This kit represents
a Czech Air Force MiG-23MF painted on June 1994 with special Hell Fighter scheme
celebrating 50th anniversary of creation of 1st Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment.
Now this machine is stowed in an open-air display of Military museum in Prague-Kbely.
This kit is marketed by Academy as a MiG-23S, but in fact it is much closer to
the
MF version than to an S. It is considered as quite inaccurate by MiG fans, but
for me it looks like a MiG-23 :-).
Click on
images below to see larger images
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The kit was built
mostly OOB, improvements were made to cockpit (new
instrument panel and side consoles with home made decals, new gunsight,
supplied living-room-arm-chair replaced with Pavla resin seat). Underwing
pylons were rebuilt to better represent ones used on MF. Look of engine
intakes and exhaust was unsatisfactory, so I created FOD covers.
The main challenge was painting. First
it was airbrushed Aeromaster light gray. Red flames were then pre-drawn with
a mechanical pencil and painted with red
Humbrol enamel using a thin brush. Also all other red portions were brush
painted. Black flames and nose tiger stripes were then painted in a similar way
with black enamel. After drying....the pencil traces were erased. Wings were
airbrushed with Tamiya acrylic and metal parts near the exhaust were brush painted
with Humbrol Metalcote. Beautiful decals by MPD were applied with help of
Agama Adhesol and Tensol. The final coat was airbrushed with Sidolux (local
equivalent to Future).
Pictures were taken with Canon Powershot A60 digital camera.
Happy modelling
Radim
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