New Trumpeter MiG-23BN 1/48

[Otto]

New Trumpeter MiG-23BN announced on Trumpi's web site. as close as we will get to a MiG-27 for a while I guess. The other 32s are not perfect or maybe even great, but I guess "not Bad" all in all. If this is the case with the BN than OK I guess.Over all, I like their MiG-21UM and the MiG-21F-13 kits. I also noticed the new MiG-21MF they announced. Wonder how it will compare with the Eduard it in ANY category IE Price, Accuracy Detail Etc.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

I decided that instead of "Hogging" the other thread, that I would just continue my Raves-N-Rants on this one since I already started it. This is one kit I have been waiting for for a long time because of this particular paint scheme. I have been in love with it since it came out for the 35th anniversary year of the unit in 1993. The "american influence is obvious with the Bald Eagle paint scheme, since this animal do not exist in the Czech Republic. I have been doing some research on the aircraft and have 1) found that it is NOT Black but in fact dark blue. 2)The actual color is virtually identical if in fact not identical to our US FS15042 (sea blue) In this case the Model Master #4686 is going to fit the bill perfectly.

3)The restored aircraft on display do not give the original paint scheme justice. The original paint was starting to look pretty raddy due to years of neglect so I do understand the need to re-paint it. But why not as it originally stood. Here is a picture of the Original NEW and than aged.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

Here is an image of the same aircraft after restoration. The job stinks and has nowhere the detail of the original pain scheme. The only thing in common is the flaming eagle. Besides that the detail is all gone in the paint scheme. MPD came out with a set of decals back than to be used on a 1/72 scale kit which was released by KP around the same time. I had them print some for me at 150% (1/48 scale) because i was going to do a HobbyCraft MiG-27 with ,which I thought at the time, some "slight" alterations. Well, I found that they would have been more than "slight" and gave up on the idea. I had MPD print the minimum for me which was 25pcs at a exorbitant price even for the time. I have been sitting on them till now and they have finally received the kit they deserve. The only problem is that because the original decals were intended for a much smaller kit, the color chosen was much too light. I didn't even think about that until now. The color listed on the instruction sheet is 25035, but for this kit it will require the darker 15042 to give the kit justice. I 5042 is the actual tint on the real aircraft, so if lightening is desired than do a 50/50 mix between the two. Here is a link to a site, with pictures from when the original aircraft was painted. http://fotogaleria.l...arch=Ok&hor=10.

Here is a picture of the lousy restoration of the aircraft. First of all it was re-painted in BLACK and not in the original blue.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

You can actually see a bit of the Blue on the nose, in the first picture, which is completely lacking in the second picture. Even the detail in the flame is lacking.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

Here is the decal sheet I have for the "Original" paint scheme. All the detail is there in the flame. The photo hides is a bit due to the flash.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

Here is another of the aircraft in its full original glory.

Prior to restoration. The word is a joke in this case.

[Otto]

I definitely plan on doing one in the original "Box Art"

Edited September 5, 2015 by Otto

[Jennings]

Let's just hope they don't use Arial Bold for the numbers as shown in the profiles above. Not what CzAF numbers look like.

[JBr]

Just to clarify, the "restored" 9825 is not the real one. It's a "fake" paint job applied to an East German MiG-23BN in Speyer Museum, Germany. The real one is still an exhibit of Kbely Aviation Museum in Prague. Unfortunately, the paint has faded much over the time and the aircraft itself is not in a good shape either (the picture shows how it looked like when I visited the museum last October).

[Kevan Vogler]

Just to clarify, the "restored" 9825 is not the real one. It's a "fake" paint job applied to an East German MiG-23BN in Speyer Museum, Germany. The real one is still an exhibit of Kbely Aviation Museum in Prague. Unfortunately, the paint has faded much over the time and the aircraft itself is not in a good shape either (the picture shows how it looked like when I visited the museum last October).

I visited Kbely in June of this year and that aircraft looked the same as in the picture you posted. Mind you, that condition seemed to be the standard for the bulk of Kbely's outdoor collection. Their Vietnamese F-5 was particularly frail looking, it seemed set to fall apart if you sneezed within ten metres of it.

