Question about Hasegawa MiG-25

[Rob de Bie]

I'm researching the history of MiG-25 models after the Belenko landing in Japan, and I have two questions about the two Hasegawa boxings of the MiG-25P:

1. Are they both done by Shigeo Koike?

2. Is it common for Hasegawa to revise the box art after a few years?

Thanks!

Rob

[josh1813]

Sorry for the partial answer but I'm 99.99% sure the bottom one (the most recent release) was done buy him. I've got that boxart at home, I can check for sure later, if someone doesn't beat me to it...

[Ham]

I don't know the boxtop artist, but see the link below for what the box top looked like in 1977 when the Hasegawa kit was originally released. Sorry for the eBay link, but I could not find another photo of the original box art. Hasegawa lives to re-release kits with new box art and decals.

Clicky

[Rob de Bie]

I don't know the boxtop artist, but see the link below for what the box top looked like in 1977 when the Hasegawa kit was originally released. Sorry for the eBay link, but I could not find another photo of the original box art. Hasegawa lives to re-release kits with new box art and decals. :blink:

Clicky

I've seen this box on Ebay too, but I always thought it was a US-specific box made by the (then) US importer Minicraft. The box looks rather un-Hasegawa to me :-) Can someone confirm or deny this?

Rob

[Jennings]

I believe you are correct on that last box. I've never seen that painting on anything but the Minicraft boxing. I'm not sure Shigeo Koike was working for Hasegawa back in 1977 when the kit came out.

As an historical aside, from the time Belenko landed in Japan on 6 September 1976 until Hasegawa had their kit on the market in Japan was less than 90 days. That may be a record then and now for speed in getting a kit designed, molded, and on the shelves.

J

[Flankerman]

I have the original (top) box - kit No JS-130-600

But nowhere on it can I see who the artist is - and I have examined it very closely.

I have just looked again - to double-check before posting this - and I can now just make out some faded writing below the starboard wingtip....

It looks - to my old eyes - to be something like 'SkoiKe' or 'Stoi Ke'.

Dunno if that helps....

Ken

[pigsty]

Hasegawa lives to re-release kits with new box art and decals. :)

They do every possible variation. They re-release kits with the original art in a new frame; they re-release kits with brand-new art and no differences inside; they ditch the artwork for a photograph and throw in new decals; the commission new artwork for a similar old-kit-and-new-decals deal; and they commission art that they like so much that they apply it to every possible kit of a subject in every scale. Bit confusing, that last one, as it makes eBay listings tricky to interpret.

[DonSS3]

I used to have a link for a site that had Mr Koike's artwork (Hasegawa and otherwise). Some had historical notes in English, but most commentary was in Japanese. The artwork usually spoke for itself though. Unfortunately, I've managed to lose the link…

[Yuk Kui Ng]

I used to have a link for a site that had Mr Koike's artwork (Hasegawa and otherwise). Some had historical notes in English, but most commentary was in Japanese. The artwork usually spoke for itself though. Unfortunately, I've managed to lose the link…

Is this the one? http://www.ne.jp/asahi/airplane/museum/Ecl-pln2.html

Yuk

[Rob de Bie]

Thanks to everyone who responded! Ken, thanks for finding that signature near the wing tip.

Rob

[JackMan]

As an historical aside, from the time Belenko landed in Japan on 6 September 1976 until Hasegawa had their kit on the market in Japan was less than 90 days. That may be a record then and now for speed in getting a kit designed, molded, and on the shelves.

Wow! Didn't know that. Says a lot about Japanese efficiency & productivity

[DonSS3]

Is this the one? http://www.ne.jp/asahi/airplane/museum/Ecl-pln2.html

Yuk

That's the one, Yuk. Thank you.