High Flyer

Historical Background

In January 1939 the Soviet VVS issued a specification for a high-altitude fighter with inline engine. The aircraft, initially designated I-200 was designed by the Polikarpov Design Bureau. When Nikolay Polikarpov fell out of favour with Stalin, the Soviet authorities created a new Experimental Construction Section headed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. Further work on the I-200 was assigned to the two and were later recognised as its designers. Now known as the MiG-1, the aircraft was designed using wood and steel tubings to minimise the usage of light alloys. It had some serious defects however, including inadequate visibility while taxiing, heavy controls, poor longitudinal stability and easily entering into an unrecoverable spin. Continual improvements were done throughout the production run but were not immediately implemented on the production line. Instead, they were incorporated into the fourth prototype. After testing and passing State acceptance trials, they were incorporated in the 101st I-200/MiG-1 built and the aircraft was now renamed MiG-3. The first MiG-3 was completed on 20 December 1940.

The changes however resulted in an aircraft over 250 kg heavier than the MiG-1, which reduced maneuverability and field performance. Despite that, the MiG-3 can fly at 640 km/h at 7,200 meters - faster than the Bf 109F-2. However speed decayed to 505 km/h at sea level while the 'Friedrich' could do 515 km/h. Unfortunately the low and medium levels were where most aerial combat took place on the Eastern Front where the MiG lost its speed advantage. The loaded weight of the MiG was also higher than the Bf 109 and it was less maneuverable due to its higher wing loading. Despite being designed as a high-altitude fighter, it has poor climb rate. Aerial gunnery was also difficult because of instability at high speeds. Standard armament consists of a single UBS 12.7 mm machine gun and two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns. Considered underpowered, 821 aircraft were then fitted with a 12.7 mm UBK machibe gun pod under each wing - this further lowered the speed by 20 km/h at all altitudes. Some pilots decided to remove the extra weapons. Other aircraft were armed with just the ShKAS machine guns but were fitted to carry RS-82 rockets.

On 22 June 1941, most of the MiG-3s delivered to the V-VS were placed within the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kiev and Odessa Military Districts. These aircraft fought at a disadvantage as combat took place at medium and low altitudes. Plus, shortage of ground attack aircraft forced it into that role, for which it was totally unsuited. By the time of the commencement of Operation Taifun, most V-VS MiGs were transferred to the PVO where their lack of performance at low altitude was not so serious. Even so, none of the MiGs remain with the PVO by January 1945. 3,400 units of the aircraft were built. Production was terminated in 1942 following Stalin's telegram to the directors of Zavod N.1 demanding increased production of Il-2 Shturmoviks. Despite its bad reputation aces such as Aleksandr Pokryshkin scored their early victories while flying the MiG-3. 

The Kit

Trumpeter was (and still is) a very profilic producer of model kits especially in the period between the mid-noughties until mid-2010s. They first came up with a model of the MiG-3 in 1/48 scale, an 'Early Version' of the MiG-3 in 2007. This was followed by the 'Late Version' in 2008. The 82 parts are spread among five sprues, one of them in clear plastic. Surface detail is generally nice and crisp although the fabric representation on the control surfaces look exaggerated. The infamous Trumpeter rivet is not as prominent in this (cf. their 1/72 Thud kit) - probably because of the larger scale. The interior is quite OK although the tubular frame is moulded-on with the side walls. Details on the instrument panel is somewhat ambiguous at the bottom of it. The front fuselage is made up of four parts and I suspect some struggle during assembly (more on that later). The decals provide markings for three aircraft:

- Winter-camouflaged 'Black 7' with 'For Stalin!' slogan. This aircraft was shown with additional guns in nacelles underneath the wings but the relevant parts are not included in the kit;

- 'White 12' in green with black nose; and

- 'White 95' in two-tone green.

Construction

As usual with aircraft kits, work started at the cockpit. And as per my usual style, the parts were painted while still on the tree. While Trumpeter has GSI H70 (RLM02) as the interior colour (and for the entirety of the cockpit), I chose to paint it blue-grey using a mix of Tamiya XF-22 RLM Grey and X-14 Sky Blue. The instrument panel is supposedly entirely in black but I chose to have just the instrument faces in that colour. The side boxes and some details were also painted Flat Black. The radio rack was also painted and assembled. The tail wheel was glued into place before closing the up the fuselage - otherwise it will be impossible to do so with the fuselage halves mated. Guess what? The lower half did not want to meet, leaving quite a sizeable gap which need to be addressed with putty. The placement of the radio deck in the instructions is very misleading and might confuse a modeller (it should be behind the pilot's seat, not inside the canopy fairing!).

The wing assembly is next. The upper and lower wing halves were cemented without fuss. The inserts for the wing root intakes fit OK with the rest of the wing although I suspect some fiddly handling during the mating of the wing assembly with the fuselage. The wing was then mated to the fuselage - it was a very tight fit but a bit of wedging here and there allowed the wings in place. As expected, some filling was needed between the intake insert and the wing root. The rear of the wing assembly also need to be in line with the corresponding surface on the rear fuselage as there were no hook or projection whatsoever to secure the two areas. Because of its position, the radiator faces and the intake and exhaust areas were painted first before assembly. The upper nose fairing did not fit exactly with the main assembly - but that's Okay as apparently many of the real aircraft have the same characteristics!

Painting and Decalling

After deciding to do 'Black 7', I proceeded to paint the lower fuselage first. Trumpeter suggested Gunze H20 Light Blue - a colour which I don't have in hand. To approximate AII Light Blue, I used Tamiya XF-23 Light Blue and gradually add XF-8 Flat Blue until looks about right. The upper fuselage need to be painted a base colour first, for the white camo to stick. I used XF-5 Flat Green. masking material was applied to the wing roots, weapon troughs and the leading edge of the wings before the upper fuselage was sprayed Tamiya TS-27 Flat White. The diagonal red patch at the wing tips were painted a mix of Vallejo Flat Red and Flat yellow to approximate the recommended Insignia Red. The decals were then applied. They are thin and lie nicely upon the surface. They are however translucent and this showed up like a sore thumb when the fuselage red stars were laid on the black arrow flash. To reduce the discrepancy, I trimmed numbers 9 and 5 from the red stars for option 3 of the markings and applied them over the original stars.

Finishing

The masking material was removed and the border between the white and the underlying green were cleaned / messed up further using dots of XF-2 Flat White and XF-5 Green. The model then received a neutral wash using Mr. Weathering Color Multi Grey. Pin wash was done using further application of the same some for the white areas and Ak Interactive paneliner for the lower fuselage. Exhaust marks were added using Tamiya Weathering Master Soot. The more fragile parts, such as the radio aerial, the rocket launchers, the main landing gear, tail wheel covers, propeller and the pitot tube were then cemented into place. Oh at this time, I realised that the main landing gear doors were scale-thick and the portion stuck with the gears were way simplified.. The model then was sprayed with Gunze Flat Top Coat. The masking for the clear pasrts were then removed, finishing the build.

