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Another 1/72 Eduard Mig 15bis **Finished. Outdoor Pics Added!**


mywifehatesmodels

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Even though I'm pretty much a WW2 freak, I've always had a fascination with Migs. In particular, the cold war era jets. I've sworn to myself that I'm going to build at least one of all the main Mig jet designs at some point and probably multiples of several different types. I'm also really a large scale guy, but the buzz and feedback surrounding the Eduard 1/72 scale kit really got my attention. I had pretty much sworn off this tiny scale, years ago. However, in the last year or so, I've seen several builds of Eduard's series of kits and decided that I had to have one. The clincher was when John (Thunnus) posted his magnificent build of this kit, here on the Non-LSP forum. Coincidentally, I had been watching a Profipack kit of the 15bis on Ebay that also included the Brassin cockpit and speed brake sets, all for the price of the kit alone. I took it as a sign from above to go ahead and get it and it arrived this morning.

 

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Aside from just being a cool little kit, this build will also serve a couple of other purposes. I'm going to do it in a natural metal finish. I've been playing with a couple of test parts shot with Testors Metalizer buffable paint from the rattle can. I've used this paint before for NMFs and really do like it. However, it's a delicate affair and very easy to mess up. Being that I've also been learning to use oil paints for weathering over the last couple years, I wanted to see if I could pull this off without messing up the NMF too bad, especially on a more expensive kit. All of this testing is in preparation for an Eduard 1/48 scale Mirage IIICJ kit that I also plan on doing in NMF. I toyed around with the idea of doing that one in aluminum foil, but have come to the conclusion that a complete foil job may just have to wait for a while and will most likely be reserved for something in my preferred 1/32 scale (like another Mirage, or a Mig 21...or two...or five!). So, for now, it's baby steps with a "baby" of a kit. I forgot just how tiny 1/72 scale is (especially PE cockpit parts!) until I opened this box! The last purpose of this build will be sort of a kick-start to my mojo. I have a 1/32 scale F3F biplane build on the bench right now, but I'm just not feelin' it and I feel a bit rusty after not really completing much over the last year. So, the Mig has my attention and my passion flowing. I'm going to run with that while I'm in the mood.

 

This is the scheme I will be doing. It's a North Korean bird that was put back into VVS service and markings, which were just painted over the previous users insignia/numbers. The NK decals are fully opaque and it's been recommended to mist silver paint over them or, as one other builder did in an article I found on the web, to carefully sand back some of the color on the decals before applying them, giving them a faded look. While I'm sure I could accomplish either (but would prefer the latter after seeing the other builder's excellent results), I'm really leaning towards the idea of just using the North Korean markings, as it would have appeared before being remarked with the Soviet stars/numbers. I want this to be more of an "anonymous" looking North Korean example, if you get what I mean.

 

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So, I'm hoping to dive into this over the weekend. I will probably even get started today. I wanted this to just be a quick, possibly even "weekend" build. However, the PE and resin parts are going to require a lot more attention and this kit really deserves it, in my opinion. It's really a gem. I've decided to pass on using the Brassin brakes, as it would require some surgery and I prefer the "cleaned up" look, anyway. I do have the Master barrel set on order and it should be here next week.

 

Wish me luck. I'm goin' in!

 

:piliot:

 

John

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I was a busy little bee today and got a really good start on things (even though it was hard to resist playing drums, instead. You guys.......you know who you are........ :lol:). I managed to get most of the cockpit together. The Brassin set has been easier to work with than I expected (so far, at least). I still don't think I would have been able to do this without my lighted magnifier, which was running for most of it today. Everything is so TINY! One picture shows an X-acto blade, for comparison. Also, I took a pic showing the fuselage sprue in my hand, which the model will basically fit in, once finished. 

 

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I already have a renewed respect for anyone who builds solely in 1/72 scale. I just couldn't do it without going crazy! That's not to say that I'm not enjoying this because, so far, I am!

 

Thanks for following along!

