INTERMEDIATE BUILD

Despite wartime conditions, Ukrainian

company ICM has brought the recent
legend of ‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ to model
form. This 1/72 MiG-29S Fulcrum-C is
built by Chris Jones

D
uring the opening
phase of Ukraine’s
defence against
Russia’s invasion,
rumours began to circulate about
one of its fighter pilots – with
claims he had shot down multiple
Russian aircraft despite seemingly
overwhelming odds.
This legend of ‘The Ghost of
Kyiv’ went viral rapidly, fuelled by
atmospheric footage of MiG-29s
flying low over the capital and
a widely shared dogfight video,
which actually came from the PC
flight simulator DCS! Clearly, the
long-standing fascination with the
air-combat ‘ace’ still resonated
heavily, even in the digital age.
Despite posthumous claims
that Stephan Tarabalka was the
pilot in question, the Ukrainian
Air Force (UkrAF) subsequently
issued a statement stating
the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ was not an
individual, but a legend that
represented the collective effort
and fighting spirit of the MiG-
29 pilots. Regardless, the epic
story of a heroic aviator surviving
against all the odds served to
inspire and raise morale during a
dark time for Ukraine.
War factory
Alongside other Ukrainian
kit manufacturers, ICM has
performed an impressive feat.
Despite the country facing
invasion and a war of national
survival, it has since managed
to produce kits of equipment
and soldiers fighting in that very
same conflict. These efforts are
inspirational both at home and

ICM’s cockpit consisted of a minimal set of parts, though the raised detail was Each forward section of the intake ‘tunnels’ came in halves, which were easier
attractive and appealing to assemble and sand prior to being fixed to the fuselage

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abroad and are to be commended
given the obvious difficulties.
Of course, some may question
the significance of modelling
products in the face of a
conflict, but Ukraine’s hobby
companies are achieving
several goals producing these
kits. First, they help to keep
the domestic economy
going – without
people
working,
taxes
being paid and
products being sold, Ukraine will
run out of money. Second, the
export of models commemorating
the bravery of its defending forces
also creates tangible reminders
for those of us located abroad
that the conflict is ongoing
and Ukraine needs continued
support. Finally, hobbies bring joy
and for the modellers of Ukraine,
be they children or adults – any
ray of light, no matter how small
MODEL SPEC
Mikoyan MiG-29 9.13 ‘The Ghost
of Kyiv’
By: ICM
Stock Code: 72140
Scale: 1/72
Price: £19.20
Available from: www.hannants.co.uk
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INTERMEDIATE
INTERMEDIA BUILD | MiG-29S Fulcrum-C
this may be, is sorely needed in
One-piece
the present situation. wings, fins
and tailplanes
Legacy plastic were included,
which made
ICM has been through major construction
changes over the years, rapid overall
transitioning from a producer of
limited-run offerings depicting
fascinating if unusual subjects,
(often requiring some modelling
skill to build) to making high-
quality mainstream injection-
moulded kits. Its 1/72 MiG-29S
(9.13) Fulcrum-C is definitely one
of the firm’s older kits, so the
builder must bear this in mind.
Just a small number of parts
were required to complete the
model and all the panel lines Plenty of tape-applied pressure
was used to ensure a solid join
were recessed. The build itself between the fuselage halves
opened by tackling a number of
surface imperfections needing
filling with of Milliput’s Superfine
White (www.milliput.com), centred
around the underside of the
engine fairings.
In the cockpit, small sink marks
presented themselves on the
angled rudder pedal areas and it
was much easier to cover these
with plastic card rather than filling
and sanding them. Aiming to
speed completion of the fuselage
and allow the glue on the seams Careful filling and sanding was
plenty of time to set, the cockpit required to avoid damaging
the curved contours of the
was secured within the upper nose section
fuselage early in the build. The fit
was particularly tight, so Tamiya
Extra Thin Quick-Setting Cement
(www.hobbyco.net) was used,
before supporting columns of
plastic rod were fixed with super
glue and accelerator. Where the
cockpit rear bulkhead met the
fuselage, a large recess was
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was taken to constructing the required care, on account