Conclusion

While Trumpeter's MiG-3 kit is well moulded,and engineered, it was not a Tamiya, There wasn't really a problem with the build - you just need a bit of experience and this kit was not exactly suitable for entry-level modellers. The one particular unnecessary over-engineering is the radiator air intake - causing gaps if built according to instructions and fiddly to adjust if you add them after mating the wings to the fuselage. Fit was also slightly off with the kit, especially between the upper fuselage panel and the windscreen and the upper panel with the main fuselage. Nevertheless, overall, it is a good kit and should present no big challenge to seasoned modellers.

Comrade Marshal, You Don't Have To Stick That Gun On A Pig!

Historical Background

In the mid-1950s, Soviet military commanders realised that the 100 mm gun of the T-54/55 was incapable of penetrating the frontal armour of Western tanks such as the M48 and the Centurion. While a 100 mm HEAT round could be the answer, such rounds are less accurate than an APDS round due to low velocity. Therefore a bigger gun, which allows a higher muzzle velocity was needed. A 115 mm smoothbore D-54T gun was integrated into the T-55 but the trial failed as the higher recoil of the gun require a bigger turret and turret ring to absorb it. This in turn require a larger hull. At the Uralvaganzavod (UVZ) factory in Nizhny Tagil, engineer Leonid Kartsev was working on a design dubbed Ob'yekt 140. However due to its complicated construction, it was deemed too expensive for series production and the project was terminated. Some features of Ob'yekt 140 however were incorporated into Ob'yekt 155 (which became the T-55).

At the end of 1958, Kartsev revisited Ob'yekt 140. He added cartridge case ejector and mounted it onto a modified T-55 chassis. The hull modifications include a redesigned central hull and re-arranged torsion bar suspension and was known as Ob'yekt 165. In the meantime, faced with the Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm gun, attempts were made to recaliber the D-54TS 100 mm tank gun. The modifications include the removal of the rifling, producing a new 115 mm caliber, reducing the profile of the ammunition chamber, eliminating the muzzle brake and adding bore evacuator at the middle of the gun. In effect, this is the world's first smoothbore tank gun Known as U-5TS 'Molot' Rapira, the gun was fitted onto Ob'yekt 140 and Ob'yekt 165 and received the new designation Obyekt 166. Although the U-5TS is less accurate than the D-54TS, the higher muzzle velocity and greater range more than makes up its inadequacy. With the failure of Morozov's Ob'yekt 430 and intelligence reports on the US M60 and the new British Chieftain tank, Marshal Vasily Chuikov, the Commander-in-Chief of Soviet Army's Ground Forces demanded that the production of Ob'yekt 166 be started immediately. Production of the T-62, as Ob'yekt 166 was now called, began in July 1961. 

The T-62 is basically a stretched T-55 with the conventional layout for a tank. The wheels are still mounted on  the same five torsion bar suspension but there are uneven gaps between the roadwheels, with larger gaps between the last three pair of wheels. The T-62 is powered by a water-cooled diesel engine developing 581 hp at 2,000 rpm. This is the same engine as the T-55 and as the T-62 is heavier, power-to-weight ratio is lower than the earlier tank. Fuel capacity is 960 liters which can be boosted to 1,360 liters with the addition of two 200-liter jettisonable fuel tank at the rear. Operational off-road range was 320 km - 450 km. Maximum off-road speed is 40 km/h. The frontal armour is thicker than the T-55 (102 mm for hull front and 242 mm on turret front) although thinner for the roof and lower side armour. As mentioned, the main armament is the 115 mm 'Molot' Rapira smoothbore cannon firing APFSDS, HEAT and HE rounds. The gun is fitted with a two-axis 'Meteor' stabiliser and can be elevated or depressed between +16 to -6.The gun is manually loaded and gets automatically reset to +3.5 after firing. An automatic cartridge ejector then ejects the empty cartridge through a hatch at the rear of the turret. A 7.62 mm PKT machine gun is mounted co-axial with the main gun while a DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun can be mounted on the loader's hatch.

In July 1961, the T-55 was partially replaced at the production lines at Uralvagonzavod (Nizhny Tagil), Malyshev Factory (Kharkov) and at Factory No.183 at Omsk. More than 20,000 T-62s were built by the production ended in 1975. Unlike the T-55 however, the T-62 did not enjoy the same export success. In the Warsaw Pact, only Bulgaria purchased the tank while only a handful of other Soviet client states bought the tank. Apparently the higher cost (more than twice the T-55), while only slightly better than the T-55, puts many prospective customers off. Furthermore, in 1968, a 100 mm HVAPDS round capable of penetrating Western tank armour was developed. This made the T-55 gun almost as effective as the T-62, undercutting the T-62's selling point of a bigger, more powerful gun. Elsewhere, only North Korea produced the T-62 under licence and since the early 1990s, the Second Machine Industry Bureau have designed a derivative of the T-62, known as the Chonma-Ho series. Nevertheless the T-62 saw service in a number of countries including Egypt, Syria, Angola, Cuba, Iraq, Libya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Mongolia.

The T-62 saw combat for the first time during the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict where tank No.545 was disabled by projectile fired by a Type 56 RPG. The tank was captured by the Chinese, studied and became the basis for their Type 69. Egypt and Syria used their T-62s quite effectively against Israeli M48 and Centurion tanks during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Large numbers were nevertheless captured by the Israelis at the end of the war and were put into Isareli service as the Tiran-3 while modified T-62s were given the designation Tiran-6. A  number of these captured T-62s were sent to West Germany and the USA where they were examined and were used to help develop the Rheinmetall 120 mm gun. Iraqi T-62s also performed well against Iranian tanks and took part in Battle of Dezful where 214 Iranian tanks were destroyed in exchange for 45 Iraqi T-62s. I Africa T-62s were used by the Libyans during the Toyota War of 1987 where they were bested against Chadian forces equipped with MILAN ATGWs and Panhard AML-90 armoured cars. Angolan T-62s were also defeated by South African Eland and Ratel-90 AFVs. T-62s also equipped Ethiopian and Cuban forces during the Ogaden War. The T-62 also equipped Soviet forces during the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s.

The Kit

In 1/35 scale, modellers only have Tamiya's 1979-vintage kit of the T-62 (labelled 'T-62A' by Tamiya; misnamed because T-62A is the limited production version of Ob'yekt 165). The Tamiya kit suffer from a number of rather glaring inaccuracies especially with regards to dimension and the general shape of the turret. However since 2009, Trumpeter has come to the rescue with a new-tool T-62. Starting with Model 1962, the Trumpeter version of the T-62 is not perfect but it was way better than the vintage Tamiya kit. The Trumpeter kit I use for this build is the 2015 'Model 1975' (on the real T-62 Model 1975, this particular version is the T-62 Model 1972 with a KTD-1 or KTD-2 laser rangefinder mounted over the main gun). The kit reflected this by adding parts for the laser rangefinder and also adding sprues for figures. The kit parts are spread among ten light grey sprues, seven brown (the tracks), a lower hull, five black sprues (four for the tyres plus one for sidearms), one clear sprue, one rubbery, DS Styrene-like sprue for crew helmets, three sheets of brass PE, a turned aluminium barrel, a length of braided copper wire plus a small decal sheet.

