Mig Alley... revisited in 1/48 scale

[Gary Brantley]

Both of these aircraft came in the same kit, first issued in the mid-1970s I believe and reissued in 1987.  That was the version that I bought, circa 1988-89.  It stayed in the stash for several years until the Sabre was built.  Then, a few years later, I finished the MiG-15.   The kit’s age shows when compared to more “modern” versions of either aircraft but finished, they each are a fair representation of their real-life counterparts.   I think I build “four-footers” in that they don’t look too bad when viewed from that distance (1.5 meters? :)). So, ready for your inspection are two more four-footers! 

 

As designers will tell you, if it looks right, it is right. Well, the North American F-86 Sabre just really looks right. Really right. With its sleek swept wings, the Sabre was an elegant warplane.  North American had started the XP-86 project in 1945 and when German data (and engineers) became available post-war, the design adopted swept wings, settling on 35 degrees.  

 

The first production P-86A flew on May 18, 1948, several months after the MiG-15, its classic rival and adversary in countless dogfights in “MiG Alley” during the Korean War. In addition to its pleasing aesthetics, the Sabre is one of the most-produced warplanes, with 9,502 built by North American as well as licensed versions built in Japan, Canada, Italy and Australia. 

My plane bears the markings of Capt. Charles McSwain. His plane was “Mike’s Bird”, an F-86F-30 of the 39th FIS/ 51st FIW, Korea, summer of 1953. I finished this model in SnJ aluminum with some panels polished with the SnJ aluminum powder to various degrees. The decals are Microscale Decal no. 48-198.    Here, she’s seen at the Cameron Airport, “just a’ gleamin’ in the sun” (with apologies to B. Springsteen ;)).    

 

The great rival of the Sabre, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 is finished in Floquil Old Silver, with some panels done in other shades of silver or polishing to various degrees. It carries the markings of Russian Capt. Pavel Milauszkin.  Flying for the North Koreans in 1952, Capt. Milauszkin was credited with 10 kills. The decals are the AeroMaster set, Korean War MiG Aces, no. 48-230. It’s pretty much OOB but the cannon barrels are hypodermic tubing from the vet supplies at the farm and ranch store. Of course, you’ll recognize the locale, it’s just so damned convenient at about 4 minutes from our house.  ps. Sorry ‘bout the out of focus front shot! 
  

I guess it’s conceivable that these two aircraft might’ve encountered one another in the frigid, blue skies high over Korea.  It’s intriguing to ponder that at any rate. 😀 They were beautiful but deadly opponents and together they made aviation history.  Thank you for your interest, and as always, thanks for having a look. 

Gary 

 

Monogram North American F-86F 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monogram Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MikeR]

Nicely done duo!

 

Mike.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Well done duo. 

[RMCS]

Oh yes 

[Gary Brantley]

12 hours ago, MikeR said:

Nicely done duo!

 

Mike.

Thank you much Mike!  

5 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Well done duo. 

Much appreciated Corsair!

4 hours ago, RMCS said:

Oh yes 

😀  Yes, thanks for commenting RMCS! 

[stevej60]

Great job on these venerable Monogram kit's!

[Gary Brantley]

1 hour ago, stevej60 said:

Great job on these venerable Monogram kit's!

Thanks Steve!  Yeah, they are sure "oldies", no doubt about that.  I've read that the F-86 was one of, if not the first, Monogram kit without working features. And I think that was in the mid-70s! 😮  Scale models have come a long way since then.   Thanks for the comment!  🍺

[Nikolay Polyakov]

Great job on both kits, Gary!   Looks like real.

[Gary Brantley]

18 minutes ago, Nikolay Polyakov said:

Great job on both kits, Gary!   Looks like real.

Thank you Nikolay!  Very kind of you to say, much appreciated for sure!

[clive_t]

Brilliant modelling and photography, you had me fooled for a while as I was convinced the photos were of actual aircraft!

[Mark Joyce]

Two more very nice builds, Gary!  The NMF on both looks great.

 

No wind at the airport this time?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[Ad-4N]

Great job, love the outdoor shots.  If those models are four-footers, I cringe to think what mine are!  😀

[Gary Brantley]

11 minutes ago, clive_t said:

Brilliant modelling and photography, you had me fooled for a while as I was convinced the photos were of actual aircraft!

The ultimate compliment, imho, Clive!   Thanks so much mate!

7 minutes ago, Mark Joyce said:

Two more very nice builds, Gary!  The NMF on both looks great.

