MiG-23MLD - Syria - 1989
The MiG-23MLD from Clear Prop in 1:72 was announced approximately 3 years ago.
Finally released at the end of March 2023, I ordered one "Expert kit" (44€) and one "Advanced kit" (36€) directly from the Clear Prop website the day the kits were released.
Custom tolls for shipping in the EU need to be added on top and that's another 13-15€ for both kits together. Then there's shipping which is again another 15€ maybe.
Now you get an idea what this kit will be costing from local shops.
Basically the end price might be around the 55€ mark for the "Expert kit" in local shops inside the EU, similar in price to some of the newer G.W.H/Lion Roar kits.
Zounds of parts.
"456 pcs" (!!!)
The sprues and decals are presented on 4 pages...
A Soviet one (probably active in Afghanistan?), a known Syrian one,...
Fine recessed lines with very fine and crisp details. Note the fine shapes from the fuselage underside, a clear evolution from the RV Aircraft/KP kit.
Some of those screw marks from the wings are so fine, that they might not survive a first layer of primer.
Note the two holes/identations below the air intakes: those are the position lights and clear parts are included to fit these two locations. Finally!
Note also the nicely detailed engine parts.
The wing slots from the fuselage side have extra detail too, so there is no ugly gap any more when leaving the wings in the 0° position.
The rudders are also separate parts.
They will need to be cut open eventually.
Note the nicely detailed parts #10 or #11 for the tip vertical fin.
Otherwise there are weapon pylons available for all the interceptor configurations of the MiG-23.
You get 4x R-23s and 4x R-24s missiles,...
The generic main weapon pylons are already molded together with the secondary pylons for the specific missiles. I personally like that.
Two more clear parts are included for the lights.
Note also the included PEs. The smaller set is for the weapons.
The resin engine exhaust from Clear Prop includes some extra detail on the outer can, which I am not sure will be fully visible in the end unless worked very carefully. The part from the right side is actually much better than the kit's part.
Additional resin air scoops (the orange ones) were also included.
There are plenty of general information about the design and development of the MiG-23 mixed with political and historical drama of its Middle Eastern operators and together with spicy stories of air engagements especially of the Iraqi, Syrian and Libyan Air Forces.
Commentaires
MariusI believe this might be the first external review of this kit.
No doubt this is a high quality kit on par with the Eduard's MiG-15 and MiG-21 series.
On the positive side, I can note the high level of detail, the very fine shapes and details and sufficiently numerous options for ordnance and painting options included.
On the negative side, the kit seems overengineered with a complex part breakdown and with a very high number of parts for 1:72 (456!!). Also, the kit is definitely pricey, but the price is justified by what is offered in my opinion.
This release from Clear Prop does manage to fill a long awaited gap in the MiG aircraft family in 1:72. Nevertheless, for the earlier MiG-23MF and BN versions we are still stuck with the RV Aircraft/KP kits (for example: MiG-23MF - Romania - 1995 | Album by Redicus (1:72)).
If we account for the price of the KP kit together with resin replacements for the cockpit, exhaust, wheels and ordnance, the resulting price will come close to what the Clear Prop costs, whereas the Clear Prop kit is still vastly superior.
I am highly looking forward to building this one in the coming months and I can only highly recommend it.
MariusThank you for following, a build report might begin in some weeks, since I am planning to build this one in the same time with an Iraqi MiG-23BN (from RV Aircraft).
@Michael: meinst du die MF Version vom KP Bausatz oder die ML/MLD von Clear Prop. Vom ML/MLD Bausatz von Clear Prop kann man leider keine MF bauen, die Unterschiede sind zu groß. Oder habe ich es irgendwie falsch verstanden.
@Andy, I also ordered the NK/Cuban one. Be aware that the sprues with weapons are not included in that kit.
Michael KohlMarius, Du hadt natürlich Recht. Es ist die MLA mit den Decals der NVA.
Michael Kohl@Andy: in case you need the weapons, you might contact me, as I won't need mine.
