Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 by DML

1/72 scale
Kit No. 2510
Cost: $19.99
Decals: Six versions – USSR, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Hungary, Poland, Romania
Comments: Engraved panel lines, recessed rivet detail, detailed cockpit and wheel wells, two-piece canopy

History

The MiG-15 was a single-seat, single-engine second generation Soviet jet fighter, built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau and first flown on December 30, 1947. Its design was heavily influenced by German aerospace research conducted during World War II, particularly that associated with the Focke Wulf Ta 183 Huckebein — a candidate for the late-war emergency fighter competition that gave rise to aircraft such as the Heinkel He 162, which saw action on the Western Front in the final weeks of the war. Work began on the MiG-15 in 1946 with the goal of developing a Mach 0.9 fighter capable of operating above 36,000 ft, a rugged, well-armed interceptor that would see extensive combat during the Korean War (1950–53).

The MiG-15 was the first “new” Soviet jet aircraft, in that its design went beyond merely adding a jet engine onto a piston-engine airframe, instead focusing on modern aerodynamics. Incorporating German aerospace engineering data captured at the end of World War II, the MiG-15 employed swept-back wings and tail surfaces to reduce drag as the plane approached the speed of sound. It was powered by a centrifugal-flow Rolls Royce Nene jet engine that had been license-built and upgraded by the Soviet manufacturer Klimov. Deliveries to the Soviet Air Force began in 1948. Designed as a bomber interceptor, the MiG-15 carried a formidable armament of two 23mm and one 37mm cannon firing exploding shells.

In November 1950 the appearance over North Korea of MiG-15s, bearing Chinese markings but flown by Soviet pilots, delivered an unpleasant shock to American and United Nations forces and marked a major turning point in the Korean War — indeed in all of aerial warfare. Stunned by the speed, superior climb rate, and high service ceiling of the Soviet fighter, the United States rushed delivery of the new F-86 Sabre to Korea. The F-86, though less heavily armed, managed to re-establish U.S. air superiority in part because of a superior pilot-training system instituted by the U.S. Air Force. Two key elements of performance which had to be factored into American dogfighting tactics were the MiG’s higher climb rate and tighter turning radius compared to the F-86. The MiG-15 virtually ended daylight bombing missions by large, slow, World War II-era B-29 Superfortresses, and Soviet pilots continued to engage in combat with U.S. and allied planes even as they trained Chinese and North Koreans to fly in the new jet age.

Initially, MiG-15’s outclassed American Navy (F9F Panther and F2H Banshee), Air Force (F-80 and F-84), and British (Gloster Meteor) fighters in combat, but that changed in late-1950 with the appearance of the Air Force’s F-86 Sabre, which met the MiG-15 on equal terms. The Navy’s first combat against the MiG-15 occurred in November 1950, when Lieutenant Commander William T. Amen shot one down while flying a Grumman F9F Panther. In September 1952, Marine Captain Jesse G. Folmar claimed the distinction of shooting down a MiG-15 while flying a propeller-driven F4U Corsair. Marine Aviators flying F-86’s on exchange duty with the Air Force scored MiG-15 kills also, including future astronauts John Glenn and Wally Schirra, as well as Marine pilot Major John Bolt, who became Naval Aviation’s first jet ace by shooting down six MiG-15s.

Some 12,000 MiG-15s were Soviet-built, with another 6,000 in foreign production, flying in the air forces of the Soviet Union, China, North Korea and 41 other countries. The MiG-15 design served as a template for the development of the MiG-17 which remained an effective threat to American aircraft over North Vietnam into the 1960’s. In Korea, it did what the Luftwaffe and Imperial Japanese Army and Navy air arms had been unable to do during World War II: Sweep the skies of Allied bombers, at least during daylight hours.

Construction

The build begins with the cockpit, which is a simple assembly consisting of a tub, seat, main instrument panel, and control yoke. The tub is cemented onto a ledge situated in the interior of the right fuselage half. As the seat was rather plain, I substituted it for an aftermarket example by Eduard (MiG-15 cockpit set No. 672 022) — while more detailed, the Eduard seat sat slightly higher in the cockpit, and some quick dry fitting revealed that it would not be possible to close the canopy. At that point, I had already cemented in the cockpit tub, so some surgery was required. I realized I needed a new ledge positioned just a bit lower on the interior wall of the right fuselage.

