1/48 GWH MiG-29 9-13 primer colors

[Janissary]

My next project will be GWH MiG-29 9-13. I am so excited to start this WIP. I have been super attracted to fulcrums in chromate/gray colors. Unfortunately, I did not have the patience for a M or K boxing, so I will try this scheme on a 9-13! Here is my source of inspiration:

http://www.aame.in/2011/07/indian-navy-air-force-mig-29-aircrafts.html?m=1

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Russia---Air/Mikoyan-Gurevich-MiG-29K-(9-41)/2465579/L/&sid=fba7f0be029e45926dfb295f066fec4e

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Russia---Navy/Mikoyan-Gurevich-MiG-29K-(9-41)/2522675/L/&sid=fba7f0be029e45926dfb295f066fec4e

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1615612&page=13

I have a whole bunch of other pictures of this scheme, so I will shoot for a model that is essentially a hybrid of various interesting things I see in the pictures. I can't tell if these are roll-out or operational schemes (looks to be the latter) but whatever it is it looks incredible!

Now, onto my references. I want to say that I am learning quite a bit from others' models, so I wanted to share with you some of my bookmarks (in case you find them useful):

http://www.themodellingnews.com/2013/09/review-mig-29-fulcrum-c-in-48th-scale.html

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=255187&st=780

http://www.spamodeler.com/?page_id=66

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997401-mig-29-fulcrum-c-9-13-gwh-148-big-ed/

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234942935-mig-29-9-13-fulcrum-c-148/

http://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=2352

http://astarofwings.web.fc2.com/MiG-29Fulcrum9-12.htm

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234959615-148-mig-29-9-12-early/

http://www.modellversium.de/galerie/8-flugzeuge-modern/10905-mig-29-fulcrum-9-13-.html

http://pwm.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=432&t=38091

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=41516

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=37660#entry359207

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234933742-great-wall-hobby-mig-29-work-begins/

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47751/message/1413354047/MiG-29

Edited May 13, 2016 by Janissary

[Janissary]

The kit:

The kit is outstanding, I like the instruction sheet a lot:

The details and fit (thus far) are excellent. This kit raises my standards so high that I don't know how I will finish other old/mediocre kits from this point on without frustration:

The main gear wells are complex but the fit is great if you take your time dry fitting and trimming a few protrusions:

The intakes are the one place that suffer from pin marks, so came out Bondo:

Ready for priming. Probably the best and crispest cockpit detail I have seen in a kit:

The seat was a little troublesome. The head rest is a 3-part ordeal, that needed super glue and Bondo for puttying. I didn't care for the PE belts but with a coat of primer, paint and washes hopefully it will look reasonable:

Edited May 13, 2016 by Janissary

[nicholassagan]

Looking good so far! Love the primer!

[jgrease]

I've got my kit on the bench as well - so far the fit is fantastic!

John

[Janissary]

Thank you guys, the kit has been a treat so far. A question for the fulcrum experts. I understand the intake ramps are deployed (closed position) during engine startup and there is a connection between the main landing gears and these ramps during landing.

I will be modeling this with engines off in a parked position. Should the ramps be in a retracted position (open) or deployed (closed) position? So, the questions is about parts PE 21+22 versus B 6+7 in this image:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp_TGspuCaM/UjUVr34qmxI/AAAAAAAAoho/2RH1KxGBUng/s1600/Great+wall+hobby+mig+29+instructions+(4).png

I think I have to go with the open position for a realistic stance, but I wonder if there is a configuration in which these ramps are deployed only halfway. I could not see any pictures, but wanted to ask. I'd appreciate any input on this (norms versus exceptions, if any).

Thanks.

[Berkut]

1; MiG-29M(2)/K/KUB share nothing in common with the original MiG-29's other than the name. Even the wheels are different. So the pictures you are thinking of using as reference are frankly useless as those frames have a lot of composites while 9.12/9.13 used limited of them. (actually MiG-29 was one of the first jetfighters to have a wide use of composites but that is a different story) So you might as well paint your MiG-29 9.13 in F-22 primer colors, that is how little they have in common. Here is how an actual nekkid 9.13 looks;

Pictures of 9.12 (look up on http://spotters.net.ua/) are relevant to 9.13 too.

2; If the engines are off, the ramps are up, so dont use parts B6/B7.

[ya-gabor]

We have operated the MiG-29 9-12 from 1993 all the way till its retirement few years ago. I was fortunate to cover its introduction into service as a journalist and photographer, including the training of the pilots in Russia, down South. Also everyday operations, live missile firing abroad and lots of training flights during its service life. The system of the intake is interesting and according to the book, yes you would have it fully up with engine not running, down when it is fired up, on the ramp, taxiing for take off . . . In real life it is not completely as in the books. You can have the intake protection ramps in down position also on a static aircraft and what is even more interesting it could also be asymmetric with one down one up. In some cases a partially deployed ramp could be seen but there is only a minimal chance for this.

