1:72 MiG-25 (RBT, RBF, RBS) "Foxbat" (Blue 73, Blue 74, Red 17, Red 19) Ukrainian Air Forces (Decals with Stencils)

A Foxbat with a camera

The reconnaissance versions of the machine known in the West as the Foxbat were among the most interesting aircraft Ukraine inherited after the break-up of the Soviet Union. It began as a design driven by a single requirement: to get high and fast to where nobody else can reach the opponent. A welded steel airframe, a pair of massive engines and a cockpit set right at the front produced an aircraft that in level flight exceeded twice the speed of sound. The versions with the letters RBT, RBF and RBS carried bomb armament as well as cameras and reconnaissance equipment, so one type managed two different jobs.

Four machines on one sheet

The sheet covers four particular aircraft distinguished by tactical numbers in blue and in red. Besides the large markings it also contains a set of technical stencils, so the model needs no second source and can be finished from a single sheet.

Print against relief

The stencils on the real airframe are thin layers of paint, not a raised shape. A kit sometimes tries to suggest them by engraving or leaves them out altogether, because a mold will not hold detail that fine. A printed sheet deals with them directly: the print is covered by a thin carrier film that practically disappears over a glossy surface. The procedure is a proven one – gloss varnish, the decal on lukewarm water, press it down with a cotton swab, let it dry thoroughly and finally unify it with a matte overcoat. A decal softener helps where a stencil runs across a rivet or a panel edge.