Subject: Re: 1/48 Testors Mig37 John Snell
From: "Steve Bamford ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Snell" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 17:04:31 -0800

Hi John,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks for sending it in.   

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com
 
Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Snell 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 4:10 PM
  Subject: 1/48 Testors Mig37 John Snell

  Gallery Template #04

  1/48 Testors Mig-37 Ferret 

  by John Snell
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here 

  I had built one of these a long time ago, when a girlfriend gave it to me.  That model got lost in a move, so I decided I better do another one, just for fun.  Except I had some definite ideas on how to improve the model this time.  I think this is a pretty cool concept, but you can't help but see the cold-war bias behind its design.  There's this thing about Soviet aircraft being less advanced and therefore somehow inferior.  In actuality, Russian aircraft are built to be simple, tough and effective.  If they had undertaken MiG to design a stealth fighter, it would be fast, tough and stealthy.  

  So first, I got rid of those dumb pods on the wings, tail and intakes.  I lenghtened and sharpened the nose.  I also scribed a whole bunch of panel lines (this kit has almost none to begin with), including a hatch for the mid-air refeuling receptacle.  I revised the engine inlets to better hide the turbine faces (making it more stealthy!).  My Russians are frugal, so the intakes are tan to simulate an uncoated composite surface.  I also added a few bogus cockpit details made from scratch.

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
         Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 

  I see the MiG-37 as filling a role similar to the Kamov Ka-50.  The Ka-50 is designed mainly for hunting and killing other attack helicopters.  So my version of the MiG-37 is a hunter-killer of other stealth aircraft.  Sure, it isn't nearly as stealthy as an F-117, but it is stealthy enough to sneak around and dump a couple of missiles or some cannon fire into an unsuspecting enemy.

  It is armed with a low-observable version of a Gsh-23 gunpod which is deployed from the rear weapon bay (sorry for no pic, my camera is terrible at doing close-ups), and two small AAM's in the front weapon bay.  Originally, I was going to use Aphids in the front bay, but they wouldn't fit.  I didn't take the time to enlarge the bays, so I just used the 'stealth' missiles provided in the kit.  They're kinda dumb, but oh well. . .  I made a panel for a pop-up type IR sensor (but no sensor), and part of my reason for lengthening the nose was to provide room for a larger search and fire control radar.

  I discarded most of the decals that came with the kit.  They just aren't that convincing, and I really dislike the way this kit looks with all of the various warning decals stuck on.  All I used were the red stars, numbers, and a couple of the smaller 'danger' decals.

  This is sort of a fringe kit, and it's a little hard to take it too seriously, but I'd actually like to do another one now, and add the pop-up IR sensor, enlarge the weapon bays and add some good AAM's.  I would also include an on-board gun, and maybe hack up an aftermarket cockpit to fit.  This is a really simple kit to build, and it lends itself to a bazillion different modifications.  Or maybe it would be more interesting to do a complete scratchbuild on a Sukhoi stealth concept. . .

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here 

  Photos and text © 2004 by "John Snell"