Construction

As usual, construction started at the lower regions. Trumpeter has you assemble the road wheels first but I decided to do the lower hull instead. As mentioned elsewhere, some modifications were needed to ensure an accurate rear hull. I'm however quite satisfied with the status quo and cemented the rear hull plate to the lower hull as instructed. There are two options for the lower front plate - one plain, the other with mountings for the mine-clearing device moulded onto it. I chose the latter as it is more visually interesting. After dry-fitting the upper hull plate to the lower hull pan, I decided that it wouldn't interfere with the track-link assembly process later on and therefore I moved to the upper hull. The relevant holes drilled first (some are actually pre-drilled) and the driver's periscopes were cemented in place. The turret guard rails were also cemented at this time but their fit is slightly off. Most of the fittings on the front upper glacis plate were then cemented into place. The engine deck assembled without a hitch although I did not use the PE engine screen as the covers (Parts E1, H2 and H3) completely obscure them.

Now comes my love-hate part of building armour models : the driving gear, specifically the tracks. I find pre-painting and assembling them tedious. Nevertheless assembling the road wheels did not take long as the are only 10 road wheel pairs. Still, Trumpeter did not include poly caps to secure the wheels (including the idler) in place and they need to be glued to the suspension arms. The sprocket fits well in place and can still be rotated despite not having poly caps. Trumpeter dd not specify how many links were needed to complete the track run although I found that you need 91-93 by counting the links in the illustration. I however, follow a fellow modeller's advice of  'as many as it takes', especially considering that the T-62 has 'dead' tracks. Speaking of dead tracks, it was quite hard to achieve a convincing sag as the tracks are not workable. However they are still better than the rubber band type. Some weathering work was done on the upper run of the track before the fenders were put in place. I was thinking of adding fuel lines for the fender-mounted tanks but scrapped the idea as I have run out of brass  (and even plastic) rods.

For the turret, like the the earlier parts of the build, Trumpeter has you build up the sub-assemblies and this time I stick to the instructions. Afterwards, various holes were drilled into the turret shell. Some of the holes need to be drilled from the outside, no problems really but the locations were not cleanly marked. Then Parts L4, B46, B56 and G9 were cemented into place they location would be inaccessible once the lower part of the turret is in place. The various fittings and the earlier turret sub-assemblies where then cemented to the turret. The tie-downs to the right of the ammo ejector port were placed a bit further than the one in instructions, according to photos of the real T-62. For the thingie at the back of the turret (loader's machine travel bracket?), I used the plastic instead of the PE assembly. To ease painting, the KTD box was left off at this time. I used the turned metal barrel while the covered mantlet was used. (Note: the parts number for the mantlet was reversed in the instructions). Part B22 however did not fit the metal barrel at all and I had to make a small cut at the 6 o'clock position to make it fit.

Painting and Decalling

The tracks were painted AK Interactive Track Primer while still on the sprue. After they were assembled, an application of the same company's Track Wash was used. As for the main colour, Trumpeter  still has Tamiya's XF-20 Medium Grey as 'Light Green'. Anyway, the actual colour for post-World War 2 Soviet tanks is named 'Zashchitniy Zeleno'. I do not have this particular colour and had to look for alternatives. My usual choice of Tamiya XF-65 Field Grey has run out some time before (and my usual hobby shop did not stock that particular colour). Browsing the internet, I found that XF-67 NATO Green can also be used for post-war Soviet tanks. I do have this colour but I chuckled at the irony of using a paint named "NATO Green' on a Soviet tank model! Anyway after the base paint has cured, a lighter layer of the green was applied to raised and ópen' areas. The decals were applied next. Although Trumpeter a 'number jungle', I just used '720' as in the instruction as it has already pre-arranged on the decal sheet. I also added the tactical markings although it was not mentioned in the instructions.

Finishing

Not much was actually done at this time. I just cemented the AA MG on the loader's hatch, gun cleaning rod onto the engine deck, the spare ammo boxes on the right-hand side of the turret and the log and the spare track on the rear lower hull panel. The model then received the usual wash using stuff from AK Interactive. The same stuff was also used to create the streaking effect. The model then received an overall layer of 'dust', which was created using highly diluted Tamiya XF-57 Buff. The lower hull and the running gear then received sprinklings and dabbings of WWP Aqualine Brown Mud to represent dried mud on the model. A bit of variation to the weathering was done using AK Interactive Earth Effects Wash. The commander's hatch was glued in the open position (earlier on) as I wanted to have a figure in it. I chose the one with the right hand against the headphone. The guy is just given a basic painting step as I am not good in painting figures. The model then received an overall coating of Flat Clear to finish the build.

Conclusion

Trumpeter's 1/35 kit is a very nice scale rendition of the T-62. Sure, it has some shortcomings especially the angle of the rear plate against the engine and the angled loader's hatch (it should perpendicular with the commander's hatch), but it was way better than the old Tamiya T-62. I don't have the rest of the T-62s in the series although I believe they all share the same problems. Nevertheless they are not deal breakers and can be safely ignored by the out-of-the box crowd (the straight rear plate is more or less hidden/disguised by the external fuel tanks and the log).

турбинный таик!

Historical Background

The T-80 series of Soviet and its successor states' MBTs can trace its origins to turbine-powered tanks proposals designed by one A. Ch. Starostienko for Leningrad Kirovsky Zavod (LKZ) in 1949. The tanks were never built because of very poor quality turbine engines of the time. In 1955, two prototypes were built at the same plant utilising 1,000 hp turbine engines by a team led by one G.A. Oglobin. Two years later, a team led by Josef Kotin constructed two prototypes of Obyekt 278 heavy tank, which were hybrids of the IS-7 and T-10 tanks, powered the GTD-1 turbine engine. Although weighing 53 tons and armed with a 130mm gun, the tank can reach a top speed of 57 km/h. It's range was poor however, due to high fuel consumption. The project was not resumed, not because of economic considerations, but also because of the death of Stalin in 1953 precluded any further work on heavy tanks.

In 1963, the Malyshev Factory in Kharkov, designed a variant of the T-64 tank dubbed the T-64T, powered by 700-hp GTD-3TL turbine engine and was tested until 1965. At the same time, the Uralvagonzavod factory created Obyekt 167T tank, powered by an upgraded (801 hp) GTD-3T turbine. In 1969, another team from LKZ, led by Nikolai Popov, designed a turbine-powered tank designated Obyekt 219 SP1, using the new GTD-1000T multi-fuel gas turbine developed at KB-3 of the LKZ since 1968. It was later renamed T-64T. The increased weight and dynamic characteristics of the more powerful engine than previously used required a complete redesign of the drivetrain and tracks. This resulted in Obyekt 219 SP2 with larger road wheels and return rollers while the road wheels was increased to six (from five previously). The turret was modified to use the same compartment, the 2A46 125mm gun and the autoloader as the T-64A tank. In 1976, Obyekt 219 SP2 was accepted for service as the T-80.

