1:48 Mig-29 exhaust & air intake covers and decals (for ACADEMY)

The real subject

A parked jet is not left open. Covers are pushed into the air intakes and the exhaust nozzles to keep out rain, dust, tools and birds, and they are usually in a conspicuous color with lettering and streamers so that nobody forgets them before takeoff. On the MiG-29 it is the air intakes in particular that catch the eye, and an open model without covers looks as if it were about to roll out onto the runway.

What the set contains

Air intake and nozzle covers for the MiG-29 in 1:48 scale and a decal sheet to go with them. The name lists the set as intended for the Academy kit, so the fit of the parts follows its shape; on another kit of the same type, try them dry. The parts are photo-etched, so expect a flat fret from which they are snapped out and bent.

Building and painting tips

• cut the parts out with a sharp blade on a hard surface and level the edge with a file afterwards
• make the bend over a ruler or a bending tool so that it comes out crisp and straight
• glue with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) and degrease the faces before joining them
• spray the covers with a primer, or the paint will not hold on them
• apply the decal onto a smooth gloss surface, not onto matte paint

The decal and who the set is for

With ordinary decals the sheet is applied the wet way, that is, by a brief soak, sliding it off the paper and pressing it to the surface. Before you soak it, though, check the instructions for whether it is a self-adhesive version: a soaked self-adhesive film is ruined for good, whereas a water-slide decal that has not been soaked can be soaked later. The set is for builders of the MiG-29 in 1:48 scale who are building the model as a machine parked on the flight line. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.