Album info
The beginning of the MiG-23 saga in the service of the SyAAF unfolds in the final days of the October War (1973). Two MiG-23MS and two MiG-23UB two-seaters were shipped to Syria in crates on the 14th October 1973, but this was too late for them to take part in the ongoing conflict. The process of making the MiG-23 operational was complex and extremely difficult, mainly due to the poor manufacturing quality, unreliability of the aircraft and the lack of technical documentation (left out on purpose by the Soviets). By the end of the 1974, up to 13 Syrian MiG-23s had already been written off due to accidents. Iraq and Libya encountered similar difficulties and it took almost a decade for these countries to integrate and make the MiG-23 operational. By this time, the initially exported MiG-23MS version was hopelessly obsolete. Tom Cooper gives a great and meaningful insight of this whole transition period in his "MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East" (2018).
The first slighly improved MiG-23MFs were delivered to Syria only later in 1978 with the MiG-23MFs becoming in the mean time the backbone of the SyAAF interception missions.
The first major conflict in which the Syrian MiG-23s were involved was the Lebanon War (1982). The opening phase of the war presented on the 9th of June 1982 extensive clashes between the IDF and SyAAF with major battles in the Bekaa Valley. These events were described in a previous project and article: MiG-21MF - Syria - 1982 | Album by Redicus (1:72) .The violent air combat of June 1982 caused signifficant losses for Syria, with six MiG-23MFs, four MiG-23MSs and a few MiG-23BNs shot down, among several other dozens of MiG-21s. Further air losses in the months to come left the SyAAF crippled for future operations. Finally realising the severity of the situation, the Soviet goverment approved in September 1982 the sale of 50 MiG-23MLs and a further replacement batch of MiG-23BNs to Syria.
Due to the Soviets regularly cheating and misleading their foreign export customers, the introduction of the MiG-23s in the Middle East was an extremely expensive and deadly failure especially for Iraq, Syria and Libya. Only the mass of negative experiences from the conflicts of the early 1980s from nearly all MiG-23 users from the Middle East prompted the USSR to export more advanced versions of the MiG-23. It was only in 1982 with the ML version that the Soviets finally delivered what they promised ten years before. What was strongly advertised as a single-engined F-14 by the Soviets in 1970 (especially towards Iraq), the MiG-23 could only now in 1982 become in some very specific circumstances competitive againts the Western technology of the 70s. All of later improved versions entered service much too late to change the type's stained reputation or the fate of their operating countries, with the MiG-23 becoming ever more obsolete in terms of electronics (avionics, radar and ECM).
It isn't entirely clear what exact MiG-23 versions Syria received in 1982, but a second and third batch included the more advanced MLDs (Izdelye 23-22B) with the serial numbers between 2762 - 2799. The new machines became operational in August 1983 just in time to take part in a new phase of the Lebanon War, during the gradual Israeli withdrawal from Beirut. Deadly militia ground attacks on the US and French MNF (peacekeeping) troops in Lebanon lead to further tense moments culminating with French and US air raids. Interception attempts were made by Syrian MiG-23s against a pair of US Navy F-14As flying a reconnaissance mission in December 1983. A further escalation ocurred on the 19th November 1985 as four Syrian MiG-23MLs were sent to ambush a pair of Israeli F-15s over Lebanon. Due to the an error of the ground controller, two Syrian MiG-23s ended up in front of the F-15s instead of behind them, both MiGs being promptly shot down.
After the defection of Syrian pilot Adel Bassem to Israel in 1989 with the most advanced MiG-23MLD version that even the USSR was using in active service, the ties between the USSR and Syria became very cold. The subsequent collapse of the USSR left Syria without even spare parts for their MiG-23s, leading to an almost complete stand still and hibernation of any SyAAF operations for almost 20 years. Plenty of intriguing details from this shady period of time for the SyAAF are revealed in the "MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East" (T. Cooper, 2018).
Although the Syrian MiG-23 fleet was partially revived in 2008 by the purchase of 33 used MiG-23MLDs in extremely poor condition from Belarus, only a dozen could become operational. Due to several being shot down during the Syrian Civil War, only a handful of MiG-23 were still operational as of 2018, likely less than 10 airframes. An emergency aid programm started by Russia in 2020 supplied Syria with MiG-29s for the interceptor role to replace the already vanishing MiG-23s.
References:
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, et al., "Arab MiGs Volume 6", Harpia Publishing
T. Copper, "MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East", Helion and Company
Bill Norton, "75 Years of the Israeli Air Force, Volume 1", Helion and Company
