Jump to content

Undersize Trump. MiG-21 MF Fuselage?


Alain Gadbois

Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...

Hi all!

 

Here is an update on the progress of the corrections to the MiG-21 fuselage. The length is now correct and the cuts filed with Apoxie Sculpt. Most important, the front has been deepened and widened to get the correct shape. Careful study of MANY photos was essential for this, in addition the the measurements.

 

The spine has been removed completely, in order to correct the height for this part, which is off quite a bit. As a bonus, it will be easy to make more variants, such as the PFM, BIS and SMT. 

 

NoLTpMG.jpg

 

Here is a close up of the nose section, with intake ring in place.

 

rpBda2i.jpg

 

You can see how the part fits in place precisely with the fuselage.

 

wjdMIya.jpg

 

The auxilliary intake doors have the correct shape, but the radius of the curve is too small, so it will be modified. All scribed detail will be completely removed and the whole fuselage will be redone correctly.

 

eHBxtXC.jpg

 

Studying the plans, measures and photos, I noticed the front airbrakes are inaccurate in shape, length and actual position on the fuselage. After thinking about the problem, I figured it will be easier to just replace the bays completely, still using the corrected kit airbrakes.

 

UNFNn4t.jpg

 

This is a lot of work, but I think it is worth it as the resulting parts will be much more accurate and I am sure it will be quite noticeable on the finished kit.

 

Regards,

 

Alain

 

My thoughts with you and your family André.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all!

A bit more progress on the airbrakes I can show.

 

After cutting out the kit plastic, the right hand part is put in place.

 

NEfIMAU.jpg

 

Apoxie Sculpt is added to fill the gaps and sanded. Also the radius of the aux. air intake is corrected with a bit of epoxy paste in each corner and shaped with a suitable section of round brass tubing. There is no detail inside the airbrake bays yet, but it will added at a later step.

 

tlNxXLa.jpg

 

You can see how much closer the airbrake is to the centerline after modifications.

 

umAXutB.jpg

 

At this point, the other airbrake bay is already in place and some initial sanding around it is done. I must check both fuselage sections to be sure the surface is smooth and regular.

 

Thanks for watching!

 

Alain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all! very much appreciated!

On 11/22/2018 at 4:19 AM, Gazzas said:

Very impressive work Alain.

 

On 11/22/2018 at 6:11 AM, Tony T said:

Nice rework Alain.

 

Finishing off a -21F-13 with rebuilt inner windshield and gunsight and a trompe l'oeil inlet, but the fuselage is as-is.

 

I've found it to be a pig of a kit but it does scrub up well.

 

Tony 

 

 

20 hours ago, Tomcatfreak said:

Great work Alain :goodjob:

 

9 hours ago, LSP_Ray said:

Very impressive! I would have a hard time still having a fuselage that didn't noodle back and forth after all that cutting and re-positioning.

:goodjob:

That's why I used a jig to keep things aligned. Not perfect but not too much work to get a smooth exterior surface. I was not planning to keep any engraved detail so nothing to worry about sanding with some energy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...