Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19S ‘Farmer’ by MisterCraft

1/72 scale
Kit No. 030581
Retail: $25.00
Decals: Four versions – USSR, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria
Comments: Engraved panel lines, basic cockpit, one-piece canopy, integrally molded wing fences, pilot figure, two 370-gallon (1400 liter) drop tanks

History

The MiG-19 was Soviet Russia’s first supersonic fighter, and flew for the first time in September 1953, powered by two Mikulin AM-5 turbojets — the first Soviet-designed turbojets to be mass produced. Like the MiG-17, design work on the MiG-19 began before the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-53). Reportedly on a direct order from Stalin, the MiG Design Bureau sought to create an all-new supersonic fighter rather than a development of an existing type. It entered service as the MiG-19P, but was quickly withdrawn after a series of accidents due to stability problems.

The redesigned MiG-19S had a all-moving tailplane — also called a “flying tail” — which helped stability at all speeds, and was powered by Tumansky RD-9B turbojets, which were basically renamed but more powerful AM-5’s. Air for the engines was drawn in through what appeared to be a single nose intake, but was actually split to allow each engine to draw in air through its own intake. This reduced the potential damage caused by bird strikes or ingestion of foreign objects on the runway.

Deliveries of the MiG-19S began in mid-1955. When production ceased in 1959, about 2500 had been built. Among the variants were the all-weather radar-equipped MiG-19PF and the MiG-19PM, armed with missiles in place of guns. NATO codenamed the MiG-19 the “Farmer.” Soviet-built aircraft were supplied to Poland and Czechoslovakia, where they were respectively known as the LIM-7 and S-105. MiG-19’s were also license-built by the Chinese, who recognized the fighter’s exceptional capability and built twice as many as the Soviets had, beginning in 1961.

Under the designation Shenyang J-6, China exported the MiG-19 to Albania, Bangladesh, Egypt, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Pakistan, Tanzania and Vietnam. Pakistan’s J-6’s saw extensive combat in its war against India (Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971). Equipped with the standard armament of three 30mm cannon, J-6’s also proved a dangerous adversary over Vietnam when encountered by American fighters, which mostly had only missile armament, during the Vietnam War.

The Kit

MisterCraft’s MiG-19S is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 68 parts. The kit bears engraved panel lines, but modelers should note that its parts have no locator pins, and the parts for the upper wings have integrally molded wing fences. The cockpit is basic with a plain seat, smooth instrument panel, and no control yoke. Although the instructions reference a decal for the instrument panel, there is no such decal among the kit markings. There is no floor or cockpit tub included.

There is a single part for the nose cap, the interior of which features a realistic looking intake splitter, but this part is not very deep and there is no intake trucking of any kind. The wings each consist of two parts, and two 30mm gun barrels are to be cemented into the wing roots, along with a third such barrel on the left ventral side of the nose.

There are no less than 26 small intake scoops to be cemented to various parts of the fuselage, which no doubt assist in cooling the engine. A pair of 370-gallon (1400 liter) drop tanks are provided for fitting beneath each wing. Modelers will also have the option of adding under wing stores in the form of two rocket launchers to be cemented beneath the wings inboard of the drop tanks.

Markings

An important threshold note is that the kit includes two small but very different decal sheets. The Soviet markings are printed on white paper and appear to have a dull finish that may lead to silvering problems, particularly for the aircraft number markings, and this casts doubt on the look of the finished model once they are applied. Markings for the East German, Czech and Bulgarian Air Forces are printed on blue paper and are of noticeably better quality with a satin finish that modelers can expect to look more realistic on the completed kit. For those who want to build a Russian aircraft, I recommend aftermarket replacements.

Decals are provided for four versions of the MiG-19S. The first, Red 35, is version is for a machine of the VVS (Soviet Air Force), circa 1962. No unit information is provided. The second, Red 844, is for a machine of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), based at Presher in 1963. The third is for a machine of the Czechoslovak Air Force, based air Pardubice Air Base in 1968. All three of these aircraft are in an overall aluminum paint scheme.

The fourth and final version is for a machine of the Bulgarian Air Force, stationed at Ignatievo Air Base in 1984. It is painted in a camouflage scheme of Brown, Dark Green and Pale Green over Azure Blue. The instructions provide a color four-view illustration of each version, along with a paint guide calling out Humbrol, Revell, Gunze Sangyo, Model Master, and Master Paint colors.

Conclusion

This is a fine kit of the basic MiG-19S. While the cockpit is not terribly detailed, the kit’s engraved panel lines and simple construction should build up into a striking example of a particularly lethal fighter of the Cold War. Highly recommended.

Reference

A Handbook of Fighter Aircraft, by Francis Crosby; Copyright 2002 by Anness Publishing Limited, London.