Academy MiG-23MS 

The kit itself is very basic and the cockpit is a basic seat "hump" with a floor and no side consoles and no control stick. 
Decals are simplistic for Soviet aircraft with red stars and ignore the colour instructions. 

As noted for the MiG-27D, it seems that the nose section looks inaccurate. So similarly as described above, another RV Aircraft spare nose was crafted on this model.....

Another extra was replacing the Academy kit vertical tail with a spare one from an RV Aircraft kit #72019 using part #18. NOTE: I made an error by using the kit boundary layer splitter plates for the Academy kit , so now had to make new ones from plastic card. I used the RV kit intake parts are template.

And similarly with the horizontal stabilizer, using RV Aircraft #72019 spares. These replacement parts have nice recessed panel lines. 

  Above, the revised kit with new nose, new tail and new horizontal stabilizers using RV Aircraft spare parts. 

Considerable filler and sanding was needed, but it can be done. The model got a light grey base coat with the airbrush and any surface irregularaties were corrected.

This model was made in a scheme of a MiG-23MS of the Sudan air force seen in the book "Soviet and Russian Military aircraft" in Africa (see references) shows a drawing on page 236. These aircraft were delivered by Khadaffi's  Libya and I used old Sudan style roundels found in the decal spares box. 

Colours to be airbrushed used were:
Lower blue:  AKAN 7003 acrylic "russian blue" (this being applied first);
Dark green: Revell Aqua 165 ;
Sand: Revell Aqua 88 ;
Brown: Revell Aqua  85 ;

The nose section radar "demarcation" line was set more forward and painted to suggest the simpler nose and the nose pitot configuration adapted. 

The model was ready for the decals, but first a couple of gloss coats were added with my usual technique. The Sudan AF markings came from the decal spares box.

I added a control stick in the cockpit and the interior was painted Russian green/blue with AKAN 73005 "emerald green". Finishing this model was done and the nose wheels have here no mud guards so some spare wheels from a RV Aircraft kit were used. A R3S missile (retrieved from an ICM 1/72 weapons set) was set in place. With all stuff installed, the model got the usual semi-mat coat to get an even sheen. The canopy came last, completing the model.

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[ initially as one Sudan: 2,500,000 sq.km | between 25-35 million inhabitants ? | capital: Khartoum ][ now "north" Sudan 1,880,000 sq.km ] 

The former British colony Sudan was the biggest country in Africa with in the Saharan North Islamic ethnic groups, in the forested South Christian groups. Some local British aircraft were in the 1950s C-47, Provosts and Pembrokes. In 1961 Sudan became  independent and set up their air force using these aircraft but also a few new transport aircraft like from 1964 4 Fokker F-27 and PC-6 Turbo Porters. 

The Soviet Union sought economic cooperation and after an military coup in 1969, Soviet aircraft were starting to be delivered like at least 18 MiG-21M and various Antonov transports. However, the Sudanese did not want further atheist Soviet influence and expelled their Soviet "advisors". Relations with China were strengthened and the Chinese supplied some 18 Shenyang MiG-17/F-5 and 10 FT-5 and from 1973 also Shenyang F-6 fighters. Local internal armed conflicts with the Christian south of Sudan were fought but also there were changes in leaders and generals. All these years the air force fleet was in poor condition. Technical support was sought. Yugoslavia overhauled many old MiGs and aircraft like a few old Strikemasters put into flyable condition by UK personnel and US military "advisors" came in. A conflict with Libya's Khadaffi led to plans for new Western aircraft such as of F-5E/F Tigers, new Strikemasters as well as helicopters and transports like Buffalo's and C-130. But an Islamic coup in 1985 resulted in only 2 F-5E/F Tigers and 3 Strikemasters being delivered. Insurgents were still active in the South and West Sudanese Darfur and Khadaffi's Libya supported terrorist groups in the sub-Sahara. Another coup took place in Sudan June 1989, the Western adivisors were kicked out and relations with Khadaffi strengthened. Ties with China were still strong but also Sadam Hussain's Iraq aid was accepted to support the air force. In 1987 at least a dozen of MiG-23MS, -BN and a -UB "Floggers" were provided by Khadaffi. Meanwhile, crude oil exports became big business. Additional Chinese F-6 and some 10 new Nanchang A-5 attack aircraft were acquired from 2001 and the conflict in Darfur became more serious and involved Chad. The first MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter arrived from 2003 (now) Russia with at least 10 MiG-29SE and 2 MiG-29UB, totalling later to about 24 aircraft. Chinese K-8 Karakorums arrived from mid 2006. From Belarus from 2010 at least 13 SU-25K and 3 SU-25UB Frogfoots ground attack jets were acquired. In 2020 it seems Chinese FTC-2000 jets have been acquired. Helicopters types were various Mils including Mi-8, Mi-17 and later Mi-24 and Mi-35. 
 
