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Wow! Chris, you are building models again? For your own? Just to entertain yourself? As a respite from ever-endless cast process? :jaw-dropping:

Great job, my friend and very useful and nicely done tutorial! :jaw-dropping: :jaw-dropping:

Cheers and...happy modeling!

Alexander.

;)

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Wow! Chris, you are building models again? For your own? Just to entertain yourself? As a respite from ever-endless cast process?
I wish! :jaw-dropping:

No, I've got to make a few adjustments to the splitter plate patterns and then I'll pour production molds. I still need to do instructions for all three of the products listed on the first page.

After that,,, I'll be boxing up the MiG-23 and working on other patterns (and casting and casting and casting...).

Thanks for all the nice comments guys!

:jaw-dropping:

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After that,,, I'll be boxing up the MiG-23 and working on other patterns (and casting and casting and casting...)

Does that mean you won't do the twin AA-8 launchers next? :thumbsup:

Good catch on the misshapen fuselage/splitter plates junction. Have you tried yet joining the rear fuselage assembly with the rest? I'm struggling with it right now, it's even worse than the fit of the front and center fuselage parts.

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Does that mean you won't do the twin AA-8 launchers next?
My current plan is to do the Su-25 outer pylons next followed by the APU-60-2 twin Aphid launch rails. These two projects shouldn't take long. After that I'll be revisiting the family Flanker canopies which will take some time.
Have you tried yet joining the rear fuselage assembly with the rest?
No, just taped the halves together without adding the internal ribs.

Reading Michael Benolkin's online (he will be using my pylons and splitter plates), he was very happy with the fit using the provided pinned ribs. Are you using the ribs?

This should be my final installment for modifying the intakes.
:boohoo:

Here are a couple more small details that can be added and a look at the cable-cutter/braces installed.

There should be 4 small holes on the underside of the platform behind the splitter plate. I used a .042" drill bit.

The very front point of the platform shouldn't be a point (see photo #025 on this walkaround). I cut the front off the platform and added pieces of .010" (X .080") styrene on top and bottom then tapered them into the platform.

Splitter8.jpg

I am including castings for the fuselage mounting pads for the braces and will be including a template to locate their positions.

The braces themselves are .010 X .020 " styrene which I will also be including. I'll give lengths to cut them but it is still difficult getting them to fit just right. I'd like to have them premounted and cast on the splitter plates but I'm sure they would either break during demolding or shipping.

Splitter9.jpg

Splitter10.jpg

Instructions are underway and I'm hoping to release everything shortly after Thanksgiving.

:rolleyes:

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This will be a must set for me. No doubt.

Obviously, as the kit's splitter plates are way off, but I wish we also had the option of buying the whole intake set. I'm kinda skeptical towards messing up the intakes on a $100 kit (which is a must because the stock shape is so unlike MiG-23) and then praying for the replacement set to be realized (and I bet it won't so affordable, especially if you get add the missiles and pylons to an already expensive kit). If Zactoman just mastered the modified kit intakes, I presume that the end price would also be noticeably lower than whatever would the newly built ones go for and they would be available now when the model kit's still hot, but I can also understand that he doesn't want to sell something with so little modification (which reminds me of those replacement metal gears where they seem to be just a copy of the plastic parts in some cases which is kinda lame, especially when the original gear is not up to par).

Edited by ijozic
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I've created a web page showing how to make the improvements to the kit intakes as well as a big list of MiG-23 walkarounds:

http://www.zactomodels.com/html/MiG-23/MiG...mprovements.htm

This page is an addition to the instruction sheet which will show how to use the resin parts in the set.

Any thoughts or comments about the web page?

Is everything clear and understandable?

Did I forget anything?

Are there too many pictures for one page, making it too slow loading?

Comments appreciated.

:jaw-dropping:

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Obviously, as the kit's splitter plates are way off, but I wish we also had the option of buying the whole intake set. .....

Allow me to +1 that thought - Chris I hear you on wanting to do the intakes anew, however, I REALLY support the notion of a complete intake set, and I for one will be waiting on hopefully seeing the full set in shorter order. While I get wanting to do it from scratch, I think just the adjustments to the kit parts as you've demonstrated will satisfy 90% of the modelers out there. I think doing the adjustments won't be so bad, but having pre-made resin parts would be a plus.

Also, have Eastern get cracking on some R-23s and R-24s! The kit parts aren't horrible, however, I know that they can be done better - and the mixed load of R and T types wasn't always used. There are plenty of photos of two Rs being used - which isn't possible with the kit load.

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- and the mixed load of R and T types wasn't always used.

...and not possible on the MF. Very common on ML (at least in the East German AF)

There are plenty of photos of two Rs being used - which isn't possible with the kit load.

hmmm... my MF kit as well as the ML kit contains 2 pairs of each!

Edited by Floggerman
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My mistake - my sprues were arranged funny, and I found only the one sprue WA, not two, so there are indeed two of each. That said, I still want to see nice upgraded resin versions!

Not to hijack the thread, but did they tool a new forward fuselage for the ML (vs. the MF - I only have an MF so far) - the nose panels are completely different from the MF to ML (but then unchanged to the MLD)...

Now, hopefully somebody can address my markings question in the other MiG-23 thread I started.

Back to the business of Chris' thread!

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  • 2 weeks later...

All three sets are now available at my website! www.Zactomodels.com

Splitter Plates:

Front_quarter.jpg

Pylons:

Pylons_side.jpg

APU-60-1 Launch Rails:

APU-60_BD3_Aphid.jpg

(Shown with MiG-21 BD3-60-21 pylon and R-60 Aphid Missile, both sold separately at my website.).

Any chance of some upgrades or an F3 conversion for Revell's 1/32 Tornado? :wave:
Perhaps some day, but it's not high on the list.
A downloadable PDF would be a little bid easier for printing, but anyway...
I will be adding a downloadable PDF of the 'intake improvement page' some time in the next few days.

Thanks for the idea!

:whistle:

Chris

Edited by Zactoman
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