So if you want to have it down on a static aircraft and have the auxiliary intakes on the LEX in closed position it is perfectly OK!

Best regards

Gabor

[Berkut]

We have operated the MiG-29 9-12 from 1993 all the way till its retirement few years ago. I was fortunate to cover its introduction into service as a journalist and photographer, including the training of the pilots in Russia, down South. Also everyday operations, live missile firing abroad and lots of training flights during its service life. The system of the intake is interesting and according to the book, yes you would have it fully up with engine not running, down when it is fired up, on the ramp, taxiing for take off . . . In real life it is not completely as in the books. You can have the intake protection ramps in down position also on a static aircraft and what is even more interesting it could also be asymmetric with one down one up. In some cases a partially deployed ramp could be seen but there is only a minimal chance for this.

So if you want to have it down on a static aircraft and have the auxiliary intakes on the LEX in closed position it is perfectly OK!

Best regards

Gabor

I just knew someone was bound to say something like this, but it is splitting hairs. Yes, different configurations are possible. But when a certain configuration (open intakes when nothing is running) is happening 99,999999% of the time then that is the by far most common one. There are always exception to the rules, even in physics. So no, one cant apply anecdotal "evidence" that happen every 1000000 times and say that is how it is.

Besides, i think i have yet to see a MiG-29 with ramps fully down while it is not running, assuming that;

a - it is not some junkyard aircraft with the intakes broken.

b - Museum aircraft.(where it is closed on purpose)

[Janissary]

Thank you both for the information, I appreciate it. I did not know that the materials were that different between the versions, good to know. I may still end up being "inspired" by the elements of the composite fuselage. But I like the worn and torn look of the pics Berkut posted too. Too many interesting visuals appear in my head, which is good. I'll go with the ramps up.

Berkut, I could not use the search function effectively in your link. I got a whole bunch of 9-12 9-13 pics, but not exclusively in primer colors. Would you be able to let me know some Russian or Ukranian (can't tell which one) keywords to narrow down the results? I tried грунтовка and some variations but nothing came up.

Thanks.

[Berkut]

Thank you both for the information, I appreciate it. I did not know that the materials were that different between the versions, good to know. I may still end up being "inspired" by the elements of the composite fuselage. But I like the worn and torn look of the pics Berkut posted too. Too many interesting visuals appear in my head, which is good. I'll go with the ramps up.

Berkut, I could not use the search function effectively in your link. I got a whole bunch of 9-12 9-13 pics, but not exclusively in primer colors. Would you be able to let me know some Russian or Ukranian (can't tell which one) keywords to narrow down the results? I tried грунтовка and some variations but nothing came up.

Thanks.

It is your model so it is of course completely up to you how you paint it. I have tons of MiG-29K/KUB pictures in primer in high resolution so if you want i could upload them in a rar file or something. As to spotters.net, there isnt really a good way of doing it other than manually by just looking through the pages i suppose. Found this one on page 2 of MiG-29 for example (UB is also fine to use for 9.12/9.13);

http://spotters.net.ua/file/?id=106596&size=large

Some more pictures;

[Janissary]

Wow! These are incredible. Thank you. I may indeed go with these as a target. So many opportunties to improve my painting skills. Love it.

[Janissary]

I have been working on the cockpit. Here is after an oil wash awaiting drying and cleaning. I used a mix of Mig washes and my W&N oils. I will explain the painting stages in more details once I clean the wash.

I was initially very impressed by this kit, but once I started working on the intakes problems started to occur. If you are interested in building this kit, I definitely recommend this thread:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234962066-gwh-mig-29/

It talks about various problems that I am also running into. Here are a few WIP pictures. I used super glue to join the intake halves. Also, a lot of elbow grease went into sanding down the ejector marks. Still not perfect, but not visible once everything is put together:

I plan to leave one of the engine covers off (likely the starboard side) and expose the engine. When I was fiddling with the engine intake, I though the abrupt edge that occurs at the end should not be there (compromising airflow) so I removed it. Not sure if this is accurate or not, but still went ahead with it. You see the removed section on the intake:

And the intakes.... I painted it in ivory but I am not too fixated on its accuracy as there will be quite a bit of color variation the insides will see after painting from the front. Also, the holes at the end of the trunking are not too bothersome as they are invisible when you look down the intakes from the front. But, there have been a lot of fit problems. The intakes just don't want to lay nicely on the lower fuselage, part mating has not been good. So you see all the sections I have carved out, sanded down, modified etc. in arrows. The intake at the bottom is the one that has not been modified yet:

