Say what you will about Trumpeters kits, they are prolific and make lots of unusual subjects. I know, they can be easy to build and excruciatingly difficult to build at the same time. The movable surfaces are ill conceived and very difficult to make work. After a couple of tries, I just glue them in place now. Specifically to this kit now. This is one of Trumpeters best kits, and made a lot of movement toward improving Trumpeters not so great reputation.

Some have complained about the lack of an engine. When I look at certain aircraft, they just look mean and efficient all buttoned up and ready for a fight. The Mustang, Spitfire and Corsair come to mind, and this aircraft certainly does too. Why mess up those beautiful lines with an open engine bay? I would rather buy a resin display engine and highly detail it and display alone if I really wanted to. But this aircraft begs to be closed up and built as a war weary veteran, waiting its next mission. The shape is beautiful and appears accurate to me. The cockpit is simple, but most Russian WWII cockpits are. The fit and detail are excellent and I had no issues with building it. It is a fairly simple kit, easy to build but fun and interesting. If you like Russian aircraft or the MiG-3 in particular, this is a perfect kit. It is cheaper than most 1/32 fighters, but is detailed enough for an OOB, but also would allow a super detailer to spruce it up. I thoroughly enjoyed this kit and highly recommend it.