Cold War Warrior Mig-23M Flogger B - 1:48 Trumpeter

[Mike]

Mig-23M Flogger B

1:48 Trumpeter

The Mig-23 was an unusual project that started as a replacement for the Mig-21, initially named Ye-231, after which the project split into the Mig-23, and the Mig-27 (a sturdy, radarless ground attack aircraft). The Mig-23 was developed to combat the F-111 and F-4 Phantom, and is a definite third generation jet, which was used in significant numbers by the Soviet Airforce, as well as numerous export customers throughout the 70s and 80s.

The M was the first mature version of the aircraft, and the basis for the following first generation variants, as well as the second generation with much greater modification. It had variable geometry wings and complex variable intakes to allow it to use shorter runways whilst being capable of high speed, and the use of a single high-power engine gave it a lower weight which resulted in better manoeuvrability. This allowed it to out accelerate an F-111, and indeed latterly early F-16s and F-18s, although its dog-fighting prowess wasn't all that impressive. It was better suited to beyond visual range (BVR) or hit-and-run attacks, during which it could achieve success, but if it stuck around to engage the enemy, it could be vulnerable unless the pilot was experienced with the aircraft. In the hands of various export customers it fared quite badly against even Mig-21s, depending on which side of the propaganda battle you believe.

It was phased out by the Russians in the late 90s, and other former Eastern Bloc countries retired theirs in the following years. They are still in service with some export countries, but because they are complex, they are expensive to maintain, which offset the low initial cost to purchasers.

The Kit

This is a premium product from Trumpeter, which is evident from the moment you open the large top-opening box. Inside are twelve sprues of various sizes in mid grey styrene, two of clear styrene, a pair of exhaust nozzle parts, a small Photo-Etch (PE) sheet, and three sheets of decals. The detail of the parts is very fine throughout, and it gives the impression of a well thought-out tooling. The modular nature of the parts breakdown also gives us clues as to the other versions that might be planned, with the MF already released. As usual with Trumpeter kits, the weapons systems supplied with the kit are generous to a fault, which makes the relatively low price-point look exceptional value.

Construction is traditional, beginning with the ejector seat, which is made up from 6 well detailed parts, some employing slide-moulding for extra detail, plus a butterfly shaped PE actuator handle between the pilot's knees. I'd suggest fitting this at the last minute, as the part is very fine and likely to get knocked off during handling. The cockpit tub has detailed side consoles and separate rudder pedals and control column, while the rear bulkhead is festooned with panel and wiring detail. The main instrument panel is covered in raised and engraved detail, and there is a full set of instrument panel decals included on the small sheet, even down to the small ancillary panels at the end of the side consoles. These are printed in black and white with spot colour, so should add some detail to the cramped cockpit. A pair of side-wall detail panels are also provided, which have their own decals as well.

In order to close up the fuselage, the exhaust must be made up next, and this is exceptionally well detailed, with a lot of fancy moulding applied to improve the look of the parts. The rear engine face and afterburner ring are built up from three discreet parts, all made from styrene, but the delicate burner ring part is an exercise in clever moulding, as it is a one-piece tapered framework structure. The inner parts of the exhaust petals are both moulded as cylindrical parts with no seamlines to clean up, which has got to be good news. The outer shroud is made up of two halves, but as the seams won't be seen, you can forget about having to hide them - more good news!

The intake trunking is supplied as top and bottom halves, and it is worthwhile doing a test fit with the intake parts dry-fitted, to see whether it's worth filling the seams. In any eventuality, only the outer wall could be seen, so at least that's just the two seams to deal with. They are painted a dark grey too, so there will be little or nothing visible at a guess. The nose gear bay is made up from a main L-shaped part to which three panels are added to complete the box, and give maximum detail. Only the deep sides of the wheel recess won't have any detail, and as the front nose gear bay door is usually closed, that shouldn't notice under normal circumstances. The ventral fin is sandwiched between the two halves with a large T-shaped tab holding it firmly within the fuselage once it is closed up.

