MiG-19S Farmer C
MiG-19PM Farmer E
and FT-6 Trainer
 

Trumpeter

Trumpeter's MiG-19S, MiG-19PF and FT-6 Trainer are all available online from Squadron

Reviewed by Dave Williams

Hot on the heels of their MiG-21 series, Trumpeter has the released their latest “Big MiG”, the MiG-19 in 1/32 scale.

Overshadowed in popularity by the earlier subsonic MiG-15/17 and the later double-Mach MiG-21, the MiG-19 was Russia’s first supersonic production fighter. A contemporary of the F-100 Super Saber, the MiG-19 was smaller and lighter that the F-100 and capable of much higher performance. The three kits modeled by Trumpeter are:

MiG-19S Farmer C

This was the standard single-seat day fighter and fighter/bomber. Primary armament consisted of two powerful 30mm NR-30 cannon in the wing roots and one under the nose. Built under license in China as the Shenyang J-6 and exported under the designation F-6. Most of the Chinese-built aircraft were fitted a bullet fairing under the rudder containing the braking parachute.

MiG-19PM Farmer E

This variant was the radar equipped all-weather interceptor which dispensed with guns in favor of four RS-2U (AA-1 Alkali) missiles. The aircraft had a stretched nose section with the radar located in the upper part of the intake lip and in a fairing on the intake splitter plate. According to the Trumpeter instructions, the Chinese F-6B was similar, but retained the wing root cannon, which would seem to make it a cross between the cannon-only MiG-19P and the missile-only MiG-19PM. Note that a MiG-19P may be made from this kit by deleting the missiles and rails, and installing the wing cannon. Use the barrels without the muzzle brake and shorten the barrels to represent the NR-23 cannon used on this variant.

Shenyang FT-6 Trainer

A two-seat trainer based on the J-6 and exported under the designation FT-6. The nose was extended to provide room for a second cockpit, and the wing root cannon were deleted in an attempt to regain some of the fuel capacity lost to the second cockpit. Extra ventral fins were also added under the rear fuselage. It should be noted that all of the twin-seaters were Chinese-built aircraft. The Soviets believed that the existing MiG-15UTI provided adequate training and they did not produce a two-seat version of the MiG-19.

The three kits contain a mixture of sprues common to all three versions and sprues specific to the version being kitted. The common sprues include the upper and lower wings, the rear fuselage and tail, the engine parts, the landing gear and wing tanks. Specific sprues comprise the forward fuselage, cockpit, armament, and clear parts. Trumpeter has gone the extra mile in including the various differences between versions in these kits, capturing items such as the different aft cooling scoop arrangement and the relocation of the pitot tube on the J-6/F-6 and differences in the cockpit sidewalls between the MiG-19S and the MiG-19PM.

