Since the beginning of this War between Russia and Ukraine I’ve been getting a bunch of emails and photos with suggestions of subjects for new sets, however from the beginning I decided that I would never do anything related to this Conflict. However, several interesting subjects unrelated to the Conflict have emerged. Subjects from another time when it seemed that some things would go differently. Subjects from the time of hope for a bright future.
This set covers two stories about Early days of Ukrainian Jet fighters on display
The first international air show of Ukrainian pilots
After the world witnessed the emergence of an independent state of Ukraine, the people in North America generally considered everything east of the Iron curtain to be strange and unfamiliar.
The idea to invite the pilots of the Air Force of Independent Ukraine to participate in the air shows belonged to aviation fans – the leaders of the Ukrainian Flying Club in Canada Mikhail Bien and Taras Tatarin. They proposed to the national government of Ukraine a plan to advertise themselves and show the world how an independent country’s air force performs. A tour to Canada and across the United States was proposed, to which the Ukrainians agreed, and in 1992. the Ukrainian Air Force received an official invitation to a series of air shows where they were to be represented by a MiG-29 fighter jet.
The MiG-29 was chosen because it could perform various tricks and acrobatics which the other planes at the air show could not and due to this nature of the plane it would naturally draw the crowd’s attention to it.
During the evening of May 8, 1992, a giant Antonov transport plane bearing the flag of Ukraine landed at Canadian Forces Base Namao. Inside the aircraft were two disassembled MiG-29 fighter jets. The MiGs had only recently been re-painted in Lviv in blue and yellow colours with a trident insignia on their tails. The two MiGs were reassembled in record time over the next two days as the ground crews worked until 2 or 3 AM to finish a job that normally takes four days. After engine tests and flight manoeuvres, the aircraft were ready.
This was the start of a three-month tour of air shows in Canada and the U.S. for the Ukrainian MiGs. This is a shorter version of a somewhat more complex story…
Ukrainian Su-27s at RIAT 1996
During 1996, it was decided that two aircraft were going to travel to Fairford, one being the Su-27, with bort number 48. This Su-27 would participate in an aerial display. The second aircraft was another SU-27, with bort number 57, this aircraft would be part of the static display on the ground.
When it came to camouflage, #48 and #57 were different from the rest of their Ukrainian counterparts. Standard service Su-27s in Ukraine were painted in the Splinter camo, first introduced on Su-27a #36 in 1996 – and subsequently repainted onto every Su-27. However, for the purposes of RIAT and their exhibition, #48 and #57 got their own special painting, which included yellow and blue stripes on the aircraft.
WHAT IS IN THE ENVELOPE:
– Decal sheet for 4 Ukrainian Air Force aircraft options
MiG-29 (9-13) Fulcrum-C, “01 White” “Dawn of Freedom” tour / North America, 1992.
MiG-29UB (9-51) Fulcrum-B, “02 White” “Dawn of Freedom” tour / North America, 1992.
Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker-B (early), Fairford RAF, RIAT96, 1996.
Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker-B (late), Fairford RAF, RIAT96, 1996.
– Background stories, history and details
– Photo quality profiles and instructions
– Aircraft detail guide
– Colors and painting guide
– Small Ukrainian flag sticker
– Recommended video links
– Personal notes area
Find them in my eBay store.
BREAK OF DAWN
1/72 PV-005-72
1/48 PV-005-48
