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Here
is my first contribution to ARC, a Trumpeter Chinese F-7MG in 1/32 scale.
The F-7 resembles the Russian Mig-21 in many aspects and was first produced by
Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Corporation (CAC) and introduced into the Chinese
airforce in the early 1990's. It had redesigned wings and upgraded
avionics.
The
quality of this kit is very good with finely engraved panel lines and many
options for the modeller. You have the option of building the engine and rear
tail assembly separately which can then be placed on an included engine
dolly for display. As with all Trumpeter kits, you have a large variety of
stores to place under the wings, I opted for 2 x 250Kg bombs and 2 rocket pods
with a 490 L tank under the centre fuselage.
The
under carriage is cast from metal and does require some care when attached to
the kit, the fuselage halves and wings fit nicely together and only required a
very small amount of putty and sanding. The cockpit was detailed and had metal
buckles for the seat.
The
only issue I had was the requirement for a larger weight in the nose, the
instructions specify the the nose cone is 15g and is sufficient the hold the
plane down "WRONG", I had to add some extra washers in the wheel well
because the plane kept on tipping back which produced a lot of swearing.
I
decided to paint the aircraft in an Iraqi scheme using Testors enamels Dark Tan
and Sand. I wanted to give the aircraft a weathered worn paint look so
after applying the top coat of Dark Tan and allowing it to dry, I used 800 Grit
wet & dry sandpaper and rubbed the paint along the wing which produced
a sand blasted look. I finished off with a flat black wash and pastels.
The
decals were from Eagle Strike (#32032 Mig Fighters of the World).
I
am not aware that this aircraft was in the Iraqi airforce, I decided to go
with this scheme to try something different and also I was not game enough to
try the all over metal finish. Hope you enjoy.
Stuart
Click on
images below to see larger images
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