|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCALE: N/A |
|
|
INITIAL RELEASE: 1954 |
|
|
MEDIUM: Polystyrene |
|
|
RARITY: (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MIG-19s Protecting a Tupolev TU-95 "Bear" Bomber |
|
ABOUT THE DESIGN |
ABOUT THE KIT |
|
In the early 1950s, details of Soviet aircraft were hard to come by. But that didn't stop the then-nascent Aurora Models company from kitting a so-called Russian fighter "inspired" by Nazi Germany's experimental TA-183. First released as the YAK-25 in 1953, the simple model was retooled with missiles, landing gear and surface detail and re-released in metallic green plastic as the MIG-19 a year later. Although the TA-183 did lead to the development of an actual Soviet Fighter -- the MIG 15 -- this particular design was purely fanciful |
Aurora's MIG-19 is a classic
example of the early state of plastic hobby kits. Scale was not even
an issue. The features that distinguish it from the original YAK-25 model --
specifically the landing gear and missile racks -- are literally "add-ons,"
pieces that fit into pre-drilled holes without the benefit of recessed gear
wells. The "cockpit" is nothing more than a partial pilot figure stuck on
a flat surface. The final display looks great from 10 feet away, but when
viewed close-up is blatantly unrealistic. Still, for young boys building
models in the early 1950s, a kit such as this was still miles ahead of the
detail-starved wood-and-plastic kits that preceded it. This model was built from the kit's 1958 release. |
|
|
|
Original Box Art |
|
|
|
1958 Box Art |
|
Concept Aircraft |
Home X-Planes Concept Aircraft Spacecraft & Missiles Concept Spacecraft Science Fiction Grab Bag
Space Concept Spacecraft Pop Culture Grab Bag
