Madmax Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 (edited) This is the aircraft that sent shivers down my spine as a young man. It was the enemy's hot ship, and we were pretty sure they were being flown by Cuban and Russian pilots. Turns out they were. A handful of my friends have flown it, but I will have to be happy with Trumpeter's 1:32 scale version. It is an interesting kit, with some traps for the unwary. The undercarriage and the swing-wing seem to undo many of the builds that I've seen on the internet. That being said however, many die hard MiG-23 fans build great models from it. I hope to be able to do the aircraft some justice, and have held back on posting this build until I was reasonably sure the basics were working. The plan is to portray an Angolan aircraft, ironically, flown by South Africans. In combat. If one thing has kept me going on this build, it is the desire to see the Aires resin aftermarket set in all its glory. Whoever "carved" the masters for all the bits and pieces that are available for the MiG-23 deserves one of those medals with long Russian titles - First Class! This is the level of detail I'm talking about... The undercarriage needs quite a lot of attention. Here the nosewheel leg with its additions. Wheels are from Armory. Edited May 22, 2018 by Madmax XOPCT, Zero77, Jim Barry and 20 others 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero77 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Indeed that resin is incredible ! Very nice original subject, cant wait to see it progressing ! skiner 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Great to see one of these being built. Very interesting history lesson. What were the circumstances where by South African pilots flew them under Angolan colours in combat? I was aware they were previously flown by Cuban pilots. Cheers, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I'll be following this, for sure! The Aires stuff for the MiG-23 really is superb isn't it? Needs a little fettling to get the pit to fit in the forward fuselage halves - but didn't take long when I did mine. Have you sourced some decals yet? Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimHepplestone Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I was in Cuba about 10years ago. Most towns have memorials and plaques remembering those killed in the border war. Currently my kids are in school in Johannesburg and they are taught virtually nothing about it. Sad that such an important piece of history is being forgotten. Will follow with interest, and that resin looks superb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandokan Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Wow! What amazing history and start!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 To me, Aires stuff is almost always cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNoAF Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Great subject. I love the Mig-23. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbetty Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 i aslo found the 23 pit is one of Aires best efforts! are you going to correct the nose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmax Posted May 23, 2018 Author Share Posted May 23, 2018 Hi Zero! Kagemusha, in the early 1990's the Angolan government turned to a private military company called "Executive Outcomes" for help in combatting the UNITA rebel forces. In a strange twist of fate, EO employed ex South African military personnel who had been fighting against the Angolan government forces up until 1989. Peace is a relative term here in Africa. Iain, I also found the front of the cockpit a bit fiddly. I have the Linden Hill Decals, but am contemplating begging my friend Nick to try cut some masks instead. Tim, I would love to visit Cuba too. A colleague of mine is corresponding with a Cuban pilot who did three tours in Angola flying MiG-21 and MiG-23. His stories are fascinating, and very human. It is wonderful to hear about the same war from the other side. I have slowly been gaining an insight into the larger political stage on which our conflict was fought. Your kids are going to have to find out from you. Greetings MARU, sandokan, Kevin and RNoAF! blackbetty, here comes your answer.. Iain, Kagemusha and TimHepplestone 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reconspit Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 ...cool work..., looking really good,... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Thanks Max, very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Love that detail! Gaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmax Posted May 23, 2018 Author Share Posted May 23, 2018 Much has been made of the nose of this kit. I also wanted to make a resin copy the MiG-29's nose and use it instead, but then a seasoned campaigner advised me to measure first. And guess what, the kit nose is actually pretty close to correct. I didn't scale the drawing to 1:32 but rather to fit the overall dimensions of the fuselage. The panel lines need to be redone to get closer to the actual shape, and the area immediately adjoining the pitot requires some sanding. Quite simple really. The intakes are a bit more tricky. I know that there are some very cool replacements available, but I wanted to use the kit parts. This is a bit of a compromise in terms of accuracy, but I think it will look fine once painted. The spill doors are from QuickBoost. It may appear that I build very quickly, but please bear in mind that this post is a bit retrospective. More soon, Sean Starfighter, Bruce_Crosby, Shaka HI and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbetty Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 what kind of drawings are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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