Even with the fuselage halves joined, the majority of the topside is still open, allowing the main gear bay to be added before the wings and fuselage top are added later. This bay is made up from individual sides around a central cavity, allowing good detail all round and a depiction of the cylindrical sides of the engine bisecting the bay from front to back. The engraved detail on the intakes is very nice, and has been achieved by moulding them on a separate sprue using slide-moulding to get the detail on the top and bottom faces. The blow-in doors of the auxiliary intakes are moulded in the "in" position, so check your references as to how they should be in your chosen pose. The inside of the intakes extend to the rear of the part, joining up with the Y-shaped section already trapped within the fuselage, and there are pair of PE mesh grilles on the inner face depicting the built in FOD guards that a lot of Russian jets have. Again, check your references for their correct positioning. A number of small parts are added to each intake, and some of these could be knocked off unless added at the last minute, so assess what to leave off until then to avoid some bad language later.

As mentioned earlier, the upper fuselage is a separate part, and the variable-geometry wings build up onto this, with a pair of styrene cogs synchronising their movement when correctly installed. It's a bit of a gimmick, but if you paint the wings before they are installed, shouldn't inconvenience you during painting. Clear parts are provided for the wingtip lights, and the wing-gloves are separate parts, as are a pair of auxiliary intakes on the upper side just forward of the fin. You have the option of modelling the aft air-brakes in the open or closed position, and separate parts are included for each possibility. A further pair of airbrakes are added to the underside, and these have a PE skin on the interior face if they are posed open, with separate parts again for the closed position. The whole upper-fuselage assembly is then added to the lower fuselage along with the main gear bay and the two intakes. At this point it will really start to look like an aircraft rather than a selection of parts. At this point you can also choose to model the exhaust petals closed or open, with two separate cylindrical parts supplied, one for each option.

The tail is a mammoth slab, with a long fillet reaching forward to the centre of the wing roots. It is built up from separate halves, and has the rudder moulded in, with a separate tail cone part, a small intake on the fillet, and a small PE antenna at the rear of the tail top. It attaches to the fuselage via a pair of tabs fore and aft, which should result in a strong joint. The all-moving elevators plug into a complex saw-tooth slot in the fuselage side, with a peg extending a little way into the fuselage to give some much-needed strength. Each wingtip, elevator tip and tail tip has a static-discharge wick moulded in, which is well protected on the sprue, but won't last very long once installed. Speaking as a clumsy modeller, I wish that companies would supply these as separate parts, but I might be alone in that.

The landing gear of the Forger is quite a chunky affair, and the main legs are complex due to the fact that they have to fold themselves up quite neatly to fit within the fuselage. The nose-gear leg is a single strut with a retraction jack trailing it, and twin wheels, which are built from separate halves and have their hubs built in. A slide-moulded fender covers the rear quarter of the wheelset, and this is very nicely done, approaching scale thickness. There are two small PE stiffening braces added between the two wheel bulges, which shows good attention to detail. The main gear legs are made up from two main parts, which link together with a long tab to give some strength to the join, with a large stabilising retraction jack, and two smaller jacks keeping everything in line. The sharply curved small gear bay door attaches to the leg with an actuating rod, and a small rectangular splatter-guard with PE attachment points helps to deflect the spray from the main wheels reaching the gear bay. All the gear attaches to sturdy holes in their bays, and the main legs have a separate hinge-point that is added when you install them, so don't forget to paint it! The nose bay has three doors, the forward one closed under normal circumstances, and the others left open to show all the detail. The two remaining doors on the main bays are nicely detailed, although the smaller upper doors have a slight sink mark in the outer surface, which will need a dab of filler to sort out. It's one of those 5-minute jobs though, and well worth it for the detail on the inside.

The main build is completed at this point, save for the addition of the finishing touches to the cockpit in the form of a boxy-looking coaming and gun-sight, which are made up of three parts plus a decal, after which you can add the canopy glazing. This is of the quality you'd expect from Trumpeter, and is very clear & thin, with well-defined framing. The canopy is moulded as separate parts, with the main part posable in either open or closed positions. A pair of PE rear-view mirrors are also included on the PE fret for a little extra detail. The large radome is moulded on a sprue of its own with its pitot probe, and then it's just a case of adding all the various aerials, antennae and other "sticky-out" bits that would be knocked off if added earlier.

