ya-gabor Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 The story of the Great Wall Hobby MiG-29 is not finished and I would say it is only starting now. It is a fascinating comparison to the approach by manufacturers to things they produce and the afterlife of their products. I don’t remember seeing a “box opening” type of thread on this version, but I would also like to add a few comments, see the pros and cons for this kit as well as try to help in finding the way around all the early MiG-29’s, believe me there were a lot of things that one should be aware of. Here is the ultimate Fulcrum kit from Great Wall Hobby, the “9-12 early type”. Now we have a trio of kits covering all the early MiG-29 versions (apart from the two seater trainer) and the last kit is as far as it can go with the current press tools. Most of the mistakes have been corrected in the last year on the molding tools and this is as far as a kit can be authentic, of course as no kit is 100% here you will find some points to argue about, still the effort on the part of the manufacturer should be appreciated as they have listened to comments from around the world and did as much as they could to correct what was wrong in the first place. What you get in the “early type” is basically all the sprues which will give you a chance to complete any of the “original” 9-12 versions of the MiG-29. Since there is a separate sprue for conversion to the “early type” all the rest is there for your choice to make the 9-12’s. But you also get some extras so there is a bit wider possibilities than there was in the original “9-12 late type” kit box, so you will be better off with this one. But more on this later on. The box is as we have come to know from G.W.H, with a nice painting of an early 9-12 with full armament. Inside is a prominent white box which contains the top fuselage mould. This is a lesson learned from the first kit where there were some warp issues due to the packing. I know there were some mix ups when the “9-12 early type” was first released with 9-13 fuselage tops mistakenly packed into the box but as far as I know the error was corrected too and replacement fuselage top was sent out to distributors. (So those lucky ones now have a spare 9-13 fuselage top.) But now the right top part is included in the box. Digging further down in the box you will find the canopy transparencies packed separately into a plastic bag but not only that, it is also put into a white soft protective bag too to give it some extra security from scratches on the long way from China. Another special feature of the G.W.H kits is now the separate packing for the missiles in a vac formed protector. Of course you are getting the new technology, one piece missiles. More soon. Best regards Gabor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Excellent another informative thread! I'll keep an eye on this one, I missed out on getting the first -12 release, am I reading your post right that (decals aside) the early -12 boxing has all the bits for both -12 versions in the box? Thanks Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filler Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 That's a nice guide through the kit but I am so frustrated by GWH (assuming it is their fault) as I'd love to have one of these but as far as I can make out, getting hold of one of these in the U.K. was about as likely as owning a pet dodo and taking it for a walk around Shangri-La. Does anyone know why these were almost unobtainable over here? Is there any chance there'll be a reissue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ya-gabor Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Hi SaintsPhil, Yes you are right. The box has all the parts for one aircraft with sprues common to all versions (9-12 and 9-13, of course apart from the top fuselage part) as well as one extra sprue for the early 9-12 version. So basically (decals apart) you can build both early and late 9-12's out of the box. Hi Filler, Have to say that I have heard about the distribution problems in the UK, as far as I know they are working on it. Dont waist time in crying over the original "9-12 late type" boxing of the kit as it had several problems, have to add that they have been corrected since then and I would say that this kit now is what you should get! Best regards Gabor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ya-gabor Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Still doing the box opening and taking account of what is inside the Great Wall Hobby MiG-29 9-12 early type. The box is fairly sturdy and takes care of the sprues inside it during the transport of the kit. Having extracted the spues I have found at the bottom of the box the instruction booklet, the decal sheets, the etched brass sheet and a reproduction of the box top artwork. It’s a nice touch from G.W.H, the artwork is packed into a separate holder for protection and would look nice for collectors. There are two sheets of decals included with the kit, one is for the common stencils while the other one is specifically for the early 9-12 machines in Soviet AF service. They are printed well, although I find the colours a little bit too “strong”. Most aircraft illustrated on the decal sheet have been in service for some time and were weathered, loosing the brightness of the colours on the markings. But it will be up to the modeler to do some weathering of the decals. One thing I have noticed on the decal is the “drop of blood” on the “agressorsky” marking of 1521th unit. The drop of blood is at the end of the wasp’s sting. The photos that I have seen (and