Great Wall Hobby 1/48 scale Mig-29 SMT

[Steve64]

Hi everyone,

I'm just kicking off a new project.

I'll be attempting to turn this:





Into something that looks a bit like this:



My last project was a two and a half year marathon super-detailing Italeri's 1/32 scale F-104C. You can find that adventure over on Aeroscale. This one is going to be built out of the box with only a few mods if they seem necessary. I also needed a change of venue so I've returned home to ISM for this build. Some early progress shots and first impressions of the kit follow soon.

Happy modelling folks.

[RangerNeil]

FWIW - I can recommend AKAN paints if you want an exact match to the Soviet or Russian Federation colours on the real thing.
Assuming, of course, that's not teaching you the art of extracting nutriment from ovoid objects ala Grandmothers??

[Steve64]

Morning Neil,

Thanks very much for the recommendation. I've just invested in some new AK paints, but I appreciate the advice. And my nan was always happy to learn a bit more about sucking eggs. I think grandad enjoyed the spin-off benefits too. Thanks again for looking in, and please keep the advice coming - its very welcome and will surely be needed.

Have a great day.

[Steve64]

The box is open, the parts are out and assembly has started. The are full reviews of this kit online but here’s my quick summary:

1. Accuracy. I can’t vouch for the accuracy but the surface detail looks crisp, beautiful and authentic, and the parts look a lot like those I see in reference photos. For me that’s good enough. It will look like a Mig-29 SMT when it’s finished. There are some really lovely slide moulded (I assume) weapons included too.

2. Assembly has been straight forward so far with parts needing minimal sanding to get a good fit. Some of the locating points could be more positive but there’s nothing that some dry fitting and care can’t overcome.

3. Instructions. These are the first weak point. The instructions can be vague, and the one big headache early on is how to bend the complex PE seat harness to make it match the finished diagram, or in fact anything that looks like my references. There’s no bending guide. In the end I just did the best I could. Did I end up with a completely authentic replica of the harness? No. Does it create the impression of jumbled belts and buckles? I think it does. And at anything more than a few centimetres away all the detail disappears anyway.

Here are some pics of the work so far. It’s early days but I’m enjoying the build.

Happy modelling folks.

[Stokesy44]

Nice start. That bang seat looks great.

[digger303]

Have read that GW makes the best kit of these types, so looking forward to see how it comes out. It's on my wish list.

[Hawkmoon]

Nice start and looking good

[Tomcat64]

Great looking aircraft and start on the kit too - as the guys have said the work in the ejector seat is really tidy

[Steve64]

Hi guys,
Thanks a million for looking in, and for the encouragement. It's a fun build so far with only the seat harness offering any real problems.
Happy modelling.

[Steve64]

That seat harness was nagging me. It didn't look right. So, I went back with some tweezers and fiddled. I also added the final PE straps, but not where the instructions indicated. In the end I got something much closer to my reference pics. It's still not exact, but my inner Virgo is quiet.



A test fit of a taped together cockpit quickly showed this was going to need some attention. It won't seat properly in the upper fuselage. Maybe, just maybe it's because I used tape to get a rough test fit. I want to have easy access to the floor and sidewall for painting so I haven't glued it together yet. The cockpit sides and rear all fit together nicely but the updated SMT instrument panel has vague locating points and the sub-assembly won't fit to the upper fuselage like it should. Even a after a few attempts at dry-fitting there was still a gap. Hmm, I'm going to sleep on that.



One thing that's easy to do is modify the seat to slide in after the cockpit tub is in place. Removing a couple of pins is all it takes. Hopefully leaving the seat out will mean less things to break if I have to modify a completed tub, and it will also mean easier masking later. It'll be easier to paint the seat too.



Time for a beer now.

[Steve64]

Hello again fellow plastic fanatics,

This kit has astonishing detail. Take a look...



...but you have to work to get that detail assembled. At first glance everything is fine, then a closer look and some test fitting reveals ejector pin marks and small but thick areas of flash that get in the way of construction. The problems aren’t big but they are constant. This kit doesn’t fall together - it needs care, planning and patience to make the most of all that lovely detail.



Here's an example - the main landing gear bays clamped in place to avoid gaps. The joint between parts includes steps, curves and angles, all of which have to align. Throw in some flash, and what could be a simple assembly is a delicate job that needs a lot of attention. Is this the price of getting all that lovely detail on the parts? It seems like the designer's ambition was greater than the mould makers' ability. Armed with this experience I'm taking it slowly and testing everything.

