HOBBY BOSS 1:72 MIKOYAN MIG-3

 

Reviewer: Johan De Wolf (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  16 December 2006

Kit Details

History

Although designated Mig, the original design of the I-200 was neither from Mikoyan nor of Gurevich. It was a design concept by Adrianov who worked for the Polikarpov OKB and proposed by Polikarpov in 1938.  It generated little interest as it was deemed similar to other designs already in development. However in 1939 it became clear that the other designs would take longer to gestate than expected and Polikarpov convinced the NKAP that the I-200 could be developed quickly. 

As the I-200 was the only fighter designed to use the new Mikulin AM-37 the go ahead was given. However while Polikarpov was away for business, the government decided to transfer the design to a new development group. This group was headed by Mikoyan who was previously employed by the Polikarpov OKB. It is no secret that Mikoyans brother, Stalins top man for foreign trade, had a hand in this transfer. To support the young Mikoyan two experienced engineers, Gurevich and Romodin, where assigned to this new group. 

The design progressed rapidly, as Mikoyan was eager to prove his worth. Drawings where finalized by January 1940, and the first I-200 prototype was ready March 30.  As the cowling fitted very closely around the engine placement of the guns proved to be a problem. However redesign would have meant unwelcome delay, so it was decided to fit two 7.62 ShKAS, and one 12.7 UBS machine guns under small fairings on top of the engine. 

Flight testing showed that the I-200 was quite a handful even for experienced pilots. It had some rather undesirable characteristics. But on the positive side, the machine was very fast and performed well at high altitudes. In fact the I-200 outperformed everything else in existence at that time! Stalin quickly became aware of this new aircrafts astonishing performance and mentioned it should be put in production. The design team was none to happy about putting what was still a prototype into production, and feared severe repercussions if they failed. 

Testing went ahead with all due speed and the first prototype was soon joined by nr.2 and 3. Already in August 1940 the NKAP ordered that the machines be put forward for state acceptance trials. Here again the good performance but poor handling was noted, as well as the aversion to a hinged canopy. Weapon and maintenance systems were found to be good, but armament was considered a bit light for a modern aircraft. The NKAP ordered the immediate start of mass production with incorporation of 112 improvements and modifications. 

Production of what was now the Mig-1 started end of September with a pre series of 25 machines. Because of the speed at which production started these machines had none of the recommended improvements. Service trials pilots liked the performance but where less happy with the handling. Series production was already underway and modifications where incorporated if and when drawings and parts became available. As the sliding canopies where not available in time, early Mig-1’s where delivered without them. This had of course a bad effect on performance. The NKAP ordered Mikoyan to put all modifications in production as the Mig-3 no later than December. However in no way was the production rate to suffer from this. Therefore production continued as before and the designation was simply changed to Mig-3 from machine nr 101 onward. As the production machines started reaching service regiments the bad quality of the new fighter became acutely obvious as pilots crashed them at an alarming rate. When the government became aware that the Mig program was heading for disaster an investigation was immediately started. Because Mikoyan was protected by his brother he could not be touched so a scape goat had to be found. Several capable and experienced people lost their life or where banned into obscurity (including Polikarpov) as a result of this. Meanwhile the people at zavod 1 had worked frantically to solve all the problems. 

By the time the Germans invaded Russia the production machines where finally of an acceptable standard. The Mig-3 was superior to the Me-109E/F at high altitude, but at low altitude where most combat took place they where markedly inferior. The feeble fire power of the small calibre guns didn’t help much either. However when pilots discovered that the Mig’s could withstand much higher diving speeds than their German counterparts, they began to successfully employ hit and run tactics. During production several further improvements where made, such as heavier armament and under wing fuel tanks. Also the triple launch rails for RS-82 rockets, already successfully fitted in the field, became standard on production lines. Although of only small calibre these rockets proved deadly for many a German bomber. As the Germans moved ever closer to Moscow, Zavod 1 had to be evacuated and none of the proposed new Mig (M-82, AM-38) versions reached production. In late December ’41 the last Mig-3 left the new production lines in Kuibishev to make way for Il-2 production. 

