Trumpeter 1/32 Mig 3 "White 21"

[mywifehatesmodels]

Since I finished my Fw 190D-9 today, I figured I better keep the momentum going and get a thread started for my next build, the Mig 3. I've had this kit in my stash for probably more than a decade, but was just waiting for the right subject to do and get everything for it that I thought I would need. I've decided that I want to do this one "In flight", on a stand. I've always thought the Mig 3 looks a little awkward on the ground, but quite beautiful once the wheels are retracted and it's airborne. One of the big factors in preparing to do this, was finding an adequate pilot figure. As luck would have it, Aerobonus does a seated pilot that is designed specifically for this kit. This would also be a great chance to do some more work on my figure painting skills. Another factor for most of my builds, is that I don't like to do specific aircraft that has been modeled a lot by others (Gabreski's P-47 comes to mind. Would love to do it, but...), so I'm going with Yellow 21, because I have only seen one or two other builds of that aircraft and they may have been in 1/48.

 

So, here's what I have. The Trumpeter 1/32 kit. Quickboost exhausts, Fusion prop/spinner, the Aerobonus pilot and a decal set from FCM, which has markings for the plane that I wanted to do (I want this to be a quick build, so I will likely use the decals. However, it's not impossible that I might change my mind, as I could easily scan these decals and use them as a template to cut some masks with the Cricut. We'll see how I feel as things progress.

 

 

 

For the moment, I only have one photo to post of the actual aircraft. However, I know I've seen at least one other photo of this plane, from a slightly different angle. Unfortunately, neither of the photos are of very good quality. There's credible evidence that it may have actually been "White 21", but I think I'm going to stay with Yellow, for the extra splash of color, unless some definitive proof comes along for using white. There are several artists' profiles of this aircraft out there, but here's the one photo I have, for the moment.

 

 

 

Looking forward to this one, as I haven't built any VVS aircraft in quite a while. It should be fun.

 

 

John

Edited November 18, 2023 by mywifehatesmodels

[Phil Smith]

Interested subject!

[Furie]

34 minutes ago, mywifehatesmodels said:

There are several artists' profiles of this aircraft out there, but here's the one photo I have, for the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey John, here’s a picture of a better quality.

 

 

7 иап ВВС ВМФ - самолеты и эмблемы (ava.org.ru)

[mywifehatesmodels]

That's the one! I know I have it saved somewhere,  but couldn't find it. 

 

Thanks!

 

John

[MikeMaben]

Looks like a fun one John 

[dennismcc]

That's a really nice kit to build, I enjoyed building mine thoroughly, you might have seen this site already but lots of information on the MiG 3 here.

https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/mig3/mig3.html

And the forum

https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/board/index.php

Yellow was a colour associated with German aircraft so may not be correct, however it would look good !

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[mywifehatesmodels]

Thank you, Dennis!

 

There was a time that, for some reason, I couldn't get Massimo's site to come up any longer, so I assumed it had been taken down. Glad to see it's still up and it also appears, just from a quick glance, that he's updated some things since I last visited, including a new profile of this particular aircraft.

 

 

Previous profiles show the darker camouflage color as a dark green and not the gray/black shown here, which is likely more correct. I may also end up cutting masks for the number and going with white and, while I'm at it, why not cut some stars, too?   However, now I'll be spending some time going through his site again and it's almost like a kid in a candy store. So many options!

 

One thing is for certain, though. I will be painting the pilot and doing this plane in flight. So, that brings me to my next question; the painting of the pilot. Last night I was able to get the pilot figure cut from the resin block and start fitting the seat mount, cockpit floor, etc. Unfortunately, the instructions that come with the pilot leave a lot to be desired. It covers the general colors, but not much in detail (uniform buttons, other equipment, etc.). Therefore, I will need to do a little more research before I start painting, so if anyone has more info they can share, it woud be greatly appreciated. I know that Soviet uniforms were sort of an olive khaki, but beyond that, my knowledge is limited.

 

 

As you can see, the figure actually has a high level of detail and is really well done. I want to do it justice. On another note, in some of the photos of this group, do I see some of them wearing camouflage uniforms? I didn't know that was a thing for pilots of the VVS, or maybe a Black Sea Fleet thing. Again, any help is appreciated.

 

Thanks for checking in,

 

John

Edited November 16, 2023 by mywifehatesmodels

[dennismcc]

This was my subject from Massimo's site, he certainly helped me with the build, I used the Montex Supermasks K32003 which also has the dubious yelow 21 markings as well.

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Mark P]

If you can ever track them down, Data Decals also did 1/32nd scale markings for the MiG 3. I reviewed them here.

 

Mark Proulx

[Troy Molitor]

Love the subject John.  Liking your build.  

[MikeMaben]

Help maybe ...

[mywifehatesmodels]

11 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Help maybe ...

The obvious, of course!

 

I've done some searching and see many of the same photos. I'm starting to get a feel for it. I'm still in the dark about rank tabs, officer vs. enlisted, etc., but I don't think it's going to be a big factor, either. I have a general idea for how the pilot should look now. I am noticing that the soviets had several different patterns of flight helmets, however. Very interesting, but I think I've narrowed that down, too. I've just finished a mock-up of the cockpit parts to establish the correct position for the pilot's arms. I attached the arms and filled the seams with Milliput, which is drying now.

 

I'm also coming to the conclusion that the subject of cockpit interior colors is a touchy one. I'm also guessing that, as with everything WW2 Soviet, there were many variations along the way, for a multitude of reasons. Even different wrecks and period photos seem to indicate this. In any case, I'm not too wound up about the cockpit colors. Most of it won't be visible anyway, especially with the pilot in place. My only real concern is what to do about the instrument panel. I don't want to buy any more aftermarket for this build, so I'll either be painting the kit part, with it's very faint instrument detail, apply decals over them, or drill out the instruments and make a backing panel with some decals from my spares. I haven't decided yet. 

 

I'm also having an emotional battle over what to do about the windscreen. Trumpeter has the vertical bars present, which shouldn't be there. To sand them away and polish the windscreen is not beyond my capabilities, as I have done that a couple of times in the past, on other projects. However, I've seen one build of this kit where the builder attempted to do that and ended up snapping the windscreen in half. Given how wide and thin the part is, I can see that as a big possibility and I"m probably going to avoid it. For now, I'm just going to focus on getting the pilot painted (and perhaps making an oxygen mask for him, as well).

 

Cheers,

 

John

[Alain Gadbois]

 

 

 

Hope this helps!

Two different crashed MiG-3s, plus parts of one captured by Finland, kept in a museum there.

 

Alain

[mywifehatesmodels]

Thank you, Alain! I had come across those photos and the last one is the general direction I am moving towards. I have painted the floor a dark green, but the sidewalls and framing are the light blue AMT-7 (I used MRP paint). I'll post some photos when I have a little more to show.

 

Thanks again,

 

John

[Jboldt007]

very interesting build. The pilot figure looks great - there is allot of good resin figures out there right now. The museum photos are. amazing too- I always think AMT-7 is shown as "too blue" in renderings but it really is a strong, sky blue colour....