 

No wind at the airport this time?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Thanks much Mark!  I thought the finishes were the best feature of both, if I may be so immodest.   Heh, heh, no wind out there that day; if you look closely at the 7th pic of the F-86, one can see the windsock hanging limp.  That's sort of rare for the airport. 😀

[Gary Brantley]

8 minutes ago, Ad-4N said:

Great job, love the outdoor shots.  If those models are four-footers, I cringe to think what mine are!  😀

Thanks Ad-4N!   I try to always photograph the models outside, and at an airport if possible.  The natural light works best for me and a natural setting just makes them look better.  Even from four feet!  😉  Thanks again for the great comments! 

[Hairtrigger]

Fantastic photography, thoughly convincing to me.  Maybe old kits but still build up well. 

[Gary Brantley]

30 minutes ago, Hairtrigger said:

Fantastic photography, thoughly convincing to me.  Maybe old kits but still build up well. 

Thanks Hairtrigger!  They require a bit more TLC but those old kits can still build up well with a bit of luck.  I appreciate your comments a lot! 🍺

[Hobo]

Beautiful builds. Proof that older kits can make stunning models. Love the old Monogram kits!

[Gary Brantley]

34 minutes ago, Hobo said:

Beautiful builds. Proof that older kits can make stunning models. Love the old Monogram kits!

Thanks Hobo!  You made my day friend.  I'm glad to hear you like the Monogram models; I've got several more to show here!  😉

I really appreciate your kind comments.  

[Alan P]

Don't they build up well! Love old Monogram, never a disappointment in 1/48.

 

Great photography too, nice work Gary.

 

Alan

[Gary Brantley]

5 hours ago, Alan P said:

Don't they build up well! Love old Monogram, never a disappointment in 1/48.

 

Great photography too, nice work Gary.

 

Alan

So nice of you to say that Alan!  Thanks so much!   You know, when I "restarted" building models as an adult, back in the late '80s, Monogram kits were quite available in our area and I happily bought and built them.  Then, along came the internet and that torrent of information.  Before too long, I was "learning" that those old Monogram kits were "no good" compared to newer kits. Why, those Monogram models had raised panel lines!   And they didn't "build themselves" (so often said of fine Tamiya kits)! 😮  That was all true.  But they did have accurate shapes, good detail in some cases, and they were much cheaper to buy.   Imagine my surprise to learn that I had labored so much and so long on such junk!😉    

 

But, gradually, I discovered that there were lots of modelers who did appreciate those old kits and still enjoyed seeing them finished.   Are there better kits?  Oh certainly.  But still, there's a lot of satisfaction from wrestling one into shape and giving it a bit of TLC.  The result is often worth that effort!   I see them as a sort of "canvas" upon which a modeler can work his art.

 

I'm glad to find so many Monogram fans here at BM!   I've received a very warm welcome from the members and I hope I can further entertain you as time goes by.  Thanks for your kind words Alan!😀

[John Masters]

Nice brace of Cold Warriors!

[Gary Brantley]

42 minutes ago, John D.C. Masters said:

Nice brace of Cold Warriors!

Thanks John!  🙂

[Alan P]

2 hours ago, Gary Brantley said:

But they did have accurate shapes, good detail in some cases, and they were much cheaper to buy.   Imagine my surprise to learn that I had labored so much and so long on such junk!😉    

 

But, gradually, I discovered that there were lots of modelers who did appreciate those old kits and still enjoyed seeing them finished.   Are there better kits?  Oh certainly.  But still, there's a lot of satisfaction from wrestling one into shape and giving it a bit of TLC.  The result is often worth that effort!   I see them as a sort of "canvas" upon which a modeler can work his art.

 

I'm glad to find so many Monogram fans here at BM!   I've received a very warm welcome from the members and I hope I can further entertain you as time goes by.  Thanks for your kind words Alan!😀

Couldn't agree more, very well said! 👏👏👏

[Greg Law]

Very nice builds. Shows that these old Monogram kits can be made into first rate models. I bought a Monogram  F.80 the other day.  I'm looking forward to having a look at it.

[Gary Brantley]

9 minutes ago, Greg Law said:

Very nice builds. Shows that these old Monogram kits can be made into first rate models. I bought a Monogram  F.80 the other day.  I'm looking forward to having a look at it.

Thanks much Greg!   Good luck with that F-80; any ideas as to what paint scheme you might use?   I'll be looking forward to its debut! 😀