The “Kościuszko badge” has a very long tradition, dating back to 1919, when American pilots, led by Capt. Merian Cooper volunteered to join the Polish Air Force, to fight communist Russia. To commemorate the joint military history, the American-manned unit was named after Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish general, who achieved numerous victories during the American War of Independence. From the very beginning, the squadron utilized a badge, designed by Lt. Elliott William Chess, consisting of “Stars and Stripes” background, and superimposed two scythes with the upright-mounted blades, as well as Cracow-region peasant’s hat, both symbols of the Polish campaign against Russia in 1794, led by Kościuszko. This tradition was further continued until 1939 and passed to the No. 303 polish squadron in RAF service between 1940 and 1946. After the fall of communism, the tradition of the “Kościuszko Squadron” was revived in the 1990s, and taken on by the 1st Fighter Regiment. Following the reorganization of the Polish Air Force, the name was transferred to the 23rd Tactical Base, where it remains until today. The presented herewith version of the badge is a low-vis one – the colored version can be seen on the display aircraft of the 23rd Tactical Base, #56.
Tags: MiG-29 Fulcrum Lego Fighter MOC No.303
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The MiG-29 has always been my favorite aircraft (with the F-14 being a veeery close second). It was also the very first big-scale model I have ever make . But it was almost 10 years ago and that model has become pretty outdated, which was painfully reminded to me by numerous, beautiful Fulcrums models coming in the last few years. I have to mention here the model by Kurt’s MOC , who really set a standard for the Lego MiG-29s. There are also some other, beautiful, bigger-than-minifig scale models: the one by Adam Czifra, and the one by Attila Ferenc, which I just wish will be finished someday. All those MOCs made excellent use of the newly available curved slopes, wedges, and tiles, which are a true game-changer when it comes to modeling Fulcrum. So after finishing Tomcat I decided it’s time to make a new MiG-29 from scratch, to fully exploit the new possibilities. The first decision was to go with a 3-studs wide canopy, as I hated the proportions from the old model. This drastically changed the approach to the rest of the MOC. I also wanted to go with a more SNOT-oriented design, just to make it look more “compatible” with the Tomcat. As a result, the internal structure turned out to be rather complex despite the relatively small size of the model. So, know about the model itself. It depicts the #108 aircraft of Polish Air Force, from 23rd Tactical Base stationed in Mińsk Mazowiecki (previously 1st Fighter Regiment. The aircraft was a part of the original delivery of MiG-29s from the Soviet Union back in 1990. It was also a part of a limited modernization program conducted between 2011-2014, with the main focus being the improvement of the navigational suit and man-machine interface. The modernized machines were dubbed as “MiG-29M”, not to be mistaken with the MiG-29M (izd. 9.15) developed in the 80s/90s in the Soviet Union. Since the 23rd Tactical Base continue the tradition of the “Kościuszko Squadron”, which can be traced back to 1919 and includes the famous No. 303 Sqn, which fought valiantly during the Battle of Britain in 1940, after the modernization, all fighters were updated with the commemorative paint schemes, including the so-called “Kościuszko badge”, which can be seen on full display at the top of each aircraft. Furthermore, each plane was given an artwork, which reminded some of the most famous ace pilots flying for the “Kościuszko Squadron”. In the case of 108, its patron is F/Lt Ludwik Paszkiewicz (1907-1940), an ace credited with 6 aerials victories while flying with No. 303 Sqd. He was also the author of the first victory credited to No. 303. Unfortunately, he was killed in combat during the Battle of Britain. Today, his portraits can be seen on the vertical stabilizers of 108. The model is in 1:33 scale with the working features including: openable cockpit with detailed interior, movable flaps and stabilizers, working airbrakes, and retractable landing gear. The weapon load is a typical QRA loadout, consisting of two R-73 air-to-air missiles, and the underbelly fuel tank. In general, I am really pleased with how it turned out. As can be seen here, I was able to get a pretty good accuracy for the side view. I am especially proud of the fuselage spine, as I was able to get both the side view and cross-sections correct. Another feature is the canted air intakes – I think this is the first MiG-29 model in such scale to include them. As usual, the model could be a bit more rigid, but for such a small model, you can’t get everything at the same time. Also, the retracting of the main landing gear is always a challenge. Lastly, the stickers’ color is not perfect, especially in terms of dark-bluish grey, but it has already held me back for a few weeks, so I decided to go with the current iteration.