Edited June 7, 2016 by Janissary

[Janissary]

The alignment at the back is also not looking that great :( The left side is aligned but you can see the amount of misalignment at the right. I made sure to remove all locating pins on the trunking as if you were to use them, it surely creates an offset. So, I will have to wrestle this down once the time comes. Also, in this picture, there seems to be a gap/crack at the top (well, actually bottom) of the intake trunking where the two halves meet, but that is super glue so the transition is smooth. I will have to rescribe some detail though:

Only after the modifications I showed above did the intake start to conform to the fuselage. The arrow shows what was supposed to be the locator pin's hole. I am estimating that much displacement will be required at the end to get everything aligned, so I think removing the pins is necessary. Also, forgot to annotate, but for the very front of the intake top, I added a squarish sheet styrene like a plate to cover up the nasty seamline when the two halves are assembled:

Well, after all that you see this big gap at the front. Granted, I am not pressing down on any parts here, but still I anticipate quite a bit of coercion to get the intakes properly assembled. Even then, I am dreading the possibility of crack splitting a joint once I start putting together the lower and upper fuselages. We will see...

I am all ears if you have run into similar problems and have some tips that can help here.

[Crazy Snap Captain]

J,

I had the same issues with the intakes. I did manage to get them in place but lots of clamping was required. Looking good so far mate. Also careful with the engines as they are not interchangeable. Look fwd to more!

[twhite80]

An inspired build! I am excited to see how it goes. I have a GWH MiG-29 in the stash and I am looking forward to putting it together. I will be following this build closely! So far so good!

[Janissary]

Thank you both. This seems to be one of those kits where seeing other builders' trouble points is very informative. I am definitely making use of the links I posted earlier, and hope others will find my build useful. I am surprised by the engines. The instructions show a single engine assembly and marks it 'X2':

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kBMcIPcDZDQ/UjUVsHXbnxI/AAAAAAAAohs/2qqAsjM5IoU/s1600/Great+wall+hobby+mig+29+instructions+(6).png

This is for the 9-13 obviously. I wonder if it is the other versions of this kit that has the different engines.

[Janissary]

I originally forgot to bend the bottom of the PE intake plates into a curve the way they are supposed to be. It didn't bother me at first, but it started to annoy me over time. So I decided to redo the intakes. I am doing this with both inatkes. This will also let me sand smooth the insides even more, attach the plates more symmetrically (the one in the image below is sitting crooked and glue had run up its side which looks bad), and perhaps try a different color. incidentally, does anyone know what the correct color for these intakes should be? I could not find any pics and the instructions call for ivory, but I am not sure.

Also, finished up the cockpit. The paint sequence was Surfacer 1200 > XF-19 > a light coat of future > brush painting with Vallejo colors > oil wash / clean up > dull coat > dry brushing. The IP has tons of decals but it was actually fairly straightforward.

and it's attached to the fuselage. Picking the little dots on the box behind the seat (is is the fuse box?) was not easy. I screwed up once so had to redo it from scratch. Also, all are supposed to be black I think, but I added some color variation:

[my favs are F`s]

Nice clean looking cockpit.

[Fighting Eighty-Four]

Looking great so far... The cockpit looks amazing, hard to believe it is OOB!

[ya-gabor]

Picking the little dots on the box behind the seat (is is the fuse box?) was not easy. I screwed up once so had to redo it from scratch. Also, all are supposed to be black I think, but I added some color variation:

It is the fuse box.

Best regards

Gabor

[HOKUM52]

Will be following this one

[Janissary]

Thank you very much everybody. I cleaned up the intakes last night and after a few touch ups, I plan to prime them again. Does anybody know what colors are the intakes? Is ivory accurate? I can't find any pictures. I also see that I have missed a few buttons in the cockpit, I plan to pick those out in my next update.

[ya-gabor]

Just last weekend I was deep inside a Fulcrum. The intake is natural metal or to be more precise it is a dull, dirty aluminium, the darker version. I think I took a photo of the engine face with some of the intake visible. Will have to search for it. Try to do it.

Best regards

Gabor

[Janissary]

Thank you very much Gabor, it helps a lot! Of course I'd welcome a picture but don't worry about it if you can't get to it. Your description makes sense as is.

[erik_g]

I do not doubt Gabor, and I do trust him more than I trust this photo I took at RIAT three years ago. But it does look like the intakes are painted in an off-white colour. Maybe it just looks like it, or maybe the colour of the intakes differ with user or version? I am in no way an expert on the Fulcrum.