Sheet:

Hi-Decal 48-020: MiG-19 'Farmer'

Units: See review

Price

$

Reviewer:

Scott Van Aken

Though not exactly the most well known or even the most effective aircraft ever built by the Soviets, the MiG-19 was certainly one of the coolest aircraft of the period. Powered by two afterburning turbojets, it was the USSR's first supersonic fighter. A bear to handle by the inexperienced, it also had a rather short range and rarely came out the best the few times it was involved in air combat. This particular sheet is for the radar nosed MiG-19P/PM (the PM having only missile armament). For kits, you are pretty well stuck with the Trumpeter offering. It is unfortunate that there has yet to be a really good MiG-19 built and one can only hope that soon someone will produce one.

There are six aircraft on this sheet and all of them are in overall bare metal.

First is a Soviet version, Red O4 from 1959.

Next is a Czech version from 1965. Czechoslovakia built theirs under license as, I believe, the S-102.

From East Germany is Red 335, circa 1962.

Romania also flew the MiG-19 PM as is shown with red 741 from 1965.

Poland was another country with the missile armed MiG-19 PM as shown with Red 905 from 1971.

Finally, the gun armed MiG-19P from Cuba in 1962, part of the 'Cuban Missile Crisis' build-up.

A really great sheet with markings enough to keep any Russian aircraft fan happy.

I'd like to thank Hi-Decal for providing the review sheets. Visit their website at the above link for other great sheets.

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