Alan P Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Hi all, Before normal life is resumed, I wish to get this lovely MiG-29 done. For infor about the kit, you can do no better than read Greg's helpful Review thread HERE. It's a really nice kit for its era (1990), much better detail than the far more recent Eurofighter release. Unfortunately due to its early release, it suffers some issues with accuracy. I prefer the Sparka to the single-seat version, it falls into a rarefied group of combat aircraft that actually looks better with two seats than one. Throwing the kitchen sink at this one: Revell kit Zactomodels correction set Scale Aircraft Collapses metal landing gear Quickboost ejector seats MASSIVE Begemot decal sheet with no less than 24 options from around the world! I'll be building 102 Blue from Erebuni base at Yerevan, Armenia with a dramatic tiger artwork on the tails. Hopefully all the cutting and butchering of the kit to fit the Zacto set will go well - that will be the make-or-break factor, and will decide whether I wasted the 100-odd quid I spent on the whole kit and caboodle. Da svedanya! (for now!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Blimey Al, you're on a right production run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 I think it's safe to show progress so far - I dedicate this post in praise of all things Zacto! This may sound long-winded, but if anyone else has this set, my experience may hopefully help you avoid some odd occurrences during the fitting of the parts. This is the third Zacto set I've purchased, but the first I've actually used. I must be honest, at first after I'd made the initial measurements and cuts, I thought the resin intakes and engine nacelles were garbage. Part of it was my own inexperience at severely chopping up a kit. Having made the cuts and test-fitted the intakes, it looked like there were yawning gaps on the inboard joins. The parts themselves looked almost exactly the same size as the ones I'd cut off, (they are supposed to be bigger in cross-section) and I was beginning to think Zactoman had sold me a major dud. Luckily I was wrong. The parts come into their own after gluing the outboard joins. In the picture above, you can see the parts fitted to the lower fuselage half. I glued the forward full-length intake to the aft nacelle section before fitting. I then glued in the outboard sections along the whole length - some adjusting of the resin part is necessary to get it to fit snugly. The next pic shows the part glued down the outboard edge, following the contour of the wheel well: Doing this does leave quite a large gap down the inboard edge, and can lead to the conclusion that a) you've taken off too much material (I followed Zacto's cutting template exactly for this, and thought the parts were duds as a result) or b ) the parts themselves are undersized. However, when cured, the inboard edges of the parts can be stretched inboard to meet the join exactly, and glued in stages using CA and accelerator. The result is a gradually enlarging cross-section with no significant gaps at all, as can be seen in the following photo: In situ, the quality of the parts is clear, and Chris deserves a massive pat on the back for the quality of his resin casting. Intakes with FOD doors closed Rear stabilator mounts are also included, giving the correct hinge points and enabling poseable stabs: These did cause me some aggro, and I haven't cut in quite the right place, so putty will be required! Next I cut out the very plain and heavy louvre doors in the upper wing, adding the closed Zacto replacements instead: You can just see the very finely engraved louvre detail in this shot: One of the really nice things about the Zacto set is it comes with 9 pages of instructions detailing not just the replacement and upgrade parts, but also some very useful templates for us in reprofiling some of the kit parts to match the real MiG-29. Having the monstrous and very comprehensive Yefim Gordon book to hand makes checking these details easy, and shows he is spot on. Tails: Stabilators - New hinge points: Reprofiling of inboard edge and curves of the tips - the finished one is superimposed on the stock one, you can just make out the subtle but necessary adjustments. I've put together all the major components - I'll bung the whole lot together and have a one-hit putty fest (actually, the kit test-fits very well, yet another plus point compared to the poorly-fitting Tornado and Typhoon which followed decades later!!) before getting down to the fun bit - painting! If you're still with me - thanks for sticking this mammoth post out to the end!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Wow! Thanks for the in progress on this one! Will follow that one for sure! Actually I could not bring me yet to buy this conversion as I mainly build 1/48, but it is tempting me since its existence!! Cheers, exdraken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Neat start Al. I'll be following this one as I've got these goodies in my stash for a possible future build. Keep up the good work buddy. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger 9 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Looks like this is going into the Masterpiece section. Monty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Good start indeed. Gosh I have one of those in MY STASH... Woo Hoo... this will be an interesting thread /build o follow .