The beast from the East, ICM's new Mig-25 RBT. FINISHED!!!

[DaveJL]

3 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

Brilliant! Three kits planned but still looking! Can see why stashes grow and grow 

 

Always the way!

[modelling minion]

37 minutes ago, DaveJL said:

Looking forward to seeing more progress mate!

Your wish is my command!

 

Here are some pics from today's progress.

First up is the instrument panel which has been painted.

 

I really like the kit IP, and it is accurate. Not sure what to do about the instruments themselves as ICM don't provide any decals and if I fit them behind the clear part supplied for the instrument faces they will sit too far back, will have to have a think about this one.

Next are the completed side panels.

 

And with one fitted in place in the fuselage.

 

Next up is a picture of one of the completed and painted intakes. These are painted with Vallejo's metal paints and the colour used is steel, they really are that colour on the real thing.

 

And the compressor faces which will fit in the end of the completed intake sections.

 

Now in a break from following the instructions I have decided to fit each half of the nose to it's respective half of the front fuselage so as to get a good fit as opposed to fitting the 2 completed sections afterwards.

 

Ans a close up of the join area, which falls on a panel line (well done ICM) so should tidy up quite nicely.

 

That's it for now, hopefully more to come during the week.

Thanks for all the interest guys and as usual all comments and criticisms are gratefully received.

 

Craig.

[trickyrich]

wow she is a nice model Craig, the cockpit is lovely. Could you try "lapping" the IP back on some sandpaper (wet&dry) to thin it a bit, that may help?

 

I agree with you about the Vallejo Metal paints, I've always been a fan of the Model Master Metalizer paints, but I've just started to use the Vallejo ones and they're very nice and the "metal" finish does look good!

[Valkyrie]

Yikes that is detail..great work

[Biggles87]

Great progress. I think Rich has the right idea about the IP, I've just done just that with the Airfix Gnat panels, reduced the thickness then applied the decals to thin Plasticard and stuck that to the back of the originals.

keep up the good work.

 

John

[Mountain goat]

Nice detailing indeed. The instrument panel especially. For the instruments themselves you could perhaps try a blank piece of plastic - painted white, then gloss varnish, then a matt black paint that scratches off easily such as Vallejo, and scratch in the instrument details with a needle. 

 

-Jay

[PlaStix]

Great start Craig! Superb work in the cockpit! 

Kind regards,

Stix

[Hewy]

that Vallejo metal paint has caught my eye craig ,im going to use that as a possible if my attempts at alclad go belly up on a spare wing. cockpit ,looking good  though, agree with trickyrich thin the panel down and mount the decals on the back of acetate

glynn

[RMP2]

Looking like a potential winner already, good stuff!

 

20 hours ago, modelling minion said:

Not sure what to do about the instruments themselves as ICM don't provide any decals and if I fit them behind the clear part supplied for the instrument faces they will sit too far back, will have to have a think about this one.

 

Is sanding the instrument face part thinner not an option? Tedious, I know, but - 80 grit on and electric sander?

[mirageiv]

Great start Craig and cockpit painting too, nice to have so much 3D detail from the box. How did you paint the intake, by brush? It has metal grain and everything, very very convincing to my eye, looks like sheet metal! Hmm maybe I might try some of those Vallejo metal paints, they look very good here. 

[Jens]

Great job with the cockpit, Craig.

I decided to just paint the details on the clear part itself. I was actually quite easy as each instrument stands proud of the background. This is the result:

 

Jens

[modelling minion]

22 hours ago, trickyrich said:

Could you try "lapping" the IP back on some sandpaper (wet&dry) to thin it a bit, that may help?

 

2 hours ago, RMP2 said:

 

Is sanding the instrument face part thinner not an option?

Thanks Rich and RMP2 and everyone else for your suggestions, I have done as Rich says and sanded the IP much thinner. To this I have added some decals for instruments (taken from an Eduard Mig-21) which I have had to cut up individually and apply behind the holes in the panel, this has just about sent me cross-eyed! If only ICM had provided a decal. I am now going to add some Testors clear window maker to represent the glass, fingers crossed!

2 hours ago, Hewy said:

that Vallejo metal paint has caught my eye

 

42 minutes ago, mirageiv said:

Hmm maybe I might try some of those Vallejo metal paints

Glynn, David I cannot recommend the Vallejo paints strongly enough, they are fantastic. The intakes were sprayed with steel and then given a very light drybrushing with an aluminium colour which helps to bring out the details. Mike at Clifton Curios sells them Glynn so next time you are up there pick some up, I might well be going on Sunday so I might see you there.

