A man and his MiG. Don contemplates a 1/72 scale MiG-15.

Don's interests can perhaps best be described as "Mirages, MiGs, and Mach busters," since he has a great fondness for experimental and high speed aircraft, as well as jets of the Cold War, with historical spacecraft thrown in for good measure. As can be seen, Don works mostly in 1/72 scale. Don was also the recipient of a special Award of Merit for Most Improved Modeling Skills within the club for the year 2001 from our Illustrious President, Jamie Grant. Don can best describe his models himself.

Mirage IIIO, A3-81, 75^th Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force

(Heller, with major modifications)

G'Day, mates!

History

In 1958, the Australian Government began a search for a fighter plane to replace the CA.27 Sabre jet (an Australian version of the F-86 Sabre) and made a short list made up of the following planes: the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (which was chosen by many other lands, including Japan, Italy, West Germany, and Canada); the Republic F-105 Thunderchief (later used by the USAF in Vietnam); the Swedish Saab Draken; the English Electric Lightning (not to be at all confused with the P-38 Lightning of WWII); and the French Dassault Mirage III - the last one winning the competition.

The Australians at one point actually built a prototype of their Mirage III with an Australian-built Rolls-Royce engine that performed excellently but was abandoned due to the complexity of the non-standard vehicle and the then-advanced nature of the Mirage, so the Mirage IIIO was born and served with the RAAF until the 1980's.

I am unaware about whether the markings on this example were of a commemorative nature or for weapons or flight training purposes - as one can see here, this marking scheme would be completely impractical for combat!

The Model

This was basically an example of kit-bashing; in fact, it was a decalfest to the nth degree - the sources were from the original Heller kit, but also decal from a Super Scale Mirage decal sheet for Mirage IIIs and 5's. As well, the tactical numbers are from a railroad model decal sheet.

And there was some physical, non-decal kit-bashing, too. The missile railings and the missiles themselves came from an extremely unlikely source - an old Airfix MiG-21 "Fishbed-C" model kit. I took the railings and fashioned them into Mirage missile railings. The missiles were of a general type, so they needed no modifications.

References:

1) Dassault-Breguet Mirage III/5 by Salvador Mafé Huertas

2) Photos used as references courtesy of Scott Taylor, who pointed out the great Mirage IIIO coverage on Motty's Aircraft Pages and e-mailed them to me. (Thanks, Scott!)

Mirage IVA (Heller, France)

History

This was France's strategic bomber/strategic reconnaissance platform aircraft from which the French "Force de Frappe" (later named "Forces Aeriennes Strategiques") could launch its stand-off nuclear missiles. This aircraft, apparently, is a larger redesign of the Mirage III series of planes, with two side-by-side engines. According to the reference source I used for this model, these were due for retirement in 1996. Whether the type was retired or not is unknown to me.

The Model

I built it out of the box, except for the tube in the tailfin, the original having broken off. The front landing gear was TWO bears to build (even for landing gear parts!) due to a total lack of inner bracing in the two pieces; I had to melt a hole in the center of both halves (top and bottom) so that I could fit part of a metal twisite core so that it would stay together. I forget how much superglue I had to use to get the thing to remain assembled. I also decided to use the markings for the "AX" example out of a personal sense of humor that Americans would most likely understand (as opposed to other English-speaking lands, whose people spell the word "axe"). And, yes, these were the literal markings for a certain Mirage IV A.

Ugandan MiG-21MF "Fishbed J" (Fujimi)

History

This is an example of a MiG-21MF "Fishbed J" operated by the Ugandan Air Force during the regime of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Despite the fact that many published reports indicated that they operated the earlier MiG-21F-13 "Fishbed C", the Ugandans never did so; only the Fishbed J's were used. Even so, due to missing ignition devices, the Ugandans seldom used their MiG-21MFs at all.

The Model

This was, overall, an excellent kit to build. It was originally intended for a "box-to-build night and that meant it had to be assembled in one month. However, due to setbacks in the form of various illnesses, depression, and that old demon procrastination, it took six months. But I got it done anyway.

