Is there a decent 1/72nd scale Mig-19 out there??

chrisonord · December 15, 2009, 04:11:15 PM

I have got about a third of the way through a Kopro mig-19, and the fit on the fuselage has just made me put it back in the box and give up on it.
Is there any other styrene kits out there in 1/72nd scale, that won't cost horrendous amounts of money.??
Cheers,
Chris.

Barry Krell · December 15, 2009, 04:45:15 PM

Both Hasegawa and Heller did a MiG 19 but these were last available in the 1970s, so that may give you an idea of what the quality of the kits is like. Bilek do a kit which is certainly more recent.

chrisonord · December 15, 2009, 04:55:30 PM

Quote from: Barry Krell on December 15, 2009, 04:45:15 PM
Both Hasegawa and Heller did a MiG 19 but these were last available in the 1970s, so that may give you an idea of what the quality of the kits is like. Bilek do a kit which is certainly more recent.

Cheers Barry,
I will have a look for the Bilek one as it should be, hopefully better than the Kopro one.
Cheers,
Chris.

Green Dragon · December 15, 2009, 05:14:13 PM

The Bilek MiG19S/Shenyang J-6 kit is the best one I've built in 1/72nd Chris, £12.43 at Hannants. http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=BK95672

Recessed panel lines, better fit (though no locating holes/lugs) and a much better cockpit. I got mine for nothing as it was a review kit for SAMI. I replaced the cockpit with Pavla resin meant for the Kopro kit, decals were excellent with options for China (Sand & Dark Green over Light Blue U/S ), Czechoslovakia (O/A Aluminium), East Germany (O/A Aluminium), North Korea (O/A Aluminium) and Russia (Semi Gloss Red over Aluminium U/S Display Team colours).

Done the Heller kit many years ago and it is of the radar equipped Alkali Missile armed version, goes together better than Kopro not sure of accuracy.

Paul Harrison

Jschmus · December 16, 2009, 05:04:01 AM

HLJ have a listing for a 1/100 MiG-19 from Tamiya:

http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM61609

I seem to remember seeing variants of the MiG-19 in 1/72 from Zvezda in the Squadron mailer at one point, but there aren't any listed on their site at this time.

ysi_maniac · December 16, 2009, 05:46:36 AM

Quote from: Green Dragon on December 15, 2009, 05:14:13 PM
Done the Heller kit many years ago and it is of the radar equipped Alkali Missile armed version, goes together better than Kopro not sure of accuracy.

Paul Harrison

Heller Farmer has a Coca-Cola bottle shaped fuselage that is completely inaccurate. MiG-19 central section of fuselage is cylindrical. It has some minor inaccuracies too.
Carlos.

Weaver · December 16, 2009, 06:37:50 AM

Also, the Heller missiles (allegedly AA-1 Alkalis) are a joke, and it's covered in heavy rivets. I've also got a KP one, which is basic but okay, but has EVERY air intake and vent moulded separately......

McGreig · December 16, 2009, 10:37:59 AM

I would actually recommend the original KP kit. They often come up on eBay and if you can get one of the original KP kits in a very plain box, or even one of the kits in the traditional KP-style box with red ends and the aircraft name in a white box in the bottom right of the box top, you should find that the moulding is very sharp and the fit is not a problem (although you do have to fit 703 separate air scoops and intakes

). However, by the time of the current "Kopro/Master Craft" issue, the moulds had considerably deteriorated, leading to flash and fit problems.

The Bilek kit is definitely the best in 1/72, but isn't that easy to find - Hannants only have the MiG-19S, although one of the eBay "buy it now" sellers has a radar equipped MiG-19PM Farmer-E for £15.95 - and, as others have pointed out, the Heller kit bears only a passing resemblance to any twin engined fighter ever produced by the MiG OKB.

If you are tempted to venture into the "horrendous amounts of money" area, Omega Models do a very nice resin MiG SM-12PM (essentially a MiG-19 with a late MiG-21 style nose). Currently £33.26

from Hannants, but probably cheaper from the manufacturer's own web site.

chrisonord · December 16, 2009, 12:09:20 PM

Thanks for that Mc Greig,
I have a KP kit of the L-39, which I built a while ago, I wasn't that impressed with the quality of this kit but it was very cheap so I got it anyway.
The bit I didn't like about it was the landing gear doors were moulded shut. I will keep my eye open for a Bilek one that is in my sort of price bracket.
It will be getting wiffed, and upgraded to within an inch of its life,so as long as the basic fit is good it should be ok.
Cheers,
Chris.

Green Dragon · December 16, 2009, 12:59:24 PM

Far as I can remember the L-39 gear doors are mostly shut when the gear is down Chris. I've got the 1/48th MPM kit and several Eduard 1/72nd kits and all have only small cut-outs where the legs stick through.

Paul Harrison

Geoff · December 16, 2009, 05:04:23 PM

The Tamia 1/100th scale kit is a nice kit.
In fact all their 1/100th scale kits I have done have been good even though the moulds are a few decades old now.

chrisonord · December 17, 2009, 02:00:12 PM

Quote from: Geoff on December 16, 2009, 05:04:23 PM
The Tamia 1/100th scale kit is a nice kit.
In fact all their 1/100th scale kits I have done have been good even though the moulds are a few decades old now.

If they did a 1/72nd scale one I would interested in getting one, as poorly fitting kits seem to put my whiffing ideas into hibernation.
Cheers,
Chris.

PanzerWulff · December 17, 2009, 11:33:53 PM

If I remember right Trumpeter has one coming out soon in 1/72 I know they have 2 in 1/48 I have the Mig 19 Farmer C in 1/48 It looks good in the box I just havent had the desire to build it yet
"Panzer"