Jabba Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Time to throw my hat into the ring of this GB. I will start with the KP (RV) MiG 23ML which was the most up to date version that the Iraqi air force flew. The kit comes with no weapons so I will have to sort some out and I will be using the Linden Hill decal sheet for the build. In the Floggers in the Middle East book there is a line drawing of on of these MiGs with a Remora ECM pod under the fuselage and I have hastily gone and bought one of these. The kit. Linden Hill decal sheet. Some info. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Interesting subject and a kit I've not seen built before so will be paying attention to see what you think of it. If you're looking for some air-to-air missiles I may be able to help as there's a few spares in my weapons stash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Good to see another Iraqi subject joining the GB Jabba, and who doesn't like a Mig-23. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Great choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 I have made a start to this one. I have painted the cockpit and instrument panel, plus have added some plasti-card to help align the rear fuselage parts as there are no locators at all. As the building of this part also means adding the wings at the same time I am going to glue the rear most part, then insert the wings before gluing the rest of this area. The location holes in the wings had to be cleaned a little and again when dry fitted to the spigot it is not a positive fit. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 This will certainly bring some more colour to the Group Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 I have now got the rear fuselage glued together and I have started putting the fwd part together. I had to thin the front of the wings a little so that when folded the fuselage that surrounds them stayed together. I glued the nose U/C bay (in the loosest term) and then the cockpit on top so that it lined up correctly. I have also received a package from a model shop in East Anglia and am borrowing the R60 missiles from a Trumpeter Su-24, aa I used something else for that model. Hopefully get the fwd fuselage in one piece over the next day or so. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Coming along very nicely Jabba, I have always liked the Mig-23, a very purposeful looking aircraft, and the Iraqi camo will look really good on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Looking forward to your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 I am looking forward to this. I have one of these KP Mig-23 kits in the stash. Eager to see any plusses or minuses you encounter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 Now starting to look like a MiG-23. I have glued the engine on, plus the Fwd fuselage and intakes. The gluing of the Fwd fuselage was not too easy as there is no positive points on which to fix it. I had to line it up with the spine of the rear fuselage and then get the lower end to also line up. It took a bit of time to get there but it was fitted. The intakes were fitted afterwards in a similar manor, although they di have the Fwd fuselage as a starting point. I have also fitted the air brakes which fit where they touch and will require some filler. I will add the tail before I fit the radome so that I can determine if any weight is needed. The black marks at the rear of the fuselage are there so that I do not remove the mounts for the tailplanes. Yet again another butt joint! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Really taking shape now Jabba. With a design like the Flogger I would definitely err on the side of caution and stuff some weight in the nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 8 hours ago, modelling minion said: With a design like the Flogger I would definitely err on the side of caution and stuff some weight in the nose. I know that the ML does not sit like the MF having a slightly higher main U/C, but as you say the way that these aircraft sit plus with the wings folded it will require some weight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Noice! This KP kit looks pretty well detailed, although the pics are a little dark. The fit does not look too bad and not as bad as the eastern european kits of old ( Yes, I'm looking at you A-Model!!) and I cannot wait to see it come together. It is surprising how many swing wing types are now in the GB, but welcome all the same. Perhaps a future swing wing GB could be suggested, but I digress, Keep up the good work, Pappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Many years ago we went to the air show at Fairford, and there was a Mig 23 there, possibly a Czech one. Considering it only has one engine it was nearly as noisy as the B1B - quite impressive! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share Posted February 15, 2021 More parts added and more parts fitting where they touch. Although @Pappysays that the fit of A Models are bad (and some of those that I have built are not good), this one is getting just as bad. I have built the MF and Ms versions of this kit and I am sure that some of the parts fitted better on them. The small triangle parts that fit between the rear of the intakes and wing gloves have always been bad and never make a straight line. I have tried on several occasions to do this. But one of the worse fitting parts that I have not had trouble with before is the nose cone. This is definitely a lot bigger than the fuselage it fits to, as can be seen in the last photo. I know that a bit of sanding will make this better, it is just frustrating as it has not happened before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Wow, it looks like you have some work ahead of you. Ref the radome, would it be possible to remove some material from the forward fuselage and re-attach the nose a little further back so the fuselage taper matches? It would likely take less putty and sanding, cheers, Pappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 any chance to splice up the front fuselage? if not, just liberaly sand the nose cone down! better this way then a way to small cone! 🙃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 Thanks for all your advice. I did consider removing the nose and then splitting the front of the fuselage, but thought that it may cause even more damage. So I took a filing stick to it and the results can be seen below. I also sorted out the difference in the leading edge of the wing glove by adding a piece of plasti card and then sanding to shape. I have also added the tailplanes which were a butt joint, so out came some wire and the drill. A bit of filling to do in these areas, but it could have been worse. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Great to see it back on track Jabba, Pappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 I am using this kit so that I can borrow the flare dispensers that were fitted by the Iraqis on the MiG-23ML. This kit is very similar to the Mistercraft that @John Mastersis using for his build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 I have added some of the smaller parts including the ventral fin, gun pack and weapons pylons under the fuselage. I have only added one under the fuselage as the other will carry the Remora ECM pod. There are some parts that the instructions say to add, but from the info that I have are not fitted to the ML version and so they are not. I also received in the post a cockpit update set. I only really wanted a better ejection seat, but this all came at a lower price than a seat on its own. This also has a better instrument panel coaming cover and as this is attached to an IP I decided to take out the original IP and use the whole new resin part. Another thing that I have started to build is the R-23 missiles as all the fins have to be fitted which is to be honest an bit of a pain in the bottom. Hopefully I will get some paint on this soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Nice work so far Jabba! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 OOOooh whoosh bangs! I think that the 'bottom pain' will be worth it in the end (sorry, couldn't help it :P) as the missiles will look great, cheers, Pappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 Lower colour painted. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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