In the short production span of just 14 months some 3100 machines had left the factory. In the defence of Moscow the Mig-3 finally proved their worth. Serviceability was very high even under dreadful conditions and successful intercepts where made day and night at all altitudes. So effective where these intercepts that of the 8000+ bombers launched against Moscow only a mere 2.5% where able to bomb their intended target successfully. The Mig-3 had finally come of age and some remained in service well into 1943. That the Mig-3 never received the acclaim it deserved was because of its early problems. And the only people that are to blame for that are the politicians that rushed an undeveloped prototype into production.


© Johan De Wolf 2006

The kit

Hobby Boss is new name in plastic kits. Unlike other recent new comers the people at Hobby Boss have decided to do things differently. As soon as one opens the sturdy top opening box, this difference becomes clear. The sprues with smaller parts and separate lager parts are neatly presented and fixed in a holding form. There is nothing floating around loose and this very effectively prevents broken parts and scratched canopies. The next thing that sets this kit apart from most others is that the fuselage and the wing are one piece solid affairs.  In older kits this would have meant crater like sink marks and brutal mold seems. In this kit I can’t find any such defects, nor is there any flash. 

The main parts are very finely engraved, with raised detail where appropriate. Even though the parts count is pretty low by modern standards, there has been very little compromise to detail. Smaller parts are well defined with sharply formed detail. The kit comes with a closed one piece canopy, and a three piece open canopy. They are very clear and without distortions. The parts fit very well and most slot together so tightly that only a drip of liquid glue is needed to make the bond permanent. The A4 size instruction leaflet consists of a parts location diagram, 3 easy to follow construction diagrams and two full colour 4-view colour schemes. The decals are sharply printed, thin and opaque. In my kit the black and red where slightly out of register, making the stars useless. The decals in the kits of other subjects I checked didn’t seem to have this problem though. 


© Johan De Wolf 2006

Accuracy

The kit represents a late production Mig-3 as produced in the second half of 1941. As such it features the long nose, long machine gun fairings, ViSH-22K prop, combat slats and the triple rocket launch rails. The drawings in Sovetskie istribjteli are considered the best by most Russian aircraft enthusiast. The kits follows the details of these drawings very closely. Dimensionally the kit is very accurate too, with all measurements being as good as spot on. The only problem area is the cockpit. Because of molding limitations it rather lacks in detail. Over all this is the only easily available accurate Mig-3 kit available. There is only one other accurate kit in 1/72. This is a brand-less Russian kit (Alfa?), but this is extremely difficult to get hold of even though it has been marketed under the RPM and Maquette labels recently. 

Construction

Short version: Add main wing and tail wings too the fuselage. Add radiator bath, nose intakes and exhausts to the fuselage. Construct landing gear and add to the wings. Fit rockets to launch rail and add to the wings. Install head rest and canopy. Fit antenna mast, pitot tube and prop…. Done!

Slightly longer version: I started with giving the fuselage and wings a quick swipe with sand paper to remove the light molding seem. I also toned down the structural details on the rudders a bit. I added panel lines for the flaps and the radiator flap. I replaced the solid landing light cover for a clear plastic one. 

I then glued the wing and lower cowling to the fuselage. I needed just a smidgeon of filler to smooth things over at the front. I thinned down the oil cooler intakes a bit and added them to the fuselage. The radiator bath was next. I had to remodel the rear end with a bit of filler as the part was a short shot in my kit. I drilled out the gun troughs a bit more as they where a tad shallow, and the carburettor intakes where also drilled a bit deeper.  With major construction done I turned my attention to the cockpit. This area screams for more detail. 

Everything you add will be visible through that very clear canopy. As it is, the cockpit is a square hole with integral molded seat and stick. I started with adding some side wall detail. I also added an instrument panel and reflector sight. The seat got furnished with seat belts and the stick was replaced by a ring type control column. Finally I added the kits head rest. The canopy didn’t seem to fit well. But after thinning down the sills and removing the small location pin at the rear the fit was excellent. 