The T-80 has a similar layout with the T-64 with the driver at the front centre of the low, highly sloped hull. The two-man turret has the commander located to the right and the gunner to the left. Apart from welded steel RHA and laminate armour, the sides and the lower hull of the T-80 were protected by rubber flaps and skirts against infantry anti-tank weapons. Power from the engine was transmitted through a manual transmission system with five forward and one reverse gears. The hydropneumatic suspension of the T-64 was replaced with the conventional torsion bar system. The 125mm 2A46 gun was similar to the one arming the T-64 and was loaded using the Korzina automatic loader. While reliable, the system took between 7.1 to 19.5 seconds to load, depending on the initial position of the ammunition carousel.

In 1978, the improved T-80B was introduced. This model featured a new turret, laser rangefinder, fire-control system and a new autoloader. This allowed the B model to fire 9M112 Kobra (NATO AT-8 Songster) anti-tank missiles (and later supplanted by the 9M119 Refleks / AT-11 Sniper missile). In 1980, a new SG-1000 engine rated at 1,100 hp was fitted. In 1982, the B variant received a new gun and in 1985, fittings for explosive reactive armour (ERA) blocks were received. In the same year, Kontakt-1 ERA blocks were fitted to the T-80B, resulting in the T-80BV. The smoke grenade launchers were relocated to the sides of the turret to make way for the ERA bricks. On the front of the turret, the ERA blocks are joined to form a shallow chevron. ERA is also fitted to the front roof of the turret to protect against top-attack weapons such as the Swedish RBS-56 BILL and the BGM-71F version of the TOW missile. While giving additional protection against HEAT rounds, the Kontakt-1 ERA was not effective against APDS and APFSDS rounds. Further development resulted in the T-80U series. Ukraine pursued further development of the T-80, resulting in the diesel-powered T-80UD and the T-84.

Between 1986 through 1987, 2,256 T-80/T-80B/T-80BV were stationed in East Germany and by the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, 4,839 T-80s of all variants were operated by the Soviet Army. Their high speed and powerful armament led concerns in the NATO, leading towards the increase of the development of attack helicopters and anti-tank guided weapons. However, instead of leading the Soviet drive to the Bay of Biscay, they were first deployed during the political and economic turmoil in Russia in the early 1990s. They were first deployed in August 1991 during the attempted coup by hard-line communists and their allied military commanders against Mikhail Gorbachev. T-80UDs of the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division drove onto the streets of Moscow but the crews' refusal to fire on the crowds and the parliament resulted in the failure of the coup. In 1993, during the Russian constitutional crisis, T-80UDs of the same Division was called upon by president Boris Yeltsin. Six tanks of the 12th Guards Tank Regiment took positions on the bridge opposite the Moscow White House and fired on it.

The true test for the T-80 only came during the First Chechen War. However, they were used in the effort to capture Grozny, a task unsuitable for MBTs and suffered accordingly. The tank crews were inexperienced, whereas the Chechens were mostly veterans of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The T-80s used in the campaign were either baseline T-80B models without ERA blocks or having their ERA blocks empty. Furthermore RPG shots were aimed at the weakest part of the armour. Some tanks suffered catastrophic explosions when the ready rounds in the vertical carousel exploded after contacting the molten jet stream from a HEAT warhead. The T-80 performed so poorly, in that General-Lieutenant A. Galkin, the Head of Armour Directorate, convinced the Ministry of Defence never to procure gas-turbine tanks. In all 225 tanks were destroyed. But the Russians learnt the lesson and the T-80s only gave support to infantry from a safe distance during the Second Chechen War. Nevertheless, the high operating cost of the T-80 precluded its use in subsequent conflicts.

Unlike the T-64, the T-80 was exported to a number of countries, including South Korea (as payment for Soviet-era debt), Egypt, Cyprus, Pakistan and Yemen.  

The Kit

As part of Trumpeter's wave of Soviet/Russian AFV kits, the T-80BV was released together with the baseline T-80B in 2013. The parts were laid across 27 plastic sprues (including 1 clear), two PE frets, the turret shell, the lower hull, a length of braided copper wire plus a decal sheet. No turned metal barrel was included. The parts look well-moulded and based on my experience with the T-64, should have a good fit. Unlike the T-64 however, Trumpeter provided certain parts in plastic as an alternative to PE parts. The turret frontal ERA blocks, a scourge on the already less accurate Dragon kit of the 1990s are of multi-part assembly. While more involved, they should be of better placement. There are a few errors in the instructions and instead of adding an errata sheet, Trumpeter sticked on the revised instuctions where approrpiate. Decals provide markings for four vehicles, all without description:

1. 410, Green (probably during the Soviet era);

2. 41, Green, Tan, Black (current, usually seen during parades)

3. 703, Green, Sand, Grey (probably during the withdrawal of the former GSFG)

4. 210, Green, Black, Grey (current)

Construction

As usual, construction started at the lower hull. The first step is concerned with wheel assembly but I skipped them and go straight for the lower hull. At a first glance, the lower hull featured a lot of detailing and as work commenced it sure involved quite a lot of work: the shock absorber alone consists of five plastic and one brass PE parts, and there are six of them. To save time, I used plastic alternatives instead of PE parts where applicable. Small details on the entrenching blade were left off as they would be hidden by the dust flap. And talking about the latter, Trumpeter provided them in plastic and vinyl. Also, the return rollers were not cleaned up as they would also be hidden behind the RPG skirting. The suspension arms, although having positive alignment tab, were quite loose and I managed NOT to line up the wheels properly. As per my usual style, the lower hull and the wheels were painted at this time (with the wheels still on the sprue). The paint were touched-up after the wheels had come off the sprue. Also, only the outside wheels have their seam lines cleaned up.

Work on the upper hull started by drilling 28 holes into the front glacis plate. This was followed by adding small details onto the plate and once done, the ERA blocks. The holes drilled to fit most of the blocks were symmetrical so you have to make sure the orientation of the blocks before cementing them (I got the main block (part M15), the other way round initially). The completed upper hull was then cemented to the lower hull pan. The engine deck was next. Nothing unusual here except that the mesh for the air intakes were of separate panels, creating extra work. Before proceeding any further, the tracks were assembled and painted. The guide teeth were separate so I add them to the link before joining them together. Again, I got lazy and left the upper run of the track altogether. The fenders were then assembled. Trumpeter provided an option for the mud flaps - styrene or vinyl. I chose the former as the vinyl alternative in my example were deformed. The ERA blocks for the side skirts were of the 'minimal', rather than the 'full option' variety.  