Bye for now.

[digger303]

I agree astonishing detail, not sure where I have seen as good except for resin. However the constant care and vigilance in building this kit makes one pause before running out to get one. Enjoying your tussle with it however.

[Tomcat64]

You're right the detail is absolutely eye-popping and makes it worth taking the time & effort get it to fit right. It's a shame about the visible epms though, I always think with a little more planning they could have been hidden away on non-visible facings.

Great, steady work though and hope you enjoyed your well earned beer on Sunday

[Steve64]

Hi guys,

Yup, this isn't quite the build I was expecting, but actually its refreshing to be making progress after my last project took soooo long. Now, we know this isn't a Tamiya style build, the pace might slow a little as fit is checked and fettled, but even so I'm enjoying it. Next up - paint on the cockpit and front wheel well.

Happy modelling.

[Steve64]

There's been progress after a week spent splashing about in pools with the kids.

The Jekyll and Hyde nature of this kit keeps me on my toes, but the cockpit is now primed in moody black Ultimate Primer, and ready for painting. I'm also turning my attention to the engine nacelles, which might be a little troublesome if I have the same problems as other modellers. I'm building the air intake doors closed simply to avoid dealing with all the ejector pins and surface imperfections. Oh, and I added a tiny bit of extra detail to the big circuit breaker box that sits behind the pilot; just a simple simulation of some of the cabling using electrical wire (no pun intended). Here are the pictures. The fun factor is still high.

Happy modelling guys.

[Steve64]

Hello again sweltering styrene synthesisers,

Is it hot enough for you? Oh Lordy, temperatures reached 38 degrees C, here in Geneva where I live (yes, I'm a Brit abroad). My response was to hide indoors with an arrangement of fans that look like the flight deck of a WWII aircraft carrier. Not totally ideal conditions for modelling, but I went ahead with spraying some colour in the cockpit anyway. I used AK's new Real Colours, and they are lovely; sprayed diluted with AK thinners there was no tip drying and the end result was a smooth finish.

I also did a little bit of zenithal highlighting on the ejector seat. It's black of course so it'll need some help to make the details pop. More on that coming up.

While the paint was drying I turned my attention to the front engine nacelles. They are provided as two halves and have a sharp intake edge. That's a recipe for trouble, but actually a combination of sprue-goo filler and Buddha like patience with sanding got a decent result. Sorry, but I forgot to take a 'before' shot, so there is only 'after'. The Mig-29 has intake doors that close on the ground to avoid sucking in empty vodka bottles and 'No-need-to-vote-I've-already-won' campaign posters. That relieves a lot of sanding, but I hope the doors fit. We'll see soon.

Et voila!

P.S. I put that first shot in just to reinforce the lovely details in this kit - the scale is centimetres.

[Steve64]

So, those intake doors nearly fit. There's a gap at the bottom edge which is probably the result of my sanding and a very slight miss-mould. Luckily GWH also provided a pair of photo etch doors. They are intended for the 'up' position but also fit snuggly in the 'down' position. I bent them a little to get the right shape and then glued them over the plastic parts I'd already fitted. The result looks better to me.







Thanks for looking in, and happy modelling folks.

[digger303]

yes definitely better

[Stokesy44]

Nice PE upgrades. Really pops the kit nicely.

[BigWall]

The PE parts definitely look better.

[Steve64]

Hi guys,

Thanks very much for dropping in. Yup, the PE is really nice here. Things have slowed a little as a lovely staycation with the kids takes my time.

I've switched attention to the engines for a bit (yes, I like to frolic around). It's a similar story - wonderful detail with ejector pins and little bit of work required to fill gaps and get a good fit. I'll post some photos soon.

In the meantime I hope you are safe and happy.

[aur0ra145]

Really nice progress!

[Steve64]

Guys, thanks very much for all the encouragement and interest.

I managed to squeeze in a moment of bench time and made progress with the engines. In the course of cleaning up parts I noticed a tiny problem; there's a spoke missing from what I think is the afterburner ring. No big deal really - it's a small thing and easily fixed with a wedge of plastic card. The only reason I mention it is because it's indicative of the care this kit requires. There are always things to fix and fettle. I still think it can build into a lovely model, but 'take nothing for granted' is a good way to approach it. Now, pics of tiny things...





Happy modelling folks.

[RangerNeil]

That is a real shame... The level of detail on this one is amazing and to go and spoil the pleasure in building for a petty detail like this is so annoying. Congratulations on the fix though.

