When it comes to Cold War interceptors, the Mig-25 and F-106 are probably two of the most famous. Terribly fast and pointy, these erstwhile bomber-killers exemplified all that was high-tech and paranoid at the same time. Sadly, they weren’t much good for much else, although the MiG had a more diverse portfolio by far.
There were other, lesser-known and less adaptable aircraft though, that also stood ready to defend their homelands. One good example is the Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon family. These twin-engined, polished metal lawn darts plied their trade for a surprisingly long time, and are best known for shooting down airliners. To make sure that Soviet pilots could handle the rather “hot” Flagon, there was a two-seater conversion trainer, the final version, the Su-15UM, even being able to fire weapons.
Of course, I love the weird subjects, and weird kits of them are even better… well, kinda. To that end, I’ve been beating on the old Pioneer 2 “Flagon G”. Now, it’s done. I’m not going to say it was easy, and the model is barely correct in so many ways that you could ask “Why build it?” My answer, of course, is because almost no one else will! So, check out this beast, and remember: I did it so you don’t have to!