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Thanks folks, this one's taking time to get started, but gaining momentum. The cockpit on this kit is very weak - hardly anything in there. There are a couple of K36DM seats which are ok, but the panels are very basic and not quite right, the side consoles are horizontal when they should be angled up the sides, and there are no sidewalls at all. I'm not a big scratchbuilder, can't seem to put the effort and measurements in, so I just marked out the sidewall space and guesstimated the side details: The MiG-29 has those groovy sidewall throttles seen on quite a few ex-Soviet machines - these were plastic rod: I also found to my surprise, the Eduard exterior set for this kit at the bottom of the box! Completely forgot I'd bought it. So started on the nice set of wheelwell enhancements they provide, way better than the kit version - this bit obviously escaped inspection at the time of its release: I put about 75g of noseweight in the front as the wheelbase of the MiG-29 is quite short, plus I've put a shedload of resin on the rear end, with the nozzles etc still to come. It then occurred to me after gluing the fuselage tight that the nosewheel is set very far back (between the intakes) and I might have created my very first nose-sitter! Ready for main assembly now - then I'll be able to fly it round the room making jet noises*. Al *Anyone who says they don't do that is lying. EVERYBODY does it. Even if they make tanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 PS. I have some unprintable opinions about Photobucket 🤮🤮🤮 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammerUK9 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Evening Al, You can change it back if you want - I think I got a pop-up box asking if I liked the new style (no!) or whether I wanted to revert to the old one - no prizes for guessing my choice! Anyway, back on topic - I think I'm going to start calling you the King of Modelling P0rn. First a /32 Eagle, now a /32 Fulcrum?!?! *slowly drifts off drooling* 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksdad Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Lovely work so far Al. I also have the UB and an A in the stash and had pondered on getting Chris' stuff for both. So this build will be very informative and more than likely will lead me to spending more money on resin. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 Evening Al, You can change it back if you want - I think I got a pop-up box asking if I liked the new style (no!) or whether I wanted to revert to the old one - no prizes for guessing my choice! Anyway, back on topic - I think I'm going to start calling you the King of Modelling P0rn. First a /32 Eagle, now a /32 Fulcrum?!?! *slowly drifts off drooling* Thanks for the info! And just you wait for the 1/32 Flanker... coming soon :-) Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger 9 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Thanks for the info! And just you wait for the 1/32 Flanker... coming soon :-) Al Indeed you can have the old way. I hate the new system they introduced. Gosh I hate change ! By the way, I wonder what came first the F15 Eagle or this MIG? They both look so similar in a lot of ways. Monty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 On 11/12/2012 at 9:40 PM, Montgomery St.John-Smythe said: By the way, I wonder what came first the F15 Eagle or this MIG? They both look so similar in a lot of ways. My understanding is that the F-X programme which spawned the F-15 also effectively spawned the MiG-29 and Su-27 in response. Although the F-15 design does pre-date the MiG-29, the MiG has more in common with the Northrop YF-17 (which became the F/A-18) than the F-15. Both the MiG-29 and Su-27 are more sophisticated aerodynamic designs, being integral airframes with the engines slung beneath in spaced pods, more like the F-14. Basically, the Soviet aerodynamics laboratory which tested and refined both designs was drawing on western design philosophy, but in developing these, came up with their own unique solutions to the challenges of producing a 4th generation fighter. This is my opinion, other opinions may vary, and you are welcome to draw your own conclusions!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger 9 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 My understanding is that the F-X programme which spawned the F-15 also effectively spawned the MiG-29 and Su-27 in response. Although the F-15 design does pre-date the MiG-29, the MiG has more in common with the Northrop YF-17 (which became the F/A-18) than the F-15. Both the MiG-29 and Su-27 are more sophisticated aerodynamic designs, being integral airframes with the engines slung beneath in spaced pods, more like the F-14. Basically, the Soviet aerodynamics laboratory which tested and refined both designs was drawing on western design philosophy, but in developing these, came up with their own unique solutions to the challenges of producing a 4th generation fighter. This is my opinion, other opinions may vary, and you are welcome to draw your own conclusions!! Thanks Al, Not being educated about these things, this is a great insight into how the development of these aircrafts came about. Monty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 This build has been everything I feared it would be!! Though the overall impression of the finished article is good, chopping and changing so much of the original kit is fraught with problems and I think I've encountered every single one! Airframe finished with resin and PE attached. Although I thought the engine nacelles and intakes would be the most problematic part of the build, it has turned out to be the tail section: The Zacto parts include the corrected tail sections containing the stabilator attachments (best seen in THIS PHOTO ) I already made a bit of a mess with the cuts, which I tidied up with Milliput with great success. The problem came when attaching the tails - the profiles of the tail parts did not fit the new profile of the resin parts. I ended up having to remove a lot of material and add some in other places, added brass rod attachment points to strengthen the joins, and then spent several PSR sessions getting the edges of the tails to be flush with the edge of the tail sections all along their length! Much frustration, but finally done. That's when i noted the alignment of the tails vertical section is not quite symmetrical. They are supposed to lean slightly outboard at an angle of about 3deg, I reckon I have one at 