Scale aviation modeller international

grey” (A MIG-119)

quoted for the lower surface.

I did a small amount

of post highlighting in a

random pattern, using H

lightened about 25% with

white. In hindsight, I suspect

that this colour isn’t quite blue

enough, as in-service photos

suggest something nearer a paler

RLM 76. I then masked around

the wheel bays and sprayed

them with Alclad Duralumin.

With the underside

masked with tape to give a hard

demarcation, I could look to the

upper surface camouflage, which

on the SAAF aircraft is a swirling

disruptive pattern of green over

sand applied with distinctly hard

boundaries. Even in 1/48 scale this

would need masks applied directly

to the surface, so to get the patterns

as close as I could, I scanned the

kit’s painting instructions, cropped

and re-sized them to the equivalent

model size, and cut masks from

Artool film using an artist’s stencil

cutter: several goes and some

extrapolation was needed to get a

good match at the wing-to-fuselage

junction where two-dimensional

paper needed to translate to

three-dimensional plastic.

I gave the upper surfaces an

initial coat of Mr. Hobby H79 Sand

and highlighted with the base

plus 25% white. Masks on, I could

paint the Dark Green using Mr.

Hobby H73, again highlighting

with lightened base colour. I

removed the masks soon after the

green had dried initially, and was

pleased that very little bleed had

occurred. After 24 hours for the

paint to cure and handling being

safe, I could post-shade with some

very dilute Tamiya XF64 and pick

out some of the surface detail very

selectively with a dilute oil wash.

Alongside the main airframe,

I painted the tank and weapons

with Alclad White Aluminium,

Duralumin and Jet Exhaust, and

the jet pipe with Duralumin, Jet

Exhaust and Pale Burnt Metal over a

gloss black base. The undercarriage

was cleaned up and the legs

painted Alclad Duralumin, with

White Aluminium wheel hubs,

and Bare Metal Foil Chrome stuck

on the oleo sections of the legs

and actuators. Tyres were hand-

painted with Mr. Hobby H77 Tire

Black, and I added some doubled

brake lines from 0.3 mm lead wire.

There aren’t all that many

decals for the SAAF version; in use,

they proved to be thin and tough,

although rather brittle where

Two locating holes for the centreline tank

mounts need to be filled.

The larger Aires resin seats needed

some carving to get them to fit.

The PJ productions rocket packs are much

better than the kit plastic. Here they’re shown

with a standard 500l supersonic tank.

The kit’s outer pylons need to be

shortened to accept the PJ Productions

resin versions for the LRF-2 packs.

The undercarriage gained some

detail in the form of lead wire

brake lines and resin wheels.

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