This Fujimi kit was called "African MiG" with markings not only for Uganda, but also Angola (which was on the cover of the box), Nigeria, and (in the form of national insignia only) Ethiopia, Zambia, and Mozambique.

I had added some copper wiring for the static dischargers on the wings and tail surfaces. Also, the IFF rods, as usual, were made of metal twistie cores.

J-7 I (Chinese-built MiG-21F-13), Red 044, Peoples Liberation Army air Force, 1/72 scale (Airfix, UK, with several modifications)

History

This is an example of an early Chinese-built MiG-21F-13. The People,s Republic of China, due to the disastrous Maoist policies of the bloody Cultural Revolution (which lasted from the mid-1960s until Chairman Mao Zedong's death in 1976), took a lot of time - more than they anticipated - in building Chinese-built prototypes. However, they finished the job and on 17 January 1966, test pilot Ge Wenrong flew the first Chinese-built MiG-21F-13, designated J-7 by Red China. The first J-7 Is were produced in limited quantities at the Chengdu factory by June 1967.

The J-7/F-7 variants of the MiG-21 differed from the bulk of the original Soviet versions because the Chinese-built types retained the port side guns while most of the Soviet MiG-21s had the left cannon deleted (except the "Fishbed Bs" and early "Cs").

This is an example of an early J-7 I.

The Model

I made extensive modifications to the original Airfix model. The modifications are as follows:

1) I put pieces of old walkman headphone speaker wires on the wingtips and tail to make the static dischargers.

2) I used my classic metal twist-tie cores for the IFF rods.

3) I used old parts for the radio altimeters under the wings.

4) I made both cannons that are on the J-7 line of fighter planes by melting hole in the fairings on the underside beneath the cockpit on both sides.

5) The decals of the PLAAF markings were prepared by Jim Botaitis. (Thanks, Jim!).

I painted the plane with Tamiya Color Silver Leaf lacquer spray paint and also used Testors aluminum and steel paints for panel lines. I gave the plane a wash with Tamiya Smoke paint. And, again, I wish to thank Jim Botaitis for supplying me with all six of the PLAAF insignia decals and those for the tactical numbers.

Reference:

MiG-21 Fishbed in action, page 19, by Don Linn & Don Spering

1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, Texas 75011-5010

ISBN 0-89747-290-X

"Korean War in the Air"

History of the displayed craft

When United Nations Forces went to fight against North Korea and, eventually, Red China, the U.N. coalition expected to tangle with variants of obsolete Soviet-built planes used in World War II. They thought wrong. North Korea and the Chinese had sent the then-modern MiG-15 into combat. This MiG gave the Communists control of the Korean skies early in the war. However, thanks to the incomparable F-86 and superior training, the American-led UN forces took back mastery of the air in this war, which was often a seesaw war. And, sadly, it was also viewed by many back in the USA as (in a very real way) a "who cares?" war.

1) F-86F Sabre (Heller, with some Hobbycraft decals - France)

The subject's history

This F-86 Sabre was flown by Major John Glenn, the same man who became the first American to orbit the Earth.

The Model

This 1/72 scale kit was essentially built "out-of-the-box", with the red part on the tail near the exhaust area made of a parts-number tag found on another kit. The decals were mostly from the Heller kit, except for a) the yellow-and-black bands on the wings and fuselage, and b) the "checkerboard markings" on the starboard side of the fin, which were taken from another copy of the same kit, same manufacturer. Tamiya Silver Leaf and Gloss Aluminum lacquer spray paints were used for the metal finish, along with Testors Steel Enamel paint on the gun area on both sides of the model. For other painted areas, either Testors or Model Master paints (both owned by Testors), as well as limited use of Humbrol enamel paints were used.

2) North Korean Jian J-2 (Chinese MiG-15bis, Dragon/DML Models , Hong Kong British control era)

In the early 1950s, the Americans were so desperate to obtain a MiG-15 in good running order that they dropped leaflets over North Korea, using a tactic as old as capitalism itself a promise of a huge cash reward to any North Korean pilot who would defect to the West and hand over his MiG-15.

