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Author
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Topic: Building a model of Yuri Gagarin's last MiG
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David C
Member Posts: 1014
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 03-31-2016 05:07 AM
  
I'm thinking of building a 1/72 model of the Chkalovsky based MiG-15 UTI that crashed on March 27th 1968 killing Seryogin and Gagarin. Does anyone have period pictures of the actual aircraft? I'm not convinced that the markings provided by Eduard for "blue 739" are accurate. Specifically, did it have pairs of red stars on upper and lower wings, and fin; rather than no stars on the upper wing surface but stars on the fuselage as Eduard show? I suspect it should also have black non-slip walkways on the upper wing roots. Also, for anyone else building this, on the last flight it had drop tanks despite Eduard depicting it clean. |
PeterO
Member Posts: 399
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 03-31-2016 07:40 AM
I'm also curious about the identity and markings of the aircraft. I've Googled around without finding anything contemporary. However, this profile shows an entirely different aircraft. Click on the profile for a larger view.It would be interesting to know where Eduard got their information. |
PeterO
Member Posts: 399
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 03-31-2016 07:51 AM
Apparently there is uncertainty about the markings the plane had. Eduard's MiG-15 Quattro Combo boxing shows Red 625 as the accident aircraft, but also says: Despite various theories, the cause of the crash remains a mystery, as does the appearance of the aircraft. One of the possibilities is a natural metal finish with a red 625 fuselage number (call sign of the flight). |
David C
Member Posts: 1014
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 03-31-2016 08:20 AM
Thanks Peter, pretty muddy waters. The "Star Brothers" thread in Russian Space has some good footage (around 19 minutes in) of Leonov training in what is presumably another Chkalovsky based bird at an earlier period. In the absence of other evidence, the assumption that their fleet would have all carried similar markings seems reasonable. I would therefore expect no fuselage stars and a blue two digit "Bort" number.If 625 really was the flight call sign then that's also possible - but it could have been generated several other ways. What we really need are pictures or an eyewitness description. Sounds like both will be hard to find. |
David C
Member Posts: 1014
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 03-31-2016 10:28 AM
Having just watched another documentary on the accident, I note that the MiG-15 UTI at the memorial is bort 18 (too badly weathered to be sure of the original color) with no fuselage stars. That agrees nicely with one of your references.There's also a MiG-15 UTI currently on the display circuit marked up as "red 18", meant to represent Gagarin's - but with a red nose. |
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