Trumpeter 1/32 scale Mig-29 SMT

Hi Steve,
Can you clear coat it be fore trying some filters. You certainly would want to test it on the spare material to see how it sets. Other than that those parts look pretty good. Certainly more depth on the Eduard IPs I have used before.

cheers
Michael

Hi Michael,

Yes, great idea. Thanks so much. Maybe even a tiny hint of grey/brown in the varnish will tone things down even more. I’d love to experiment but there aren’t any spares so I’m going to have to jump right in. I’ll go with acrylics to stay safe and show the results when I get there.

Thanks again for the suggestion.

Bye for now,

S.

1 Like

This rather motley collection is where the cockpit scratch building and preparation stops. The black area is primer, applied early to cover hard-to-get-to areas under the circuit breaker. My camera (and my photographic skill) struggled not to make it pitch black. There’s detail in there that can’t be seen. It would have been possible to add or refine details in the lower part of the cockpit tub, but I kept my resolve and didn’t go there.

The details on the instrument panel and side consoles have been removed, and recessed areas filled and sanded fairly roughly in preparation for adding the Quinta details later. I added the missing lever to the joystick too. I don’t know what it does but it’s a prominent feature.

One last check to make sure there’s nothing missing, and then I turn my attention to the instrument panel coaming. I want to get as much construction done as I can before breaking out the primer again.

Happy modelling guys.

6 Likes

Great start - very nice details added.

Looking forward to see more :slight_smile:

1 Like

Hey Jesper, thanks for looking in. Here’s a little bit more.

This kit is teaching me lessons. Possibly, seasoned builders of Trumpeter kits have discovered them already, and will shortly be falling about laughing at my naivety. Even so I thought I’d share them in the interest of improving our collective knowledge and giving us all a smile.

Lesson one: the kits parts are almost, but not quite, a very good fit. There’s always a little something to fix, fettle or sand to get what is eventually a good alignment. Getting that good alignment is compounded by lesson two.

Lesson two: the kit parts are almost, but not quite, entirely without locating pins or other guides to placing parts correctly. There are some, but not nearly as many as I’d like. Often a good deal of experimentation and dry fitting is needed before gluing just to make sure that bit really does attach to the other bit there.

Lesson three is a consequence of lessons one and two. It is: think a few steps ahead because this tricky blighter may have some bigger surprises down the road. Expect the unexpected as Donald Rumsfeld might have said, had he not been so obsessed with knows and unknowns or worrying about real Migs, which apparently did go together quite nicely and in some numbers too.

With that I mind (I mean fit issues, not Donald Rumsfeld’s knowns) I’ve been playing with some of the major components. I turned my attention first to the upper wing/fuselage and started attaching parts, carefully applying lessons one to three. I had to scratch build part of the HUD too, which as supplied is right for an earlier version but not the SMT, and won’t take the Quinta details.

That seems like a lot of words to get to some modest progress, but hey, who is going to listen to all this if not you guys?

A few shots might prove I actually did some modelling too.

The kit comes with the option to have the secondary intake doors either open or closed. Mine will be open, which means the main intake doors will be closed. The fit of these parts was, well…. see lessons one to three.

Happy modelling gents.

3 Likes

Really nice progress and the cockpit does look great. Still keeping tabs on this and looking forward to the next installment :+1:

1 Like

Looking good Steve.
I am not sure your three lessons are limited to just Trumpeter though. I think they could apply to a lot of model manufacturers.

cheers
Michael

1 Like

Good evening gents,

Thanks very much. It’s great to have you looking in.

Michael, yes you’re right of course.

Happy modelling guys. More progress soon.

1 Like

Hello folks,

Here’s a bit more progress. The cockpit tub and ejector seats have been primed, prior to painting. I must admit that I don’t always prime, but this time, with lead wire, photo etch and some brass tubing to cover, primer felt like a good precaution.

I’ve also assembled the front landing gear leg, which builds up nicely. Next I’ll add some extras like tubing and missing bolts etc. The lower half is metal which offers a great opportunity to polish it up and get a very realistic looking fork leg. You can’t see it here because I’ve masked it ready for painting but trust me, I’m a modeller :slight_smile:

Some more exciting painting and weathering is not too far away now.

Thanks for looking in.

Happy modelling guys.

P.S. I’m sorry about the photos. They look fine on my computer but seem to have a problem with orientation when I post.

3 Likes

And finally there’s some paint down.

