The MiG-SPB (NATO code 'Flintstone') - secret Su-25 contender (WiP)

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. Yesterday I relized what confused me about my "design" - you can easily make a jet-driven seaplane from this thing! Add a ship hull underneath, some retractable wing tip stabilizer swimmers, and you have a full-fledged seaborne jet fighter...! 

Anyway, with more details around the fuselage the machine becomes more and more fathomable, looks very good so far. 

[Dizzyfugu]

More to see: adding warts to the hog. 

Test fit of the canopies. There's typically Italian few space inside of the cockpit, both seats and pilot bootoms had to be "reduced" to get the crew inside...


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Look at the OOB landing gear, and the "old" landing gear wells in the wings:


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Detail look at four of the eight wing hardpoints:


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


View from the top into the cockpit and onto the blended engine nacelles:


spb_0004 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


...and from the rear - later, these extra exhaust extensions will be fitted, made from polystyrene tubes.


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Guns, guns guns... This is supposed to be a GSh-30-1, the gun that is also used in the Su-27 and MiG-29. I guess that it would have been tested in the MiG-SPB in comparison to the GSh-30-2 in the Su-25 and Il-102?


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Currently adding more warts, like antennae, pitots, air scoops, etc. Starts looking like a grunty CAS aircraft! 

[NARSES2]

This is coming along nicely 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. The SPB looks better and better the more details I add to the exterior. I decided to keep the straight tail with the "stinger" under the rudder. It is not really sensible, but for a better solution the whole tail would have to be changed. And since there's hardly any other place to put chaff dispensers or RHAWS, I go with it as it is.

Soon the paint job will begin - I found a nice and even stylish Mi-24 livery which I will try/apply to the SPB. Also collecting ordnance - even though not much will be fitted, maybe two pairs of rocket launchers and a pair of R-60 missiles for self defence.

The background story also receives finishing touches. 

[kerick]

Paint scheme will be interesting! Nice work on a great bash.

[Dizzyfugu]

More warts for the hog:


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


More antennae and air scoops are on the way - its is funny what you find when you closely inspect real-life Su-25 pictures. 

Paint scheme will be a rather unusual modification of the 'clover leaf' pattern which is very common on Soviet/Russian Mi-24 - it has three tones. Normally, you have only a basic tone (pale sand) with clover-shaped patches in brown or olive green on top.
But I found pics of a Mi-24 which has an additional "level" of clovers, with clearly staggered paint levels. I'll try to copy that with Hemp, Olive Drab and Chocolate Brown (plus a blue belly), it should suit the SPB well?

[PALG]

I freakin love this.  Bravo. It just nails the whole lumpy Soviet/Russian attack craft 'look'.  Great choice using the heli fuselage, which set things up perfectly for awesome engine placement too.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. Yes, the aircraft looks more and more 80ies, and gets this mean "Soviet Style". I am really looking forward when paint is applied and especially some Red Stars... This should become menacing 

[tc2324]

Really liking what I`m seeing here..... 

... but I`m afraid the voice in my head said two things. First was Yabba dabba doooooo!!

The second was, `wheres the holes in the floor of the cockpit so the pilots feet can poke out...??`   

(I`ll get me coat....)

[Cliffy B]

I'm grabbing popcorn and beer!  Please continue 

[kerick]

May I suggest enlarging the engine intakes a little? Thats the only thing that I would change. Otherwise, this is awesome! I, also, will be keeping an eye on this build.

[Dizzyfugu]

Painting has started! It is a bit unorthodox to take pics of printouts (found the pics in the net, but did not note the source... ), but here is the aforementioned Mi-24 benchmark "34 Yellow" for the paint scheme.

It's subtle, the lower pic shows it best - the Mi-24 actually bears three upper colors, with two "levels" of dark brown above caramel "clovers" on a sand-coloured ground. Pretty unique, I only know two-tone clover-style paint jobs?


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And here we go: basic tone is Humbrol 168 (Hemp). I paint the complete fuselage in this tone, because the clovers have to be improvised "by feeling". For these I finally went for Mid-Stone (Humbrol 84, instead of the darker Olive Drab 155) and Chocolate (98, which matches the dark tone on "34 Yellow" well).


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

With the overall Hemp color, the whole thing looks very sleek and elegent, despite the many air scoops and antennae.

BTW: I am considering the air intake comment. I already sanded out the now-intakes (these are actually exhausts from a Me 262 nacelle), but I could modify the intake bevel when painting is done. The intakes will receive aluminum "rings", so I will have to clean them later anyway. But since this are no afterburner engines and the intake ducts are short, I think that it is basically fine as it is. It's too late for major surgery.


Finally, as an addendum, here's the ordnance the kit will receive: two R-60 AAMs, plus two B-13L pods and two B-8M pods (the pods come from an ICM weapon set, the  AAMs from the scrap box - ironically from a former Ka-34 I built!). The inner pair of hardpoints will be left empty.
That's not much, but the plane was operated in Afghanistan in a hot-and-high environment, where potential ordnance load substantially suffered. And on a FAC mission, there's hardly be heavy punch on board - that would be the job for other fighter bombers. The background story will tell - I have a plan for this! 


1:72 MiG-SPB (Whif/Kit-bashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[lancer]

Me liking this build.....want more.....

[ChernayaAkula]

Likin' this!  A lot!   

Cool choice of camo scheme!

[bigarv65]

This is very cool.  Totally believable.  A tip of the hat to getting that look of Old Soviet hardware spot on.