2.5 and one at 3.25. But No way am I going to rip them out and start again. C'est la guerre! And the main purpose of buying the set in the first place - large diameter engine ducts. The whole appearance is enhanced by these parts alone. On the plus side, the Eduard set for this jet is one of their better ones - practical, useful added detail that doesn't require removing loads of material and shredding your fingers in the process. (Like all their others) One more useful Zacto touch - a much crisper and better shaped IRST fairing. Never mind - it was never going to be perfect with that much remedial work being done - at least, finally, it's ready for paint! Bye for now, Al PS. forgot to mention - I also had to do a shedload of rescribing - the kit panel details are mostly made up. The MiG-29 has some quite distinctive shaped panels on the top of the fuselage, and there are some good drawings in Yefim Gordon's book to help apply these more or less correctly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 15, 2012 Author Share Posted November 15, 2012 MiGs clearly not as popular as Eagles! But it's an equally good-looking fighter jet. Especially with some paint on: For a change I used Xtracrylix over Halfords primer for the paintjob - I'm still impressed at the coverage and ease of use of these paints, despite the constant clearing of the airbrush needle as the paint accumulates on it very quickly! First time I've used them over a large area and it worked out well. I used cardboard masks for the blue, makes the camouflage job very quick and easy to paint without the danger of lifting the previous coat with masking tape! Tomorrow it's painting wheels, wheelwells, fuselage details and my favourite bit - jetpipes! Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Great work and i can't believe how fast. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooldudehenry Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Just bought this kit from Telford so good to see it being built, having a think about the Zacto parts too. How much did all of them come to? Good work so far, looking forward to seeing it finished. Thanks, Henry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 16, 2012 Author Share Posted November 16, 2012 On 11/16/2012 at 6:21 PM, cooldudehenry said: How much did all of them come to? I bought the whole set for $120 posted to UK. Arrived in about a week. I have to say, I wouldn't do it again. What it adds to the kit is not worth the outlay as far as I'm concerned, as I'm not actually obsessed with accuracy, and on balance the kit would have looked just fine on its own if you knew no better. The Flanker kit needs Zacto's help as it has some very obvious outline problems with the intakes, nose and canopy, but if you posed it with the canopy open and used one of the post-2008 updated kits, you probably wouldn't need that either. It all boils down, yet again, to whether the quest for "accuracy" (it should be "improved accuracy", as no model is truly an accurate replica) is worth trebling or quadrupling the cost of the kit. I have to say no in this case. On a related note, it still mystifies me that people attempt to correct every minor flaw, add every conceivable detail, visible or invisible, catalogue their wonderful progress to the oohs and aahs of the gathered internet audience, then say nothing to why the finished product is sporting a completely inaccurate black panel-lined, patchwork quilt paintjob. That part of the "accuracy" argument still escapes me.... Sorry, off my hobby horse now Al 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 16, 2012 Author Share Posted November 16, 2012 Zacto jetpipes fitted: Colours don't really show up very well due to bad lighting, bad phone camera etc etc. Oh well. This pic is shown in relation to my earlier whinge about accuracy - though the replacements are way better sized and better detailed, I probably could have happily used the kit version and built this in half the time without sacrificing a great deal. The chief weakness of this kit by miles is the cockpit. And yet there is nothing on the market to address this. Go figure, as our cousins would say. Losing a bit of enthusiasm for this at the moment - not so much the kit, as the next part is the bit of modelling I really enjoy - but the fact that my modelling space is freezing, my airbrush (or is it the paint?) is playing up, and if I can't trust the next press of the trigger, it takes a lot of the fun out. This might the first model I've brush painted to finish for many a year! Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Lots of work to get all the decals and stencils on, then the camera went on the blink before I could get to the topside!! The decals look silvered under the flash, but to the naked eye/natural light they came out alright (for a change!) I've also completed all the subassemblies apart from the extras to go in the cockpit. Should be finished this week. Next: paint effects. Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Zacto parts pay off it seems! first time I see thess decals applied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thanks exdraken. Painting complete, I grudgingly admit that there are actually some prominent panel lines on these MiGs, particularly along the spine. I think on a quite garish scheme like this one, it requires a bit of panel line colouring in to break up the bright appearance which never looks right to scale. Before and after! With the paint done, switching over to the outstanding (as in not finished) elements of the build. Seats and cockpit: Missiles - these are all from the Trumpeter Russian Weapon set, the kit R-27s were ok, but the rest were just silly! Nearly finished now! Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammerUK9 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Good to see you back on the build Al! Looks absolutely gorgeous Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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