Tags: MiG-29 Fulcrum Lego Fighter MOC No.303
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After 2011-2014 modernization of the Fulcrum fleet, numerous system of the MiG-29 were updated, including navigational suite, mission computer, addition of the MIL-STD 1553 serial data bus, and introduction of the 5x4 inches MFCD display in the cockpit. The presented herewith cockpit is a rather detailed representation of its current look in the actual aircraft. Unfortunately, while the modernization was certainly an improvement, especially in terms of reducing the pilot’s workload, it must be considered just an interim solution, as the capabilities of the Fulcrums were increased only incrementally, without interfering with aircraft’s hardware e.g. radar, or expanding the weapons’ variety. Consequently, while still beloved by its pilots, polish MiGs with each passing year are becoming increasingly outdated, and are set for retirement around 2030.
Tags: MiG-29 Fulcrum Lego Fighter MOC No.303
© All Rights Reserved
The MiG-29 has always been my favorite aircraft (with the F-14 being a veeery close second). It was also the very first big-scale model I have ever make . But it was almost 10 years ago and that model has become pretty outdated, which was painfully reminded to me by numerous, beautiful Fulcrums models coming in the last few years. I have to mention here the model by Kurt’s MOC , who really set a standard for the Lego MiG-29s. There are also some other, beautiful, bigger-than-minifig scale models: the one by Adam Czifra, and the one by Attila Ferenc, which I just wish will be finished someday. All those MOCs made excellent use of the newly available curved slopes, wedges, and tiles, which are a true game-changer when it comes to modeling Fulcrum. So after finishing Tomcat I decided it’s time to make a new MiG-29 from scratch, to fully exploit the new possibilities. The first decision was to go with a 3-studs wide canopy, as I hated the proportions from the old model. This drastically changed the approach to the rest of the MOC. I also wanted to go with a more SNOT-oriented design, just to make it look more “compatible” with the Tomcat. As a result, the internal structure turned out to be rather complex despite the relatively small size of the model. So, know about the model itself. It depicts the #108 aircraft of Polish Air Force, from 23rd Tactical Base stationed in Mińsk Mazowiecki (previously 1st Fighter Regiment. The aircraft was a part of the original delivery of MiG-29s from the Soviet Union back in 1990. It was also a part of a limited modernization program conducted between 2011-2014, with the main focus being the improvement of the navigational suit and man-machine interface. The modernized machines were dubbed as “MiG-29M”, not to be mistaken with the MiG-29M (izd. 9.15) developed in the 80s/90s in the Soviet Union. Since the 23rd Tactical Base continue the tradition of the “Kościuszko Squadron”, which can be traced back to 1919 and includes the famous No. 303 Sqn, which fought valiantly during the Battle of Britain in 1940, after the modernization, all fighters were updated with the commemorative paint schemes, including the so-called “Kościuszko badge”, which can be seen on full display at the top of each aircraft. Furthermore, each plane was given an artwork, which reminded some of the most famous ace pilots flying for the “Kościuszko Squadron”. In the case of 108, its patron is F/Lt Ludwik Paszkiewicz (1907-1940), an ace credited with 6 aerials victories while flying with No. 303 Sqd. He was also the author of the first victory credited to No. 303. Unfortunately, he was killed in combat during the Battle of Britain. Today, his portraits can be seen on the vertical stabilizers of 108. The model is in 1:33 scale with the working features including: openable cockpit with detailed interior, movable flaps and stabilizers, working airbrakes, and retractable landing gear. The weapon load is a typical QRA loadout, consisting of two R-73 air-to-air missiles, and the underbelly fuel tank. In general, I am really pleased with how it turned out. As can be seen here, I was able to get a pretty good accuracy for the side view. I am especially proud of the fuselage spine, as I was able to get both the side view and cross-sections correct. Another feature is the canted air intakes – I think this is the first MiG-29 model in such scale to include them. As usual, the model could be a bit more rigid, but for such a small model, you can’t get everything at the same time. Also, the retracting of the main landing gear is always a challenge. Lastly, the stickers’ color is not perfect, especially in terms of dark-bluish grey, but it has already held me back for a few weeks, so I decided to go with the current iteration.
Tags: MiG-29 Fulcrum Lego Fighter MOC No.303
© All Rights Reserved
Tags: MiG-29 Fulcrum Lego Fighter MOC No.303
© All Rights Reserved
