Old Blind Dog Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Has anybody had a chance to see these kits? Not expecting them to be great, just basic and serviceable in a HobbyBoss-like way. Anybody actually had their hands on one? Old Blind Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
illithid00 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Ooh, I've gotta get me a look at these. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
janman Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Don't know what to say. So much have been said about future HB and Trumpy releases and the debate seems to go on. Better wait and see one on the hobbystore shelf. Some day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ReccePhreak Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 A friend brought his MiG-15UTI to last night's meeting and it looked really nice. Don't know about accuracy, but the basic cockpit was pretty good, better than the old KP and Hasegawa offerings. Panel lines were nice, as was wheel well detail. I will definitely get one of the single seaters, especially at that price. Just my 2¢. Larry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gene K Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 (edited) Don't know what to say. So much have been said about future HB and Trumpy releases and the debate seems to go on. Better wait and see one on the hobbystore shelf. Some day. My initial impression of the UTI is extremely positive. Of course this impression is relative to the disappointment I had with the overprice/undervalued HB A-10 and the cartoon F-86 kits. "On opening the box", you are greeted with the usual HB press-fit packaging. The engraving is beautiful (of course, many will say too deep for ANY scale, but I like it....if only Trumpeter would do it like this!!!). The canopy, as usual, is one piece affair, thin and very clear - should be easy to separate with a razor saw if you want to display the interior....and this kit does have a separate interior tub!!! No detail on the sidewalls and instrument panels, though (haven't checked yet to see if Eduard has any appropriate PE). So after admiring the plastic, I did some test fitting (which showed excellent alignment), but I thought my kit had some sprue missing since I couldn't find the nose piece and gear. Well, to my surprise, a nice (large) sprue is under the black packaging. As you can see, it's pretty complete, with a separate nose insert, tanks, speed brakes, etc. Decals are appropriately very simple I'm not a MiG experten so can't eyeball the accuracy of the kit, but it looks right. Further, I haven't compared the plastic to any drawings yet (sorry Jennings and Rusty, I know how much you appreciate that), but I'm guessing this kit is right on considering the subject matter. Overall, this is the best value kit I've bought in a long while, and one of HB's best to date! I'm sure the long awaited Eduard MiGs will have more detail (especially the interior) -- but will cost astronomically more. I got my kit from Lucky Model, and it's available in the US from Gordon at Sprue Brothers (if you value good prices, unparalleled service, and unmatched shipping speed). EDIT: Opps - looks like Gordon is sold out, but Squadron is stocked. Gene K Edited July 26, 2008 by Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Looks quite nice! I took your image and measured the wing sweep to see if they'd copied Tamiya's incorrect sweep - they didn't! I measured it at 35.5 degrees at 1/4 chord, and the real thing is supposed to be 35 degrees. That's certainly within the margin of error when measuring from a fuzzy photo! Decals are pretty pathetic, but there are, or will be, scads of MiG-15 decals available. The good news is, I don't think any MiG-15 was ever flown in truly 'natural metal' - all had a coat of clear varnish (according to Russian sources), so you don't have to make 'em shiny. I'll probably be grabbing a couple of these! J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Irving Babbitt Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Is there any space for nose weight? Dumb question, I know, but it looks like the fuselage halves are pretty close to solid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Cool to see pics of the sprues! Thanks for sharing, Gene! It does look nice. Might be the best MiG-15 in 1/72 so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dahut Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 If nuttin' else, you gotta love the packaging. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gene K Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Jennings, Here's a "sharper" wing scan with which to do your magic. Appreciate your comments on accuracy since I'm "away from my refs". Irving, The fuselage is anything but solid, as you can see. There's a little room in the intake splitter (which can be hollowed out at the top). There's also a small space under the cockpit tub that could be used, and the tanks are hollow. No idea yet as to how much weight it will require. As for the lack of instrument panel and console detail, I'll likely try to scale down the Eduard 1/48 set for the single seater, but have to do some research to see what the UTI arrangement is. In that regard, any pointers to photos, web pages, etc would be appreciated......Moritz. Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
