Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $35.95 Kit Supplied by Dragon Models USA: www.dragonmodelsusa.com I've always liked the big, brutish, purposeful look of Russian aircraft. The MiG-31 is definitely no exception to this description. Designed to replace the equally large MiG-25, this interceptor carries missiles, both large and small, and two crew members. The new 1/72nd scale MiG-31B from ICM is one of now several 1/72nd scale kits of the Foxhound (other makers are Zvezda and MAC Models that I'm aware of). The kit comes in an end opening box with a little over 100 pieces on 5 sprues. The parts (with the exception of the clear parts, of course) are molded in a light gray plastic. I've cut a few pieces off of the sprue and the plastic doesn't appear to be either brittle or too soft, so any trimming and sanding shouldn't be hindered by the quality of the plastic. The engraved panel lines are crisp and consistent in depth and sharpness. The surface of the moldings is also quite smooth and should only require a little fine sanding to prep it for a natural metal finish. No flash was seen on any of the parts in my example. The clear parts, while a little thick, aren't distorted and will benefit nicely from a quick dip in Future.

The decals are quite thin and spot on for register. They have a slightly matte appearance, but with the proper gloss undercoat and clear top coat, of choice, they should look very good. Markings are supplied for one demo bird and one regular service aircraft. Breakdown of the parts is pretty straightforward, though the front half of the fuselage is split into top and bottom halves, rather than left and right. This may lend to a little more seam work, but the parts do match up quite well. The details in the cockpit are probably the weakest point of this kit. The K-36 ejection seats are quite simplistic, with only 3 pieces to each one and very sparse detail on those pieces. The rest of the cockpit is also minimalist in detail with slightly raised areas on the sides and instrument panels. The kits armament is a full load with four R-33 (NATO AA-9 "Amos") AAM's, four R-60 (NATO AA-8 "Aphid") AAM's and 2 R-40's (NATO name AA-6 "Acrid") AAM's. The instructions are a bit crude with just a few exploded view diagrams and the decaling instructions. To an experienced modeler, these should be of little issue, but may prove to be more problematic to a novice. Overall this kit looks like a fun build that could use just a little extra detailing to bring out the best. A big thanks to Dragon Models USA, ICM and IPMS/USA for this great review sample.

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.