MAC Forum

The Mercury Mig-19 is an interesting item in that it certainly is not a Mig-19 and is the only Mercury aircraft from the 1950s series that is 'wrong'.



Anyone know the background on it? I had heard years ago that a spy photo was used to develop the Mig-19 toy and it was done before the actual Mig-19 aircraft became known.

Anyone know the background on it?

all what I know :
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/i ... l#msg41638

109-110-115-122

ciao

It looks similar to the old Aurora plastic kit of the "Mig 19", which it most certainly isn't. I wouldn't put it past Mercury to copy the Aurora kit. IIRC, it's mostly a semblance of a FW design from Kurt Tank. The Aurora kit dates from the mid '50s, so it would predate the Mercury release.
...doesn't matter...it looks menacing and alien...that's all that's need to sell!
Michael

It seems that the Mercury Mig 19-was modeled after an Argentinian Pulqui jet from the times.
It has the same nose, but not necessarily the tail.
Perhaps--in the cold war era--the model was an attempt by NATO to describe the new secret Russian jet?

The saga of the 'Mig 19' started in a British aviation magazine called 'RAF Flying Review' the editor was well know for his access to unusual information from behind the iron curtain in what we now know as the cold war period,every year the Tushino air show would provide sneak previews of new Russian aircraft,some flying overhead as mass formations or as exhibits on the ground in dubious mock up form,in fact many of the rockets paraded through the streets were made from cardboard or papier mache to give a photo impression of great powerful nation.
This stream of information can be easily seen today in back issues of the magazine which was very popular with the aviation fraternity because it provided rare three view drawings of obscure aircraft and in fact was the first magazine to show the then secret English Electric P1 which the censors had eliminated the shadows that revealed the unique wing planform,along comes a three view of a shapely aircraft dubbed the Mig 19 said to be the latest product from the Mikoyan Gurevich factory,kit manufacturers Aurora jumped on the band wagon and produced a kit of it,there was also a small plastic 1=200th scale offering in a series selling for pence in novelty stores for a few pence,then Mercury produced their excellent little version in that unusual aluminium based mazak,its a little gem by any standards despite its bizarre pedigree.
I think that the bespoke and respected Janes All the Worlds Aircraft may even have fell for the story of the Mig 19 and I need to look back in my hefty tomes of aeronautical knowledge used as door stops.
This is my first posting since my absence brought about my a massive upheaval,I now live in a modest delightful but small property in the countryside with a garden full of plastic storage units housing my treasures and archives ! I had to thin out my book collection and get rid of over 3,000 books that no way I had room for,the diecast collection is the most important,good to be back again anyway,Barry.

welcome back, barry!

Thanks, Barry, for the insightful information.
Now we know that the Mig-19 was a fibule of someone's imagination!