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This is a beautifully molded
kit that fits together well with little need for filler and very affordable. Experts have declared it a Mig 21 bis rather than MF, but I
find it difficult to tell them apart. As
with most modern jet kits the cockpit is rather Spartan.
I took the Neomega resin cockpit insert, since I felt if anyone knows
what a Mig 21 looks like inside it should be a Russian company.
Indeed the resin cockpit arrives in a cardboard box with Mig 21 written
in crylic! The resin set is
beautiful, but beware the cockpit side walls are particularly brittle, sneeze
and they snap! The insert fits well
into the Academy kit, so you can concentrate on getting the details coloured
right. The Mig 21 cockpit would
certainly not be for the claustrophobic, and pilot vision looks terribly
inadequate. I used the late
lamented ‘Aeromaster’ Russian interior green to give it that uniquely
Russian look. I added various fuse
wire to the inside of the cockpit canopy as per my photographic references. The canopy is large, and canted on its side looks quite bare
unless you detail it.
The fuselage and wings go
together well, but be careful to get the shock cone on straight!
Also it is horribly easy to wipe off the three IFF aerials on the
fuselage bottom, be warned! As I
have found with previous Academy jet kits, Academy seem to save their best for
the undercarriage, and this is very nicely detailed.
Using some old references such as the Osprey book on the Mig 21 by Bill
Gunston, I detailed the undercarriage with the appropriate break lines. I drilled out the twin cannon muzzle under the fuselage.
I sanded down the inside of the jet pipe to achieve scale thickness.
Having seen a bis in natural
metal finish, presumably a member of the home defence force (PVO Strany), I
decided to finish the aircraft as NMF. To
do this I followed a technique of Steve Abbey of Woodley IPMS (UK) by
pre-painting various panels different shades of grey or even white.
Then I rubbed in SnJ aluminium powder over the whole airframe.
This was protected by Johnsons Clear varnish before receiving a panel
line wash of black/raw umber oil paint. Some
smeared oil paint plus some graphite powder gave it a bit of the Eastern bloc
grubbiness. My photo references showed two underwing fuel tanks as a
normal configuration.
Never having seen a Mig 21 for real, the model lets you see
what an amazing looking aircraft it is. The
design was apparently seen as a good compromise between the tiny wings of an
F104 and the delta of a Mirage III, giving both high speed and manouvrebility
without the disadvantages of its competitors.
Given the small fuel capacity, using the afterburner would however
necessitate a very speedy return to base. Apparently
when the Indian air force selected the plane they said it did the same as the EE
Lightning but at a fraction of the cost/complexity.
In terms of airframes built it is probably the most important combat
aircraft post WWII. I can recommend
the Academy Mig, its relative cheapness allows you to justify that resin cockpit
interior!
Andrew
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