Overall, the molding quality is at least as good as found in their MiG-21 kits. The main exterior parts such as the wings and fuselage are free of sinkmarks and exterior defects, although there are some surface ripples on the rear speed brakes and the separate panels which contain the upper fuselage air intake doors caused by the detail molded on the opposite side of the parts. The fuselage is split front-to-back along the join line used to remove the entire rear fuselage for engine maintenance. The speed brakes and the upper fuselage air intake doors can be built in either the open or closed position. The portion of the tail below the rudder is a separate part to allow for the brake parachute housing on the Chinese-built versions. The ailerons and rudder are separate parts allowing for positioning, if desired. The hatch over the avionics bay forward of the windscreen is a separate piece to allow the contents of the bay to be displayed. Most of the air scoops on the fuselage are molded separately which allows the intake to be open. The instructions make no mention of the need to add any nose weight, which seems strange considering the distance of the large tail from the main gear struts. Given that the 1/48 HiPM kit requires weight in the nose; one should consider taping together the major parts to check the balance about the main gear attachments before closing up the forward fuselage halves.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The wings also feature separate flaps, although the instructions make no provision for lowering them. The large mid-wing fence (used, as one wag put it, to prevent the inner wing airflow from defecting to the tips) is molded separately. The wings are molded without the cannons in the root. If a cannon-armed version is built, a portion of the wing root must be removed to install the cannon. Cannon barrels both with and without the muzzle brakes are included. In addition, a separate panel is provided for the upper wing root which contains either the three vents seen on cannon-armed aircraft, or is plain for non-cannon birds. The wings lack the conventional tab-and-slot attachment point. Instead, they are a butt joint to the fuselage with the rear wing root fairing molded on the forward fuselage halves providing positioning.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The engines are detailed mini-models in themselves and consist of over 50 parts each. 15 of these parts are various hoses and wires to detail the outside of the engines. A resin part represents an engine accessory pack that goes on top of each engine. The tan resin seems brittle and some of the detail seems a bit indistinct. The engines can be installed in the fuselage, or displayed separately on included trolleys. For those who don’t want to install the engines, Trumpeter provides a pair of exhaust covers.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The level of cockpit detailing is similar to their MiG-21 series and makes for an acceptable cockpit out of the box if no one chooses to make an aftermarket set. The KK-2 seat consists of 11 parts and just needs the addition of some belts (not included) for completeness. Those who might be disappointed by the apparent lack of detail on the seats should remember that Soviet 50’s era ejection seats were quite simple and lack many of the boxes, wires, and cables seen on modern ejection seats. The instrument panel consists of a clear panel that is placed over an acetate sheet with printed instrument dials.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The clear parts are relatively thin and free of distortion. Antenna lines are molded inside the tops of the single-seater’s canopy. Trumpeter’s use of a multipart mold results in a center seam on the canopy which must be removed. The single-seater canopy slides along a track in the cockpit panel aft of the seat and appears to be movable after building.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The wheel wells are separate pieces which ensures the surface detail on the upper wings is not marred by sinkmarks. The gear struts look good, although there are some ejector pin marks on one side that should be filled. Both flattened and non-flattened tires are included.

All kits include the wing tanks and associated pylons, and the pylon fitted under the inboard leading edge of the wing. The inboard pylons were popular on Chinese-built aircraft and East German Farmers, but were not fitted to Soviet and other Warsaw Pact aircraft. The strange backward pylons fitted aft of the main gear wells and used for carrying ORO-57K rocket pods on the MiG-19S are not included.

[

2207  MiG-19S

Includes the option of braked or unbraked cannon, and the braking parachute housing on the J-6/F-6. Although the instructions tell you to use the unbraked cannon and parachute housing on the Chinese aircraft, note that early F-6 aircraft lacked the chute housing and had the muzzle brakes on the cannon, so check your references for the particular aircraft you are doing. Markings for Soviet “Red 37” and Chinese J-6 “Red 2207”, both in NMF, and “Red 872”, a colorful East German Farmer C specially painted for the Fifth Word Aerobatic Championship in 1968 (the real aircraft crashed before the competition ). Generic Chinese and East German numbers are also included.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

2208 FT-6

Contains sprues with the extended forward fuselage, extra ventral fins, and the twin-tub cockpit. The new clear parts include the half-cone shaped internal windscreen used to separate the two cockpits for pressurization purposes. Markings are included for Pakistani FT-6 “Black 10105” from No. 25 Squadron in grey camouflage and Chinese JJ-6 “Red 41483” in NMF. Generic Chinese numbers are also included.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

2209 MiG-19PM

Contains sprues with the longer forward fuselage, and intake splitter and lip with housings containing the radar. The armament sprue contains four RU-2U and four RU-2US missiles and associated missile rails. The kit also contains various OFAB bombs and the instructions mention how to assemble them, but they are not shown in the loadout table included in the instructions, and it seems doubtful that –PMs would be used for ground attack duties. Save the bombs for other kits. Markings are included for Soviet MiG-19PM “Red 18”, East German MiG-19PM “Red 723”, and Chinese F-6B “Red 14121”. All aircraft are in NMF. Generic numbers for Chinese and East German aircraft are included.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Trumpeter kits seem to be improving with each release.

These are all very nice kits and a welcome addition to the family of MiG kits. So far, Trumpeter has made the MiG-15, -17, -19, and -21 in 1/32 scale. Hey Trumpeter, how about a MiG-25 or a new MiG-29?

Highly recommended.

Sample kits courtesy of my ever dwindling bank account.

Dave Williams
IPMS/USA 19050

Review Copyright © 2002 by Dave Williams
Page Created 07 February, 2002
Last updated 22 July, 2003

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page