First I separated the ledge from the right fuselage interior using an Xacto blade and a small razor saw. Sanding and filing were required to remove the final bits of the ledge and clear the way for a new one, which I made from plasticard, cut and sanded to the proper dimensions. The new ledge fused smoothly to the fuselage interior with the help of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. I then went to work painting the Eduard seat and control yoke, the latter part being far more detailed than that provided by DML. I toyed with the idea of using more cockpit components from the Eduard set, particularly the main instrument panel, but there would be even more fit issues, as the set was designed for the Eduard MiG-15, not the DML kit.

The instructions call for the rear cradle for the canopy to be attached when the fuselage is sealed together, but I opted not to do this as it would have complicated the painting stage. Once the fuselage is together, the wings, elevators, intake splitter, and cowl ring for the nose intake are cemented on. The latter two parts are a bit fiddly, particularly the intake splitter, as there is very little purchase for it in terms of contact surfaces and it can be easy to position it incorrectly.

This is complicated somewhat by the intake cowl ring, which is designed to fit over the splitter and has a small radar sensor just to the right of top-dead-center. If modelers aren’t familiar with the MiG-15, or have not studied reference photos with care, the inclination may be to position the radar sensor at top-dead-center, which is where a similar device is situated on the MiG-15’s Western counterpart, the North American F-86 — but in the case of the MiG, this would be a mistake.

The MiG-15’s armament consisted of two 23mm and one 37mm cannon, which were fitted beneath the nose in three independent fairings. DML translated this into three individual parts which looked as if they’d be problematic to cement onto the fuselage neatly but weren’t — largely due to the quick-drying nature of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement.

As I opted to build the kit with the landing gear up, construction wrapped up quickly. The landing gear doors were single parts (which would have had to be cut into two parts had I opted to have the gear down) which needed only minor modification, a bit of trimming, to fit more or less flush with the gear door openings. The integral wing drop tanks fit smoothly under the wings but required some seam hiding.

The final challenge with this kit was the canopy, which did not fit quite flawlessly. I masked it with Tamiya tape and Maskol and proceeded to paint without incident. Once the paint was dry, I dipped the two canopy parts in Future floor wax and allowed them to dry overnight. The rear canopy in particular was very fiddly and it took some doing the next day to get it cemented to the cradle without glue smears.

Painting

The MiG-15 is airbrushed in AK Interactive’s Polished Aluminum from their Xtreme Metal series, over Alclad’s Gloss Black base. AK Interactive’s Polished Aluminum is a lacquer, like its Alclad II counterpart, but is easier to work with in that it can be sealed without restriction with whatever clear lacquer you desire, and cannot be smudged or rubbed off quite as easily as Alclad. I found it a very pleasant alternative. For the rear fuselage area around the jet exhaust, I airbrushed on Alclad’s Pale Burnt Metal, which produced a simulated, if subtle, heat discoloration effect which was not quite as pronounced as I expected. The wing walkways are airbrushed Tamiya Flat Black. The entire airframe was weathered lightly with MIG Productions Dark Wash, painted on with a broad brush and then wiped off with a dry cloth.

Markings

I substituted the kit markings with aftermarket examples by Print Scale for the MiG-15, sheet no. 72-076. “Red 92” was flown in Chinese markings during the Korean War by a Soviet Air Force officer identified only as a Captain Pavlov. Pavlov was a flight commander with the 2nd Aviation Squadron of the 29th Guards Fighter Regiment, based at Dachang, China (near Nanking) in the Summer of 1950 — a location that would have placed the 29th Guards a good 500 miles away from “MiG Alley” across the East China Sea on the Korean Peninsula. But it would have been well-positioned to defend Shanghai on the Chinese coast.

Conclusion

An excellent kit of the MiG-15 in 1/72 scale with a surprising level of detail packed into just 40 parts, that may trigger thoughts of how beautiful a 1/48 scale version would have been. Highly recommended.

References

• www.britannica.com
• MiG-15 in Action by Hans Heiri-Stapfer, Aircraft No. 116; Copyright 1991 Squadron Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas.
• http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org