1/48 MiG-23M Flogger B - The Jet Age.

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I agree with using of the Mr Surfacer 500 and the acrylic paint remover. It should be a better way.
 
Nice engine, I don't have an input on the gear but will be interested in what happens. I tried the Mr surface once and could not deal with the oder so I have not done anymore with it.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys! Visually, I think the G-factor legs and Trumpeter legs will be a wash. Gotta find a pair of heavier snips to cut the parts off the sprues.

Did a little more fine sanding to get the exhaust tube to fit. Looking at the resin assembly at its widest circumference, I lopped off a ring off the back end, which helped. I'll set that assembly aside for a while.




I've got an Aires resin cockpit on the way so I'm looking for little subassemblies to explore while I wait. I dry-fit the wheel well bays into the fuselage to evaluate the fit and detail. The fit is VERY good so no worries there. The detail is a bit sparse but could be spruced up with some wiring I reckon.




But the Aires resin upgrade is bewitching me. It would address a few shortcomings from the stock parts. Besides the detail, the Aires set correctly shows the non-symmetric layout of the two wells, whereas the Trumpeter kit shows them as mirror images of one another. And the nose well is included as well. The one thing that REALLY tempts me when reading reviews of this upgrade are the words: DROP IN FIT.
 
Worked a bit on the nose gear today. The nose well is boxed in using multiple parts and is detailed fairly well. I glued all but one side in place to help make wiring easier.


Added some random plumbing using thin gauge electrical wire.


Spruced up the nose wheel wall with some more wiring.


Finally, I added some wiring to the nose gear and strut. I've decided to stick to the kit landing gear on this build.


Ah... the Aires resin cockpit set came in the post today! Let's take a look! The parts are finely detailed as expected...


The instrument panel dials are printed on clear acetate. Need to spray the back side white to make the instruments legible. Also included is the "glass" for the HUD panel.


Aires has provided a full set of phototeched details including the harness system. These resin upgrades are like little kits unto themselves.


Before I start assembling and painting, I have to remove the parts from the casting blocks and start dryfitting everything. Aires is not known for DROP IN detail sets and like the exhaust nozzle, I expect a bit of carving and sanding to get everything to fit.
 
About Aires cockpit - this is the worst fitting part. At firs look it is a nice looking piece of resin, but after close examination and comparison with reference photos you can discover it is too short. The instrument panel should be deep covered under the windshield:

According the Aires designers instrument panel is moved back:

There is no simple resolve. Just try move all cockpit to forward as far as you can. You will meet some troubles at the joining a backwall, but there is no better way.
 
Thanks for the comments guys! I've been away from the workbench but will try and put some more work into the Flogger this week. I'm taking this one n i c e a n d s l o w !

Donivanp said:
Can it be cut and spliced IP extend the IP forward enough?
Click to expand...
Possible but difficult based on how everything fits together. The center IP and the HUD assembly is one piece. The lower mid IP and side IP panels are molded integrally with the cockpit tub and the tub itself has a front wall. The IP/HUD fits onto the cockpit tub in such a way that all of the IP panels are on the same plane. I'll take a further look but it has been enough of a challenge just to get the Aires parts to FIT as they are!


Crimea_River said:
Great work John. Where on earth did you get that spool of lead wire?
Click to expand...
Ebay! Lead wire made for tying fishing flies. I use primarily the 0.010, 0.015 and 0.020 sizes. Same company also offers a non-lead version. I thought everyone used this stuff.

 
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