Mikoyan MiG-29UB

[Greg B]

Mikoyan MiG-29UB

1:32 Revell

History

Originally designed as one of the Soviet responses to the F-15 and F-16 fourth generation fighter aircraft (the other being the SU-27 “Flanker”), the MiG-29 “Fulcrum” entered service in 1983. Alongside its bigger brother the Flanker, it caused a lot of consternation amongst the NATO Allies, mainly because of the paucity of information on the type available at the time from behind the iron curtain. Like its Western equivalent (the F-16) it is has a restricted range due to its size and because of this there have been a number of upgrades and re-designs to try and squeeze as much out of the airframe as possible including a dorsal hump for extra fuel and avionics. Like the F-16, it was supposed to provide short range air cover alongside and ahead of an advancing battlegroup.

Powered by 2 x Klimov RD-33 turbofans with a large space between the engines ala the F-14 (which generates extra lift), the Fulcrum has twin tails mounted on booms outboard of the engines and has swept wings with large blended leading edge extensions. Its construction is mainly of alloy, but with some composite components. It was one of the first aircraft capable of performing the Pugachev Cobra.

The Fulcrum was also designed to be operated from prepared strips and therefore has ruggedized landing gear and wheels, together with intakes that automatically close off to prevent the ingestion of FOD. The air for the engines is supplied by a series of opening louvers on the top of the LERX.

A 2 seat trainer variant was produced, the MiG-29UB which this kit represents.

The Kit

Originally released in the Early 90’s shortly after its sibling the MiG-29A, the kit is moulded in Revell’s light grey plastic and features finely recessed panel lines. The sprues are broken down into 6 x grey and 1 x clear for the canopies etc. With a parts count of just over 120, it is by no means a complicated kit for its scale, however with its relatively cheap price compared to the only other Mig-29 in 1/32 by Trumpeter it certainly is a good starter kit for those early forays into 1/32 jet aviation and could provide a suitable base kit for the super detailer. The cockpit is sparsely detailed with 2 simple replications of the Ejector seats. The wheel wells and bays have some basic detailing and will benefit from some additional wiring and framework to add interest. The Klimov RD-33 turbofans are also provided in a basic form, together with an air to air loadout of missiles (AA-11 Archers, AA-10 Alamo's and AA-8 Aphids) and a centerline drop tank.

Painting Options

Markings are provided for 2 x aircraft and my decal sheet was in register, had good colour density, was glossy and a great improvement over some of my previous Revell sheets:

1. A shark mouthed Russian MiG-29UB (which adorns the box art) from the 120 IAB based in Chita Siberia in 2003.

2. A MiG-29GT (German variant) which saw service after the re-unification of Germany with JG3 at Preschen, near Brandenburg in 1990.

The painting guide as ever is in Revell’s normal manner which calls for mixing their own paints in varying quantities. This of course ensures that the average modeller must research the correct colours and source them from his normal manufacturer. In this day and age it is a frustrating nuance that is clung onto. If Revell graced us with an equivalent FS match for its paint mixes in any of its future releases it would certainly be most welcome.

Accuracy

As ever with any kit, there are some accuracy issues. This kit is no exception and whilst the basic shape is there, the engine tail pipes look to be undersized together with the fairings. This was more noticeable on the single seat version from Revell and it is my understanding that Revell did attempt to correct this for the 2 seat release, however they are still not quite there to me and do look anaemic. At the time of original release, Revell must have had very limited resources to the actual dimensions of the real aircraft which was only just beginning to become a known sight in the Western world. Like Revell, without a proper set of plans to hand here, I am unable to determine the correct dimensions for the rivet counters among us, however there is a set of engine fairings and nozzles available from Zacto Models which do address this problem.

Conclusion

All in all its a pretty nice kit, I suspect that the majority of us would be able to live with the shape issues and if so inclined would be tempted to give Chris at Zacto Models some custom if it is just too much to bear. With the current Trumpeter MiG offering being the upgraded MiG 29M, this is still the only game in town for a twin sticker Fulcrum and is easily recommended for those fans of Soviet jets in 1/32.

Recommended

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

[Flankerman]

Just a quick note to MiG-29 builders......

A Fulcrum at rest - as shown in the photo above - would have the upper LERX doors firmly closed.

They are spring-loaded and open on demand from the engine.

The front 'barn door' intakes that blank off the main intakes are closed when the aircraft is on the ground, the engines are running and there is weight on the nosewheel leg - in other words when it is taxying.

At rest - as in the photo - there would also be a sloping red-painted box structure over the upper LERX intakes - to stop the groundcrew from putting their heavy size nines through them.

There would also probably be a red-painted blanking plate over the main intakes....

Taxying...

Just trying to help.......

Ken

[charley420]

Ken which mark is the one in the bottom two photos? its hump looks a lot longer than the one above it

[Greg B]

Ken which mark is the one in the bottom two photos? its hump looks a lot longer than the one above it

MiG-29SMT, its an upgraded model with extra fuel, better avionics, radar, cockpit and engines.

[Dwill]

The exhausts are the same size (very undersized) in all of the Revell 1/32 MiG-29 boxings. The original US Revell single seat kit had deep engine tunnels that required a stepped transition piece at the rear to mate with the undersized exhausts. The UB "fix" was to reduce the depth of the engine tunnels under the fuselage at the rear so they tapered down more to match up with the exhausts, which were unchanged. The subsequent RoG reissues of the single seaters, as well as this UB reissue, had the revised engine tunnels.

They didn't really fix the problem with the exhausts, they just tried to make it less ugly. The Zactoman upgrades are really the way to go on the Revell MiG-29s.

[Alan P]

Just got this kit, I agree completely with what Greg has written, except I would add that the surface detail is very well rendered with fine lines and rivet detail. Given this kit dates from the early 90s, it's at least as good as the same company's Tornado kits, and possibly better than the recent Typhoon in terms of quality.

The real downside is the relative lack of detail in the cockpit and very rudimentary seats. The seats can be replaced with Quickboost K-36 versions, but there's no real solution for the rest.

The engines are another issue - Zacto is the only way to go, but the cost is pretty excessive at about two to three times the price of the kit, and should really only be considered for a super detailed masterpiece, unless you have the money to spare!

Al