Squatty Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Here it is, the bit and pieces that will hopefully come together (hopefully by May 3rd...) to create a fairly accurate representation of Eritrean Air Force MiG-29 "508" in 1/72 scale. The bits and pieces are: Tamiya MiG-29 (reboxed Italeri) DreamModel PE set for MiG-29 (including resin ejection seat) DreamModel MiG-29 pitot tube DP Casper's "Left Hook" from the Forgotten Operations series that includes decals for several Ethiopian and Eritrean aircraft African MiGs: Volume 1 (Angola to Ivory Coast) - my main and pretty much the only source (as you can see, I mistakenly placed volume 2 in the picture) MiG-29 Fulcrum from the Warbird Tech Series might also come in handy Normally I'm quite happy building most models pretty much out-of-the-box, without gathering that many sources, but in this case I've been struggling with the lack of information. For example, it took a fair amount of time and a headache to figure out if the "508" (or Eritrean MiG-29s in general) is an early variant or later variant with the larger dorsal spine. In the end, I came to the conclusion that Eritrean MiG-29s are early variants, although the exact variant is still unclear. However, that allowed me to buy the Italeri model, which is MiG-29 (9.12 or Fulcrum-A). Also, I have to say that the western, Russian and factory designations for the variants create a huge mess, rarely seen with modern aircraft. I can't claim to understand them perfectly, but I got close enough for my requirements. And of course, the lack of information gives me some freedom. According to African MiGs, "508" was upgraded to MiG-29SMT standard in 2006 and again, the sources are a bit unclear what the upgrade would include, but that problem is easily solved by building it as it appeared in 2001 in the only picture available. Also according to the book, the aircraft has not been seen since pre-delivery. Another thing I found out when going through the book was that "508" was delivered in 2001, so it did not take part in the operations covered by the decal sheet that took place in 2000. Fortunately, for me that does not matter. I believe I have most of the stuff planned, except what missiles to add to the model, if any. The main challenge will be to stay in schedule since I have a tendency to take long breaks from modeling. I actually have two unfinished models on the table that I have to put aside for now. My track record with group builds is not that great, let's hope I make it this time. At least now I'm really looking forward for this build. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antoine Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Nice choice, AFAIC. You've got everything needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Cool choice of subject Squatty. From what I understand aircraft from this area were exposed to a hard life with lots of wear and tear so I for one am keen to see how you depict this one. You have a great range of aftermarket there including a fascinating title on the subject for inspiration, Sure the gang will be around to provide plenty encouragement to keep you going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squatty Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Cool choice of subject Squatty. From what I understand aircraft from this area were exposed to a hard life with lots of wear and tear so I for one am keen to see how you depict this one. You have a great range of aftermarket there including a fascinating title on the subject for inspiration, Sure the gang will be around to provide plenty encouragement to keep you going. That's to be decided, but most likely I will build the aircraft as newly arrived. This is because the lack of references, a personal preference and also lack of skills (and possibly time). But I'll make up my mind when getting closer to finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi Squatty and welcome to the GB. That's a nice collection of goodies there - I'm looking forward to seeing this one develop! Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squatty Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 If someone can recommend paints for the kit from the Lifecolor range, that would be very helpful. The colors are supposed to be FS26373 and FS35352. I've found good suggestions for many other brands, but not Lifecolor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cooper Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Cool (and extremely rare) project here, Squatt. I'm a little bit confused with your doubts over the variant, though. There is a photo of ERAF 508 at pp153 of African MiGs Vol.1, showing it shortly before delivery - as a 'vanilla' example, without the hump. The SMT-upgrade took place only in 2006: what's uncertain is if this included addition of the hump. Though, there are no doubts about avionics upgrade. BTW, any chances I might be able to 'attract' you with idea for ERAF 512 - the example with that green bolt on the fin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Another interesting subject! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squatty Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Cool (and extremely rare) project here, Squatt. I'm a little bit confused with your doubts over the variant, though. There is a photo of ERAF 508 at pp153 of African MiGs Vol.1, showing it shortly before delivery - as a 'vanilla' example, without the hump. The SMT-upgrade took place only in 2006: what's uncertain is if this included addition of the hump. Though, there are no doubts about avionics upgrade. BTW, any chances I might be able to 'attract' you with idea for ERAF 512 - the example with that green bolt on the fin? I had doubts before I got the book, not any more. Never say never, but the decals are for 508, so most likely I'm going with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squatty Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 I got off to a slow start so I really need to step it up to finish in time. However, I've already been working on the cockpit section. Since DreamModel's PE set replaces the whole cockpit, there has been some extra work. This is also the most complex PE structure I've built so far so I probably didn't approach it the best way. I first tried to solder the cockpit tub together, but the other side fell apart instantly, so I reverted back to CA glue. It seemed to do the trick, but in retrospect I would probably use thin metal strips to strengthen the bond. Now I'm in the process of painting the cockpit parts (painting any kind of details to PE cockpit seems a lot of work, btw). As a proof of life there are couple of photos. Here I'm in the process of removing the part behind the cockpit (radios, perhaps?) that will be replaced by PE parts: And here you have the result: As you can see, I'm also dry-fitting the cockpit tub. Otherwise the fit is ok, but there will be some empty space on the sides, so I'll need to fill it somehow. I hope that I'll get the fuselage glued together during next week. However, when dry-fitting the parts, it became apparent that there will be some issues with the fuselage front. Especially in the area that shows the 90 degree "step" in front of the cockpit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 The PE looks really smart Squatty Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squatty Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 Sadly I failed to finish the model in time, my apologies for that. Apparently me, model building and deadlines don't mix well. I will continue to build the model and other unfinished models and hopefully finish them at some point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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