The landing gear is very accurately detailed, with structural details in the wheel wells as well as the insides of the gear covers. The wheels are a bit disappointing and rather bland. I used them anyway as I had no suitable replacements. I’ll be hunting down Equipage or even better hAt wheel sets for the Mig-1/3 so I can replace them in the future. The tailfins of the rockets where reshaped slightly and thinned down. The launch rails and rockets where then added to the wings. The antenna mast was then added. Note that if it is correctly placed it should cant outward slightly. The antenna itself was made from thin copper wire. 

I drilled out the exhausts and slotted them into the cowling (no glue needed). The last things to be added where the prop and pitot tube. I also made the tiny gear indicators and placed them on top of the wing over the main gear legs.


© Johan De Wolf 2006

Painting and Decals

There are no detailed painting instructions given. It is difficult to guess the interior colours for an early war Soviet aircraft as there are several possibilities. On Mig-1/3’s it could be unpainted material, aluminium dope primer, medium grey (A-14), light grey, blue grey or even light blue (AII blue). I chose I light blue gray colour. I left the seat in natural aluminium with leather brown upholstery. The seatbelts where painted in a cream colour. The instrument panel and control boxes on the side walls where painted black. The radio equipment behind the seat was also black. The landing gear was in the same colour as the wing under surfaces, and the same goes for the wheel wells. I painted the wheels in medium grey.

The decal sheet gives options for two machines. The first is one of the well known machines in white winter camo over light blue, with red arrows on the forward fuselage and a red spinner. It also has the text “for the bolshevist party” below the cockpit. The second is a more bland looking machine. I found this machine the most interesting of the two though. This aircraft was flown by Aleksandr Pokrishkin who downed five Me 109’s with it in one month. 


© Johan De Wolf 2006

The other reason why I find this aircraft more interesting is that it was finished in factory green over AII blue. Factory green was unique to zavod 1. It is a dark green colour with a very distinct blue hue (close to FS24058) and has nothing to do with olive drab as specified in the kits painting instructions. It looks a bit like a lighter kind of non specular sea blue. I used a 1:1 mix of Tamiya XF-8 and XF-70 for this. AII blue is a very bright light blue colour (close to FS 35550). I mixed this from Model Master 2032 and 2142 (1:2 ratio). The kit’s instructions suggest a green spinner and yellow prop tips. I couldn’t find a picture of a Mig-3 with painted prop tips so I left them all black. This aircraft is Pokrishkins white 5 is also featured on a Travers sheet (72-050) and here a yellow spinner is featured and stars with black outlines. I trust this more than the kits version so I painted the spinner yellow and used outlined stars from a Techmod sheet (the ones on the Travers sheet are too large). The Gvardya (guards) text in red of the Travers sheet is too large too so I used the smaller but yellow ones from the kits sheet. 


© Johan De Wolf 2006

The victory stars under the windshield came from the kit decals too but I only put them left side. The kit decals where nicely thin and conformed to the surface very well. Still they were able to handle quite a bit of abuse without breaking up. Virtually every picture of a Mig-3 shows that these machines were not spared the ravages of war and most look very worn and tatty. So I gave my model a heavy wash with a mix of thinned down brown and black aquarelle paint. This was then sealed in with semi gloss varnish. The heavy exhaust stains and powder residue behind the machine guns was reproduced with different tones of brown pastel chalk. The exhaust was made to look rusty with pastels too. 

Conclusion

This kit is clearly aimed at a younger audience, but the quality is such that a serious modeler will enjoy building it too. At less than half the price of a Tamiyagawa kit you can’t go wrong with this one. I sure am pleased how my Mig turned out with just a little extra effort. Straight out of the box this kit will be a fun weekend project and a nice break from AMS syndrome. I am now looking to buy a second kit to convert it to an early Mig-1. I am also interested in the Yak-3 listed on the Hobby Boss website (www.hobbyboss.com). Another kit announced for next year that I’ll be very interested in is the Mig-15.

I had a quick look at a few other kits in this range too and here is a short impression of some:

References


© Johan De Wolf 2006

 

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