Main bases are at Khartoun airport and nearby Wadi Sayyidna. Other bases are at Port Sudan (training school) and El-Ubayyid with some 10 smaller air hardened strips.

A separate South-Sudan declared independence on 9 July 2011 but tensions remained also in Darfur with various terrorist involvements in many countries across the sub-Sahara. Only just in 2019 a sort of agreement was reached between Sudan and South-Sudan with UN involvement. 

 The Sudanese MiG-23MS "534" has a desert scheme and aircraft was provided by Kadhaffi. 

 and at the tarmac at a Sudan airbase with SU-25 in the background....

and at Khartoum airport

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Zvezda MiG-27  (kit# 7228) kit

This kit from Russia looks fine, but there are quitre some issues as it is rather basic. In the cockpit only the "floor" and main panel #38A was installed at this stage. Here the parts are shown:

Note: some parts I allready "pre-painted". 

This particular kit issued has the intake parts with a LERX, so is a slightly different version than the drawing on the box top. The intake (part #6a) has the LERX. 

The kit's panel lines are "raised" but I did not bother to rescribe these as the model would get a camouflage paint scheme. And it has the small splitter plates, the simple MiG-27 shorter exhaust and as separate parts the LERX: extended wing root glove for a MiG-27M. 

The model requires considerable sanding and the old mould has many raised "ridges". 

It is very surprising that, when compared with the much better RV Aircraft MiG-23 kits, the "duck nose" shape of this kit is not all that bad. The same is true for the vertical tail: 

The scheme choosen now was for the Cuba air force (" Defensa Anti-A?rea Y Fuerza A?rea Revolucionaria")  using the Aztec decal set 72-049.

I had to interpret the Cuban colours and using for years now acrylic paints, choose the following:
FS34540 green:  Gunze Sangyo 50 "lime green" 
FS35183 : Gunze Sangyo H25
FS15200 lower blue:  AKAN 7003 russian blue
and also some "patches" of very dark grey/black due to "wear" on the operational aircraft.

Masking was obviously needed using low tack tape and paper. 
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I again checked photos and found out too late that Cuba did not use the MiG-27 but the MiG-23BN version! So it also does NOT have the LERX leading edge extension at the wing glove. 
So some changes were needed! I had to made couple of new intake "larger" splitter plates from plastic card. I should also make the intake fronts larger, but I will put on later a couple of covers so that hides this emission. 

Discovered too late, I had to saw off these LERX bits. I than used a lot of putty to get a straight leading edge at the wing glove as all other MiG-23 versions have.... Now it was a MiG-23BN....
......
After this correction, I had to airbrush the repaired area of the model.

Next came the decals, but first two gloss coats of Johnson Future were airbrushed at very low pressure ( 0,8 bar) at a mininum nozzle-model distance of 20 cm. Wait 30 minutes between each coat application. 

The Aztec decals went on fine.

I used a PAVLA resin KM-1 seat from set S72010 and completed the interior with some spare "instrument" decals. 
....
Below the fuselage, a pair of pylons were put on with the "simple" R-3 Atoll missiles. below the fuselage a "barren" gun was put on as well. On the nose a couple of probes and pitots were set as seen on photos. As noted before, I added various covers on the model. The model got a semi-matt coat to get an even sheen and protect the decals. The canopy was the last thing to set in place.

..........
[  110,800 sq.km | 12 million inhabitants | capital:  Habana | GDP USD 7,800 per capita ] 

Being in "America's  back yard", the first military aircraft in Cuba were Curtiss trainers in 1917 and some DH.4 bomber biplanes. A hurricane destroyed many of these in 1926 and not earlier than the mid thirties that a small Army aviation and navy aviation was established with WACO and Stearman aircraft. After the war, in 1948 some P-51 Mustangs and B-25 Mitchells were obtained. The  first jets were T-33's from 1955 by the Fuerza Aerea Ejercito de Cuba. 