illithid00 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Awesome! Looks like a pretty good kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old Blind Dog Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 WOW!!! Glad I asked! Thanks for the great info! Wonder if the Pavla resin pit would fit? That along with a set of PE from PART might make for a very fine and surprisingly inexpensive project! :( Old Blind Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I wouldn't worry too much about adapting other cockpit bits (especially in other scales) to fit it. I can foresee much aftermarket made to fit this kit. Give it a few weeks... The wing scan is actually skewed a little more than the previous one, but the result is just about the same. The wing has the correct sweep within 1/2 degree (close enough for jazz). J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
g0_command0 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I think for about 9 dollars. It doesnt get much better then this. I saw the regular -15 and the UTi up close. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gene K Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Wonder if the Pavla resin pit would fit? That along with a set of PE from PART might make for a very fine and surprisingly inexpensive project! Are those parts for a single or two seater? Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gene K Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 (edited) WOW!!! Glad I asked! Thanks for the great info! You're welcome.... I should have included the following: and I just cleaned up the parts and assembled the major pieces - absolutely no problems. As noted in the first sheet above, I recommend removing the locating pins and lugs in the upper and lower nose sections as they are too visible through the intake; and the cockpit tub needs a backrest/bulkhead to close the gap there. Anyone have a picture of that area? A nice kit! Gene K Edited July 26, 2008 by Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 All right now, just stop it! You hear me? Don't make me come up there! If you make me buy one of these things I'll have your hides! I mean it, and I'm not going to wait until your father comes home either! J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Berkut Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Holy! I am realy starting to like HB...Mi24,Mi8,MiG15 and MiG17....Happy times. FINALY! ;) Now trumpeter must get that frikking flanker and fencer out...And MiG25 in 1/32. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gene K Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 (edited) I pulled out some of my MiG-15 refs (including those from Squadron, KoKu Fan, 4+, and Ace) and determined the best set of drawings are in the 4+ publication. Layed the kit parts over the plans, and ......: excellent match - almost as if those plans were used to design the kit! The only noticeable discrepancy was that the kit's vert stab is a millimeter or two taller than on the plans. Pretty impressive, in my book. A couple of further observations: the speed brake wells appear to have "extra" horizontal stringers (I realize there were different speed brakes shapes, but have no idea which is more correct/prevalent): The seats appear to be good representations of the real thing, needing only ejection handles, harness/straps, and some trimming of the "foot rests": Lastly, the nosewheel strut (MiG-17 style) appears over-compresssed, while the mains appear under-compressed. I'll post a picture or two tomorrow comparing drawings/photos with the kit parts. Will be interesting to see how the assembled model sits (especially keeping in mind how bad the gear was on the HB Sabre). Been a good afternoon with what appears to be a really nice kit! Go for it, Old Blind Dog. Gene K Edited July 26, 2008 by Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old Blind Dog Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 Are those parts for a single or two seater?Gene K Sets I used to have were for the single-seater. The PE set is by ExtraTech and looks to be available for fairly reasonable $$. Don't know if the Pavla cockpit set (apparently a rip-off of the NeoMega casting) is still listed. B) Old Blind Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
haneto Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Some additional threads for you from Taiwanese website "Plastic Model Workshop BBS". Review Finished work(Defected PLAAF MiG-15bis) Palva Models cockpit will need some hard sanding work to fit HB kits. Also in order to use the flap parts of Extratech PE,the original wing parts of the kit have to get some serious scratch-built. BTW,any one have the Gran MiG-15bis decal instruction scan?I found my Gran kit but decal and intructions all missed...... TIA! Yufei Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J.C. Bahr Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Eduard who? This looks good enough for my needs! Thanks for posting up the info guys! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
newca96 Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Holy! I am realy starting to like HB...Mi24,Mi8,MiG15 and MiG17....Happy times. FINALY! Now trumpeter must get that frikking flanker and fencer out...And MiG25 in 1/32. I believe the happier time of Russian aeroplane kits from Trumpeter/HB is yet to come...just wait and see. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old Blind Dog Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 Just ordered myself two copies of the single-seater from Squadron (in hopes of beating the inevitable rush!) :lol: Thanks again for the info! Old Blind Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J.C. Bahr Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I believe the happier time of Russian aeroplane kits from Trumpeter/HB is yet to come...just wait and see. I hope so!... would sure like to see a new Mig-19! Just ordered myself two copies of the single-seater from Squadron (in hopes of beating the inevitable rush!) :lol: I'm sure there'll be enough to go around. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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