For joins requiring
neatening but not
sanding – such as
those at the wings
and tails – Milliput
was applied and
smoothed with
damp cotton buds
Dark Sea Grey was
used to cover joins
and seams to ensure
neatness and provide
a consistent base coat
for the subsequent
camouflage colours
apparent, so this was covered with
plastic card cut to shape. Note,
the ejection seat was replaced
with Dream Model’s DM0303
resin item (www.facebook.com/
dreammodelofficial).
With the pilot’s ‘office’ in place,
the upper/lower fuselage halves
were secured with the aid of
Revell Contacta Cement (www.
revell.de/en) and held together
with plenty of Tamiya Tape (www.
engine intake ‘tunnels’, which
were left for the glue to harden
before they were attached to
the fuselage. A fair amount of
clean-up was required around
the auxiliary intakes to neaten
the edges, so 600-grade wet
and dry paper was used along
with scalpel work. On the MiG-29
the twin tail fins are both canted
outwards, so ensuring proper
alignment required patience
plus enlargement of the locating
holes. Similarly, securing the
wings at the correct angle also
hobbyco.net). By using slightly
more adhesive than necessary,
a small amount of overspill
helped fill gaps along the seams
and reduced the need for filler.
Because glued plastic can shrink
as it dries, it’s best to leave seams
for as long as possible before
sanding them – perhaps two
weeks or more, otherwise ghost
seams can appear.
A similar approach
of the small locating tabs;
once in position, a complete
airframe presented itself.
Pre-pixel paint
After leaving the glue to harden
for at least a couple
of weeks,
sanding
the seams
began with 400- then 600-grade
wet-and-dry paper. Particular
care was needed around
the nose section to avoid
flat-spotting the curved
contours of the forward section.
Plenty of Milliput was used to
neaten the fuselage seams
and it was also applied in large
measure on areas such as the
wings and tailfins. As ever, Milliput
has the advantage that it can be
smoothed with a damp cotton bud
or appropriate tool – particularly in
these areas requiring a neat join.
A light coat of Tamiya XF-54
Dark Sea Grey was airbrushed
as a primer over all seams to
highlight imperfections, before
more filling and sanding ensued.
Once the entire airframe was
neat enough to provide a suitable
canvas for paint, focus turned
back to the cockpit. Firstly, the
instrument panel coaming was
painted XF-69 NATO Black
and masked, before the interior
colour was represented with a 2:1
mixture of XF-2 Flat White and
XF-66 Light Grey. Next, various
dials and switch details were
picked out with fine brushes,
cocktail sticks and an ultra-

It was possible
to paint the cockpit
after assembly and
the raised detail
was highlighted
superbly with
careful decoration

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 INTERMEDIATE BUILD | MiG-29S Fulcrum-C

“This legend of ‘The

Ghost of Kyiv’ went
viral rapidly, fuelled by
atmospheric footage
of MiG-29s flying low
over the capital”

fine black marker pen. The detail
appeared attractive, especially
considering the small scale, but
really benefited from extra care
and attention during painting.
After attaching the windshield
and masking the cockpit, the
metal heat shields at the rear of
the fuselage were sprayed with
Alclad’s ALC-600 Aqua Gloss
(www.alclad2.com) to provide a
smooth base for the firm’s ALC-
101 Aluminium. These metallic
areas were masked, before XF-54
Dark Sea Grey was sprayed on
the radome, tailfin caps and the
wingtip Radar Warning Reciever
(RWR) panels. These areas were
protected with a light Aqua Gloss
coat then masked.
For the undersides, XF-19 Sky
Grey was applied, and once
again, after a light protective
gloss coat, a fair amount of time
was expended to mask these
areas. The upper surface off-white
tone was indeed rather ghostly-
looking and was replicated with a
3:1 blend of XF-2 Flat White and
XF-80 Royal Light Grey. Once the
masks were removed and gloss
applied, the anti-glare panel was
masked and sprayed XF-69 NATO
Black, while the forward ECM
panels were sprayed XF-54 Dark
Sea Grey. At this point, the

Various dielectric After spraying the

areas were sprayed underside Sky Grey,
XF-54 Dark Sea Grey plenty of masking
then masked Dark was required before
Sea Grey to minimise the next colour
further covering later could be applied
in the build

The ghostly off-white tone used on the upper surfaces was mixed from XF-2
Flat White and XF-80 Royal Light Grey
More masking was in order to tackle the ECM fairings, anti-glare panel and
gunmetal-toned areas