Fidel Castro became active with guerillas in that period and March 1959 the existing Batista regime over thrown and a Socialist regime established and support from the Soviets announced. (The USA still had and has their Guantanamo Bay base). The Cuban "Defensa Anti-Aérea Y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria" got their first MiG-15 in 1961. The first of the MiG-17 were obtained in 1964. 

Only much later from 1978 over 80 MiG-23 MF, MLA, ML and UB trainers aircraft were supplied. Also the strike MiG-23 BN "Flogger H" was obtained with some 40 to 50 aircraft delivered from mid 1978. 

> For more information about Cuba look on the MiG-21 page here...

. MiG-23BN , code 723, l/n 8542 that also flew from Santa Clara, Cuba

Above at Cuban MiG-23BN  "at Habana terminal...
 

... at San Antonio dos Banos and below during a visit to Santa Clara" with MiL helicopters  ...

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Italeri MiG-27M  (kit #075) 

Main parts assembly was done simply as per kit instructions. 
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Note also the large gaps and steps at the LERX root glove. This needs quite some putty and sanding. 
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The model got a base grey coat, to check for any sanding errors (not shown). Smaller gaps were closed with white glue that when dried up closes these gaps. 

A very nice photo was found on the internet of a Kazakhstan Air Force MiG-27M.
Before setting on the smaller parts, the model got its basic colour scheme.  The Kazachstan colours airbrushed were:

Light blue lower surfaces:  AKAN 73008 acrylic: applied first also not forgetting the doors and pylons.
Olive green:  Revell Aqua 361
Light green: Gunze Sangyo 312
Dark brown "maroon": AKAN 73026 acrylic
Light brown: AKAN 73080 

The model was ready for the decals, but first a couple of gloss coats were added with the usual technique. 

Some decals came from a SU-25 set from "Authentic decals" 72-47 to get the Kazachstan markings. These decals are very thin, so better put on top a coat of Microscale Decal Film to keep each decal in one piece. 
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Next, the interior was refined, discarding the very basic too large kit seat #37. I used a PAVLA resin KM-1 seat from set S72010. The instrument panels were suggested with spare instrument decals. 

The main wheels have "holes" to fit the main gear legs, but I found these pegs to pose an inaccurate look as with the Zvezda kit. This was adapted to get a correct "sit". Also, there are 2 types of main gear doors. The nose wheel doors #2C and 3C have small bulges which is correct. The nose wheels have here no mud guards so some spare wheels from a RV Aircraft kit were used. 

Also, an extra pitot tube on the nose was set in place. The laser window did not fit in the nose, MicroScale Kristal Clear did the job. The various blade antenna's are way too thick, replace with plastic card. 

From an ICM 1/72 missile set, an Air-to-Air R27 missile and two FAB500 bombs were set in place. On the intakes, red protection covers made from thin card were set.

The model got a final semi-matt coat with the usual technique. 

Canopy was the final thing to do. The kit canopy #1B has the "central frame, so this was sanded off as it is not on the "M". The canopy polished after that. Inside, a few mirrors were added made from thin aluminium foil. 


That completed a very nice model of a Kazakhstan MiG-27M.
...... r

[area: 2,725,000 sq.km | population: 19 million | capital: Nur-Sultan (new Astana name) | GDP 10,000 USD per capita nominal ]

Kazakhstan is a large land locked country and was part of the USSR. It became independent in 1990 after the collapse of the USSR. Obviously, the Kazakh Air Force inherited many Soviet aircraft like MiG-27s and later on a few MiG-27M aircraft. Some have been upgraded by a company in the Ukraine. In 2012 a dozen MiG-27M's were still used, many flown by the no. 604 AB unit but along with the Su-17 as per 2021 all are withdrawn. Current transports are An-26 and An-72 and Casa C295 and VIP A320 and A330. Fighters are currently a dozen Su-27 and some 20 new SU-30SM are flown and 10 jet trainer L-39C. Various helicopters are also used as Mi-35, Mi-171 and EC145. There is also a border guard with Mil helicopters. There are many air bases in this large country.


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.Kazakhstan MiG-27M, 2002 with a mountain back drop at Astana Airport.  

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