And someone responded. On 21 September 1953, Lt. Ro Kim-Suk of the North Korean Air Force flew his plane to Kimpo Air Base near Seoul, South Korea. For his efforts, Lt. Ro got $100,000 US (which back then was a heck of a lot of $$$$!), and the US got its MiG-15. As Gomer Pyle would put it, "Cha-ching, Cha-ching, Cha-ching!" As an aside, this plane is now on display at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

The Model

When I built this 1/72 scale model kit, I used some metal twist-tie cores for the antenna rigging. I also used various types of Testors/Model Master Enamel paints for the details, and some Tamiya Gloss Aluminum lacquer spray paint. I also gave the plane a "wash" by dipping a brush into Tamiya Smoke Acrylic paint, then dipping the same brush into water, and applying it accordingly. This gives the MiG-15 model a "weathered" look.

North Vietnamese F-6/Chinese-built MiG-19 (Bilek -- Czech Republic)

History

This MiG-19 copy was an early Chinese F-6, which served with the North Vietnamese Air Force. This aircraft was used in the ground attack role.

The Model

I essentially built this 1/72 scale kit "out-of-the-box", except for the static dischargers on the wingtips. For those, I simply took old speaker wire from discarded Walkman headsets. Again, I used Tamiya Gloss Aluminum and Silver Leaf lacquer paints to get a paneled, natural metal finish.

It's a hard kit to build, but the recessed panel line detailing made up for that. Another Czech-based kit maker (no names, please!) used raised detailing on its MiG-19 kit, and that model is a "grizzly bear" to build. This one was, more or less, a "bear cub" to build.

Indo-Pakistani Conflict (or: MiG vs. MiG)

Ever since India and Pakistan gained independence from the British Empire in 1947, India and Pakistan have been at odds with each other, often resulting in war. India had obtained military help from the former Soviet Union, part of which was evident in their fighter jets especially in the MiG line of planes since the MiG-21. (In fact, India is the only non-Islamic export customer for the MiG-25 "Foxbat".) Pakistan, on the other hand, often purchased planes and other military equipment from the U.S., France, and especially The People's Republic of China.

These two aircraft have been used in fighting over the Indian sub-continent.

Pakistani F-6 (Chinese-built MiG-19), 1/72 scale KP, Czech Republic

History

This was an aircraft type often used in the conflicts that Pakistan waged with India. Chinese planes were always copies and/or modifications of Soviet aircraft. The Pakistanis made changes of their own to the MiG-19 and 21 line of aircraft, designated as the "F-6" and "F-7" series. This particular plane belonged to No. 15 "Cobras" Squadron of the No. 33 Wing based at Kamra, Pakistan.

The Model

This kit, even with the thing being a KP model, was a real grizzly bear to build. I made many modifications to this bird when I assembled it. Here are the modifications I made:

1) I placed the antenna mast on the port (left) side of the nose, making it a blade antenna.

2) I made the rear braking parachute housing from sprue and putty.

3) I drew the two red fuselage lines with a magic marker.

4) I painted the yellow inverted ejection seat warning triangle and used a standard warning decal for the inscription from another kit (source unknown).

5) I made the inner missile railings from heavy computer paper and the outer missile railings from ones in a Hasegawa F-5B kit.

6) The thing on the left side of the nose near the cockpit canopy was from my parts box.

7) When it comes to the decals, I used the Pakistani insignia from a Super Scale decal sheet. The tactical numbers were taken from another KP kit, this one being a MiG-15 kit. And the "Cobra" insignia was made by local decal maker Jim Botaitis. (Thanks, Jim!)

Indian MiF-12F-13, 1/72 scale (Airfix, UK)

History

Having developed closer ties to the USSR after gaining independence from the UK, the Indian government purchased plenty of military hardware from the Soviets. One of the things purchased was the MiG-21 "Fishbed" line of planes. The MiG-21F-13s were all Soviet-built, manufactured at the Znamya Truda plant. These early "Fishbed" examples, along with other variants of the MiG-21 sold to India, saw a great deal of use against Pakistani Chinese-built versions of MiGs.

