I know you guys I probably getting tired of my Soviet aircraft posts. I promise. The next model is an A-10…no more Migs! [:D]
Anyway, my Mig-19 says yellow for the inside of the air brakes. I found a build up for the kit where the author says he used “mustard yellow”. Anyone have any idea as to what this color is suppoed to be? I normally use MM colors but whatever is close will work for me. Thanks.
Dana F
I don’t Know about the yellow, seems a bit odd. Most of my refrences show them to be a dark green or black. allbeit they are on painted a\c. I could not find a photo of them on a nat metal one, but I would assume they were nat metal also.
Nice to see another Mig master out there
Drew
I know what you mean. I was looking thru some Mig-21 walkarounds and they were all natural metal or green. However, I did run across one Mig-21 where the airbrake was painted yellow. Haven’t found a Mig-19 that way yet though.
Dana F
Who’s marking were on the a\c? Was it painted or nat metal? This could be the factor if it was in soviet use or not. Then again it might just look good anyway.
This particular Mig-21 was a soviet nat metal aircraft.
Dana F
Depends on the era really. For a natural metal MiG-19, the yellow color would almost certainly be a zinc chromate primer coat. I’ve seen the inside of early MiG-21 airbrakes on natural metal machines and the yellow was very much the same as zinc chromate.
I’ve also seen the insides of airbrakes on soviet aircraft left in natural metal or sometimes given an aluminum anti corrosion overspray.
For camoflaged aircraft, the inside colour of the airbrake seems to be the same as the colour of the aircraft’s underside when the airbrakes are on the bottom of the aircraft.
In short, from what I’ve seen, your best bets for your MiG-19’s airbrakes are zinc chromate yellow or aluminum.
Ok, then what about the light blue the soviets used in the cockpit and wheel wells? I’ve already gone with the blue in the cockpit, but I’m having some reservations with the wheel wells. I was going to go with the blue there as well but that would seem to go aganist what you’re saying about the air brakes.
Dana F
Definitely do not put that blue in the wheel wells, it’s strictly a cockpit color.
If the aircraft is natural metal, the wheel wells most likely will be that also. Generaly speaking, it seems from pictures I’ve seen, the wheel wells on Eastern Block aircraft usually are painted the same as the surrounding external area on the aircraft.
I completely agree with upnorth. also the landing gear is painted same color as surrounding underside. rims are dark green and sometimes the front mudgaurd is green or underside color. either or
Then what color would the struts themselves be on a natural aircraft? I feel sure they were not left bare as most were not made of stainless.
Dana F
With all due respect to you guys, this is in no means directed towards you. But this is really getting frustrating. I’m starting to think the Russians had no reason to do anything. The pic below is of a Mig-21. Even though the aircraft is bare metal, the inside of the wheel well isn’t.
Dana F
I would put the landing gear struts of a bare metal Mig in an aluminum overspray myself, I have seen that on Mig-21s.
As for the above photo, you’ve got a real mixed bag there. The blue is very similar to what went on the undersides of MiG-21s that had camoflage on them, the fuselage is bare metal and the inside of the gear door looks almost certainly aluminum overspray and very fresh at that.
I’d say your probably looking at an aircraft that had camoflage at one point and was later stripped of paint with the exception of the gear and gear bays (perhaps they were retracted at the time of stripping) As for the gear door, likely just a new replacement part. That would explain its much fresher appearance in relation to the rest of the aircraft.
If you look at pictures of Soviet aircraft, you’ll notice they aren’t really babied that much and improvizing repairs in the field was not at all uncommon practice by Soviet maintenace crews. I suspect this aircraft had been around the block a few times when this photo was taken and it had been a while since it had seen real extensive maintenance. Probably late in its career I’d think, certainly not indicative of a new aircraft.
Aluminum overspray? In otherwards, the struts were painted with silver paint and not bare? This is also the case with the fresh door? Jut wanting to make sure.
Dana F
Yep. The struts painted aluminum along with the inside of the gear doors and gear wells.
I’m not sure if 4+ Publishing has a reference book for the MiG-19, but I’ve got their publication on the MiG-21 and seen their book on the SU-22 and I can say they’re simply astounding reference sources for Eastern Block aircraft. They should be as the Publisher is a Czech outfit.
It would certainly be worth your while to see if you can find a book by them on the 19 as the Czech Air Force did use them and with Trumpeter’s kit out, there’s no reason not to have made a book for it.
Thanks for all the help on this guys.
Here’s what I’ve decided: The cockpit is blue/green. The wheel wells are naturalt metal while the struts were PAINTED with silver paint. The air brakes were that bright yellow seen on many soviet aircraft. That now leaves me with one more thing: Acess panels and avionics bays.
If I had to guess, I would say these would be whatever primer the Soviets used to paint the frames and stringers of the aircraft. Anyone know what this color was?
I plan to stop by a few book stores locally and see what I can find, but I doubt I’ll find anything.
Thanks.
Dana F
If you can get your hands on Verlinden’s book on the MiG-21 from their “Lock On” series, that should give you all the info you need for access bay colors. It has a ton of pictures of 21s in various states of disassembly for service.
Nothing locally had anything. I may end up ordering one of the Aerofax books as suggested. I just have a problem buying one of these books without looking at them. Especially in a period when most photos were in b/w.
Thanks.
Dana F