Kit's MiG-39A **FINISHED**

[Kitaholic]

Hopefully going to be creating my MiG-39A here. Pics and backstory shortly

[Martin R]

Popcorn at the ready!

[Kitaholic]

The models that are going to sacrifice themselves for this bit of craziness

[TobyC]

Looks fun. Will it be a bipe?

[Kitaholic]

LOL no

[AndrewR]

Nato reporting name: Fubar ☺

[iggie]

Crikey, that's going to be some build with that much done plastic!!!

[Kitaholic]

One is the main kit, two are donors

[Martin R]

One is the main kit, two are donors

Nice! Another cut n shut.

regards,

Martin

[Jagewa]

ooo exciting.

[Clashcityrocker]

What is the Harrier kit like? I've fondled the box a few times but never purchased. I'm thinking I should acquire one.

Nigel

[Kitaholic]

You should definitely acquire one, usual silly Airfix fit issues of the time but the best late Harrier out there in this scale, way better than the Revell/Hasegawa offering. Paveway IV bombs are a bit clunky but at least you get them, and you get a Sniper pod.

[Kitaholic]

Backstory

It was the morning of the 4th of December 1989 at RAF Gutersloh, West Germany, home of 4 Squadron, RAF. After a routine service of his aircraft, a Harrier GR5, Flight Lieutenant (name withheld to protect family) took off on a routine test flight. After following the normal test route for twenty minutes, he then deviated from his flight path and proceeded at low level and full speed straight across the border into East Germany. This route had been pre-arranged during a meeting he had attended while on his last leave, the culmination of various clandestine meetings beforehand. He then proceeded to Rostock-Laage where he landed and was immediately taken away for de-briefing. The aircraft was then taken too Ramenskoye airbase, near Moscow, home of the Gromov Flight Research Institute. There the aircraft was tested, examined then dismantled, every single step being thoroughly filmed. In the meantime both the UK and USA made many requests for the return of the aircraft. The reply was the same every time. The plane had crashed killing the pilot. Finally, in March 1990, the Harrier was returned in 25 packing cases. The remains were damaged and burnt, but clearly not as the result of a crash, and several key parts were missing.

At Ramenskoye, on 7th of November 1993, many top brass gathered to see the unveiling of a new aircraft. Of the many companies invited to submit proposals based on the research of the captured Harrier, only MiG had managed a viable prototype. This was the powered by an engine reverse engineered by Klimov, who not only had managed to copy a Rolls-Royce Pegasus 11-21 perfectly, but had also managed to introduce afterburning on the rear nozzles. When the pilot chose reheat, the forward nozzles would close off diverting all air flow to the rear nozzles. While in reheat, all vectoring capabilities were also de-activated. This aircraft would eventually enter service with the Russian armed forces in late 2001 as the MiG-39A.

[Jagewa]

Great back story.

[iggie]

Looking forward to this