Work on the turret can now commence. As with the T-64, the turret shell was completed first, together with the barrel for the co-axial machinegun. The right-hand side ERA bricks were tackled first. These consist of five pairs of blocks with separate bottoms (presumably to avoid sink marks) with a PE part in between so that the bricks be propped up at the proper angle. They are marked I to V and I found it easier if one worked backwards i.e. V to I. Because of my sloppy handling the wedges aren't really straight. The left-hand ERA wedges were less tedious as most of the were moulded as one and as most would be hidden and just for structural integrity, only the outermost and the middle PE spacers were put in place. The rest of the left cheek ERA bricks are still separate however but they went on easier. The barrel is a two-piece affair with hard-to clean seam lines. Also, like the T-64, there are two mantlet covers, this time I use the raised one. The boxes mounted on the snorkel were placed at roughly 45-degree angle as many photos show them in this position or fully horizontal and not vertical as in the kit instructions. Certain other items were left aside at this time to facilitate painting.

Painting and Decalling

To simplify things and also as a throwback to the Cold War days, my T-80BV was painted green overall. The Trumpeter instructions once again mislabelled 'Light Green' as 'XF-20' (which was Medium Grey). For the green, I used Vallejo Air 71.017 4BO Green. The tracks were painted Vallejo Anthracite Grey and washed with Tamiya XF-72 JGSDF Brown. The RPG skirting was painted Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Grey. Although many photos show the unditching log being painted the same colour as the vehicle, I painted it using wood-y colours using XF-55 Deck Tan as base and afterwards, XF-64 was drybrushed onto it. The mantlet cover and the spent case container were painted XF-49 Khaki. Decaling was very simple as there were only five pieces. Each of the split two-digit number on the right-hand side of the turret shared a single carrier film so it's best to cut the film to avoid it bridging the gap between the ERA bricks on which they are located.

Finishing

I started by adding the dust skirt on the lower front hull. Like the mud flaps, Trumpeter provided two types of the skirt and this time I chose the vinyl alternative. The braided copper wire was then cut to recommended length but then I realised that 110mm was too long - it was too late as the wire has already been superglued to the cable ends. The unditching log was then secured to its place, followed by the external fuel tanks.The rest of 'things around the turret' were then added and the joint scar retouched. The commander's cupola is a mini-kit and was assembled and painted separately with the basic cupola and the NSVT mount being cemented together before the rest of the assembly. One comment here: the commander's sight is solid plastic and I have to use gloss blue/black to simulate glass. The model was then given the usual wash treatment. The whole of the model was then given a thin coat of XF-57 Buff (double coating for the lower extremities). Afterwards a rather thin application of Vallejo Thick Mud was applied to the running gear and lower hull and was then washed with AK Interactive Earth Wash, finishing the build.

Conclusion

I had the old Dragon T-80BV (marketed as T-80 with ERA) years ago and comparing the experience of building the two kits, it goes without much dliberaration that the newer Trumpeter kit was hands down the winner. Sure, there is no such thing as a perfect kit but I have a way much better experience in building this kit. The only 'downside' (if one decides to call it) was the mass of parts needed to assemble (although not as bad as some other companies' or even Trumpeter's other kits), besides I cheated! One particular thing though - the suspension arm should be absolutely be made having a proper fit as it was quite tough to line them up straight and level. A bit more caution should also be exercised when assembling the right-hand side turret ERA blocks as they might not be symmetrical at the end of assembly. Otherwise the kit is very nice.

A Revolutionary Armour

Historical Background

By the early 1960s, the T-54/55 family was a rugged and proven design. However, realising the Western armies were catching up and that the T-54/55 family have come to the end of their development potential (being based on World War 2 ideas and concepts). A new design team at Nizhny Tagil was designing the rather revolutionary (as it was designed with a smoothbore gun) T-62 to adress the issues. At the same time, Alexander Morozov, chief engineer of the T-54/55 moved to the KMDB bureau in Kharkov. Studies have begun in 1951 and the KB-60M team led by Morozov came up with Obyekt 430, with three prototypes built. The new design was radical by using a compact opposed-piston engine with two lateral gears on each side. It also has a new suspension featuring lightweight, small-diameter road wheels and tracks with rubber joints. However the armament was the same D-54TS 100mm gun as the T-55 and the glacis armor was kept at 120mm. As it did not present clear superiority over the T-55, production was not pursued and worked commenced on a newer design, Obyekt 432.

Obyekt 432 was armed with a smoothbore 115mm D-68 gun and replaced the human loader with an elctro-hydraulic automatic loading system. This risky feature allowed a smaller internal space which in turn lowered the silhouette (by 76mm) and consequently the weight (from 36 tonnes in Obyekt 430 to 30.5 tonnes). The capture of an Iranian M60, armed with the L7 / M68 105mm gun resulted in the adoption of composite armour. Although raising the overall weight to 34 tonnes, it was compensated by installing a more powerful (700 hp) 5TDF engine. Morozov considered Obyekt 432 worthy of production and gave the greenlight after the tank prototype was unveiled in September 1962 and successfully passed all tests. The production line was set up in 1963 and the tank was redesignated T-64 after the year of its introduction into service. The T-64 was considered a better tank than the T-62, with regards to greater mobility and protection.

Even as the first T-64s were just rolling off the assembly line, the design team has already begun work on Proyekt 434. This would be armed with the new and more powerful D-81T 125mm smoothbore gun derived from the towed 2A45 anti-tank gun (and given the GRAU index 2A46). The larger gun would mean a low ammunition load (just 25 rounds and unacceptable by the authorities) but the dimensional parameters did not allow the designers to enlarge the design. Therefore the autoloader was retained (although using a new 6ETs10 design), allowing 28 rounds to be carried. The gun was also equipped with a 2E23 3-plane stabiliser coupled to a TPD-2-1 sight. A TPN-1-43A periscope for night driving was provided for the driver while a L2G infrared projector was mounted co-axially to the left of the gun for night fighting. Armour was modified and spring-loaded plates ('gill armour') were mounted along the mudguards. Some small storage spaces were created along the turret while the snorkel was mounted to the rear of the turret. Hatches were widened and an NBC system was installed. Prototypes were tested in 1966-1967 and production of the type, known as T-64A was started in 1968 after 600 T-64s were built. Morozov was awarded the Lenin Prize for his work and the T-64A also influenced the cheaper T-72 design.

Designed for elite formations, the T-64A underwent a first round of modernisation in 1971-72. The fire-control system was upgraded, replacing the original sights with a TPD-2-49 day sight incorporating an optical coincidence rangefinder and a TPN-1-49-23 night sight and stabilisation using a 2E26 system. Night vision was provided courtesy of TBN-4PA (for the driver) and TNP-165A (for the commander) night vision equipment. The commander was also provided with a 12.7mm NSVT AA machinegun, which can be remotely controlled through a PZU-5 sight. The T-64AK command version was also introduced during that period. Work beginning in 1973 with Obyekts 476 and 477 ended with the 'B' variant of the T-64 in 1976. The T-64B has a more powerful engine and the ability to fire ATGMs through the main gun tube. Both versions underwent  other modernisation cycles until production ended in 1987. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine, which now controls the factory in the renamed city of Kharkiv, continue the development of the type, resulting in the T-64BM Bulat.

