'Syrian Veterans'- Paulus Victor decals. Syrian Arab Air Force MiG 21bis (1)

 

With the fall of the Assad regime the Syrian Arab Air Force is on the verge of extinction. My interest in SyAAF MiGs was piqued back in 2017 when the 'Russia Today' news channel filed a report from Hama air base. Now that interest has resulted in my tracking down a copy of the first 'Paulus Victor' decal sheet in 1:72nd, issued  back in 2017 as it happens, and now largely sold out.  Time to dig out the Zvezda MiG 21bis kit for my first project of 2025.

The Syrian civil war seemed to have virtually ended between then and late November 2024, but outside of the large towns there were always areas of the country held by 'rebels' and effectively outside of Assad's control. But now, no doubt taking advantage of Russia's weakness and events elsewhere, Islamist insurgents - what the Russians used to refer to as 'terrorists' and now call the 'armed opposition' - advanced on Homs taking Hama air base to threaten Damascus in a rapid two-week offensive. Assad was forced to flee the country and claim asylum in Moscow. Russian influence in the region has suffered a huge setback - having invested huge resources in building up bases, especially the air force base at Latakia. Some recent photos of Hama air base have appeared on various on-line news feeds - along with several pictures of bombed-up MiG 21s that look like they may have been taken back in 2015-2017. Most of the wrecked MiGs that feature in recent pictures look very much as though they were 'hangar 'queens' - sometimes propped up on piles of old tyres and missing key parts. The MiGs were delivered to Syria during the early 1980s - their airframes well past their useful lives were refurbished locally. This decal sheet is actually sold out and OOP in 1:72nd scale although the 48th scale sheet is still available. I managed to source a sheet from PV's preferred seller in Kiev, Ukraine and it arrived today, Christmas Eve. 

The Paulus Victor decal package is superb with fold-out artworks and reference photos enclosed in a nicely printed heavy-card folder. There is a detailed painting guide for each of the featured aircraft and a page describing how to construct an authentic-looking Syrian airfield base. 

Clear Prop MiG 23 MLA Flogger from Ukraine -what's in the box?

 

..another minor revelation in 1:72nd scale from Ukraine!  ICM, Roden, Mikro Mir and others are still producing some of the most amazing new kits despite many of their employees spending large parts of their time cowering and fearful in bunkers and shelters as the criminal Putin pursues his murderous and cowardly war on Ukraine's civilians. 

Latest 72nd scale miracle to arrive in the UK is the new Clear Prop MiG 23. This is a fantastic looking package in a super-sturdy box that David from East Kent Scale modellers brought to last night's club meet.  Take a look at the images - marvel at the small-sized sprues and how very little in the package looks like an aircraft, with no 'distinctive' fuselage halves. The wings are one single span piece - not split into top and bottom halves. This is the 'Expert' set with etch and masks AFAIK. Decals include Soviet, Czech and East German options. David had also pre-ordered a range of aftermarket accessories, including 72nd scale tyres and exhaust cans. We look forward to seeing the finished model!