1/48 MIG29 Monogram Kit WIP

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hi folks. I hope you are all having a good day.

I am to the point where I felt like sending up a few WIP images on my in progress MIG 29. It is the older Monogram 1/48 kit. Please bare in mind that my painting skills have gone severely downhill since my aneurysm a few years ago, so be kind. I know I am probably going to be doing a lot of touch up work on the cockpit. Luckily, I have a big 8oz. can of ELO standing by. [;)]

Okay, here are some images. The first image shows the two air intake tunnels, with their doors in place in the closed position. These still require some fine sanding. The pieces aren’t quite up to Monogram’s normal standard for fit and finish. I spent about an hour sanding and buffing just to get them where they are in this image, and I still have more to do where it connects with the fuselage and the back section of the air intake tunnels.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP2.jpg)

This is a good view of one of the tunnels in a raw state before any sanding. As you can see, the glue monster got to work on this one before I did any sanding on it.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP5.jpg)

Here is another shot of a tunnel front after some minor preliminary sanding and cleanup.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP6.jpg)

This image shows the cockpit sub assembly in place in the fuselage. I initially used Tanyia liquid glue to hold it in place and then some Great Planes medium gap filling CA glue. After I had it glued, I used some accelerator to instantly harden it. This is a huge time saver. I also found these neat little glue tips on eBay, they are the finest I have ever seen and they save a lot of grief since you can get the glue exactly where you need it to fill gaps.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP3.jpg)

This image is the top of the main fuselage with the cockpit installed. Like I said, I need to do a lot of touch-up work on it, but it’s a start.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP4.jpg)

This is the bottom section of the fuselage after being glued and clamped together with the upper section. I used simple MM Black label glue on the fuselage sections. I did not want to risk CA remains on areas where it would show a lot. I am still not happy with the seam between the tunnels front and back which is part of the bottom fuselage section. I am going to sand it as close as possible and then use a combo of CA gap filler, white putty, and a lot of elbow grease to smooth it out. You can’t really see it but I somehow got a big glob of CA on the inside of the air intake tunnel on the inboard side. I will need to use a combination of debonder and sandpaper to get rid of it.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP8.jpg)

This last image shows the assembled fuselage section from the top at an angle. It’s out of clamps now and I will be spending the better part of this afternoon sanding, filling and sanding again. Oh, and the nitwit that designed the mold for the air intake doors need a new pair of glasses. I noticed after assembly that there is a big gape between the door and the tunnel which is going to take a bit of minor surgery to fix.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP7.jpg)

Well, that’s about it for this installment. I’ll send more up as it progresses. Any suggestions are really appreciated. I have no allusions about my remaining skills but I notice that they improve a bit with every kit I do. Modeling is great therapy for recovering coordination skills I guess.

Rich

2

These are the air intakes…not technically fuel inlets. Fuel is stowed in tanks inside the aircraft or in external tanks mounted to the aircraft. Air is mixed with fuel, compressed to ignite it. Jets work on the suck squeeze blow principle. I don’t ever recall being asked to climb into a fuel inlet tunnel to inspect for FOD as part of a preflight check.[;)]

3

alrighty, Im here and ready to compare notes! My kit took a bit of clamping too, but I figured it was because it was left in poor conditions. I had picked it up second hand from a local antique store. It didn’t have any decals either…

OWL

4

Looking good so far,I build that kit about 12 years ago with Cuban markings.Looking foward to see yours.

I’m wishing that DML,Tamiya or Hasegawa would come out with an updated kit in 1/48

5

Looking pretty good so far! Modeling is great therapy for all of us.[:D]

6

I meant Air intake inlets, sometimes my brain takes a holiday and I type wrong. lol I’ll edit it.

Rich

7

Yeh, lots of clamping. I only have a very limited set of tools. All I have for clamping is some wooden clothes pins, and a couple of those 2" plastic clamps. Wifey won’t let me spend cash for a vise or C clamps. So I make due with what I have.

8

you are ahead of me tool-wise when I built this bird. I only had tape to clamp it with!! [:O]

9

Okay, I got a bit more done today. Wings are on and I have some paint in places. I touched p the cockpit a tad, and painted the end of the engine exhaust cones. I need to do a ton of sanding and filling but it’s starting to look like an aircraft. Here’s some more images.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP15.jpg)

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP14.jpg)

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP13.jpg)

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP12.jpg)

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/MIG29 WIP Images/MIG29WIP11.jpg)

I will try and keep you all posted as the kit progresses. I absolutely hate it when CA somehow gets on parts. I am probably going to have to rescribe every single little panel line on this bird with all of the sanding I am going to have to do.

10

It’s really looking good considering your condition. Keep up the great work.

11

Looking good. That was the last kit I built before I left home.

12

Well it’s coming into the last phases of assembly, the fuselage, wings, tail fins and cockpit have all been assembled. I am going to put the landing gear on after painting. It makes it less of a headache to mask. I will still have a ton of pre paint sanding to do after assembly is complete. Thre was one little burp which was a problem with the kit. The pilot seat sat about 3mm too high and I actually had to sand the top down a bit so the canopy would site firmly over it. And of course, about an hour after cementing the canopy in place, I noticed that somehow the HUD glass had come off and fallen inside the cockpit somewhere, so it’s probably a good thing that it’s a closed canopy. I am soooo happy that this wasn’t an expensive kit… I am not happy with it at all. We’ll see how it looks once the finish work is donw and I put on some paint and decals. Here’s a couple more images.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/Batch 2/MIG29WIP18.jpg)

Here’s a closer shot of the nose and canopy area showing the antennas and pitot tubes.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/Batch 2/MIG29WIP17.jpg)

Another shot, head on.

!(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/sparrownightmare/Batch 2/MIG29WIP16.jpg)

Thats it for now. Have a great weekend.

Rich