In early
2003--having stalled on Kazan's MiG-23MLD update--I found myself wanting to have
a family model Flogger in the display case. When it comes to MiG-23s in 1/48
scale, we Builders-of-the-Red-Star are stuck with Esci's much maligned MiG-23S,
which has a number of issues (raised panel lines, no cockpit or wheel well
detail, etc). Having few references, and even less experience with conversions
of any sort, I plunged headfirst into the project. The fuselage was opened up to
make way for the rear cockpit, and the dorsal hump was fashioned out of Magic
Sculp epoxy putty. After a few attempts at vacuforming new canopies and
scratchbuilding the cockpits, the project stalled.
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images below to see larger images
Four years, and many
F-16s and F-14s later, I decided I could no longer let the partially finished
kit mock me from the boneyard section of my display case. So, I plunged back
into the project. The cockpits were completely scratchbuilt (save for the
ejection seats, which are Neomega), and the instrument dials were punched into
sheet styrene using my trusty Waldron punch and die sets. I had a hard time
finding references on the rear cockpit, so I made an educated guess on the
layout (this is the point where someone comes forward with 4 gigs of detailed
photos of the rear cockpit of a UB, such is life).
Once the cockpits
were finished, new canopies were vacuformed out of clear acrylic on my homemade
machine (I'm not bragging, it's just a box with a shop vac attached to it).
Panel lines were rescribed using the 4+ book as a guide. Details were added to
the wheel wells using wire and styrene. Esci's stock engine nozzle was shortened
and detailed using an afterburner from the scrap box.
The model was
finished--in the autumn of 2007--with Tamiya acrylics and weathered with a
combination of postshading and artists oils. The Angolan markings are from Hi
Decal's Su-27 sheet (thanks Diego).
So there you have it, a model more
than four years in the making. I now have grandiose plans to build an accurate
MiG-27 using Esci's other much maligned Flogger kit. If this project is any
guide, you should be seeing the MiG-27 on these pages in late summer 2012.
David
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images below to see larger images
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