Zvezda 1/35 scale MiG-31 Foxhound

Manufacturer: Zvezda, available from Linden Hill Imports, P.O. Box 543, Crugers, NY 10521, 914-734-9616
www.lindenhillimports.com
Kit: No. 35246
Scale: 1/35
Price: $12
Comments: Injection-molded, 120 parts, decals
Pros: Accurate size and shape, good landing gear detail, good seats
Cons:Poor fit, no intake trunks or exhaust side walls, rudimentary interior detail

The MiG-31 Foxhound, developed from the MiG-25 Foxbat, is the most capable interceptor in the Soviet/Russian Air Defense Forces. With speeds up to Mach 2.83, range that allows the fighter to cover the vast expanse of the Russian Siberian Frontier, and a look-down, shoot-down weapons system, there is little wonder why the MiG-31 is a major component of Russia's first line of defense.


Zvezda's MiG-31 Foxhound has recessed panel lines that are a bit heavy, but a light sanding reduces this, and smoothes out the grainy surfaces as well.


Zvezda did a nice job accurately capturing the large, yet graceful lines of the MiG-31. However, there's not much detail in the cockpit and the fit of the parts required extra work. Assembly was straightforward and the four-page, 33-step illustrated instructions were without surprises. You'll need to test-fit everything, and occasionally have to reshape parts. I had a lot of trouble fitting each of the five-piece intake assemblies.


The fuselage consists of a two-piece (upper and lower) forward cockpit area mated to the aft fuselage/wing section. Once again a good fit was achieved only by sanding and test-fitting the two components. The split between the upper and lower aft fuselage halves routes around the landing gear bays and the pivots for the horizontal stabilizers. This results in zigzag seams that complicate cleanup. The fit for the horizontal stabilizers was poor, so I created a jig to support them while the glue dried.


The cockpit instrument panels and consoles have rudimentary detail, but the seats are good representations of the Russian K-36 design. There are no harnesses, but if you install the crew figures, who would know? You can pose the canopies open or closed, but unless you install an aftermarket interior (Neomega), you might want to close the canopies.
Another drawback is the lack of interior walls to the intakes and exhausts. When you peek inside, you see the inside of the fuselage assembly.


Zvezda did a good job capturing the unusual main wheel arrangement of the MiG-31, but the to-scale arrangement may not be robust enough to support the weight of the model. You get your choice of having the speed brakes deployed or retracted; I left them open, as they appear frequently on the MiG-31. You can also open or retract the lower intake ramps.


Zvezda includes four wing pylons and two 2000-liter fuel tanks. According to my references, it was rare to see a MiG-31 fly with external tanks, and the two additional pylons did not appear until after the introduction of the air refueling probe (which is not included in this kit).


The kit's decal options include "White 374," a demonstrator seen at various Western air shows. The other option (which I chose) is Soviet Air Defense "Blue 31." I installed the inner pair of wing pylons and attached R-40 missiles, but the typical MiG-31 combat configuration consists of two or four R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) missiles attached to the wing pylons and four R-33 (AA-9 Amos) missiles hung underneath the fuselage. I installed the R-33s, but Zvezda failed to include the smaller AA-8s.


There's not much color information in the instructions, so I used Xtracolor Soviet Interior Green-Blue for the cockpit and flat black for the ejection seats. The landing gear and inside of the wheel wells and doors were painted Gunze Sangyo Lt. Aircraft Gray, and all of the wheel hubs were painted Xtracolor Soviet Wheel Hub Green. I used Xtracolor Lt. Compass Gray for the overall airframe color, and Model Master Gunship Gray is good for the dielectric panels.


It took me about 13 hours to complete the kit, much of that refining the fit. The finished model measures right according to the dimensions in Yefim Gordon's MiG-25 Foxbat/MiG-31 Foxhound (Aerofax).