As mentioned earlier, the weapons provided are many, and this starts with the GSh-23L gun-pack under the fuselage, which has separate barrels and a pair of PE detail parts to finish it off. The rest of the munitions are as follows:

• 2 x R-23R Apex
  
• 2 x R-23T Apex
  
• 2 x R-24R Apex
  
• 2 x R-24T Apex
  
• 2 x R-13M Atoll
  
• 2 x R-13M1 Atoll
  
• 2 x R-3R Atoll
  
• 4 x R-60 Aphid
  
• 1 x PTB-800 auxiliary fuel tank
  
• 2 x Drop Tanks

Each weapon has their associated launch rail or adapter included, and the R-60s can either be installed singly, or on handed dual launch rails on the shoulder stations.

The Decals

We've come to expect good quality decals from Trumpeter, and this kit isn't an exception. The sheets are broken down by subject, with the smaller of the two main sheets dealing with the airframe, including national markings, unit markings and a host of stencils. The largest sheet is just for the weapons that are provided in the kit, and this is sectioned up with a legend for each weapon, making identification and application an easier task. A full-colour painting and decaling sheet is supplied, with the aircraft on one side, and the munitions on the other.

Only one scheme is included on the decal sheet, which is perhaps a shame, but a great many Mig-23Ms were painted light grey during service. Other schemes and operators are bound to follow in due course, filling the gaps left by the kit decals. Given what you do get in the kit though, it's perhaps a little churlish to moan about the limitations of the scheme available from the box.

Conclusion

This is a great looking kit, and is just crammed with detail. The majority of modellers would be more than happy to build it out of the box, with only the super-detailer needing to take it further, and for the price (sub GBP30), that's got to be a good thing. A very handsome and brutish looking aircraft indeed, which was perhaps under-exploited by its operators outside the USSR.

Very highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Julien]

Now that looks a great kit.

Julien

[Paul A H]

Indeed it does. Sometimes I think that if all these kits had been around three or four years ago, I might not have given up 1:48 for 1:72.

[colin]

Just got this kit and the detail on it's fantastic, just hope it builds as good as it looks in the box

[Will Vale]

Looks super, thanks for the review. Do you have any sense of how it compares to the 1/32 Floggers?

[Radleigh]

For under £30 you can't go wrong! Great review Mike

[charley420]

Im half way through one of these beauts at the moment, watch out for the main gear legs they're fiddly and pain to get right with nano pe parts aplenty for the carpet monsters tea

[Antoine]

Great kit indeed.

Thanks for the review.

The only thing to me is that you won't go very far in term of colour options with an M.

But it shouldn't be too difficult to convert it in a MF, as I think most differencies are internal?

Or am I wrong?

Any way, a real MF is not too far away.

[Diamondbacks VF-102]

That bird is on my list....

[Radleigh]

Great kit indeed.

Thanks for the review.

The only thing to me is that you won't go very far in term of colour options with an M.

But it shouldn't be too difficult to convert it in a MF, as I think most differencies are internal?

Or am I wrong?

Any way, a real MF is not too far away.

According to Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-23) 'it was essentially identical to Soviet MiG-23M' and reading through it looks like it is almost the same as the 'MS', 'MP'.

[Diamondbacks VF-102]

IMHO One of the nicest "warshaw pact AC" ever designed by the Russians

[Greased Lightning]

Great review as usual Mike and one of my favourite aircraft.

[Viking]

I could be tempted by one of these. Always liked its rakish looks.

[Tiger331]

According to Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-23) 'it was essentially identical to Soviet MiG-23M' and reading through it looks like it is almost the same as the 'MS', 'MP'.

As I understand it, the only major external difference between the M and the MF is the canopy framing. The MF variant has a metal frame running down the centre of the main canopy, effectively dividing the glazing into two parts....on the M variant this is not present with only the mirror assembly 'disturbing' an otherwise clean cockpit canopy. that said, I'm sure there will be somevminor differences with aerials etc too.

Mark