I get the feeling the engineers
at the Mikoyan Design Bureau are Gerry Anderson fans as
this thing looks like it's straight out of Captain Scarlet
or the Thunderbirds. The MiG 1.44 MFI (Multifunction Fighter)
is a technology and airframe/ propulsion concept demonstrator
developed in response to US projects that ultimately led
to the F-22. It was rolled out for the public on January
12, 1999 (my 34th birthday!) and first flew on February
29, 2000 with Vladimir Gorbunov at the controls. Powered
by thrust vectoring Lyulka-Saturn AL-41 engines it has
a greater range than the Su-27 and supercruise (supersonic
flight without using afterburners) capability. (
AIR Pictorial Aug. 2000; p.509 )
This isn't one of Revell's
better efforts I have to say. Fit left a lot to be desired
and a lot of filling and sanding was required at the wing
roots, vertical stabilisers and canard fairings. There
are a few outline errors as well mainly concerning the
bottom of the air intake which should be curved when viewed
from the front and more angular to the rear between the
nose and main wheel wells. It's certainly close enough
for me and hats off to Revell for producing this relatively
obscure subject anyway.
I didn't originally intend
to open the canopy but I felt the kit item was far too
thick and I needed an excuse to finally use that Mattel
Vacu-former that's been sitting around so I moulded a
new one. Three attempts gave me one good windscreen and
one good canopy so I cut them apart and glued the canopy
in the open position.
My only other modification
was to stick some engine fans in that gaping air intake.
1/144th jet engines aren't exactly thick on the ground
so I had to improvise a bit. Mine were made from two leftover
1/72nd Hasegawa Tomcat wheels with the hubs made from
the little generator fans from a 1/72nd Prowler's ECM
pods. It's nowhere near accurate I'm sure but at least
it doesn't look like a big empty box now.
Paint is Polly Scale British
Sea Grey Medium which looks pretty close to the few pictures
I could find on the net of this thing. The bottom is a
mix of Polly Scale RLM 76 and Light Gray and the radome
and dielectric panels are a Humbrol dark green/ dark gray
mix. The tops of the fins look pretty faded and weathered
in pictures (which is odd because the aircraft was brand
spanking new at the time) so I sanded these lightly to
depict that. Exhausts are done in various shades of Testors
Metalizer and the data probes on the nose are brush painted
with Metalizer Stainless Steel. You're not supposed to
be able to brush Metalizer but it actually works quite
well as long as you work quickly and apply it in one pass.
I had a moment of temporary
insanity when the MiG was nearly finished: I left the
door to the modelling haven open while I went downstairs
for a bite to eat. At this point my faithful furry friend
took the opportunity to have a look out the window over
my workbench, apparently unconcerned that the model he
was standing on wasn't designed to hold a 15 pound feline.
I did my best to fix the broken landing gear legs but
they'll just never be quite the same. Lesson learned;
never leave the sanctuary unguarded....
For a single seat fighter
this is one large airplane. It dwarfs the other 1/144th
models in my display case and is longer than my 1/72nd
scale Bearcat
racer.
Above
left & right: Scratchbuilt engine faces
and the lower intake half which has been smoothed out
with Milliput.
Above
left: My first attempt at vac-forming with
the trusty Mattel Vacu-former. What a great little machine.
Toys were so much cooler in the sixties when people didn't
get all uptight about burnt fingers and litigation! Above right: I wouldn't
normally bother detailing a 1/144th scale seat but since
the canopy is open I thought I'd add the harness and ejection
handle. Frankly, I'm impressed that Revell add any cockpit
detail at all in this scale.
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