Academy 1/48 scale model kit. Average quality, but a good starting point...
An Iraqi MiG-29 abandoned on a piece of land (an airport?) and likely destroyed in 1991, where G.I.s in 2003 came to "tag" it and pose for a souvenir photo. One of the photos used in the project...
Hatches are cut out, and the airplane is detailed with various parts—plastic and metal—to make it as close as possible to the original model. The goal isn't always to make every part an exact replica, but to give the whole model a realistic look...
In the photo above of the finished model, you can see that even though the added parts aren't exactly the same as the real ones, they still look realistic...
All of these little figures are painted and weathered before the two parts of the fuselage are glued together...
The two parts are joined; work on the exterior details can continue...
The control surfaces on the left wing have been cut out and rebuilt using aluminum foil and lead foil...
View from below...
Two photos of the detailed cockpit. Since the model is rather basic, it could be improved by adding parts. There is a commercially available resin kit for the cockpit that was not used here...
The shattered glass panel—which I suspect was damaged by G.I.s training on it in 2003 rather than during the destruction in 1991. It has been cut with a drill and refined. A matte varnish completes the look...
Worn tires are worn down around the rims and overheated. Liquid sealant will finish the job...
View from below, close-up of the hatches...
Two views from below of the nearly completed aircraft, resting on its rear landing gear and engines...
The finished model. Details such as the antennas have been refined, cables have been added to the landing gear, etc...
Painting
First airbrush paint jobs. Synthetic thinner. Humbrol paints 87–127 and Model Masters Ivory... It looks almost brand-new! Maskol (liquid rubber) is used to mask off the cockpit canopies. Everything has to be painted at the same time. If the canopies were painted separately with a brush, they wouldn’t look the same once everything is dry...
I added some light shading with #127 and dusted it with Ivory...
Applied a Humbrol 109 filter to the entire model. It's not very noticeable here...
Paint the nose and fin tips gray 32...
A combination of Light Gray 129 and Ivory...
At a glance! Two new filters have been added: Yellow 63 and Earth Shadow...
The reactors are painted and weathered using Tamiya translucent acrylic paints...
"Tags"
After a few interesting attempts, I concluded that 1/48 scale was a bit too small for an airbrush and that the lettering was too large—or at least too thick... It would have been perfect for a larger scale, such as 1/32...
So the large numbers and lettering that were supposed to be airbrushed will be painted with a brush and blended. The Iraqi flags are painted using a stencil and then weathered...
Another view of the "Tags." The colorful inscriptions are drawn with colored pencils...
The cockpit is painted, shaded, and dusted before the canopy is glued on....
Pastel powder is placed in certain recesses and inside hatches, the cockpit, etc.
The Setting
After a few minor touch-ups and some shading, the plane is ready to be glued onto the diorama, which includes a soldier (tank commander) posing for the photo and a few props...