The Model

This model was built entirely out of the box, except for the decals. I removed the IFF rods from the model, seeing that they were not on the plane in the photograph. The national insignia came from a Super Scale decal sheet, except for the fin flash of green and orange rectangles and the white line in the middle. The origins of the fin flash decals are unknown. However, the "BC 873" tactical number came from a Woodland Scene dry-transfer sheet. I painted the plane with either silver or aluminum paint (I forget what it was), and painted some of the panels with steel paint.

Reference source: MiG-21 'Fishbed:' The World's Most Widely Used Supersonic Fighter, page 35, by Yefim Gordon and Bill Gunston © 1996 by the authors. Aerofax, Midland Publishing Limited, Leicester, UK.

THE XB-70 TRILOGY

The following three Models, all in 1/72 scale, are based on a theme - the XB-70 and how they affected and/or were affected by the main model. Here are their histories and commentaries about the models themselves.

XB-70A-1 Valkyrie (AMT/ERTL)

History

In the 1950's the US military believed that the only way to deter a nuclear attack by the Soviets was via high speed/high altitude manned bombers. Around this time, the "manned bombers vs. missiles debate" raged hotly in military aviation circles, prompting some places like the UK to scrap great fighter planes in favor of near-complete reliance on guided missiles.

The XB-70 was designed as such a bombing platform that could fly at Mach 3 as its cruising speed. This was made possible by six massive GE YJ-93 turbojet engines with a thrust of 30,000 lbs. - PER ENGINE! - and by also utilizing a phenomenon called compression lift, that allowed the craft, when both wingtip panels are folded downward, to trap the plane's own supersonic shockwave and use it as propulsion like surfers ride a wave to the shore.

The Valkyrie was destined for production, but when the U-2 spyplane (see next entry) was shot down over the USSR on 1 May 1960, the US government downgraded the XB-70 to a research project. It did, however, take to the air in 1964, and test were conducted with one flight yielding a top speed of 2019 mph, or Mach 3.08.

Tragically, the plane's flying days literally came to a crashing halt on 8 June 1966 during a photo shoot of five aircraft with General Electric aircraft engines, the XB-70 being one of them. An F-104 Starfighter in the aerial display had apparently strayed too close to the XB-70's huge vortex made by its lowered wingtips, causing the Starfighter to crash into the Valkyrie. Only one of the XB-70 crewmen ejected safely; all others in both planes died.

This obviously caused a HUGE political firestorm in Washington (as if the US didn't already have ENOUGH on its political plate!). The crash resulted in the XB-70 project canceled outright and the remaining Valkyrie was flown to the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, where it remains to this day.

The Model

It was out-of-the-box, except for the stand, which my father helped me to build; it was made from Plexiglas, triangular plastic rods, and an old darning needle my mother said she never used and that I could use it for this. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

This kit was LITERALLY a labor of love - if I hadn't wanted an XB-70 trilogy in 1/72 scale badly enough, I would never have finished it! I forget how many scores of jars of Tamiya Gloss White acrylic paint I actually used to paint it. To fit the plane on its stand, I melted a hole in the underside of the model itself and mounted it onto the stand; it is removable for transport.

U-2 Spyplane, Article 360 (MPC/Airfix)

History

In 1960, U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, under orders from the CIA, made a reconnaissance overflight of the USSR to take photos for intelligence assessment purposes of the military capabilities (mostly missile strength) of the Soviet Union for the Western powers, especially the USA. The flight began from Pakistan and was supposed to have ended with a landing in Norway. However, his plane was shot down by guided missiles over Sverdlosk, USSR on 1 May 1960. This not only doomed the XB-70 to a lowered level as a research project (as mentioned in the previous XB-70 description), but also created a huge international controversy due to what came to be known as The U-2 incident and set back any and all real prospects of detente between the USSR and the USA for years.

The Model

It is essentially an "out-of-the-box" kit and the least troublesome of the kits. I added only part of a thumbtack (the stem) for an intake pipe. Also, the only decals I used were for the port ejection seat markings.

Reference:

U-2 SPYPLANE in action, by Larry Davis

1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, Texas 75011-5010 USA

ISBN 0-89747-202-0

MiG-25 "Foxbat" Red 31, Soviet Air Force (Hasegawa)

To all who believe that real freedom is the right/duty to be true to oneself - and who also, in one way or another, respect, encourage, and defend that right/duty for all others as well.

