Background This is the third item from this manufacturer that I have reviewed, and I am quite enthusiastic about the product line. This particular item is meant for all MiG-23 Floggers except the MLD variant. The MLD pitot tube (item number 48-059) is also available.

The Review Product

The parts are packaged in a small zip lock bag, stapled in a folded, heavy paper stock display hanger. The parts are also sealed in a small envelope of clear plastic film taped to a heavy card stock stiffener inside the bag. Also included is a small set of instructions.

A small instruction sheet is also included that shows the installation.

A great aftermarket product from the Polish company Master Model, Air Master series: an Me-163B Armament and Pitot Tube set. Inside the plastic baggie you get 2 brass Mg 151 machine gun barrels and a brass pitot tube. These three aftermarket details will make the Hasagawa kit even better. The Hasagawa kit’s pitot tube is much heavier and too bulky looking. The one from Master Model is longer and more delicate and truer to scale.

The Hasagawa kit does not have guns but includes the holes in the wings for them. Scratchbuilding mounts for the MM guns will be required, and the results will be well worth the effort. In the photos, I have placed some clay in the wing to stick the barrels into so everyone would see the effect.

Overall, this would make a great kit even better. I would like to thank Mater Model and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this kit.

The Aircraft

The Tu-144 was quite a special aircraft. It was the first supersonic passenger plane to fly, beating the Concorde by two months. The Concorde was scheduled to fly first, but ran into some developmental problems which delayed the flight. Tupolev was pressured into flying their aircraft first, in spite of problems, giving the Soviet Union a huge propaganda boost and showing the superiority of the Communist system.

There were only 16 Tu-144s built: two prototypes, nine Tu-144S and five Tu-144D, compared to 20 Concordes. In the 1960s, there was great expectation that large fleets of supersonic airliners would be seen around the globe. One of the contributing factors that made this impractical was the global energy crisis of the early 1970s, when OPEC embargoed crude oil to most countries. The resulting high cost of operation made jumbo jets a much better financial deal for the airlines, with a much lower cost per mile per passenger.