1/72 Hasegawa MiG-23MF Flogger-B

Gallery Article by PS on July 22 2011

 

This is my Hasegawa MiG-23MF « Flogger-B » in BVVS (Bulgarian air force) colors, wearing post-1992 roundels. Inspiration came to me from an Americo Maia profile and from few pictures on Airliners. It was completed between June 2008 and October 2010.

Hasegawa kit is not very accurate. Of course, it's not a MiG-23S like stated on the box, it's more like a MiG-23M/MF. I decided to enhance it as far as I could using 4+ views and plans and some aftermarket like MiG-23ML Eduard photoetched parts (for cockpit, engine exhaust, antennas, wheel wells doors, etc...), True Detail KM-1 seat and Armory twin missiles rails APU-60-IIM with 4 R-60s. 

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This is what was modified from the original kit :

  • It was first integrally rescribed as Hasegawa lines are 90 % wrong.
  • Nose wheel well was partly redone using plastic card to get a real wheel compartment. Nose wheels came from the sworn enemy, the Hasegawa F-14. It was the best fitting wheels I had on hand...
  • The radome having a wrong shape, too narrow, it was redone using a Hasegawa MiG-29 one with a scratchbuilt pitot tube.
  • Fuselage was lengthened 3 mm just aft of the cockpit.
  • 2 mm of wing tips were removed and 1,5 mm of wing trailing edges were added using plastic card.
  • The fuselage part of the wing was also extended with plastic card and putty.
  • APU intake and exhaust were added as it's always opened on ground, coupled with landing gear.
  • Extrados air intakes were redone in scratch as well as every misplaced detail, antennas, air-brakes armatures, radio-altimeters, oversized nose pitot and ILS, central belly pylon, air intakes and IR sensor covers, etc...
  • Air intakes leading edges were also lengthened between 2/3 mm to follow the fuselage lengthening.
  • R-3S missiles are modified Sidewinders from Academy Crusader box.
  • Finally, the twin barrels 23 mm canon was also lengthened to the right size, barrels redone in scratch.

Concerning the paint, roundels were painted using home made masks. Camo is done using Humbrol paints (78 for extrados light green and a mix of 89 blue and 147 light grey for intrados light blue) and Gunze paints, H310 for tan, H340 for dark green and H344 for rust brown. Dielectric parts are done using H82/83 dark greys and H338 light grey.

Stencils came from the kit's decal sheet, 670 red codes are home made as well as little white Flogger silhouette on the nose, printed by FFSMC productions.

I hope you liked it !

PS

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Photos and text © by PS