 

John

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Fantastic start John!  I've got one of these in the stash, so I'll be following along for sure. Haven't bought the cockpit stuff, but if it adds a lot, I will.

 

 

 

 

Matt  :frantic:

Thanks, Matt!

 

I'm not quite sure what to recommend with regards to the Brassin cockpit. It does add more depth to the detail over the kit parts. However, the painted PE parts that come in the profipack kit are already better looking than what I could paint (sharper lines and better definition of colors). So the option is more "3D" with the resin (but harder to paint), OR better definition of the fine painted details (at least better than what my hands are capable of), but in 2D. So, I guess I would say that if you're not opposed to painting the tiny knobs and switches, it's worth it to get the Brassin set. But, that's not to say that the profipack kit, on it's own, doesn't hold up. Heck, I've seen a lot of 1/48 and even some 1/32 kits that wouldn't look any better than what's in this profipack edition. Also, they seemed to have kept the PE parts count down to what actually works and is usable, which is more than I can say for a lot of their PE sets I've used in the past. In short, I don't think you can lose, either way and it just boils down to what you're comfortable paying for and how much detail you want to pack into a cockpit that probably won't be very visible when all is finished, anyway. Hope that helps? :shrug:

 

My goal for today is to get the rest of the cockpit finished. I have the IP and a couple other small parts left, the prepping the fuselage and figuring out where and how much weight to add to the nose. I hoped to have the fuselage halves together by the time I go to bed, tonight. If I can get even further, I certainly will.

 

Thanks again to everyone for following along and for the encouragement!

 

John

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I understand full well the complexities of building in this tiny scale. Years ago, I built a Fujimi F-86 Sabre, and I just went with the kit 'pit. It ended up looking fine, and I didn't have to dump any cash for AM into it. To paint all those tiny little details, would be very difficult (if not impossible) for me now.

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I understand full well the complexities of building in this tiny scale. Years ago, I built a Fujimi F-86 Sabre, and I just went with the kit 'pit. It ended up looking fine, and I didn't have to dump any cash for AM into it. To paint all those tiny little details, would be very difficult (if not impossible) for me now.

The last 1/72 plane I built was a Me 163 Komet with an Eduard PE set. I said I would never do it again, since the parts were ridiculously small (actually made this Mig look easy). I don't even care for 1/48 anymore, especially with PE parts, but that's what most of the people I build for want, so.....

 

John

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I managed to get the cockpit enclosed in the fuselage. It wasn't without some struggles, however. More on that in a bit.

 

As for the view into the cockpit, it isn't great, but is actually better than I thought it would be. First up, here's the IP in place, then what it looks like from above.

 

(First pic taken through my magnifier)

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After this, I got the pit into the fuselage, but it required the removal of some of the raised locating lines inside one fuselage half. Once I got it together, I tried to install the weapons bay cover on the lower nose, but found that the nose gear bay and the bulkhead just behind it are hanging down too far to allow it to settle fully into position. Rather than tear everything apart, I think I'm going to just sand the bay/bulkhead down a bit to allow for some clearance. Not my preferred way of doing it, but I fear what might happen if I tried to tear everything apart, especially since it's glued in place with CA and the cockpit sidewalls are rather thin resin.

 

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The fit problems are probably self induced. So, my advice to anyone else attempting this would be to try dry fitting everything as many times as required before committing anything to glue. Aside from this issue, everything looks good, so far. Once I get the gun cover in place I can start working on the fuselage seams, which will take some extra TLC and polishing, due to the upcoming NMF. I think I may take a break for the rest of the evening, however.

 

John

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Oh, I forgot to mention the nose weights. I used a couple of fishing line sinkers. Total weight is about 5 grams, which I'm hoping will be enough to prevent my ass from dragging. Eduard's instructions tell you to put weight above the gear bay and in front of the IP, but they don't say how much. So, I used one sinker there and smashed another one into shape and glued it into place just behind the gear bay, underneath. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's enough.

 

John

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