History

Seeing the possibility and potential danger of the XB-70 "Valkyrie" looming over the horizon, the Soviet Union knew they needed to develop an interceptor capable of taking it down if needed. However, they also knew they did not have the technology, wealth, and the materials - nor the time! - to use a Western approach of extended high-tech research and development approach. So they made do with what they had.

Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, the XB-70, thanks to the downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2 aircraft over Soviet territory, was canceled. And yet oddly enough, the USSR kept on developing the interceptor meant for that aircraft - the MiG-25, codenamed "Foxbat" by NATO. The prototype made its first flight around 1964, with the exact date still unknown. As soon as the West was made aware of the MiG-25's existence, with only its POTENTIAL known to them - or rather, what the West believed it could do - waves of concern swept the corridors of the Western powers' intelligence community due to rather erroneous assumptions about the Foxbats capabilities. It was believed at that time that it was a high-tech dog-fighter which normally operated at Mach 3+ speeds.

This MiG myth was perpetuated by a Soviet MiG-25 (with Egyptian markings) making an overflight of Israel in 1973, obviously prompting the Israelis to send up some planes, including F-4's, scrambling into the air. One of the Israeli F-4's caught the MiG on radar - and the Foxbat pilot hit the gas, zoomed to a speed clocked at Mach 3.2, and left the F-4 crew to "eat the Foxbat's dust" (or vapor trail, as the case might have been), so to speak. With this incident, the West's concerns about the Foxbat grew greater. Also, this accelerated development of the McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle which was meant to deal withe the idea of the MiG-25, as opposed to its reality - one which was very much shrouded in mystery. That is, until 6 September 1976.

Lt. Viktor Belenko, a Soviet pilot of the MiG-25 elite who witnessed the evil cache of the follies and the pathetic hypocrisy of Soviet communism and how his countrymen would never become "The New Communist Man" by 1980, the target date for the "Communist Utopia" set by the Soviet Union! concluded that his country was, indeed, a really sad and sorry mess. Upon this, Belenko gathered all the Soviet secrets to which he had access, jotted them down, transcribed them into English, and made plans to defect, make himself a free man and also try, in his own small way, to help take down communism.

And so Lt. Viktor Belenko made 6 September 1976 a day that would become, as "Dr. Phil" McGraw might have put it years later, a "changing day in his life" by flying his MiG-25 to Japan, landing at Hakodate airport. (He wanted to go to the military airstrip at Chitose, but an attempt to avoid an oncoming jetliner in mid-flight at the last minute precluded that.) He asked for political asylum in the United States and gave his Foxbat over to the West.

What the joint US-Japanese effort to examine the MiG discovered astonished them. The West was shocked by discovering that it was no dog-fighter - it was strictly an interceptor/recon plane. It was made of relatively low-tech materials and simple technology elevated to new heights. (For example, the electronics were mainly made of vacuum tubes engineered for extreme changes in temperature and pressure, most of the electronics arranged in a "works in a drawer" scheme.) Ultimately, the original purpose of the Foxbat - an interceptor to deal with the XB-70 - was revealed. And so it was seen for what it really was. The MiG-25 Foxbat was a pretty amazing plane - but not the technological terror the West had feared. (The red-faced looks on many Pentagon officials would have been priceless!) After the West examined it, the US and Japan gave the Soviets their MiG-25 back, but not the way the Reds wanted it; it was shipped back as crated parts!

As for Belenko, he went to live in the United States. Belenko had been given all the best the Soviets could give its top warriors, and threw it all away for the one marvelous and precious thing that we should never take for granted and that all people need and deserve freedom.

The Model

This was a "bear cub" to build, but as cubs go, it wasn't too bad. It was built strictly "out of the box" with some missing pieces fashioned to replace them.

Reference:

MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lt. Belenko by John Barron. Copyright © 1980 by Readers Digest Association, Inc. Published by arrangement with McGraw-Hill Book Company. First published by Avon Books (of which I own a copy) April 1981. ISBN 0-380-53868-7

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