fortunately there are several in colour) it is plain to see that the drop was black and not red. Have to add that I have not seen photos of aircraft no. 01 and it could be that on this particular airframe it was red. Another point is that aircraft from 968 IAP in Germany had the orange 07 aircraft number with thin blue outline on the intake, while on the decal sheet the blue outline is missing. This is interesting as there are colour photos of the actual aircraft showing the blue outline. Now, the Russian Begemote decal company gives the same orange number without the blue outline but also has red drop of blood on the sting. I have been in contact with Begemote and they said that the orange numbers were repainted several times on the given aircraft and the one with the blue outline was just one version in the history of aircraft “07”. Also the small “07” number on the dielectric panel of the fin top should be white and not red on the decal sheet of the kit. A small etched brass sheet gives us parts, harness for the ejection seat, antennas, intake doors, mesh after the upper intakes and rear view mirrors for the canopy. They look nice, as an extra it would have been good to see photoetched RSBN antenna too but at the same time I admit that the plastic RSBN looks very nice just as they are. Now the sprues and what makes this kit different from the previous examples. Here is for the start sprue I with engine parts and the auxiliary underwing fuel tanks. G.W.H had admitted that there was a mistake in the original release and retooled this sprue. A new fuel tank with correct scale dimensions was made. One would have to add that these fuel tanks were almost never used on operational aircraft, mainly for ferry flights only. While the centerline fuel tank has almost grown onto the Fulcrums and you would fairly rarely see them without it. G.W.H owners felt that this issue is important enough to invest in and redo the press forms. There are some small corrections to the engine parts too. More soon Best regards Gabor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcop Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi Gabor I know you know , but you forgot to mention the new "in scale" pylons. A nice touch also. As for the external tanks, pics are pretty rare , but I have two of the same aircraft carrying them ( A German one.) There is a wire running from the tip of the tanks to the base of the pylons. Do you now what is the use of these wire ? Madcop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi SaintsPhil, Yes you are right. The box has all the parts for one aircraft with sprues common to all versions (9-12 and 9-13, of course apart from the top fuselage part) as well as one extra sprue for the early 9-12 version. So basically (decals apart) you can build both early and late 9-12's out of the box. Hi Filler, Have to say that I have heard about the distribution problems in the UK, as far as I know they are working on it. Dont waist time in crying over the original "9-12 late type" boxing of the kit as it had several problems, have to add that they have been corrected since then and I would say that this kit now is what you should get! Best regards Gabor Thanks Gabor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caution Wake Turbulence Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I don't suppose they'll be handing out the revised sprues to those of us with the earlier releases... ;-) Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ya-gabor Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 I don't suppose they'll be handing out the revised sprues to those of us with the earlier releases... ;-) Andrew Hi Andrew It is a good question but it should be addressed to either the manufacturer or the distributor in the given area. As far as I know they have included the wrong upper fuselage (9-13 type) in the first released kits of the "9-12 early type" and replacement parts were provided to distributors. Best regards Gabor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I don't suppose they'll be handing out the revised sprues to those of us with the earlier releases... ;-) Andrew Even the ability to buy the corrected parts at a small fee would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horrido109 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) ....Don't waist time in crying over the original "9-12 late type" boxing of the kit as it had several problems, have to add that they have been corrected since then and I would say that this kit now is what you should get! Hi Gabor, Firstly, the 9-12 "Late Type" is the only kit I ever purchased (I bought a few of them) that absolutely did not need aftermarket items (for my taste at least). Even the engine nozzles are on the same level as resin replacement items! It is amazing how good this kit is, GWH did a stunning job! The only aftermarket items I did get however was resin seats with safety belts and a brass pitot tube. I have one question related to your comment above though: Apart from the pylons in the 9-12 "Late Type" (which I'm aware of), what else is wrong with the kit? I am considering getting this "Early Type" one but I was going to model my 9-12 "Late Type" models with very few external stores so the pylon issue is not too serious for me. I am very interested to hear what else is wrong with the "Late Type" kit. A last point: If GWH now comes and give the Su-27/30/35 the same treatment it would be awesome! Regards Victor Edited January 16, 2014 by horrido109 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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