INTERMEDIATE BUILD High-Speed Strike The Soviet fighter that made the West sit up and take notice gets camouflage treatment when here was nothing subtle about the MiG-25. Nine feet longer than an Avro Lancaster, the intimidating Foxbat sported twin tas above two massive Tumansky engines that could push the aivraft to Mach 3.2. ‘The Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau had been tasked with developing @ plane that could deal with Massimo Santarossa builds Frets Mec x070 ICM’s MiG-25BM ‘Wild Weasel’ was then in development 78 filix Model World Advances in intercontinental ballistic missiles and mounting costs would kil the XB.70, but the Soviets persevered with the MiG-25 programme and the fist prototype — which received the NATO reporting name Foxbat =tooktto the airin March 1964, ‘The type was left without an enemy, and many ofits secrets were revealed when a defecting pilot few one to Japan in 1976. Although the arcraft set several ‘aviation records, some which sill stand twas something of ‘a bust inthe interceptor rte. It could not sustaln Is maximum speed without the engines tearing -AMODEL SPEC Mic-250M Soviet Strike Aircraft By icM Stock Code: 72175, Seale: 172 Price: £2980 [Avallable rom: waruhannents uk KeyModetiord.comINTERMEDIATE BUILD | MiG-258M Foxbat-F themselves apart, and range was limited without an in-fight ICM fist released its MiG-25 kit in refveling capability, However it 2018, producing boxings covering was recognised thatthe airframe interceptor, reconnaissance, two- stlhad development potential. seat trainer and strike atcraft. It Its si blstering performance came ina sturdy, double-packed ‘and large airframe made itthe box, sporting a level of deta Ideal choice fora high-speed that was quite Impressive on fst reconnaissance pletform=sort inspection, with fine recessed, ‘ofa miniSR7I. The Soviets had panel lines and separate control also learned lessons rom the _surfaces. The trang of edges American invovementin Vietnam of these, plus the wing fences, and is experience in dealing with were so sharp one could almost the surface-to-air missle treat. shave witn them, The fuselage Alimited number of MiG-258Ms, was moulded in several modular designated Foxbat F, were sections in keeping withthe produced as strike aircraft armed multiple versions available. Two ith the Kh-58 (AS-11Kilte) anti-_ small decal sheets provided fist. As provided, the large, long corresponding fuselage segments radiation missile, filing the same markings for three airframes, while redome came in halves. These ‘fis, to mitigate any ft issues, role asthe USAF's Wid Weasels. colours were matched with Revell were meantto be joined together and a trouble-re join was thus Ironically, one of the MIG-25 and Tamiya products. All and all, and added tothe assembled ‘achieved via tis method. fina successes was to spark aneatlooking set of parts,but fuselage ate later stage. The cockpit area was smal development ofthe McDonnell: would they resultin an equally Experience - some oft bitter - much ike the real thing, soit idh't Douglas now Boeing) FAS pleasing build? has shown that this can resultin take long to spray the parts in Mt Eagle, wich remains in service Due tothe k's modular nature, it the sides not mating smoothly, Color 3 Interor Turquoise Green tots day, was decided to deal with the nose sothe halves were fixed to thelr Soviet (wwwalblonhobies “The fuselage is moulded in several modular sections, in keeping with the multiple versions available” Not only ws the KML jection seat Sra cme in mule parts, ule {he missing seatets were fashioned ‘tom tn stip of ape KeyModeWorid.comINTERMEDIATE BUILD he love of fie deta on the landing geot = I infect te whole mocel was quite impressive g fort scale Under a 3 wash (Paynes Grey ols forthe gean the deta com). then highlight them with Sky Grey (wwwhobbyco.nel).then as itcould be installed later and build. as, at times, the instructions deta painting. Although not the details were highlighted with would not be prone to damage. All were not 100% clear on how to ‘mentioned inthe insttuctons, ‘wash and some dry-brushing, _ three undercariage bays end tne connect the pieces, wile the mult a decal was provided for the The two.assemblies were then intakes were sprayed with Alclad partnature ofthe model had the Instrument panel. Nose weight attached tether the floor or the ALC-101 Aluminium (wwwalclad2. potential for creating downstream was not called for, although some cockpit bulkhead as required. com), then detail was accentuated alignmentissues. Even the was added as precaution. The with an oll wash of Burnt Umber for slightest error could throw the fit pilot's seat was a bt of an adaty, Modular mayhem. the intakes and a darker wash of off completely. coming as wo sub-assemilies and With cockpt complete, the nose Burnt Umiber and Lamp Black for The massive square intakes sat without seatbelts, so staps were halves were closed. This assembly the bays themselves. In. U-shaped frame, which itself made from tape, after which the also included the nose gear bay, Testiting was one of he most was atachedito the cockpit. The parts were painted Tamiya XF-19 although the nose strut waslleft off useful techniques employed inthis parts ie not simply slide into place ‘A.A Ushaped frame hed he intakes and nose sections together. Te ft ‘A The mut part main gear legs went together well They were places ‘was notieal and much test fing an adlusing was needed to get an {emporaiy in thor undereariage bays whi the glue cure, to ensure they Decepiable connection ‘would be aiented corecty. = 80 Airfix Model World KeyModetWorid.comINTERMEDIATE BUILD | MiG-258M Foxbat-F as aludedto bythe instructions, ding instalation. This was not infvepeces wih welldeined cam) folowed by a pin wash of Fist the outsides ofthe intakes mentioned inthe instructions, mating points, resulting in a good Paynes Grey ol. was necessary needed to be sanded ft reinforcing the needto continualy ft, andthe parts were instaled to bid the goar early as they had athough the aid not guarantee test parts temporary the undercariage tobe fted inside the bays before they were correctly aligned. bays to ensure cortectalgnment the fuselage sides were attached Forunately.thewe are tree arfow Taking a break unt the gue had set. The sits Wile they prottuded from the vanes located on ether side ofthe Before continuing futher, the were painted with AK Ineractve belly they were bust enough to fuselage that match three grooves landing gear and exhausts were RC299 RAF Camouflage (Barley) survive wthaut damage. fn the insides ofthe intakes, thus addressed. The main gear came Grey (www.akinteractive, The inner portion of the atterbumers also had tobe installed early. The ducting, lame holders and inner petal rings were all painted with ‘homemade exhaust mix, while the flame holders and petals were subsequently sprayed with Model Master MMI7IS Interior Green S345, Dry-brushing accentuated the raised detal, using Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow (www.nobbyco, ret forthe duc tube, while matt black and gunmetal were worked over the flame holder. ‘The inner petals received 3 wash of Flory Models Black (www, florymadels.org) plus some dry- brushing. Theafterbumers KeyModeWoridcom Airfix Mode! World 81INTERMEDIATE BUILD _A.yinen the wings were matched to the fuselage, prominent gape developed ‘ang the wing roots twas fet thatthe mating surfaces fed o take nto "¥ Four shacos madi up the cmoufge scheme: a KnokiBut mx, Ft Beo¥n, Cecight Green and Dark Green, The colours were st prayed! ona test Kk to neck ther performance and tat of the modebe! exterior petals were then veoted intakes mettherlower ramps alignedwith the intake tunks. or long Here, the instructions in to several shades of Ald (ALC- wel, Dutastep was foundin the Further adjustment was needed, Steps 49 and 52 make alaing 12Steel ALC102 Durluminlum, cent sections. ing one would with portons ofthe mounting mistake: flowed, long lta AALC-23 Exhaust Manifold, ALC-104_ tow ofthe oer, sothe step langesbeing immed, eter which would be installed on onesie and Pale urnt Metal ang ALC-816 Hot wes accepted in favour of 9o0s- the parts were essemtaly forced ashrton the other, eventhough Metal Sepia) pts X23 Clear Blue. fing intakes, then cortectedby nto pace athe wile Keeping both shouldbe the same length. shoving away the step portion and elmy fingers crossed fran The conect sequence should be Putty pandemonium smoothing over tne area with pty. acceptable rest Parts E9 and F3, wile FI0 900s The man fuselage section ‘With the main gearin pec, The upper fuselage wes then comprised four pars, much ike the intake/fuselage sides were mounted onto the tops of box. Construction began by _ attached, Just the front portion of the intakes, of which connecting the belly with the these parts were glued (after much there were two Intakeleockpit section —here,the _testting)to ensure theiredges options, short 82 Alcix Model World KeyModetWorid.conwith F4, Stl to install ‘them requiced continual testing and adjusting, wth gaps evident that required the use of putty anc plastic shims tl ICM's wing parts were very well moulded, but not perfect. The MiG-25's main wings incorporated ‘an anhedral droop, exhibiting ‘a downward angle from root to tip. The mounting tabs took this into account, but the sides ofthe fuselage and wings root edges were moulded vertical, Thus, when the wings were attached, their lower edges contacted the fuselage first, leaving a significant ‘9p along the tops. To corect this, either the fuselage edges could be bevelled to make the wing parts flush, or else the gaps could be filed. Beveling the edges offered KeyModeNorid.com ‘more risk of making the ‘Feworse so filing was chosen Using Milput www.miliput.com), which could be smoothed with a damp cotton swab while stil sof, minimising later sanding, ‘Two paint schemes were offered by ICM: overall ai defence grey ‘and an eye-catching eamoutiage. Although paint callouts were given, they appeared suspect. The colour ‘uide forthe camouflage looked like a photocopy ofa photocopy ‘of a coloured drawing, with the ‘demarcation between hues not being distinct. Furthermore, just INTERMEDIATE BUILD | MiG-258M Foxbat-F three shedes were called fr, yet reference photos of White 37 (hich were few and net ofthe highest qualty) clearly showed that the aircrat wore four colours. Even the grey-scheme aircraft appeared ‘wrong, a8 the assigned colours lacked sufficient contrast. After much consideration, was, decided