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD
entire airframe was fully painted
and it was time to go digital.
Digital decals
The striking pixel-based
camouflage worn by the 40th
brTA’s MiG-29s was supplied
in decal form by ICM and had
to cover enormous areas of the
upper surfaces of the airframe.
With this in mind, any rough areas
of paint risked creating some
truly unsightly areas of ‘silvering’
– where minute air bubbles get
trapped under the carrier film. The
whole airframe was hence coated
to the highest possible level with
repeated applications of ALC-600
Aqua Gloss. It was found best to
lightly mist the layers on gradually,
before applying a heavier coat
and setting the model aside in a
sealed box to dry. While spraying,
a blob of Blu Tack on the end of
a cocktail stick was used to pluck
off any airborne debris (such as
hair, dust or clothing fibres) that
settled on the sticky surface.
Once each gloss coat had dried
fully, the model was inspected
and anything that had managed
to become stuck in the varnish
was sanded carefully using
With painting complete,
the airframe received
multiple gloss coats
in preparation for the
massive decaling job
to follow
Decals can sometimes
silver if applied over one
other, so more gloss was
applied between the
pixels and stencils/further
insignia being applied
86 Airfix Model World
dampened 2,000-grade wet-
and-dry paper. Achieving an
exceptionally shiny surface was a
time-consuming task, but vital for
the forthcoming decal sessions.
Where any of the markings
were going to meet edges of
the airframe, the clear carrier
film was cut away with a brand-
new No.11 Swann Morton Scalpel
Blade (www.swann-morton.com)
and a metal ruler to avoid decals
overhanging edges that could
catch or tear during handling.
The markings were extremely
thin, and did not require setting
solutions; however, in areas of
particular recess such as the
control surface hinge lines,
pressure was applied by rolling
a cotton bud back and forth to
ensure they settled in the gaps.
The decals did exhibit a tendency
to fold in on themselves, which
made things tricky. Unfortunately,
two sections were lost or
damaged in this way so a new kit
was purchased by the author to
acquire a fresh decal sheet.
The main centre pixel section
was far too large to be applied
without it failing to conform to
the major curves of the fuselage
spine or folding in on itself, so
it was carefully cut into smaller
sections and applied as individual
pieces. Applying the digital decals
was laborious, but much quicker
than painting with masks. That
said, several areas required paint
touch ups, which was very time-
consuming as colour matches
for all three of the upper surface
colours had to be mixed, then
touched-in laboriously with an
ultra-fine brush.
Ghost greys
After sealing the decals with yet
more gloss coats, the various
stencils and insignia were applied
and sealed. Different shades of
Lamp Black and Ivory White oil
paints were mixed for each of the
separate colours of the airframe.
This was because the black-grey
wash needed for the Dark Grey
pixels would look far too stark in
the panel lines of the ultra pale,
off-white areas and vice versa.
Each was applied carefully,
as relatively thick washes, to
prevent the colours from running.
After cleaning any excess, as
much final assembly took place
as possible, including mounting
the model on its legs, before it
was time for a matt varnish coat.
This comprised Winsor & Newton
Galeria Matt Varnish (www.
winsornewton.com) diluted to
approximately 40:60 with thinner
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 INTERMEDIATE BUILD | MiG-29S Fulcrum-C
INTERMEDIA

ICM’s ejection seat was replaced Purple and blue strips were sprayed
with a resin offering from Dream Model on the exhaust petals, before they
– once fitted with separate parts and were toned down with a black-red
painted, it was a noticeable upgrade brown overspray

Different shades of thick oil paint-derived washes were applied to the various
hues used for the camouflage scheme

Light and dark-toned Citadel Metal colours (www.games-workshop.com) were After a matt coat, an ultra-thin mix of Flat Black and Red Brown was sprayed
sponged onto the engine sections to produce interesting metallic effects on the panel lines to represent accumulated grime

(an equal mix of deionised water
and 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol).
ICM’s missile complement didn’t
represent a contemporary fit,
because a pair of AA-8 Aphids
were included – these weren’t
utilised for this build. Final
assembly involved attaching the
various small parts that would be
easily broken, including the pitot
tube. This had been damaged
during clean-up so it was replaced
with aluminium tube from Albion
Alloys (www.albionalloys.com).
Digital defender
It’s truly remarkable ICM has
been able to release this kit
(along with newly tooled products
such as the 1/48 Beaufort - see
p.96) while its home nation
continues to fight. This 1/72
‘Ghost of Kyiv’ represents a
challenging project, but the result
is absolutely worth the effort.
Buying products from Ukrainian
companies supports the country’s
economy, so this kit comes
very much recommended.

“This 1/72 ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ model represents

a challenging project, but the finished
result is absolutely worth the effort”

CHOICE OF
GHOSTS...
Although the Ukrainian Air Force has
confirmed ‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is not
any one individual, the propaganda
means at least one of their MiG-29s
has been adorned with ghostly nose
art and features on this kit’s decal
sheet. Several other tactical numbers
are also included for 40th Tactical
Aviation Brigade (brTA) airframes in
2022: either White 19, Blue 02 or
Yellow 53.

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