Jump to content

The 1/48 MiG-3 Special Olympics: ICM vs. Classic Airframes


Recommended Posts

Been a while since I participated in an ARC Group Build. Hope it's not too painful...

DSC01557.jpg

Not sure how I came about having these two kits, but I'm pretty sure I didn't pay for either of them. One is probably from a Mike Horrell stash liquidation & clearance and that would be the ICM kit. When I realized I had two Mig-3s from different manufacturers I decided I had to build them both at the same time, and what's a better opportunity to vent frustrations than an ARC group build?

Let's look inside the "box", shall we? First, the ICM kit, which is in a crushed end-opening box (which is why I use the term loosely):

DSC01563.jpg

DSC01571.jpg

Note how they have the canopy sprue mixed in the bag with the rest of the parts. Bastards. And all the pretty colors, too. A quick check of on-line builds tell me the wing is 11 pieces, which I an wholly looking forward to. /sarcasm And of course, decals & instructions. The decals include 2 options for 12th Guards red & white winter color schemes, but of course the decals themselves are typically ICM flat instead of the normally glossy so it remains to be seen if they're usable.

And the Classic Airframes kit:

DSC01567.jpg

Some pretty heavy duty plastic here but at least the cockpit isn't all photo-etch. And one vac canopy. Fortunately I have had a pretty good run with vac canopies so it's likely this one will go straight to hell in a handbasket... Instructions and decals as well-two schemes, including one for a 12th Guards red and white winter scheme. As you may have guessed, I'll probably go 12th Guards with these builds.

But not anytime soon. This weekend looks brutal as I'm working for Brantley Gilbert Friday which means I'll be worthless Saturday. And I'm hoping to decal a Morane Saulnier Type N this weekend which should be a handful in itself.

Ken

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

It should also be pointed out that the red wings on the one are now known to have almost definitely been green. A classic case of cannibalizing parts from one wrecked bird to keep another flying, a testament to the desperation of the Soviets (and others) that winter of '41-'42.

Link to post
Share on other sites

These should be interesting. Either one off the blocks yet?

Martin H

I have the blue sprayed on all the interior parts and got wrapped up in long stalled builds from The Naughty Closet. I'm decaling #4 right now, and if I redirect my attention it'll get stalled again, so once it's wrapped up I'm on these.

It should also be pointed out that the red wings on the one are now known to have almost definitely been green. A classic case of cannibalizing parts from one wrecked bird to keep another flying, a testament to the desperation of the Soviets (and others) that winter of '41-'42.

Actually, the wings on 12th Guards aircraft are neither red or green, and that's where I'm going with these.

Ken

Edited by WymanV
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...

RIGHT!!! The Naughty Closet door is closed for another year (four done, can't be bad-four more than I wrapped up during last year's purge of The Island of Mis-fit kits) and while I'm busting a nut to get a R/C boat built while I can still use it, I'm back on this as well.

I started with initial coats of interior color. Or rather, "interior color", as I'm not being real precise with these builds. I used Humbrol 65 as I have a ton of the stuff I picked up on ebay for my German WW I builds and it's easier than taking a chance on my "local" hobby shop (in Billings, about a 1 1/2 hour drive) having something in stock.

The ICM kit:

DSC01601.jpg

And the Classic Airframes kit:

DSC01605.jpg

I started with the CA kit as there are fewer parts and I suspect, more fitting/sanding involved. The kit starts out with a demerit right away as it is difficult to spray paint down in the depths of the cockpit tub:

DSC01729.jpg

Separate sidewalls would have been much better. 70.gif/>

I'm picking out the details inside with Metallizer Aluminum and semi-gloss black, and will be fitting the photo etch fiddlyness shortly. Once I seal the fuselage up on this one I'll start throwing down on the ICM kit. That build starts with the wings, and I understand therein lies the weak point of that kit.

Ken

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 5 weeks later...

Fuselage is buttoned up:

DSC01756.jpg

The upper engine cowl wasn't the best fit but it little effort to correct it. I glued the prop shaft in as this isn't a toy, and it would be tricky to get it in place once the wing is on.

DSC01758.jpg

Not too thrilled with the instrument panel fit on this kit. Right or wrong, I may correct it by breaking it loose and re-setting it higher, and adding a piece of sheet styrene to act as a cowl over it.

Now let's look at that ICM kit.

Ken

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Sorry about the delay gents. I've been using a coffee table for a computer desk for nearly 5 years now and boy, was that getting old. Got sick of it and made myself one:

DSC01811.jpg

Took about a month's worth of weekends but I feel like a grown-up now wink.gif And more display space 70.gif/>

So back to beating these turkeys into submission. The CA wing had to be worked over-the wheel wells were too high and had to be sanded down to get the upper wing panels to fit. And look at the ugly fit to the fuselage up front:

DSC01824.jpg

It sanded down, but I'm sure some filler will be necessary to clean it up as well as the intake openings.

And the ICM wing is glued together. I built it as a separate assembly and while it too needs some sanding to fit it, so far it isn't as troublesome as I expected. I think the key is to make sure all the bits fit well right off. The front fairings were kinda rough, but some sanding cleaned them up. I had pics of the fuselage during assembly, but I have no idea what happened to them. It was memorable for the instrument panel decal. A week of hitting it with Solvaset and it was still like a piece of plastic-finally had to hit it with lacquer thinner to make it settle down. It's not pretty, but I wasn't going to fight with it forever. Here's an overall look at progress at the moment:

DSC01826edit.jpg

I skipped everything but the essential parts on the ICM engine-just enough to hold the prop and exhaust. And for all the parts involved, the fit was good. Note the difference in the upper cowl details. Not sure what they represent (I'm sure I can look it up, but I'm building them anyway) but I won't fuss.

Now to mash it all together.

Ken

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...