[modelling minion]

5 minutes ago, Jens said:

I decided to just paint the details on the clear part itself

Now that's just showing off! 

Fantastic job Jens, wish i had the skill and patience (and eyesight) to do the same.

[Jens]

Thanks Craig. Why not give it a try? It's easier than you might think.

Jens

[modelling minion]

17 minutes ago, Jens said:

Thanks Craig. Why not give it a try? It's easier than you might think.

Jens

I might do for another build, or this one if the IP/decal option doesn't work out. We will find out tomorrow when the clear stuff dries.

[exdraken]

looking very good your IP!

 

even the "center line" is included!

 

ou might already know, 

but I used airscale decals  on top of the clear parts. but Jens' paint work is putting that to shame a bit!

[modelling minion]

4 minutes ago, exdraken said:

I used airscale decals  on top of the clear parts. but Jens' paint work is putting that to shame a bit!

Thanks Werner, yes I am aware of the decals you used but I don't have any.

And yes, Jens is putting us to shame with his painting skills!

[SoftScience]

@jens. That paint job is out of this world!

 

 

@Craig. I love how the steel intake looks. I used some Vallejo metals, but have had problems with scratches and lifting. I used their proprietary primer, but it didn't help. Maybe it didn't fully cure. I love how they look so I want to try again. Any suggestions?

[Bodmin]

Nice instrument panel and cockpit details. Keep up the good work. This build will be a blinder.

[modelling minion]

12 hours ago, SoftScience said:

Any suggestions?

Not sure what to suggest really, I'm one of them strange (and lazy) modellers who doesn't use primer other than applying a metallic finish so that I can weather through any other colours to it to reveal it in chips and scratches etc. Perhaps there wasn't a long enough cure time or it was a bad batch of paint?

8 hours ago, Bodmin said:

This build will be a blinder.

No it's definitely a Foxbat, a Blinder is a Tu-22 .

Sorry couldn't resist my mistake attempt at a Soviet aircraft NATO code names joke, thanks for the interest Bodmin.

Incidentally @Pin is building a Blinder for this very GB, serious Soviet heavy metal that!

[modelling minion]

Quick update to show this weeks progress so far.

I raided one one of my Eduard Mig-21bis profipacks for some help with the -25 this week and the first things nabbed were the decal sheets provided for the interior (wasn't going to use them anyway) which provided some dials which were cut out and fixed to the back  of the IP, which gave the following results.

 

Not perfect and definitely not up to Jens' painting skills but better than a blank hole. I then added the clear stuff to the dial faces and she looks like this.

 

The clear has become more clear and any over-spill removed. This meant I could then concentrate on the seat and ICM have done a cracking job of the KM-1M seat and out of the box it looks like this, well after some painting and a wash that is!

 

But the addition of the etch from the aforementioned Eduard Mig-21 made a real difference.

 

And with the seat and IP done I could assemble the cockpit to the fuselage.

 

 

And the two halves of the nose could now be closed up, which are a very good fit, and the finished article looks like this.

 

A very good fit but just look at the area where the instrument coaming should go if one was provided!!! Yes that's one BIG omission on the part of ICM and yes the real thing definitely has one, quite inexcusable really. I shall have a go at making one later this week.

 

Thats it for now, thanks for looking in and as usual all comments and criticisms are gratefully received.

 

Craig.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by modelling minion

[Jens]

Very nice instrument panel, Craig! I am looking forward to seeing more progress (especially your seat).

 

Jens

[SoftScience]

I like how you draped the harnesses. Very effective. Instruments turned out nicely too. 

 

Question about the strato-bomber version of the MiG-25. Did it have an internal bomb bay? Does the kit come with options to build the bomber version, or is it recce only? 

[modelling minion]

10 minutes ago, Jens said:

Very nice instrument panel, Craig! I am looking forward to seeing more progress (especially your seat).

 

Jens

Thanks Jens, the seat pics are up now (I hit the wrong button whilst doing the post and had to edit it, doh!)

[modelling minion]

1 minute ago, SoftScience said:

I like how you draped the harnesses. Very effective. Instruments turned out nicely too. 

 

Question about the strato-bomber version of the MiG-25. Did it have an internal bomb bay? Does the kit come with options to build the bomber version, or is it recce only? 

Thanks mate much appreciated.

 

No the Foxbat never had an internal bomb bay, the inside of the fuselage is all engine and undercarriage. The bombs were carried on specially designed racks under the wings, which are not in the kit but this version was a bomber as well as a recce bird, the "B" in the designation stands for bomber.