Esci 1/48 MiG-23MF Flogger B

1/48 Esci-Ertl Mig-23MF Flogger B

This model is the Esci-Ertl rendition of the Mig-23 MF, the improved single seat version of the fighter known to NATO as the Flogger B. This is the version with the more powerful Tumanskii R-29 engine, improved radar, avionics and ECM. It is also the version with the IR seeker mounted under the nose. While the other details are difficult to see externally, the IR seeker is clearly visible on this kit.

As a kit, this Flogger B is a fairly standard offering. It is molded entirely in the light grey favoured by Esci-Ertl in this time period. The plastic is easy to cut and glue, but is also very soft, and tends to melt away quickly under forceful sanding. Needless to say, this makes joining the body halves a bit of a delicate matter. The order of assembly for the kit is fairly well thought out, although the VG swing wings cause a bit of a problem. Like all other VG kits I've built, the wings are toothed internally so that when you swing one, the other moves too. This is a nice touch, but you have to decide whether to paint the wings first and then glue the body, or do the entire surface all at once later. The latter is what I chose, and it seemed to work alright.

Detail on this injection molded kit is fair-to-middling, but there are areas, such as the cockpit, that could have used a bit more detail. The instrument panels are just decals, and the seat is rather bare. Some photo-etched instruments or controls would have been nice, but alas, there's no such thing in this kit. Small aerials such as those for the SRO-2 'Odd Rods' IFF are not included in the kit, nor are ILS aerials or wingtip static dischargers.

One area that is well detailed is the landing gear. Because of the in-built rough field capability of the Mig-23 (like most Russian combat aircraft, save, notably, the Su-15), the large tires are supported on an intricate but tough web of actuator arms. These are well reproduced on this kit, and despite the weight of the completed model, the gear will hold it up.

As far as the weapons on this kit go, they are something of a mixed bag. The good part is that the GSh-23L 23mm twin barreled gunpod is fairly well detailed, including the placement of the cooling and gun gas exhaust vents. However, the missiles are another story. This particular plane is supposed (and I stress "supposed") to be armed with AA-7 'Apex' (a.k.a. R-23) missiles on the wing glove pylons and AA-8 'Aphid' dogfight AAMs (a.k.a. R-60) on the body rails. One look will tell those familiar with Soviet AAMs that neither replica on this model is even close to correct. The missiles are way too thick and the fin geometry is all wrong. On top of that, the armament is not technically correct for any standard configuration listed in 1990's "Russia's Top Guns" book, although it is closest to the 'Interception' fit. A drop tank was included, but seeing as I hate drop tanks (Why waste pylon space with fuel, when you can hang weapons in the same space?), it was not put onto the aircraft.

What's interesting, however, is that these missiles are EXACTLY the same way that the 'Apex' and 'Aphid' were rendered by artists in the 1980 "Russian Military Power" book, at the bottom of page 211. Why a kit that was issued in the early 1990's has such old information in it is anybody's guess (editor's note: because the original Esci kit dates from around 1980!). That's why both the Apex missiles are IR-types - normally one IR and one radar-guided missile are carried, but the kit only had one shape for both missiles. Thankfully, other details, such as the folding ventral fin, were better captured.

The decals that came with the kit were typical of the Esci-Ertl waterslide decals of the period. They have substantial backing but are quite tough and leathery, making them fairly tear resistant. The kit shown here was built exactly as it came out of the box, with no aftermarket parts or accessories. It was painted in a typical Frontal Aviation Beige-Brown-Green scheme with grey undersides using Model Master Acrylics. It was glued using standard Testors model cement, and no protective sealer was put on the paint. Considering its cost of $5.00 US about 8 years ago, it proved to be a good kit, especially for someone who is looking for a nice large scale Russian fighter without spending too much dough. For hardcore modellers, it is a bit of a disappointment in the accuracy area, but for just having fun, it is a handy piece of plastic.