking scheme that should be fun and challenging. I have not done much with the CA kit so far. The resin cockpit is really nciely detailed, but the main cockpit tub is molded as one piece, sidewalls and all, so the detail painting will be difficult at best. I have cut the pour stubs off most of the resin and also cut off the radio equipment from the rear deck (this plane didnt appear to have any, which was not uncommon for early MiGs) and I have removed the floor below the seat, leaving just the tube frame. I will throw some paint in there next and attempt to detail paint. I have also included a pic of my aftermarket for this build, which consists of a new spinner and prop from Fusion, since the kit one just isnt quite right, and some new resin and rubber wheels from Equipage, better size and shape than the kit wheels. I would like to use Moskit exhausts, but I only have 2 sets and 3 MiGs, so I think I will save them for the ICM MiGs. I have also included some period shots of "9" as well as Massimo's interpretation of the camo. Should be a fun one, though not the easiest of builds for sure!

[Su-34]

Why is this plane infamous? :D

EDIT: Something in my head says, it crash landed in Finland...

Edited June 26, 2007 by Su-34

[TF51GREGWISE]

cool

[jrallman]

Why is this plane infamous? :D

EDIT: Something in my head says, it crash landed in Finland...

It is infamous because of the ongoing debates as to the actual color scheme of the plane. I suppose it is only infamous in certain circles.

One interpretation, which I understand is the interpretation used by the Il-2 PC game, gives this MiG a warm camo of tan and yellow. Here is a pic of Brian Geiger's 1/32 MiG-3 from Trumpeter in that scheme. While the actual colors may be up for debate, I do have a nit pic about one thing. He had replicated the shipping and packing ID labels that the Germans placed on the plane for train transport, yet his model is of an operational plane.

Erik Pilawskii takes a simpler approach to this camo scheme. Of course, as we discussed before, he is not convinced that this is even Soviet painted camo, but may be German painting after the crash, but assuming it is Soviet, he sees the plane in this way.

Massimo's version I like best because, as I said before, it was a recce plane and WWII recce units tended to use cooler colors (blues grays). The profile I posted from Massimo has the packing labels as well, but in his book, he has redone the profile without the packing labels, so I think he may update his website with that pic at some point. I am sure there are other interpretations of this camo that are out there, and I am sure that we will never know for sure, but any way you do it, it will be a unique plane in the collection.

[wingman47]

Like the scheme that you are going to do, makes me want to build one.

[ch9862]

Very good looking scheme, even in the "simpler" interpretation. I'll be watching with interest <_<.

[jrallman]

Howdy. I have been a little side tracked with another project I am working on, but I finally have some progress to show. The cockpit is complete. It has nice detail, if not entirely acurate, its pretty close. Getting to the detail to paint it was rather difficult since the pit was molded with only the top and front open. This also makes getting good pictures of the cockpit detail difficult. I tried using Krystal Klear for the instrument dials for the first time and I dont like it for that. Even in small amounts it has too much of a bubble shape to it. I think I will stick to future in the future. (tee hee) I have also been spending a good bit of time drilling and carving out various ducts and intake on the fuse sides. The fuse looks like it will take a bit of work to join, short run kit and all, but nothing too drastic. I am keeping this build OOB for the most part (with the exception of the wheels and prop, since I had those already) but I think I will have to scratch up a gun sight and its mount, since those are pretty prominent items and this plane had no center canopy section. Well, thanks for looking!

[DarylH]

I like to see projects that are subject to opinions......I interpret that to mean "options"!

Have fun and build it the way you think it should be built.

[johnsan]

Nice pit. For lenses you might try thickened Future. It's also good for gluing canopies.

[jrallman]

I have tried future (non thickened) and usually that is what I use for lenses. I just happened to pick up a bottle of krystal klear recently and had heard of people using it for lenses so I figured I'd give it a try. The main reason I dont like it is probably also why I use regular future and not thickened future; When it is thick, the surface tension tends to keep it in a rounded bubble shape, which makes for a round bulged looking glass. That is not the look I am going for at all, so regular future it is, since it will lay flat and look like real glass when dry. I also dont like future to glue things, especially canopies because I like there to be a little give in the joint in case I bump it (testors clear parts cement, krystal klear, and 6 minute clear epoxy all give me that joint) and I dip my clear parts in future and i dont want to risk marring that finish.

[johnsan]

I haven't had the bubble effect with the thickened future. It must have been that Goldilocks' moment - not too thin, not too thick, but just right.

Different strokes though, there is not just one right way of making our toys.

[The Mikester]

Nice work on the office, Jay.

[Jay Chladek]

Looking good so far. Can't wait to see the results.

[Hector]

Jay You dont stop , beautifull plane , and such a difficult profile you choose.

