1:48 MiG 3 (early)

A fighter built for great altitudes

The MiG-3 came about to a specification which the war immediately contradicted. The designers were given the task of a fast high-altitude interceptor and the AM-35A engine made that possible for them: above seven kilometers the aircraft was exceptionally fast. Except that the fighting of 1941 took place low above the ground, where a heavy nose and high wing loading made the MiG an unremarkable opponent demanding to fly. It found its use mainly in the air defense of Moscow, where altitude made sense. Early production examples differ from the later ones in the shape of the canopy and in the arrangement of the rear glazing behind the pilot's head.

Before a mask touches the glass

A clear part has to be prepared before film comes onto it. A fingerprint is greasy and adhesive does not hold on it; a grain of dust under a mask creates a cavity through which paint will pass. Wash the part therefore in lukewarm water with detergent, let it dry freely on a paper towel and touch it afterwards only through a glove or with tweezers by the edge. Leave polishing or dipping in gloss varnish before masking until the end of the build, because a softened surface takes an imprint under the film.

The scope of the set

• glazing covered from outside and from inside
• one set of masks for the national insignia
• outlines die-cut according to the early form of the cockpit

Dryness and cleanliness decide the result more than a skillful hand, because on well-prepared glass even the smallest piece of film holds by itself and does not have to be pressed down with a force that would deform it.