These days, I paint cockpits and interior details using techniques borrowed from figure painters. This is step two of the process. Having primed in black and then highlighted the upper areas in white to create a map of the highlights and shadows, I added thin layers of the base colour, building up from the top down The deepest shadows and recesses hardly have any colour at all.

The ejector sear has been painted using the same technique but the differences are less noticeable because the base colour is dark. As you can see I haven’t painted it black, despite the fact that black is the colour of the real thing. I’ll be adding pin washes and other highlights that I hope will tone it down but even so the result I’m aiming for is not pure black. Let’s see how it goes.

In the meantime here is a little mood music.

Happy modelling guys.

4 Likes

Looking good - nice work on the cockpit :slightly_smiling_face:

Indeed, progress is looking great.

cheers
Michael

Thanks guys,

It has been a while since I posted; work on the kit has been slow as other things took priority but finally I’ve been trying out the Quinta details. I have to say that I have mixed feelings about them. The detail is beautiful, but trying to integrate the printed vinyl with a colour modulation approach hasn’t been easy, and I had to trim the sidewalls to get a good fit. I’ve tried using oil washes to get a colour match, but it’s not really worked the way I like it. Once the cockpit is installed and the upper parts including the fuse box behind the seat have all the Quinta parts added I think it will look OK. For my style though, I’d rather sacrifice a little of the detail to make the paint work harder.

Here’s the progress.

Happy modelling, and have a great Christmas if you are celebrating.

3 Likes

Gotta say Steve, first off well done thus far it’s all looking great… And for me, those Quinta decals look terrific… They make it look like a real cockpit with that 3d effect… Great job :+1:

They do don’t they :smiley:

Hello gents,

Thanks very much for dropping in. Yes, it’s all looking very, er… cockpity. There’s a little more to do, such as adding the Quinta details to the circuit breaker box behind the ejector seat, and placing the joystick. Even so, I think the end is in sight now, for this part at least. With the cockpit tub and ejector seat just pushed into place, you get an idea of the finished look.

I’ve been reflection on using the Quinta 3D parts, and I here’s my personal experience in case you are going to use them too:

The level of detail is extraordinary. It takes some magnification to appreciate the smaller details, and from naked-eye viewing distance they really do add a busy feel. From that point of view they’re a step up from, say, coloured photo-etch or a combination of moulded plastic and decals.

The colour sometimes misses vertical surfaces, for example there are buttons with a red top but white side. You can see the same inside the dials too.

The vinyl material sticks well with PVA glue. I used PVA on all the parts even the smallest. The only exception was a tiny handle where I used CA instead. No problems either way.

The parts behave like a thick decal. They are very flexible, floppy even, and sit very well on smooth surfaces. The same flexibility applies to the small details of course.

Parts can break, particularly those with thin sections. I had a couple of pieces fall apart - maybe it was me being ham-fisted - but the vinyl is definitely more fragile than plastic or PE.

They take oil washes well. The shiny surface really helps oils to flow around details, and oils will tone down the shine once dry. I found this helped to integrate the Quinta parts with the painted areas. I didn’t try acrylics, but I think water based products might bead up on the shiny surface, so maybe a varnish first would help.

Finally, the fit. Generally it is very good and matched well to the kit parts. Even so, in places where dials but up against each other at an angle, the dense detail can actually prevent a good fit. Some trimming was needed.

So, would I use them again? Honestly, for my style, I probably wouldn’t. I really enjoy painting and weathering, and while there’s no doubt that the Quinta detail is phenomenal, I didn’t find the process satisfying. I also had to compromise my plan to go big on the colour modulation in the cockpit, just to end up with a coherent look. I’m not saying this is a bad product - the opposite is true - but for my preference I want to use paint techniques more.

Here’s a look:

5 Likes

Hi guys,

Happy New Year to you. I hope 2022 is treating you well.

My modelling New Year started with a diversion. I’ve been thinking about detailing cockpits and it led here:

I’ll be back to the Mig-29 shortly.

See ya soon.

1 Like

Hi guys,

It’s been a while, I know. That experiment with the SU-17 cockpit got me hooked on building it, so now I’m going to try and progress the Mig and the Sukhoi at the same time. I’m usually a ‘one-build-at-a-time’ guy, so as I said on the other thread - wish me luck!

I have some progress to post here. It’s coming soon.

Happy modelling, chaps.

Good morning guys,
Under the world circumstances right now, I don’t have the heart to continue this build. It’s going on pause.
I hope you stay safe and well,
Steve.

2 Likes