MiG-23MF Flogger Italeri 1/48 - nearly finished!

[exdraken]

Hello,

I'd like to show you my still rudimentary effort in building the Italeri (ex ESCI) MiG-23 in 1/48.


It has lots of known inaccuracies, I will try to correct some of them....



for my personal motivation:

Hungarian Airforce 1990ies

MiG-23 MF@ airliners

MiG-23 MF@ airliners


Incredients:

Italeri MiG-23 MF
Eduard BiG ED for MIg-23 Flogger
Resin nose for the MIg-29 from fox3tornado (ebay, US) that resemles the floggers nose quite well. (Quickboosts Mig-29 resin version is noticably different )
various bits and bytes form Eduard excellent Mig-21 kits (R-60, pylons, maybe canopy parts, seat)



I've already started cutting and some modification:





more in the next post!

Edited June 15, 2013 by exdraken

[SaintsPhil]

I'll be watching this with interest! I nearly started collecting bits for one of these, before I saw the trumpeter release announced!

[exdraken]

so, now some more details pics:

horizontal stabiliser is to small according to my drawings...

still need to prime it to judge my sanding success...

eduard exhaust... looks promising,don't now how ahbout its accuracy, but for sure an improvement!

Next, on to the problematic front fuselage and cockpit/ canopy area:

Canopy most likely will be a mixture of Italeri rear part and and a modified Eduard Mig-21 windshield. any sugestions?

The original parts lead to a too narrow total appearance, hope I can improve on this!

(Italeri canopy in the front, Eduard in the back.

mix and match of Italeri back and Eduard front:

Resin nose is from a fox3tornado/ebay and originally for the MiG-29...

I like it quite much, but had to cut the fuslage parts a bit to get a more corrrect inclination and total lenght.

so and now the provisional assemly to get a feeling for looks:

Thanks for looking

Critique and ideas very welcome!

Cheers, Werner

[exdraken]

So after some time some very small update:

littele work in the cockpit area as well as ediards interior and exterieor detail sets

thanks for looking!

[fu_manchu]

Very impressive. I have to say with the news of the Trumpeter release I have just donated mine to our clubs kit swap as I had only 'invested' in a NeoMega pit....

[Giorgio N]

You are a brave man ! I like your use of bits meant for other aircrafts, will be watching this with interest.

The new canopy combination looks way better than the original

[jimbuna]

Coming along nicely.

[Ale85]

i will follow your wip! I have this kit in my stash, but i'm curious to see the Trumpeter issue...

ciao

Ale

[HADman]

Great! a newer Hungarian theme If you need correcter decals with Hungarian markings, please write me

In this decal have the "08" too

http://www.hadmodels.com/products.html#ecw...product=7318647

and the full Hungarian stencil:

http://www.hadmodels.com/products.html#ecw...product=7318691

Good work! HADman / Feri

Edited May 31, 2012 by HADman

[Marv]

Great work...it looks good. I trust that you are using the best reference site available to help you...Hunavia:

http://hunavia.freeweb.hu/TYPE/MiG-23%20ba...No11/index.html

Edited May 31, 2012 by Marv

[James G]

Great start! I love Soviet planes, I'll be watching with interest.

[exdraken]

Great work...it looks good. I trust that you are using the best reference site available to help you...Hunavia:

http://hunavia.freeweb.hu/TYPE/MiG-23%20ba...No11/index.html

Thanks Marv for the great references!

I will definitly use them ...

http://www.hadmodels.com/products.html#ecw...product=7318691

Good work! HADman / Feri

@ HADman thanks the link! Thinking about the stencils, the main deals seem to be quite ok! Wat do you think?

@ everybody: thanks for the headsup!

Will keep on posting on this, but it will take its time.....

Cheers, Werner

[jefferysl]

Love your work! I have this kit and couldn't get the canopy to work....looks like your plan is progressing nicely. Just for the heck of it, this Japanese modeller did amazing things with this kit...its a build log so you might get some useful tips (translating program isn't very good, the pics are great):

http://masamasamasamasa.blog71.fc2.com/blog-category-2.html

[HADman]

Thanks Marv for the great references!

I will definitly use them ...

@ HADman thanks the link! Thinking about the stencils, the main deals seem to be quite ok! Wat do you think?

@ everybody: thanks for the headsup!

Will keep on posting on this, but it will take its time.....

Cheers, Werner

The decal in the box are not correct (missing the white bord of the Hungarian national markings). I advice all two HAD decals sheets Correct and the stencills are full too

This is my work, for Incentive:

regards: Feri

Edited June 1, 2012 by HADman

[exdraken]

small update:

Mainly some pictures of eduards exterior set:

air intakes that really improve ths kit's looks, and detailing parts for the main landing gear bays.

Thanks for looking!!

[Parabat]

Wow, really good etch bits! Made a world of difference!

