Mig-21MF Fishbed J Soviet Air Force Academy 1/48

I’ll try making an aircraft plastic model for the first time in a long time. This time it is Academy Mig-21. When I built a Mig-21 Dolphin decal version of the same manufacturer before, I failed to paste the large format decals. I want to succeed as it is a standard marking fighter this time.

The seat belt is molded on the seat part. It seems good looking after detailed paint.

Instructions advised using 15g of weight. There was only the 11g fishing weight. I use the other small weight, too. It would be entered the gap under the cockpit, if possible.

I can make the Indian Air Force and the Hungarian Air Force. This time I will probably make it as the Orthodox Soviet Air Force fighter. Although it was a kit released 20 years ago, I thought the decal had not deteriorated.
(04-December-2018)

The mold of the cockpit panel has also been reproduced finely. But it is not easy to paint without a decal.

These are the Creos Mr. Color No.6 Green, No.57 metallic blue-green, No.115 German aircraft light blue, and No.323 light blue, which I chose as a candidate for a color mixture. I knew that the Creos released the interior color of the Soviet aircraft at the end of December, but I regret whether I should have started to build it a little later. I guess it is OK.

I painted it on the parts. Since only a tiny amount of color mixing was done, just in case, I kept the bottle and small plate without cleaning until this MiG-21 was completed.

Well, I finely painted the cockpit panels. I still want a decal. Because it is a display over the canopy, there will be less impact if I don’t draw too detailed.
(06-December-2018)

After combining the left and right parts, the parts of the front and rear of the fuselage are also to be combined. Because the body is too long to fit into the box?

I felt the big task was completed by assembling the fuselage and the main wing. I may have to fill in some gaps.

The pitot-tube original plastic part was twisted pretty well in the box from the beginning. It was broken when I tried to fix it straight by bending it a little. Buying the metal pitot-tube parts sold separately to this kit takes searching, delivery time, and money.

So I will make my own Pitot tube. A brass pipe with an outer diameter of 0.8 mm and an inner diameter of 0.4 mm was combined with a 0.4 mm ultrafine brass pipe, and after that, cut and pasted from broken plastic parts. I drilled a hole at the base of the Pitot tube of the plastic parts, and since I inserted a thin brass wire, the strength increased. Some brass wire and pipes are prepared at hand, so using them in such a case is only useful.
(08-December-2018)

The pitot tube was attached, and assembly was completed. The remaining work is only canopy masking.

In this process, there are limited places to hold by hand where there are many parts.

I thought of what to do when the pitot tube broke, but it was good that I could repair it. Bonding strongly with instant adhesives and plastics adhesives in combination.

All pylons and fuel tanks of the same color as the aircraft’s bottom surface were installed on the fuselage.
(10-December-2018)

I masked the canopy with masking tape to fit the curved surface and the masking sol.

First painted green, using Creos #302, Green FS 34092.

I painted the whole surface in black. Because it is camouflage paint, is it not effective for shading so much?

I used a gray FS 36375 of Creos #308, such as the landing gear compartment and the air brakes inside. The lower side was with light blue-gray FS 35550 in the manual of the Academy. However, since this color is not on the list of Creos, I used the #117 RLM 76 light blue, which seems to be an approximate color. I suppose FS 35550 is available in Vallejo color.
(18-December-2018)

I wouldn’t say I like masking work very much. I thought about whether I could blow the top surface if I adjusted the angle of the airbrush without masking. However, because there are also tricky parts, such as pylons, I masked them a little.

I chose the Japanese Army tank color brown color TC17 for dark brown. Since there is no specified color of Creos light sand FS20260, I substituted it with the #44 Tan. Creos #310 FS30219 is a bit too light and seems too dark with mahogany. After all, it is my personal preference.

I pasted decals. Although it is a kit from 20 years ago, it has not deteriorated. The white part is also beautiful. However, the margin is quite large. It is unsatisfactory that the caution decal is small compared with recent model kits such as Trumpeter. I wanted a decal for the atoll missiles, if possible. I suppose not to think about the details. The amount of decal has been moderate, just right to make it quickly. What shall I do when I don’t think about anything and forget to paint the engine?
(21-December-2018)

Academy’s MiG-21 was completed. This time it is two-color camouflage of light brown and dark brown. This camouflage paint is common in desert areas in the south, such as Afghanistan and the Middle East.

I made it a clear coating with a slight gloss than a semi-gloss finish.

The painting instructions were not very fine, and there was a place I did not understand.

Looking at this, the Su-17 of the Polish Air Force, which I made earlier, was truly straight, but the MiG-21 is a little round.

I did not finish very well because some parts were not perfectly jointed. It seems OK for somewhat extended viewing.

I used a plastic part Pitot tube well, and at that time, I broke it during painting and rebuilt it with a metal material. This time, it broke early and made it stronger, so it was comfortable without damage afterward.

I worked hard on the cockpit panel but could not see the details in the photo. The panel is in the back, MiG-21 has a small cockpit and canopy.

I think about whether to attach two different types of weapons to the same fighter, but it looks smarter than the rocket pod. In the old Communist countries, there were Atoll missiles similar to Sidewinders. These two types are a little different.

So, the weapon of this MiG-21 is one large drop tank in the middle and equipped with Atoll missiles K-13 and K-13A on both sides.

If you buy a MiG-21 plastic model, it may be better for Eduardo and Trumpeter. Although it depends on the kit, I remember the weapon of the modern Russian aircraft of the Trumpeter kit is high quality. Anyway, I enjoyed the kit of this Academy well enough.
(2018/12/23)