[Otto]

I am happy to hear that the aircraft I thought is a "restoration" is in fact a BAD Duplicate and not the original. I just took it for granted that since they used the same serial number that it was the same aircraft. It is Terrible that the museum would allow their aircraft to fall into such poor state. I also do understand that some of it is due to the poor quality of paint used on the aircraft originally. The last time I was in Kbely was in 1976 when I was back in "Czechoslovakia" for the last time to visit. I was surprised to see that the B-534 was "restored" in such a poor fashion. The wings were built in the same way they would be built on a model airplane, instead of being built the same way Avia would have built it. I was the NCOIC of restorations for the Marine Air Ground Team Museum in Quantico Virginia from 2001-2005 and everything had to be done exactly or as close as the documentation provided as on the real thing. There was no other option. Even our Curtiss E-1 1914 which I had a hand in restoring had to be built according to available drawings and out of the exact materials as original. Nothing else was an option. 

Edited September 6, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

Well Guys, Three threads in three days about this kit. Obviously the interest in the kit is very high but the canopy area mistakes are blatant enough to squash the sales even before it gets released. I, myself work for an engineering company and know the value of a comprehensive "design review" . Obviously this company has not heard of that concept.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Otto

[Jennings]

Well, as is typical for Trumpet Boss Hawk kits, they'll keep the aftermarket busy correcting the stupid mistakes they make. Although in this case an entirely new forward fuselage and canopy (if not the cockpit itself) will be required.

[Otto]

Looking at the test shot tree more closely, the entire nose section looks like it might be WAY too fat in the profile. The BN / 27 had a very slender nose in the profile. If this is the case than the fix might be doable with some surgery. I might get one just to give the surgery a try. Take a look at the length to height ratio in the test shot in comparison to the photograph of the real aircraft.

[Parabat]

What's the fault with the canopy?

[Otto]

The outline and placement is completely wrong. There are two more threads which talk about this in more detail. The model has the widscrean and canopy lower line in one continuous line. On the real aircraft there is a distinct jog between the two. Take a look at where the canopy / windscrean placement is on the picture of the trees and than take a look at the photograph of the real airplane. The lower demarcation line of the canopy should be in-line with the centerline of the fuselage and not sloped down. On the other hand the windscrean section had a steep drop forward. This indicates two or more problems with the forward fuselage area. The artist who drew the left & right profile in post 8 drew the nose completely wrong. Everything in front of the intakes if off and quite a bit. It seams that the model than follows the exact opposite of that particular artwork. Where in the artwork everything follows the centerline (or close to it) in the model it follows the slope of the nose. Each has one half right and the other wrong. The artwok has the canopy prety much right and the windscreen wrong and the model is the other way around.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Otto

[Jennings]

The main canopy sill line should be (or nearly be) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the airplane, with the lower line of the windscreen side panels making a distinct angle in comparison to it. Trumpeter has made it nearly (or exactly) the same angle, which means the main canopy is wrong as well.

Sigh...

And I'm sure somebody reading this is about to reply "Well it doesn't bother me. It looks like a MiG-23BN to me" - which is fine for you. We *will* probably discuss it more, and if that counts as "rivet counting" to you, then so be it. Don't read it.

[Parabat]

What a shame. Hopefully they retool, at least by the time they release Mig-27's.

[Otto]

I doubt it. Look what they did (or didn't do) with the Corsair. Each series is worse then the previous.

[B.Sin]

What a shame. Hopefully they retool, at least by the time they release Mig-27's.

It's Trumpeter guys, could you expect anything different? If you expect them to retool tool, or even care, you're kidding yourself.

[Otto]

Agreed, Sadly. The only question now; For the price they will charge for the kit, will it be fixable, to any degree? Or will it look like that horrendous Esci kit? The nose on that looks Gaud-Awful

Edited September 7, 2015 by Otto

[Otto]

This gentleman did an absolutely phenomenal job on the repair of this kit. The trumpeter will require only a very little less work than what he had to do. My hat is off to this modeler.

Mig-27 nose repair. WOW

[Jennings]

Based on what I've seen thus far, it's a hopeless case. You'll need at least a new forward fuselage and main canopy. If it's like the other MiG-23s, the rest isn't *that* bad, but it remains to be seen.

What a waste of effort.

[B.Sin]

This gentleman did an absolutely phenomenal job on the repair of this kit. The trumpeter will require only a very little less work than what he had to do. My hat is off to this modeler.

Mig-27 nose repair. WOW

That's very nice. Once again, why do we have to spend time on fixing a brand new state-of-the-art model kit. Specially since trumpeter, about 4 years ago, promise to do better research and produce a better product. This was stated on the cybermodeler website.

[Otto]

They forgot to fire the people who were doing the original research for them or they forgot that they made this promise. I myself think "both" A state of the art junk is still a junk. As I always say to the engineers at work " If someone hands you a piece of $#!+ than all you can do is polish the turd. So I guess Trumpeter builders are a Advanced and accomplished bunch of turd polishers. My hat is off to them.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Otto