[gregair]

Any updates?

[exdraken]

Any updates?

hi gregair,

i can only provide some very small update,

work on PE is very slow and the not available time spread between football and other not modeling related stuff... summer has arrived!

maybe I am also trying not to start with the necessary rescribing work... will be a first for me

landing gear and bay doors enhanced and corrected:

thanks for your interest!

-exdraken

[gregair]

Thanks, looking good!

[exdraken]

So, I have a question today concerning the ejection seat:

I have bought Eduard's nice resin seat for the MiG-21.

It is a KM-1, as found in the MIg-23 MF as well.

Can I use it? What would I have to change to make it apropriate for the -23?

Thanks for helping me out with your knowledge!!!

Here some detail photos of Eduard MiG-21 seat "early"... what ever that means :

seat detail :

and maybe the reason why I actually bought it: a very cute pilot's helmet !

So, whats your opinion oabout using this seat instead of Italeri's one... ??

-exdraken

Edited July 6, 2012 by exdraken

[exdraken]

fuselage closed, partly rescribed, intakes, main landing gear beys primed

horizontal tail modified and scribed

wing moveable, bu tight fit... lets hope the best it doesn't break in the future!!

nosecone added

cockpit made to fit:

underside and gear bays, wings spread:

ejection seat: modified kit part, eduard interior set, some MiG-21 Parts to make it look right

my original idea did not work, the resin seat was to wide for the cockpit!

keeping on having pressure from Trumpeter ....

Edited July 15, 2012 by exdraken

[Col.]

Some very entertaining modelling going on here. Great to watch you making an accurate model from this kit and superb use of the etched parts.

[ya-gabor]

So, I have a question today concerning the ejection seat:

I have bought Eduard's nice resin seat for the MiG-21.

It is a KM-1, as found in the MIg-23 MF as well.

Can I use it? What would I have to change to make it apropriate for the -23?

So, whats your opinion oabout using this seat instead of Italeri's one... ??

-exdraken

Hi exdraken,

By early KM-1 ejection seat the Eduard people mean exactly what it says, it is a KM-1. The early version of this ejection seat was called KM-1, while the latter version was the modified version named KM-1M. The Hungarian AF only had KM-1M versions. The Czech, Bulgarian, Polish, Yugoslav, GDR chaps had earlier KM-1 seats mainly in the MiG-21PFM, MiG-21M aircraft.

The main difference is in the leg retraction/fixation system. The KM-1 had a “hard” system while the KM-1M had a “soft” system. In the Brassin kit it is part R9 and R10 that represents the “hard leg hold” system. Not much will be visible of it in the finished cockpit so I would not bother with getting the “late” version of the seat which should represent the KM-1M. Actually the early seat had a different back to it (which the Brassin set is not “mentioning” is resin form, just as the other differences listed here), the seat bottom part was a different metal casting, the PSP was different and also most of the early seats (KM-1) had a cushion behind the back of the pilot completely smooth. So you would be in bigger trouble if you wanted to do an early KM-1 seat.

The KM-1 and KM-1M seat was a standard ejection seat used in most Mig's up to the MiG-29 (some of the prototype Fulcrums also had the KM-1M in them). So you can use it for anything from MiG-21PFM upwards in all Fishbeds, MiG-23, MiG-25 and MiG-27 versions.

Hope this is of some help.

Best regards

Gabor

P.s. I have the original ESCI kit from way back in late 1970's and after having had a closer look at it decided to put it away somewhere very deep, unreachable. I can only admire anyone deciding to tackle this kit! I wait to see what the new Trump will be like.

[exdraken]

Thanks a lot Gabor!

so an "early" seat is the KM-1

the" late" seat KM-1M

I also found an interesting site, just for the MiG-21, but lots of seat pictures (I understand no word, but ok, you will )

www.mig-21.hu

seems that I have to modify my leg restraints (put them on totally wrong....)

-exdraken

[ya-gabor]

Hello there Austrian neighbor,

Yes the early ejection seat should be KM-1 and the late the KM-1M.

On that site in your post, the photo 7 shows the KM-1 with the hard leg restrain system in the German museum. On photo 23 you see the KM-1IM (I stands for “Instructor”) this is a seat from a twoseater aircraft and the cut out on the back panel shows this clearly. This one is in the central museum of Hungarian AF at Szolnok. Note the “soft” leg restrain system. The seat that the owner of the site shows in the internet site lacks the “straps” for the soft restrain. Also note that on photo 29 the harness system shown has no relation of any sort to the harness as on the KM-1M (or KM-1) seats. It is as far as I could tell from here is a harness from a Mi-8 helicopter. The PPK-U on photo 30 is from a K-36 DM ejection seat. The one used in the KM-1M was different but of course this last point is completely irrelevant to a model.

Look forward to continuation of your build.

Best regards

Gabor