Mikoyan MiG-29MU1 Fulcrum-C – Ghost of Kyiv, Ukrainian Air Force, Ukraine, 2022

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA6521: Mikoyan MiG-29MU1 Fulcrum-C Ghost of Kyiv, Ukrainian Air Force, Ukraine, 2022. Production run of 1,000 models.

Length 9.5 inches Wingspan 6.25 inches

The story of the “Ghost of Kyiv” began at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The story goes that on the first day of the invasion a brave Ukrainian pilot flying a MiG-29 managed to shoot down 5 possibly 10 Russian aircraft depending on the source. The action gained worldwide attention and the pilot became known as the “Ghost of Kyiv”. The pilot was Major Stepan Tarabalka who managed a total of 40 victories before being killed on March 13, 2022.

Designed to help the Soviet Union attain air superiority, the MiG-29 fighter was first flown on October 6th, 1977. The MiG-29, known as the “Fulcrum,” has a high-mounted bubble canopy and twin jet engines with diagonal-shaped air intakes and large exhausts. Its tapered, swept-back wings and boom-mounted tail fins give it its classic look. Armed with medium and short-range missiles and unguided weapons for ground and sea-surface targets, the MiG-29’s sight is a helmet-mounted system-the pilot chooses his targets by looking at them. Even today the Fulcrum remains a potent adversary, and will remain in service for at least another decade.