MariusBeware of the painting guide/subject/marking selection. The number #1 option is incorrect, while the options #3 and #4 are 100% fiction and never existed. To be more precise about each marking option from the instructions:
#1. Egyptian (UARAF) MiG-19s were NOT metallic, but delivered in grey paint ("Russian Air Superiority Grey"). The later ones received from Irak were also grey. The identification stripes were definitely black with no white background.
#2. There are plenty of photographs with the new Shenyangs J-6 painted like this in the 80's, so you can check for yourself.
#3. Egypt/UARAF had no Shenyangs J-6 until the late 70's, so there was none in 1967. Also, there was absolutely no camouflage paint ever applied by Egypt neither on the MiG-19s nor on the Chinese copies other than the already presented marking #2 in the 80's. So the description of the type, year and painting suggestions are all inventions.
#4. Syria never operated the MiG-19, so there never was any MiG-19 with SyAAF markings. Neither during the UARAF period was there any common MiG-19 unit operating from Syria.
MariusHello Usman,
that is true indeed. The authors of that book are the very well known David Nicolle and Tom Cooper, publishers of very numerous high quality works regarding Arab armed forces. Nevertheless, that very specific book originates in the prehistorics of their research of Arab air forces, when a signifficant amount of today's information and known historical photographs did not come to surface yet. Tom Cooper admits himself that that specific book is just full of mistakes and wrong aircraft color profiles (see for example some fictious Syrian MiG-21s in tri-color camouflage with roundels on fuselage).
Just to wrap it up, there is not one single photographic evidence nor recollections or reports of the era showing or mentioning any UARAF MiG-19 painted differently than in the grey colour mentioned in my original post above, so not even in a natural metal finish. There are a few published photographs of the grey Egyptian MiG-19s from the 1960s in the much newer books "Arab MiGs" (Volumes 2 and 3) and " MiGs in the Middle East" Volume 2 by the same two authors. Since many Egyptian MiG-19 originated from Iraq, there are a few more such pictures with the Iraqi MiG-19s in "Wings of Iraq" Volume 2 (T. Cooper, M. Sipos).
My own interpretation of one such MiG-19 here:
MiG-19S - Egypt - 1967 | Project by Redicus (1:72)
Cheers
Marius
6 August, 05:25
Usman AnsariThanks Marius! I'll check those newer books out. I've occasionally interacted with Cooper on Facebook about this subject, but didn't realise that earlier book was so riddled with mistakes. It is over 20 years old now though I guess, and much more information has come to light since then.
KP perhaps grabbed a copy of the earlier book and maybe assumed it was correct s went ahead with with printing decals based on it...
That's a top quality model you made. Looks awesome.
Take care,
Usman.
6 August, 08:01