Despite being produced since 1963, the T-64 family only entered formal service in 1967 with the 41st Guards Tank Division in the Kiev Military District. As a tank with various new technologies, teething problems were anticipated and it was prudent that they were based near the factory for technical support. As the Soviets' most modern tank at the time, they were concentrated in East Germany and Hungary in anticipation of war with NATO. They were not deployed during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan although it was possible that some were tested there. T-64s of the 59th Guards Motor Rifle Division saw limited combat experience during the crisis in Moldova in 1992 and they may also got involved in Chechnya. T-64s were finally used in a larger scale during the Ukrainian Civil War in 2014 when the Ukrainian forces were deployed against pro-Russian separatists. Due to the high price tag and the high technology used, the T-64 was never exported by the Soviet Union. Post-Cold War, Russia still operates around 2,000 T-64s. Ukraine has 1,500 (900 of them were in storage for reserve and export) of which 100 are of the latest T-64M Bulat standard. Other ex-Soviet Union users include Kazakhstan and formerly, Belarus. The T-64 were also used by emerging small states such as Transnistria and Donetsk Peoples' Republic. In 2014, The Democratic Republic of the Congo received T-64BV from Ukraine, so far becoming the only non-CIS nation to operate the tank.  

The Kit

In 2012, Trumpeter came up with the first of their T-64 family, dubbed 'T64' Mod 1972. I put the quote marks as this kit is actually T64A Mod 1972. The 550 or so parts were spread among  20 light grey and 1 clear plastic trees, 1 soft vinyl tree (which, rather inexplicably, includes the unditching log), a one-piece hull and turret, three small frets of PE, a metal barrel and the usual decal and instruction sheets. At least some of the PE parts have no plastic originals, PE is all you have. The tracks are of the link-and length variety although trumpeter do have a separately available workable separate track links. There are two styles of mantlet covers : one for 0 angle and the other at a slight elevation. Build options allow two versions : with ('Estate 1') or without ('Estate 2') the commander's MG (Cookie Sewell mentioned that the those are Model 1972 and 1969 respectively but added that a bit more work need to be done other than simply adding or leaving the machinegun). The decals provide a pair of Guards badges, five sets of numbers and pairs of numbers 0 to 9. There is just one colour option.

Construction

While studying the instructions prior to assembly, I noticed that there are a number of unassigned slots on the lower hull sides. The instructions didn't mention anything about them but I guess it has something to do with other versions of the T-64 (mounting for the bracing struts of skirts, perhaps?). They were duly filled and sanded off. While a review site mention that the axles fit loosely inside their slots, I found that they are not and fit positively. The mud scrapers are PE and Trumpeter provided a template to bend them into shape. No problems here although I got disoriented while looking at the diagram (that's what you get when building the model at 11.30 p.m) which also resulting in Parts B17, B18 and B25 initially cemented the other way round. Rather than continuing with the wheels and tracks, I decided to do the upper hull first. This also means that Parts B26 would be left off at this time.

Before cementing the upper hull plate, three holes need to be bored in first. The mass of indents underneath the upper hull plate means you have to study the diagram a bit before committing your drill bit. The upper hull plate did not really fit well to the lower hull tub, but I just need to apply a bit of a pressure for a clean fit. The fittings on the front glacis plate were then cemented onto it but I left the towing clamps off for the time being (BTW, the kit only provides towing eyes but not the tow cable itself, which needed to be sourced from elsewhere). The three thingies on the engine deck are made of vinyl and one one of the suffered from slight deformation. Parts PE-B11 and -B12 were left off at this time as I found they could be knocked out easily during handling. Although not mentioned in the instructions, Part B24 (2 pieces) were added onto the engine deck. Areas soon under PE screens were painted Flat Black before the screens were added.

I decided to use the long-range fuel tanks, thus parts PE-A13 and D14 were used. Instructions for the assembly of the tanks were not included so I resorted to the internet (using the instructions for other Trumpeter T-64 kits). Before adding the wheels and tracks, I decided to add a basic mud mixture to the lower hull at this time as it would be easier without the wheels in the way (although the smaller wheel of the T-64 could make it easier even when already cemented to the suspension). Only afterwards the wheels were joined and placed on the suspension. Although no polycaps were provided, friction kept most of the road wheels in place while the loose ones were cemented. And as per my usual MO, the tracks were painted first before being snipped off the sprue tree.There were no real issues with the tracks with just a real minor clean-up problem.

Work on the turret was started by removing details on the turret roof and drilling a number of holes into the turret shell. While most manufacturers mould shallow holes to mark the areas to be drilled, Trumpeter have them in the shape of faint raised ridges (perhaps because the dome-shaped turret makes it harder to mould the indents inside the turret shell?). BTW the decision whether to finish the model with or without the commander's NSVT machine gun would have to be made at this time as each version have different details to be removed. The sub-assemblies such as the turret-mounted boxes, the main searchlight, station-keeping light and the snorkel were tackled first and they were then set aside. The 'straight' mantlet cover was used and the turned metal barrel was chosen. However, part PE-A19 cannot be slipped over the muzzle. The trick I learned and used in my AFV Club Centurion model cannot be used here as the fume extractor  is moulded together with the barrel and any horrible cut cannot be hidden as with the Centurion. So, it was left off. The rest of the turret fitiings, PE parts and the sub-assemblies were then cemented to the turret. The holes I drilled earlier turned out to be out of alignment, resulting in a rather asymmetric position of the boxes. Trumpeter also didn't mention that there are two types of the searchlight arms, to be used in conjunction with the mantlet cover selected.

Painting and Decalling

The instructions, like Hobby Boss's ZTZ-96, puzzlingly suggests Tamiya's XF-20 Medium Grey to represent dark green! Instead I used XF-65 Field Grey (which is green) instead of XF-20. This was followed by the regular wash process. The tracks were painted a base of XF-64 Red Brown and accented with AK Interactive Track Wash. The model then received the regular wash treatment. For markings, they are rather bland (as befitting the Soviet tanks of the Cold War era). Trumpeter provided five number sets and a 'number jungle' for those to fancy their own selection of three digits. Also available are two Guards badges. For my kit, the factory worker generously provided an 'extra' decal sheet for my spares stash! Anyway I chose number 576 and ignored the Guards badges as they were usually applied during parades only.

Finishing

Despite its shortcomings, I had to use the kit-supplied unditching log. It was painted a base of XF-55 Deck Tan and dry-brushed with Vallejo Camouflage Medium Brown. The NSVT machinegun, which remain separate from the mount until now was cemented. Graphite from a pencil was rubbed onto the machinegun to get that 'metallic' look. As Trumpeter did not include the towing cables, the spares box was raided again, using a leftover string while the cable eyelets came from the kit (it's a mystery why Trumpeter only gives you the eyelets only). Although two cables were made, I only used one at the end. Some paint scratches were made using Tamiya XF-11 JN Green and oil/fuel spills were made using X-19 Smoke. The lower hull and the tracks were then slathered with Vallejo thick mud and when dry, AK Interactive Earth Effects was applied. The turret was then put in place. It was a tight fit but it means that I wouldn't have to worry about the turret falling off in a mishap! 

