ya-gabor

I am very serious about contacting the manufacturer! You never know what they do. It is for certain that they do read forums like this and do take note of comments. Sometimes even have their own comments as seen above! I think this is very important and positive approach from a manufacturer! Wish all of them did the same! Well I for one will be very happy when they release the MiG-21F-13 kit. Just few weeks ago did comment about it. And now . . . OK here is a wish as well. Hope they do in a contunuation of the Su-22 series the ones we had with the R-29 engine, the Su-22M3K. Had a big and shorter bottom, different small intakes, a strake, different horizontals . . . But they know the details. So what about that Mirage III. Look forward to it. Best regards Gabor

Oh common. Sorry if you are offended. Apologies!!! We all have different taste and this includes model kits too. I like the rivets if they are made in the very delicate way that Modelsvit has shown. Sorry that you don’t like it. Please contact the company if you have differing views. Best regards Gabor

Did miss out on it all those trillions of years ago when Airfix released it. Will not miss it this time. It is a fascinating little subject! Had lots of fun taking detailed photos of the original one. Best regards Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Matchbox did do MiG-21's. But when was that??? Ages ago, based on few sketchy drawings and some b/w photos with questionable dimensions and details. Correct me if I am wrong but it is year 2019 now. A lot has changed since Matchbox, Airfix, Heller or even Revell did a MiG-21 in 72nd scale! Rivets or no rivets, it is far from compulsory to get this kit or any other which has rivets on it. The MiG-21F kit (72021) from Modelsvit did not have rivets. I would expect this new MiG-21F-13 kit to be based mostly on that 21F design. At the same time have to mention that most of their service life the MiG-21F-13 were in natural metal with just a clear varnish protection showing all rivets clearly just as those early Mirage III fighters. Best regards Gabor

Some good news on Modelsvit face place here: https://www.facebook.com/modelsvit/?ref=py_c For those of us not on this spy page here is what they announced: Our next releases in 1/72 scale shall be: Su-17UM3 Su-22UM3K MiG-21F13 M-55 Geophysica Be-12P-200 So at last the MiG-21F-13 in 72nd scale with state of the art technology even if it will be a limited edition, it is a very welcome new kit!!!!!!!!! Best regards Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Sorry I have to remove my posts Good Bye Gabor

Hi Laurent, 1. Yes, I know. But the laser scan database was there to shart with, to look at and to use as a reference, after all this is what it is intended for!!! This is the normal way to make a CAD from a scan. And Airfix details this in the articles on the given page. The wing root problem is so clear on the CAD and so obvious how it should be on the Scan image. There is no reason why do it completely different! Since there are only very few CAD images available till now it is difficult to say more about other areas of the kit, althoug there are some strange things going on at the trailing edge of the wing on top. I would love to see the flaps. It is a very complicated surface which was completely messed up by Eduard on the 72nd scale kit. Wing surface and fuselage joint line on the bottom is not so easy either and with MiG-17 the flaps are much bigger! 2. In the above mentioned Airfix article the designer states that he did not look into the given aircrafts details before hand and used what was given to him by the researchers. This is an internal company problem! There should be communication and people should ask questions when something is not clear. 3. Yes, I was also thinking of this as a possible reason for doing the plain canopy. But also consider the size of the periscope in 72nd scale! If it was true (that it is a problem to reproduce due to palstic thickness) then we would never see any details protruding from flat or round surfaces and they would be a "no-go" area for injection moulding. It would mean that we never see a canopy with a periscope on it????? That would be interesting and bad! Best regards Gabor

