MiG-19S "Farmer" - when painting becomes a nightmare...
built by Christian Jakl (1:48)
The MIG-19 was a single seat military aircraft that was used as a
fighter
and fighter-bomber. In China it was also used as the FT-6 for reconnaissance
and as a trainer. It was a development of the MIG-17 with two engines and
more aerodynamic wings. With this new speed capability it was the first
Soviet aircraft to break the sound barrier. 8500 of this type were built.
They were exported to Egypt, China, DDR, Cuba, North Vietnam, North Korea
and Pakistan. China also built a derivative under license: the Shenyang J-6.
Beside the three 30 mm Nudelmann- Richter cannons, the MIG-19 could carry
up to 1000 kg of ordnance under the wings.
the Kit
I would not have paid much attention to the kit if I had not looked at
the
side panel of the box on the shelf at the hobby store. On it was the Red 872
version for the world aerobatic championship of 1968. I had built too many
green models and wanted to do this one just as a change of pace. It was very
sobering when I opened the box and found that Trumpeter only provided the
insignia of the DDR. There was no sign of a red arrow and the instruction
sheet was also not very helpful. I also looked on the Internet for help. I
could only find two pictures and these did not help very much.
I decided to
paint the aircraft to the best approximation that I could come up with. The
kit is very well done and with the Eduard photo-etch set one really has all
that is needed. In order to mask the red arrow with the white border one
must remove quite a few parts to allow masking tape to lie flat. I first
painted the yellow underside and then the blue top. I was not too concerned
about the high gloss finish or a perfectly clean paint job, for the real
thing on the few photos I did find was anything but perfect. After that came
the cutting of the masks for the arrow.
I had scanned the box art 1:1 in
order to get the arrow and the triangle on the tail. First the larger mask
for the white part and then the smaller for the red were cut. When the masks
are slowly pealed back sweat slowly appears on ones forehead. After every
drying stage I used very fine wet sandpaper to get rid of any demarcation
lines and to give the model a slightly used look. The rest was routine, only
the cockpit color had to be mixed since no manufacturer produces it.
Rivets
Now I have also jumped on the bandwagon. A few of my modeling buddies
have
done it for quite awhile and are thrilled by the results. I was thrilled
too, and must add that as a beginner I was a little apprehensive to choose a
MIG for the experiment. These aircraft were full of rivets. I should have
started simpler with a FW-190 for example. I bought the rivet roller during
my last visit to the model show in Brno. It is a slow process but the
results are great. Soon there will be an article about the art of riveting
on our website...
in Conclusion
The MIG-19S with the markings of Red 872 shown here crash landed during
the
aerobatics world championships in Magdeburg in 1968 because of a hydraulic
problem. The pilot, Hauptmann Heinz Stammberger walked away unhurt. There
also was a sister aircraft, 844 in the same colors and different markings
(no pictures found). This aircraft crashed during a training mission on
August 9th 1968. The commander of the 1st Staffel of JG 3, Hauptmann
Siegfried Wodzich died on the crash site. DDR pilots had problems with the
MIG-19. All these crashes led to the nickname "widow maker" for this
aircraft. Regrettably there is not much picture and text material about
aircraft of the former Warsaw Pact nations; hence the modeler does not get
the detailed information needed for building a super accurate replica.
MiG-19S "Farmer" - Red 872, 1968
Model built by Christian Jakl, photos taken by Wolfram Bradac
Image 1
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click the images to enlarge - the images are shown on a new page
meet the modeler
Christian Jakl
I live with my charming wife and daughter on the outskirts of Vienna. I was born in 1971 and studied to be a typographical engineer. Since childhood I have always been interested in modeling. From model ships and cars I have gradually shifted to aircraft models of WW II. with a heavy emphasis on the German Luftwaffe. My real interest however is in the creation of dioramas in 1/48 scale. I enjoy the scratch building and can let my creative energies come to the fore. I have devoted my time to thedeveloping of new techniques; to enhance model kits with added accessories and above all to try out new tools to get better results.
The learning curve is constant. I am never satisfied and am constantly trying to make models as lifelike as possible. The only problem is the time factor. There is never enough of it as you all well know. I hope you enjoy these webpages and I would like to have you critique my work in a constructive manner.
This page: GALLERY: MiG-19S "Farmer" - when painting becomes a nightmare... (1:48)
was last modified on: Dec 29, 2005
The URL of the page is: http://www.rlm.at/cont/gal16_e.htm
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the Kit
christian.jakl@oeamtc.at