Conclusion

Trumpeter's T-64A Model 1972 is a good kit with not many problems encountered while building it. While the kit itself is all right, the instructions is slightly confusing with a few mislabelled and unmarked parts - perhaps not a problem for a seasoned modeller but can be a bit confusing to newcomers. The instructions also omitted steps to assemble and install the long-range tanks, but in the age of information, you can go to certain websites which have instructions from other Trumpeter T-64 kits to use as guide. Other negative points include the rubbery unditching log - with soft surface details unlike the regular styrene type.

Stalin's Iron Falcons

Historical Background

With the tide of war turning against the Axis Powers in 1943, Soviet engineers can now devote their work to develop an indigenous turbojet of their own design in order to catch up with the West. To help the indigenous jet engines move along, captured German BMW 003 and Jumo 004 engines were used as basis. These engines, developed under shortages in wartime Germany were unable to generate thrusts of more than 2,500 lb. While the engines (now designated RD-20 and RD-10 respectively) were used to power the Soviet's first-generation jet fighters - the Yak-15 and the MiG-9, they were more seen as developmental efforts rather than 'proper' jet fighters. Mikhail Khrunichev, the Soviet aviation minister and Alexander Yakovlev suggested to Stalin that the USSR buy the conservative but fully mature Rolls-Royce Nene from the UK to conserve development time but was rebuffed by Stalin as he did not believe anyone would sell their secrets to the Soviets. Nevertheless Stalin gave his consent to the proposal and a delegation which include Vladimir Klimov and  Artem Mikoyan travelled to London to request the engines.

To the Soviets' surprise (especially Stalin), the British Labour government of the day, specifically the Minister of Trade, Sir Stafford Cripps, was perfectly willing to provide technical information and a license to manufacture the Nene. Sample engines, together with blueprints were duly purchased and brought back home. After evaluation and adaptation to Russian conditions, the Nene was manufactured as the Klimov RD-45. To take advantage of the new engine, the Council Of Ministers ordered Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB to build two prototypes of high-altitude day interceptor. German research and experience during the war years showed that swept wings would give better performance at transonic speeds and with the wealth of German documents captured at the end of World War 2, the MiG design incorporated that particular feature, among others, for their I-310 prototypes. The I-310 has 35° wing and tail sweep with two wing fences on each wing to improve airflow over the wings. The RD-45 was fed by a split-forward air intake. It made its first flight on 30 December 1947, demonstrating excellent performance, proving itself superior to the rival Lavochkin La-15 design.

The MiG was approved for mass production and was designated MiG-15. Entering service in 1949, it was given the NATO ASCC reporting name of 'Fagot' (meant to be 'a bundle of sticks' rather than the 'other' meaning; and it was originally intended to be given the name 'Falcon'). The MiG-15 was originally intended to intercept large American bombers such as the B-29. To ensure the destruction of such a large target, the MiG-15 was armed with two 23mm and a single 37mm cannons. These weapons provided tremendous firepower in the interception role but the low rate of fire and the low muzzle velocity made it more difficult to shoot at the more maneuverable fighters. The cannons also have different ballistics trajectory making aiming difficult and subjecting the UN fighter pilots in Korea the sight of 23mm rounds passing over and the 37mm rounds passing beneath their aircraft. Although the RD-45 have excellent performance, it was quite a gas guzzler while having a short service (reputedly less than 100 hours). Klimov came up with the improved VK-1 generating 5,952 lb of thrust (legally speaking, the VJ-1 and the RD-45 were illegal copies of the Nene but the Soviets claimed that they had re-engineered the engines to the extent that they are now indigenous Soviet designs). This plus a number of small upgrades, including a more closely placed 23mm cannons resulted in the MiG-15bis ('second'), Although overall an excellent machine, the MiG-15 was not without shortcomings. Its lack of an 'all-flying' tail meant that it cannot exceed Mach 0.92 where flight controls become ineffective. Additionally, it tended to spin after a stall and the pilot was often unable to recover.

The MiG-15 first saw action during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War when the Soviets sent the 50th IAD to the Chinese Communists aid in February 1950. On 28 April 1950, a Captain Kalinikov scored the first kill for the MiG-15 - a P-38 Lightning of the Kuomintang. When the Korean War erupted about two months later, the KPAF, equipped with World War 2-era Soviet prop fighters was completely overwhelmed with the numerical and qualitative superiority of the USAF using the F-80 Shooting Star and the F-84 Thunderjet. The 50th IAD was transferred to the northeast of China and back in the Soviet Union, pilots were recruited to serve in Korea. Volunteers had to be under 27 years old and preference was given to World War 2 veterans. They formed the 29th Guards IAD. Although widely suspected by the West and constantly denied by the Soviets, the end of the Cold War finally revealed the role played by the Soviets. The pilots wore Chinese uniforms or civillian clothings. Cards with common flying terms in Korean (and spelt phonetically in Cyrillic) was issued to them. They were also prohibited from flying over enemy-held territory where they might be shot down and captured, thus revealing the Soviets' participation. The aircraft was also painted in Chinese and North Korean markings.

On 1 November 1950, eight MiGs intercepted 15 F-51Ds, shooting down one of the Mustangs. On the same day, another three MiGs intercepted around 10 F-80s and 1st Lieutenant Semyon F. Khominich scored the first jet-to-jet kill when he shot down 1st Lt. Frank van Sickle's F-80. The presence of the MiGs also forced the B-29s to operate during the night. However, on 9 November, the MiGs suffered their first loss when Captain Mikhail F. Grachev was shot down by an F9F Panther piloted by Lt. Commander William T. Amen from USS Philippine Sea. To counter this threat, three squadrons of North American F-86 Sabres were rushed to the theatre. More experienced units were sent by Stalin including the 324th IAD commanded by Col. Ivan Kozhedub, the Allies' highest-scoring ace during World War 2. Records show that the 64th IAK (the parent MiG organisation in Korea) shot down 647 F-86s, 185 F-84 Thunderjets, 118 F-80s, 28 F-51s, 11 F-94s, 65 B-29s, 26 Meteors and 17 various other aircraft. 659 were lost, mainly to Sabres and with the Americans' claimed loss of 78 Sabres, the kill : loss ratio was around 6:1 in favour of the F-86. Nevertheless, the highest scoring ace of the Korean War was not Col. Joseph C. McConnell (16 victories) as previously believed but Colonel Yevgeny Pepelyaev with 22.5 kills.

Although a few damaged Sabres were salvaged for evaluation, the USAF wanted an intact example and initiated Operation Moolah, offering a reward of US$100,000 and political asylum to pilots who defected with their MiG-15. On 5 March 1953, Franciszek Jarecki brought his plane to Denmark where his plane was inspected by American specialists before the aircraft was returned to the Poles. The more celebrated defector was No Kum-Sok, who landed his MiG at the Kimpo Air Base on 21 September 1953. The plane was thoroughly inspected and tested, including by Chuck Yeager, who reported the MiG's dangerous handling faults. The MiG-15 was also used to intercept Western reconnaissance aircraft and other conflicts such as in the Middle East and between Taiwan and China where it suffered the distinction of being the first victim of the Sidewinder missile in 1958. The MiG-15 was widely exported (and license built as the S-102/S-103 (Czechoslovakia) and Poland (Lim-1/ Lim-2). Apparently over 18,000 was built, making it the most-produced jet fighter of all time.