to go oft script and paint the model with what looked to be the best estimation. A camouflage scheme was selected using paints and patterns that appeared both einen “The main fuselage section comprised four parts, much close tothe real thing and also ‘appealing to the eye. As such, it ‘must be admited that the finshed product is nowhere near 100% ‘accurate, but the compromise was something that could belived wath The camouflage would be applied freehand ~ the fst Altix Mode! World 83INTERMEDIATE BUILD time something this complex had been attempted at his particular ‘modelling bench — with the following four shades selected: XP-0 Flat Brown, XF-71 Cockpit Green (UN), tan made from a 34 mix of XF-57 Bul and XF-49 Kaki, and MM Dark Green FS 34079, With the colours ready, a scrap model was used for practice, tweaking the technique Lnti an acceptable level of comfort was achieve. After screwing up my courage, the MiG “The final product looks every part the MiG-25” 84 Alcix Model World was taken in hand Fst, matt black was randomly epplied tothe undersides as ‘a pte-shade, then RC299 RAF CCamoutage (Barley) Grey was bult Lup slowly, allowing the shadows to show through. The camourage was then applied in four separate sessions, The key was to go slow, spraying at low volume close tothe ‘mode's surtace, thus maximising contol and minimising overspray or splatter. Over the course of dy, the painte were applied. The last remaining areas to spray were the radome (a 3 mix of XF-19 Sky Grey and XF-24 Dark Grey) and the dielectric panels (KF-24) Two coats of ALC-600 Aqua Gloss Clear were then applied Decal-palooza CM's decals were very comprehensive, providing the aircraft with specific markings anda plethora of stencil data, They were well printed, with good colour density {and exhibiting no bleed through, {and responded well to Micro Set (vevew microscale.com) decaling solution. The decals came (on two very small sheets, ‘making removing thema delicate , task, wile theirsheer umber resulted in tong hours being spent apalying them. The end product, though, was worth ue effort, ‘Some weathering was desirable, but nat othe extent that it would be fithy. Flory Models Grime wash was tiberaly brushea ‘ver the entre plane. Needing Justa short time to dry the excess was cleaned witha slightly damp cloth, wiping in the direction of airflow. The wash settled into the fine panel ines well and, when sealed under a matt varnish, were somewhat reactivated, becoming pleasingly vivid. The finish ine was insight as the final, move delicate elements were attached. Care was needed when mounting the main wheels as te axles were pointed, rather than eylindrical or stubstke. This introduced a certain amount of play, allowing the wheels to flop’ ‘around, so they were blocked in place while the glue cured to keep. them straight. The earlier addition of nase ballast turned out to be fortuitous as the completed model KeyModetWorid.comINTERMEDIATE BUILD | MiG-258M Foxbat-F zs Start as . you mean pele : ; ; to finish aa y not150 co Brushes ‘oval pit types Duratec 08903 ‘Stiple Brushes Perle or Weabrng Powcers as wa as ‘Acryl ard fret parts Date rata ac would tal-stat just the slightest hint of provocation. Four Kh-58 missles came with the model, each comorising four Inlvidual parts, with the AKU-SB louncn rls moulded integrally nthe kis underwing pylons. The missiles went together — without fuss and were given an ae Brushes high-vsibilty paint finish —as this Stabe for Enamel sire belonged string unt ant ayia it made sense to finish the missiles 4 The main landing gear axles were essentially pointed spikes. As toh qty, ‘such, when the main wheels were mounted they tended to ‘wiggle’ ‘sya hal pop of colour dd not hurt the : poe ee rose eoreace ane: ee PMA Scissors remained wast atached the sir a data probes and vanes then the - Fie SS cuss Foxbet woutl be ready to tke-ft FR PN Coo tases Fs FN Sinica a EME FO ret ose tr It may appear that there was a beens lotto complain aboutwitn CMs 17a WG 25844 We, tes not nosso periectand the molar nature c aa seemed very complicated, . mre Teading to entro work to get aa tional staning and weathering was created using Doe ase a good fitin places The (rBcens Graney Grey prgments(ermicromar-com) Applicaton moti brush instructions were occasionally was restrained 0 8s not a overpower he models appearance misleading and the painting information not trustworthy. The le suo factis, though this was @ quite FSM Detal Brushes enjoyable build the parts are of 2: Ri high quality, wile some ofthe pe ore. eae , 2 Reed misfits may have been modell ee ee, induced ~ and the challenge of Fae enero a freehand. applied camouflage was a gratifying one. The final product looks every part the MIG 25, and although nota kt for a Veit www.humbrol.com where you'! find hep and advice as well as tins, tps beginner, a modeller with some and product demonstration videos o get experience could defintely take the best out the wide vary of on ie ret yeu aon of y Humbrol products avalabe! ‘old War aviation, then ICM's A brace of fou practice Kh-S8 misses were hung tom the MIG's offering wil be a pleasing tinge, The lean, ngh-vislty colours aed pleosing contest Adaition to your collection, the mat comoutlages fghter KeyModeWoridcom