The MiG-17 was unique in its design. It was an interim aircraft from the very start on the way into supersonic flight of later MiG’s. In fact it was originally only intended as sub-variant of the MiG-15 with official identification “MiG-15 with afterburning engine and new wing”. It changed constantly through its service life from the early non afterburning version with small air brakes, small canopy, ejection seat inherited from MiG-15, all the way to the missile armed MiG-17PFU with longer canopy / periscope / “curtain” type ejection seat and the big air-brakes. BUT One thing remained constant, the actual wing which was very strange in a way. Yes it had a break, with the leading edge angle changing half way at the second wing fence. But also its cross section was different at root and from half way outwards. It was not a nice and elegant constant / continuous change but a very abrupt one. The “new” wing at the base had a much sharper leading edge which had to transition into the very blunt / rounded leading edge of the predecessor MiG-15 outboards. While the top surface of the wing remained the same profile, due to the roundness of the outer wing section it looks like it is much further down. I have to borough here an image from a Walk around published on Prime portal which illustrates this point perfectly. Hope the owner does not mind. Here are more views to show what is in question, first the Airfix LIDAR image In the freshly published Airfix interview with the designer there are some interesting things! They show the original LIDAR image of the scanned real fighter and even on this poor quality image the change in wing cross section is visible. On the final CAD images this “discrepancy” was corrected by the designer to a very nice and rounded cross section all the way, just like on MiG-15. Why??? OK I can accept people saying that the change in cross section is not so visible and what’s all the fuss about? After all it is just a 72 nd scale kit and this will not be visible (for most). There is a contradiction in Airfix’s point of view. If the leading edge cross section question (a very minor one) is not important for this scale then why incorporate in the CAD design the miniscule undercarriage down / up indicators on the wings? Here is a view of the real indicator in my collection, in some countries it was called “soldier” and its diameter is just 10mm which in 72 nd is 0.138 mm!!! OK you can sand it off and make your own, more authentic size representation from something. On the actual aircraft there are 3 such indicators, one for nose gear and two for main gear. Why include only the ones on the wings and forget about the one in front of the windshield? Where is the consistency in design? Most (not all) “afterburning” MiG-17’s already had a periscope on the canopy, which is visible on Airfix LIDAR image. Why did it disappear on CAD and from the kit? If it was added on the plastic part, one could simply sand it off to represent the earlier version with no periscope. But to do the reverse and build a periscope is a bit more problematic (of course not impossible). Same goes for the ejection seat. The one represented on the CAD is the original, simple MiG seat as inherited from the MiG-15, but it was mainly used on the early non afterburning versions. The “Curtain” type development of the basic seat was later a standard on all MiG-17’s. If it was just a difference in some internal systems, the rocket motor or the straps then no one would care. But the difference is in the most visible part of the seat, on its headrest! It is a big chunky box with the “curtains” D ring on front of it, a part which is very much visible on the kit! I fully understand the frustration of Laurent with the nose cone shape of the new Modelsvit Mirage III kit. It is possible that some remember my completely useless endeavour to get the nose shape right for one of Eduard kits. Nothing could convince them and I am not speaking of subjective look at different photos, actual measurements of the real aircrafts for comparison did nothing even though we were still in early stage of development so it would have been possible. The issue with the Mirage nose is a MINOR problem (by manufacture) and very few seem to care about it, far more people see the question of rivets as a unprecedented and unwelcome attack by the manufacture. Here on this MiG-17 the question of the wing cross section change will be just the same MINOR problem, if at all for most and they will barely notice it. Unfortunately the wing root is a far more visible part of the kit and here the designer made it nice, perfect, an aesthetically rounded while on the real aircraft it is a pointed / sharp edge. Of course it is the continuation of the leading edge cross section question, everything is connected with everything! This sharpness is not only on the leading edge but also on the wing to fuselage connection line only getting a little more rounded near the trailing edge. This is clearly visible on Airfix LIDAR scan also! Have a look. The CAD on the other hand shows a continuous rounded wing/fuselage joint line like on MiG-15. But all this is just CAD. I say as always, let’s see the real plastic in hands and make decisions on it then! Based on the amount of details shown by Airfix I would say by now metal is cut in China for this kit and there is absolutely no chance of revision here. Oh well. . . Best regards Gabor P.s. I would love to see more details of the that “. . .FOD screen positioned in the distinctive air intake . . .” mentioned in the Airfix article! Having taken apart few real MiG-17’s there was absolutely no sign of that “FOD screen”. Neither there is any mention of it actual MiG-17 aircraft manuals from the 1950’s! If Airfix (there is no name given to the author of the article) is speaking of the mesh found on VK-1 engines compressors then they should consider (and be aware of the fact) that this engine is actually a straight copy of the Rolls-Royce NeNe engine and all aircraft equipped with it (and there were a lot of types in those years on both sides of the iron curtain) had this interesting “FOD screen positioned in the air intake”. So there is absolutely nothing unique in it for the MiG-17!

To all concerned here is some good news about the F-14 from AMK. Even though it is not a direct news from them, but still it is as direct as possible. The Boss of Annetra the Czech company who is behind the brand new 48th scale Mi-17 Hip kit has spent 10 days in China with AMK a week ago. Here is a short report by him on Modelforum cz https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68170&start=11280 In short. He was there and had the parts in his hands AMK is working hard on it. I am sure when the time comes AMK will be on air with news. I expect they will be more careful with what they say this time. On another question there was also inquiry about AMK MiG-25 kit. As far as my translating program can tell, work is on but everything is now concentrated on the Tomcat and the Mi-17. If it is good news or bad for all those out there, everyone can make their own judgement. Best regards Gabor

WOW Looks fantastic!!!!!! What a year we have. Congrats Tamiya! Best regards Gabor

I for one happy to see the fine details on this kit (what is visible on photos). Have to add that I don’t yet have the kit. Look forward to buying one from Ukrainian vendors at this years Moson show (hope they will have the kit on sale). The shape of this fighter is something special! I am looking forward very much to this kit. Building a kit is somewhere cheating on its own, since you are trying to imitate reality in a far smaller scale. One has to cut corners for this. To achieve authenticity (of some sort) it is essential to cheat with details, scale thickness . . . and of course with panel lines and rivets also. In the “golden era” most aircraft were natural metal and yes, due to different materials used the rivets were very much so visible, even if the actual surface was as smooth as silk. In most scales including 72nd the only way to reproduce this, and with cheating imitate the real aircraft in scale is by adding a wash. It is perfectly understandable that some people like this or that. No one is forcing the ones who don’t like rivets to buy this kit. It is a hobby and a free choice! What will Special Hobby make of the Mirage III??? We will know only after it is released. On the other hand I have the Mirage F-1 (the best looking fighter ever!!!) Special Hobby made and frankly speaking it was a bit of a disappointment with oversimplified details in some areas. Once again no one is forced to buy this or that kit! Best regards Gabor Just a personal message to Modelsvit here if I can, even if it is off-topic. Only hope that Modelsvit will continue with the line of Fishbeds and produce the MiG-21F-13 version (most of the kit is there already in the 21F kit (72021) so minimal extra work is needed now). No one else will make it!