MiG Ye-3 (Soviet XF-92A)

[McGreig]

I originally built this old 1/72 Hawk/Testors XF-92A in the late Seventies and rediscovered it when moving house about two years ago. I began work on restoring it, but ran out of enthusiasm and it's been languishing in a box under the modelling desk ever since.

I'd originally been going to build it in its "MiG-23" incarnation from the film "Jet Pilot", but I've subsequently got an Olimp resin kit which actually contains these markings.

However, looking at it again, the XF-92A seems tailor made for this GB. With a little conversion work in addition to the new paint scheme it should emerge as the Ye-3, the hitherto unknown pure delta studied at the same time as the Ye-2 swept wing and Ye4 tailed delta fighters which led to the MiG-21.

At the moment I'm thinking of adding a MiG-21 style nose, a MiG-17 canopy and assorted guns, missiles, wing fences and an undercarriage. Not to mention odd rods.

[Taiidantomcat]

Tons of potential there 

[McGreig]

Having been approved for inclusion in the current Five Year Plan, work on the Ye-3 is now under way. However, basing it on the XF-92 may not be the greatest ever triumph of industrial espionage - - - 

OKB McGreig did consider acquiring a YF-102 seen at Milton Keynes (Stalinist-era Miltongrad) but, sadly, this project had to be abandoned due to a severe lack of Roubles, Party funds having previously been allocated to the acquisition of a Short Sperrinski.

So, on with the build. Due, no doubt, to lack of familiarity with cutting edge Soviet radar technology (radar, naturally, being a glorious Soviet invention, first tested in the USSR on 3 January 1934) the designers of the XF-92 made the nose too small. This has now been replaced with a stylish, radar-equipped MiG-21 intake and the wing fences, so vital to Soviet aerodynamics, have also been fitted.

Also, either because of carelessness following too many decadent American three-martini lunches or because of confusion with the specification for the XF2Y Sea Dart, the XF-92 seems to have been produced without an undercarriage.  A robust Soviet undercarriage from a MiG-21 is now being fitted.

Finally, the third photo below shows the appropriately Siberian conditions under which OKB McGreig is currently working. The grim and featureless building at the top right of the photo, strikingly reminiscent of a KGB prison and interrogation centre is, in fact, a Virgin Leisure gym.  The results are similar, but the KGB will torture you for free - - -

[Taiidantomcat]

Looks freezing 

[McGreig]

Been thinking about this and wondering whether, despite the new nose and other potential changes, it still looks too much like an XF-92.

So I've cut off the fin and moved this 20mm towards the rear of the fuselage, so that the trailing edge of the wings and fin no longer match and the aircraft loses the extended jet pipe which is such an identifier of the XF-92A. I think that this alteration makes it look, overall, more like a MiG and less like a Convair.

I've also finished blending in the MiG-21 lower wing and undercarriage bay and I've taped on a spare MiG-17 canopy to see how this looks. Next stage is to add a seat and some cockpit details and to decide on the weapon load - I'm leaning towards the MiG-17's Alkalis rather than the MiG-21's Atolls.

[sotoolslinger]

That is very cool. The changes to the tail are definitely a step in the right direction. I found while working on the Delta 100 that a complete change was nessessary , have you thought about going with a Mig-21 tail?

[McGreig]

I found while working on the Delta 100 that a complete change was nessessary , have you thought about going with a Mig-21 tail?

Err - - -  yes and no 

My original thoughts were that the XF-92A looked fairly Soviet to begin with and that a Sovietised version would require relatively little modification. Also, I wanted to do a pure delta MiG in contrast to the normal tailed deltas.

But - - -  it just didn't look quite right. I've re-read your Delta 100 thread and I think that you have a point about a more complete change being necessary.

However, I don't really want to do a MiG-21 style tail as I don't think that the rear fuselage is long enough to get the geometry right and I'm still keen on a contrast to the normal tailed deltas. So I'm wondering about a T-tail similar to those on the Fairey Delta I or the Gloster Javelin.

Or will it look sufficiently Soviet when the missiles and gun pods are added? Decisions, decisions - - - - 

[sotoolslinger]

Well you can never go wrong with a T-tail A certain rodent would be very happy with you. What about just moving the tail even further back?

[Taiidantomcat]

T Tail sounds good, you could go with fins lower on the tail like a Yak:



-Ben
(unapologetic Yakovlev fan)