[Steve64]

Oh damn. I just turned the air blue because I wrecked the ejector seat. I didn't like how the paint was progressing so I decided to strip and start again. The problem came when I used Tamiya airbrush cleaner instead of lacquer thinner. The cleaner is so hot that it melted the plastic. Damn and blast. Luckily replacing an ejector seat is relatively easy - I'll order a resin replacement, but it does mean a small pause in proceedings, and an emotional regroup.

Back with more once the seat arrives. In the meantime thanks a million for all the interest and encouragement.

[BigWall]

That sucks! At least it was a part that was readily available.

[Steve64]

Hi Joe,

Yes, having had a moment of tantrum I've now calmed down, ordered a resin seat and in got on with some more work inside the cockpit.

Thanks for dropping in and for the empathy.

And for you and anyone else looking in, here's the progress.

The cockpit interior parts and front wheel well are painted. I tend to use armour modelling techniques on these parts just because I seem to be better at modulation than I am at dry brushing. These are just the first steps with a bit of modulation and some basic colours blocked in. There's more to come.







I went a little crazy and masked off the areas that needed black. It was a bit of an experiment but the masking didn't take as long as I feared and wasn't as fiddly either. In places I got the clean crisp separation of colour I was hoping for and in others it's OK but lumps and bumps meant the masking tape didn't fully follow the panels. On balance it's a better result than I would have achieved with a brush. With washes and buttons picked out I hope it will eventually pop and the lines will straighten out. I hope.



Happy modelling guys,

Steve.

[BigWall]

It's looking nice! I think you're right, once you do everything you're going to do, the panel lines will be perfect.

[aur0ra145]

Nice to see the progress! I think I might need to start on the Mig-29 kit I have.

[Steve64]

Thanks guys. The resin ejector seat just arrived and I got a surprise. Instead of the one piece item I expected the very nice shop sent me a Brassin seat. The one I ordered was out of stock. Now, the level of detail is staggering, and so is the work I'll have to do to assemble some of the tiny pieces. There is another challenge too - the Brassin item is designed for an Academy kit and includes parts for a partial build of the cockpit tub. I'm hoping that I can make it fit. Watch this space to see what happens.

I hope you guys are all well and happy in these crazy times.

Bye for now.

[Steve64]

Hello again fellow modellers,

This is what Brassin offers for the Mig-29 cockpit. The original kit part - complete with semi-melted headrest - is in black. My first impression is wow and wow again. Wow, there is so much detail, and wow I don't really want to mess with so much mixed media and tiny parts after my last build. I wanted to keep this one simple, but it looks like I have no real choice now.



Here's a close up to let you compare.



This won't be a straight replacement. The Brassin is designed for the Academy kit and it is clearly enginnered differently to the GWH kit. I'm going to have to make a plan and modify both the Brassin parts and the GWH parts.

One nice bonus is the inclusion of the pilot's helmet. It even has minute little ear pieces for the interior.



Bye for now and happy modelling folks.

[Steve64]

But first, this...



Coloured photo etch. I don't like it much. The printing is devoid of any tonal variation and - in my hands at least - the colour has a habit of flaking off. So, my approach is to get rid of the printing which I burn off with a lighter. That leaves something like this...



Now I can build first and paint later. The roasting also anneals the PE so it's less resistant to bending of course.

Let's see how it build up.

Bye for now,

Steve.

[aur0ra145]

Never thought to anneal PE. Interesting take; but, it makes total sense. I'm very interested to see how they build up. Should look great!

[Steve64]

Yup, that annealing helps a lot. There are a few videos on YouTube that explain the technique.

Meanwhile I have been assembling the resin ejector seat. That means attempting to join tiny, fragile parts to other tiny, fragile parts without breaking anything. When I say 'tiny' I mean near microscopic, and when I say 'fragile' I mean so delicate that even a little pressure bends and breaks things. Some of the resin is so thin that I wonder if it is capable of standing up to dry brushing. It really feels as if the technology of detail has gone beyond useable, and this is sapping my motivation. I really didn't want to be doing this.

Honestly I'm not sure if I will continue with the build. I'm tempted to shelve this project and go back to 1/32 scale where at least the detail can be seen without the aid of a close up lens or microscope.

As you can tell I've stopped enjoying this project, at least the current stage of it. I might find the motivation to push through but I have to step back for a few days, so with apologies for the delay, I'll see you soon guys.

Happier modelling,

Steve.

[BigWall]

Sorry you're running into problems. Keep your mojo up!