_BEN8573

Finally some progress that shows! Both MiGs were first coated with Alclad Aqua Gloss (GREAT STUFF!), and got decalled later. Not a lot of decals thankfully so a job quickly done. Only black border lines for the orange areas gave me some work, but luckily decals performed well. I masked the metal areas on the Flanker and attached the ventral and tail fins. I used Mr Surfacer to fill the little crevices around canopy and tail fins and will hopefully prepare it for primer by the end of the week.

0311

I just talked to a friend via Skype and he ignited a spark in me to build the MiG-31. This massive Russian interceptor was the first aircraft in the world to feature a modern AESA radar and has successfully intercepted SR-71s over flying the Russia without their pilots knowing how close to a shoot down they were. Interceptors were controlled by GCI (Ground Control Intercept radarists) and thus not giving their presence away, came to as close as 6km lateral and 2km vertical to the famed American spy plane. It was the Swedes, who monitored these intercepts, who told the US what they were observing with each Blackbird flight and the result was cancellation of Blackbird ops over the Russian European part and early retirement of the SR-71. I have to MiG-31 kits in my stash and a beautiful Begemot sheet to go with them and I am wondering why not? The only obstacle at this moment is the vast number of review samples I HAVE to build first. Well hopefully there will be a break in the schedule to squeeze one Foxhound in. I took the above photo at MAKS 2011, in Zhukovski.

Here’s also an interesting movie about the young Russian pilots training to be the Foxhound pilots – a position once reserved only for most experienced VVS pilots.