Héctor

[jrallman]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I have the fuse closed up and have been in the process of opening up all the vents and ducts, intakes and exhausts that can be found on the MiG, and there are plenty! Once I get the fuse sanded and the cockpit installed, I will take some more pics to post.

[jrallman]

Well, the bug to go further than OOB has struck me again. I have drilled out all the various ducts and openings on the fuse, including rather extensive cutting of the oil cooler intakes. They looked a little bare in there, so I added the oil cooler radiators. Then, as a way to sort of simulate the inside part of the duct, i just used some tamiya tape, CAd into place to make sure it stayed, which will then be painted and youll never know the difference! The cockpit isnt installed yet, just held in place to show what it looks like. Also, I have included a pic of the tail to show a nice detail that CA has added. The tail is canted a few degrees to port to counteract the torque of the engine. The Polikarpovs had this too, but the Eduard kit does not reproduce it. It is nice to see it on this kit. Thanks for looking.

[ac4313]

That's looking really great, the intake and duct work is very nice. I am really excited to see this completed, the MiG-3 is one of my all-time favorite airplanes.

[VG 33]

Hello

You are producing a nice kit there.

Furthermore I can see you are progressing much quicker than me with my little 1/72 MiG.

Patrick

[jrallman]

thanks guys. still a bit slower than i would like to progress, but I am working on some B-24 turrets for a commission build and building one of those 21st century toys 1/32 Corsair's for my son, so he has something to play with and doesn't keep trying to "play" with my models! I have been slowed by the radiator intake under the wing. The kit has it open, but just a blank plate inside it. There should be 2 horizontal vanes with two vertical supports. I have been working on scratch building these, since it is a very obvious feature. Just kinda small, and the compound curve shape of the radiator intake makes fitting things time consuming. Here is a pic of what I am talking about. Ignore the door on the supercharger intake, that was a late model addition, the early model had only a grill. But bottom left, that is the water cooler radiator intake.

Edited July 20, 2007 by jrallman

[jrallman]

well, it may have been a good bit of work for a tiny part, and not entirely accurate, but it is a heck of alot better than a blank plate!

[jrallman]

It is has been an absurdly long time since I posted progress, though there isn't a whole lot to post. I have been side tracked with a comission build of 4 detailed turrets for some B-24s and working on a 21st Century Corsair for my 3 year old so he stops trying to get my models to fly around. The progress I do have is that I installed the upper cowl, the stem for the prop and spinner (the small piece of styrene rod is to keep it from falling back into the fuse) assembled the wings, added a landing light from clear resin rod and running lights from red and green clear resin rod. With a good bit of dry fitting and sanding, the wings fit fairly well. The wing to fuse join at the top is nice, no filler needed. The very front, right above the supercharger intakes, there is a bit of a jog in the join line, where it leaves a natural panel line. That will require some filing to get it smooth. The supercharger intakes have mesh added, since the early MiGs didnt have the doors like the later ones. The bottom wing to fuse join had a bit of a step in back and a bit of a gap in front, but some filler and Mr. Surfacer and it is looking just dandy. I have to do a wee bit more filling and sanding, then rescribe a few lines and the wings are done. The stabs needed just a little dry fitting and sanding and then they fit on just fine too. Next will be landing gear, since it is all AII Blue anyways, might as well have it all on and paint it at the same time. Thanks for looking.

[ac4313]

Looking great!

[jrallman]

Howdy! Your slacker slow building leader is back with some more progress. I really wanna get this one done by the end of this GB so I guess I should get a move on! I have added the main landing gear and main gear doors. I managed to launch one of the inner door actuators across the room, so I made some new ones from spare PE gear door actuators. Once painted I think they will look convincing enough. I still need to add some brake lines to the main gear legs. I have also added the Fusion resin prop. I had to just glue it in place though. I tried to glue it onto the spinner stem from the kit, but unless you do that before adding the cowl, it is pretty much impossible since there is nothing to hold the stem in place and push it fully into the prop. I need to check my references again to see if this plane had that thin piece of metal at the top of the prop to keep snow and gunk out. If so, I will add it with some spare PE fret. I had to make a whole new tail wheel because the kit piece is molded solid and undersized, so there was no way I could use it with the Equipage wheels that I have. The new one will work much better. In the cockpit I have added the tube frame support for the gunsight. The kit comes with a PE gunsight that I managed to drop inside the plane, of course after I added CA, so inside the plane is where it stays! I fashioned a new gunsight out of spare resin and PE, which looks better I think because it is 3D instead of flat. Kinda hard to see in the pics because it is dark. Once it dries, I will add the film for the reflector then attach the vac canopy that came with the kit, well not the middle section, but the front and back. Then mask, and off to paint finally. The paint job may take a while, so I wanna get to it soon if I can. Thanks for looking!

[Allok]

Lookin real good!

Doesn't that deadline sneak up on you real quick!?

[jrallman]

yeah, way too quick!