**** DONE: MiG-3 White 5 Alexander Pokryshkin Winter 1941/42 VVS/Eastern Front GB

[T Bolt]

MiG-3 White 5 Alexander Pokryshkin Winter 1941 /1942 VVS/Eastern Front 1941-44 Group Build

User name: T Bolt
Name: Glenn
Category: 2, Intermediate
Kit: Classic Airframes MiG-3
Scale: 1/48th.
Accessories: None. The kit comes with resin and photo etched parts.

This is my entry for the VVS/Eastern Front 1941-45 Group Build. Alexander Pokryshkin was the Soviet Union’s second scoring ace with 59 confirmed victories behind only Ivan Kozhedub with 62. He was three time Hero of the Soviet Union and was awarded four Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, four Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov (2nd class), two Orders of the Red Star, and the United States Army Air Forces Distinguished Service Medal.
Pokryshkin flew the MiG-3 scoring almost 20 victories from the beginning of the German invasion in late June 1941 to March of 1942 at which time he started flying the Yak-1. The Mig-3 I’m going to build is White 5 which was one of the MiG-3s he flew (apparently he went through a few). I have several profiles of it, but haven’t been able to locate any pictures other than a portion of the nose in one of the pictures of Pokryshkin shown below. I’m not sure this is White 5, but I will try to duplicate the heavy weathering shown on it in the picture. Any further information would be welcomed.
The kit looks simple at first inspection with a limited number of parts, but this is an early example of Classic Airframes work and the injected molded sprues defiantly have that “limited run” look to them, so I’m not expecting the whole thing to just fall together. There are also resin and PE parts included as well as two vacuformed canopies. At some time in the past I had made a false start building this kit, but all it amounted to was spraying a base color cote on some of the interior and landing gear parts. I won’t really get started with it until my Commonwealth Group Build project is complete, but I might do a little fiddling around with it before then.

[Wurger]

[imalko]

Ah, the first entry to VVS/Eastern front Group build... Nice!
Love your choice of early Pokryshkin's bird, though he was best known for flying P-39 Airacobra with success. Looking forward to your work on this one Glenn.

[B-17engineer]

Nice one Glenn !

[N4521U]

Them Mig3's were one of the Best Looking aircraft. The profile is just an exciting design. I built one of them when I didn't know what I was doing long ago, well not That long ago. You may convince me to do another for this GB. GO man Go!

[Crimea_River]

Wayda go Glenn! You're tempting me to go out and get a Russian bird now. I don't have a single one in my stash.

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

I don't know anything about these birds other than they were fast for there time, but for some reason they tend to remind me of a GEEBEE. I get the impression that they might have been a hand full to fly. I do think they have great lines. Cool choice Glenn.

[B-17engineer]

I think it reminds you of a GEEBEE since the Cockpit is seated farther back on the fuselage.

[T Bolt]

I always thought it looked like a slicker version of the Curtiss YP-37

[Crimea_River]

Wow, didn't know about that one. Uncanny resemblance - spies at work?

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

I think Harrison's right. The cockpit location has a lot to do with it because the YP-37 is looks similar to the GEEBEE also. I have seen the 37 before but had forgotten about it.

[T Bolt]

The YP-37 was sort of a for-runner of the P-40 It was the first attempt to mount an Allison engine on the P-36 airframe. The cockpit was moved back to make room for fuel and the tubro-supercharger. Didn't work out very well. Visibility was so poor over the nose that the pilot couldn't see the runway on final approach so they came up with a swerving approach so they could keep it in view. There were other problems too I believe. The second attempt to mount the Allison on the P-36 airframe was much more successful and resulted in the P-40.

[Airframes]

Good choice Glenn, and good background info.
As I know about as much about the Eastern front as I do about how a woman's brain works, I'll not be entering this GB. But I'll be sitting back, watching and learning as each build progresses.

[Vic Balshaw]

Good choice Glenn, you've been digging deep on this one's info.

[vikingBerserker]

Very cool.