I
was a little pessimistic when a friend of mine commissioned me to build the
Trumpeter MiG-19S in 1/48. The details, construction sequences looked nice in
the box but I had still a doubt hanging over my head.
Then,
the construction began. Cockpit, wheel wells, etc were a surprisingly
tight-fit and the details were excellent. I used Tamiya Acrylic Light
Blue for the cockpit and wheel wells, then lightly washed them using oil
paint. Small knobs and details then carefully painted and as usual, the
last step was dry-brushing them to highlight the details.
I
moved forward to finish the entire main fuselage and wings only in 3 days,
rather than a week I usually take for a 1/48 model. There were only small gaps
on the lower part and connection between the nose-cone and intake duct which
needed filler but any other areas fitting were far beyond my expectation.
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Preparing
the model for painting consumed much of the time because this MiG would be
finished in Natural Metal. Sanding and priming was done several times until
there were no more blemishes & scratches.
I
painted the entire model using Tamiya Spray Silver Leaf, my favorite for any
natural metal models. Its smooth, highly shining and durable finish is perfectly
acceptable. More, I don’t have to clean my airbrush… :-)
After
the base paint was completely cured, I masked some panels, which would have
different shade of metal paint. I mixed Tamiya Smoke and a small drop of Flat
Black then sprayed it to the panels. I made several shade of mixed-colors and
applied them to the different places. Black anti-glare and green fin tip color
was then sprayed, and chipped it a little.
Because
I didn’t want to loose the metal shine of the model, I didn’t use any clear
coat on this one. Decals were directly applied to the “metal” paint after I
trimmed off as many as I could the yellowed-clear decal carrier. I don’t
remember the brand because my friend supplied them for his model. The decal
sticks very well although they are quite thick.
Then,
it was time for weathering the model lightly. I used pastel chalk applied with a
little water for the panel lines, the wipe them off as much as possible. This
method reduced the shine of the “metal” finish a little bit but still
acceptable for a “used” aircraft.
Yugoslavian
Air Force was never operates MiG-19, but 2 aircrafts (black 201 and black 202)
were documented wearing YAF marking during their tests in Yugoslavian back in
1960s or 70s. I’m no expert in YAF history so any corrections and additional
infos are welcome.
Well,
my doubt has proved wrong and if I’m asked whether I will do more Trumpeter
MiG-19, certainly my answer is yes.
Alex
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