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1/72 - Tupolev Tu-128M "Fiddler" & UT "Pelican" by Trumpeter - released


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How many Tu-128Ms used the Tu-128 fin ?

 

AFAIK - none - as the Tu-128M was converted from Tu-128 airframes....

 

From Yefim Gordon's 'Soviet Heavy Interceptors' (Red Star Vol 19)......

 

"The conversion of operational Fiddlers to Tu-128M standard took place at the PVO's overhaul plants, using the two prototypes as pattern aircraft"

 

and....

 

".......fitted with the new R-846 radio, accordingly the fin was modified to feature a horizontally cut-off dielectric fairing instead of the original all-metal angled tip. The entire fleet was upgraded to Tu-128M standard within a relatively short time."

 

Ken

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There are scale drawings in a 1997 issue of Aviatsia i Vremiya. It's marked Tu-128M yet the old fin is represented. It's likely Trumpyboss followed blindly the drawings... the usual "no research, just 2D-to-3D conversion".

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So, four possibilities...

 

Tu-128 fighter with raked fin tip.

Tu-128UT prototype trainer with raked fin tip.

Tu-128UT production trainer with flat fin tip.

Tu-128M fighter with flat fin tip.

 

Just swap the fins around - it looks easily do-able - as long as the flat fin tip is provided in the Tu-128UT kit.

 

Thinks.... with a Trumpeter and 4 Fiddlers, you can make music :whistle:

 

Sorry.... I'll get my coat.

 

Ken

Edited by Flankerman
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1 hour ago, Flankerman said:

So, four possibilities...

 

Tu-128 fighter with raked fin tip.

Tu-128UT prototype trainer with raked fin tip.

Tu-128UT production trainer with flat fin tip.

Tu-128M fighter with flat fin tip.

 

Just swap the fins around - it looks easily do-able - as long as the flat fin tip is provided in the Tu-128UT kit.

 

Thinks.... with a Trumpeter and 4 Fiddlers, you can make music :whistle:

 

Sorry.... I'll get my coat.

 

Ken

... or some plastic sheet :) 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/17/2018 at 11:57 PM, general melchett said:

Good point, that was something I noticed on the box art! 

Dear General, i also painted the box art of the Tu-128M too...there were Tu-128M's fitted with the old type fin, but also there were airframes with the late type fin..the one machine i painted in the box art, was using the old type, but i have read somewhere that a lot of Tu-128's were fitted with the late type when they were having  overhaul service!!!...🙂

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Thanks Kostas, appreciate that. Apparently, in 1971, four standard Tu-128s, with the original cut-off fin tips were set aside for conversion into UT trainers and these all successfully passed their air test. During the same year ten production UT trainers came off the production line fitted with the new fin-tip design housing the R-846 radio), these were the final Fiddlers built. I can find photos of two of the original aircraft, one the unnumbered first prototype and the other 15 Blue,  but nothing on the other two.

 

Cheers:cheers:

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29 minutes ago, Ramiel said:

So there were two types... - my mistake. Sorry.

Phew! Really want this kit to be an accurate one as it's on my wish-list of types and Trumpeter, let's be honest here, have gained themselves something of a reputation over the last few years 😕 

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From Yefim Gordon's 'Soviet Heavy Interceptors' (Vol 19 in the Red Star series)......

 

"At least the first eleven production batches had trapezoidal windows in the inter-canopy frame section"

 

Later batches had the circular windows.

 

So - check your references as to which airframe you are depicting...

 

Ken

 

 

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On 10/14/2018 at 8:19 PM, general melchett said:

Thanks Kostas, appreciate that. Apparently, in 1971, four standard Tu-128s, with the original cut-off fin tips were set aside for conversion into UT trainers and these all successfully passed their air test. During the same year ten production UT trainers came off the production line fitted with the new fin-tip design housing the R-846 radio), these were the final Fiddlers built. I can find photos of two of the original aircraft, one the unnumbered first prototype and the other 15 Blue,  but nothing on the other two.

 

Cheers:cheers:

Hello there!!!

Thanks for the information!! Those Russian airplanes, especially in the 50's, 60's and 70's are so hard to locate information!! Even the camouflage patterns, are so different form one airplane to the other, even if they belonged in the same Base and in the same squadron!!

Have a nice day!!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello,

Got my kit earlier this week and have been toying with it some hours. The quality of the engraving is similar to their MIG-31kits.

Overall, the kit looks like a Tu-128, but I’m not sure about its proportions. For reference I have the book “Soviet Heavy Interceptors” by Yefim Gordon (Midland, 2004, ISBN 1857801911) and the magazine Aviatsi Vremja 02/1997 (sorry for my spelling). When copying the plans exactly to 1/72 (at least against the published dimensions), the kit is too long and wide in span. On my opinion, the plans are somewhat distorted, too. The radome on the drawings seem far too long and wheel base too short.

My (still suspected) shortcomings of the kit are:

- Radome too long by about 10mm

- Width of the wings at the root about 3mm too long and no upward kink of the leading edge close to the fuselage.

- Landing gear pods on wing of, at least, questionable shape

After some digging in the internet I came across a drawing from a Tu-128 manual, showing some more dimensions (see below). My point is dimension 15’888 circled in red: Where does this dimension lead to? I assume its leading to the tip of the radome/nose, which would confirm my assumption of the kits radome being too long at least 10mm. Can anyone decipher the Russian text in front of 15’888? I hope this gives an indication where this dimension leads to.

Regards,

Martin

 

30984628387_bc2e52f7b2_b_d.jpg

 

Edited by MVW
copy and paste error
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