The Kit

There have been a number of MiG-15 kits in 1/72 scale but they are either inaccurate or no longer available. The best available before the Eduard MiG-15 was Hobby Boss's. They are good but a bit simplified. Eduard came up with their family of MiG-15s in 2014, initially releasing the baseline MiG-15 and followed by the bis. As per their usual practice, the simplified 'Weekend Edition' followed not long after. Simplified it may be, but for Eduard aficionados and modellers in general, it just meant that the PE, resin (if any) and masks are not included and the choice of markings reduced to just one (or two). This allows modellers inexperienced with the said media  (or loath them) to still enjoy their kits as the basic styrene parts are well-detailed and moulded. This particular kit has 74 parts in grey plastic, 7 parts in clear plastic, Eduard's Super Fabric seat belts and a small decal sheet. Parts for the basic MiG-15 was included but one cannot be made as some bis parts were already moulded / engraved (such as the airbrakes). The decal sheet provide markings for 'Yellow 30' (ex Red 1976) in the mid-1950s.

Construction

As usual work started at the pilot's office and as usual I painted the parts while still on the sprue. They were painted according to Eduard's directions of mainly Gunze 308 Light Ghost Grey with Flat Black upholstery and the top of the control stick and blue for a detail on the cockpit floor. The cockpit details was then enhanced with a dark grey wash. My copy of the kit must be of a later batch as the instructions showed the seat belts (the ones on the internet I have seen lacked it in the instructions) although there is no mention on how to apply them - I managed to do so by checking out Eduard's website. It should be gently removed from the backing paper using a sharp blade and a pair of tweezers and sticking them using white glue. Although without PE detailing, it may be a blessing in disguise as the Profipack version have the pre-painted PE in Russian cockpit blue-green whereas MiG-15s have their cockpit painted grey. The nose wheel well was assembled and cemented to the front of the cockpit where care has to be given else it might not align with the fuselage bottom. The cockpit tub was then cemented together. I couldn't find suitable weight to fit in the designated area so I crammed as much plasticine as I can inside the cavity.

At the back of the plane, Eduard provided a two-piece exhaust shaft  with a bulkhead already moulded with a rear end of a jet turbine (to avoid the see-through effect while having some detail). They were painted Burnt Iron although I shouldn't have bothered painting the whole length of the thing. before the fuselage halves were jointed, the interior walls were painted Gunze 8 Silver. The cockpit assembly and the exhaust assembly was cemented to the right half (and I think the exhaust assembly was handed). Caution: the rudder need to be cemented to either fuselage half before closing up (ask me how I found that). The fuselage fitted beautifully except at the front but it was nothing a clamp can't overcome. The instrument panel was then inserted into place. I used the flat face and decals option than the raised details as they looked way oversized while not having instrument face details. (As a matter of interest, the instrument face decal included a vertical white line slightly off centre - the line is there on the real aircraft as it was a reference point for pilots to shove their control stick against, should they got themselves into a spin)

The lower half of the nose is a separate piece to allow Eduard to mould the original and bis cannon arrangements separately and accurately and before it was cemented to the fuselage, more plasticine were crammed into the cavity. After the piece was securely in place, the nose / intake lip was assembled and cemented. Holes for the external fuel tank were drilled and the wing halves cemented together. The wings were then joined to the fuselage where I found that the fit was not good. Well, it's time for the filler then. The tailplanes however went on without any problems. I was thinking of cementing the cannons at this time but seeing how close they would be to the landing gears and that they may interfere while I work the gear and the doors, I left it for later. The two clear parts for the bottom of the fuselage was dry fitted at first, showing that the round one (the cover for the ARK-5 radio compass) having a rather poor fit and needed some sanding before it can fit in the recess.

Painting and Decaling

Although it was clearly stated in the diagram that the MiG is painted overall silver (specifically Mr. Color Super Metallic 'Super Fine Silver'), I suddenly had doubts whether it was actually silver, or bare metal or painted aluminium. After consulting various sources, I concluded that the MiGs were left in bare metal. However, I have run out of Tamiya AS-12 and so with a heavy heart, I sprayed Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf. The lower portion of the extreme nose is painted SM 04 Super Stainless - another colour I did not have at the time. However I believe that portion of the nose was reinforced to withstand the cannon blasts. I thus looked to photo references of MiG-19s, which have reinforced skin next to the cannon muzzles, for ideas and came up with my own concoction for that colour (which may or may not be accurate). There is no mention about the clear parts underneath the fuselage. So after hunting down pics on the internet, the clear rectangular part was painted over while the ARK-5 radio compass cover was left off as it is.

As mentioned before, there is just one marking scheme, a Korean War veteran back in Mother Russia in the mid-1950s. The scheme feature faded original Bort number 1976 and the North Korean insignia overlaid with the Soviet Red Star and new Bort number 30. Ideally, the original markings should be printed with lower colour density but Eduard have them in full colour and instructed the modeller to lightly overspray them before applying the newer markings. After giving some thoughts, I decided to have the model in the original markings only. After the decals have recovered from their setting solution bath, the panel lines were enhanced with AK Interactive Paneliner (I used the 'for blue and grey camouflage'). At this time I sort of have an idea of transforming the all-silver paint job into something that mimicked, more or less, a natural metal finish. Random panels were given washes or maybe something akin to a filter layer of aluminium, metallic grey, smoke (Tamiya X-19). It wasn't perfect of course but at least it gave that natural metal-ish look.

Finishing

As usual I started by fitting the landing gears first so that the model can stand on its own. It ended up with the tail on the worktable - not enough ballast in the nose! Thankfully the rear cockpit decking was not yet in place so I can fit some more plasticine in the cavity behind the cockpit. I also realized that the left wing have more anhedral than the right wing and the same goes with the right tail plane! The wing is not much of an issue as the model look balanced on its landing gear but the same cannot be said for the tail plane! Anyway, the finishing stage goes on and I drilled holes into Part B12 as photos of the real aircraft show it to be perforated. The final, more fragile parts were cemented after the drop tanks have been fitted - although the kit also provide slip-on style external tanks, only the finned type were used with different attachment pylons for variety.

Conclusion

The Eduard MiG-15 family definitely filled the void in 1/72 scale. While the Airfix and Hobby Boss kits are still available, the former still retain some inaccuracies while the latter was a bit simplified (although still accurate). The Eduard kit is well moulded with very nice surface detailing and although lacking the extras such as PE parts and paint masks, it still represents a value for money. Fit is generally very good although the hiccups I encountered may be purely as the result from my clumsiness. A must if you build and collect 1/72 jets due to its place in history. Now I'm off looking for its adversary, the Sabre.....