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MiG-21PF in Polish Service - Done!


Dragon

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For this Cold War Jets GB, I'll be building the ancient Revell MiG-21PF kit. I'm aware of the kit's shortcomings, and they are not a concern; I'm just going to build the kit as it is. I'll be using the Model Maker Decals MiG-21PF/PFM in Polish service (I haven't selected particular markings yet0, and I'll also use a Master pitot tube.

 

KoyV7Xi.jpg

 

I first built this kit 40+ years ago along with Revell's F-4E "Hey Jude" kit. The MiG-21 perished in a catastrophic explosion caused by firecrackers!  

 

The kit came with a Master Modelers Club application! For only a $1.00US, I'll get the following: tweezers, a dual bladed spatula, a cement applicator, a set of clamps, a wallet size membership card, a membership wall certificate, an iron-on patch, a Revell catalog featuring all the new kits, and a full year's subscription to the Master Modelers Club new letter! To get all that stuff, tempting.....

 

Mike   

Edited by Dragon
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Cool! I will be watching this build. This was a 'holy grail' kit for me back in the early '80s when I discovered 1/32 scale models. I  finally got my hands on one and built it in North Vietnamese markings and was my pride and joy for a few years. I built a few more after that and wouldn't mind doing another one under the nostalgia build guidelines, AKA out of the box, not worried about AMS kicking in problems, just a good ole fun build. :thumbsup:

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Thanks all for the comments. I've decided to make this an in-flight build since I'm running out room in my display case. With an in-flight build I can utilize the upper portion of each shelve space. 

I'll be using a 5/16" acrylic rod to support the build, and two sections of 7/16" styrene tubing will hold the acrylic rod in the engine. I drilled a 5/16" hole in the flame holder and glued the first section of tubing to it. To hold and center the second section of tubing, I added small pieces of styrene strips within the enigine.

EaqTKRr.jpg

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The rod goes the entire length of the engine, so it should be strong enough to hold the build. Fingers crossed!

z2y5Vvq.jpg

 

I'll take a heat gun and bend the rod to the shape needed for the in-flight display. I'll use some MDF for the base. 

 

Now that this is done, I can start working on the cockpit.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Mike

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Weekend Progress:

With the shelter-in-place order we're in, I've had extra time on my hands to spend at the bench, and I've made good progress on the build. I have some of the major assemblies completed.

 Wys5bMY.jpg

Overall, the fit, so far, isn't as bad as I was expecting for an antiquated kit. With a little scraping here and there and some dry fitting plus Mr Surfacer, the gaps were taken care of.

 

The cockpit and pilot figure are quite basic compared to today's resin aftermarket, but they'll do their part in the build. The IP is clear plastic with decals for the IP gauges. I thought the decals were going to shatter just by looking at them! 

CfKIVsT.jpg

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I've started painting the cockpit and pilot, and I hope to be wrapping them up this week. Pics forthcoming.

 

Thanks for looking in on my build.

Mike

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A quick update on the build. Over this last week, I've made good progress on the build. 

 

The fuselage halves have been joined. As you can see there are numerous areas needing attention of sanding and puttying, but with a vintage kit as this, it was expected.

YuUB6oI.jpg?3

 

Attachment of the wings, stabilizers, spine, and tail are planned for this week.

 

Eventually, I'll need to turn my attention to Marek the MiG driver. I haven't painted a pilot in what seems likes ages.

 

Thanks for looking in on my build.

 

Mike 

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

An overdo update for the build. This build was bumped to the backburner as I worked on several other non-LSP builds. 

 

After a lot of dry-fitting, scraping, puttying, and sanding, I have the spine and tail on the fuselage. It's starting to look like a Fishbed.

0JIoYm7.jpg

 

I had to add a piece of styrene sheet at the face of the spine as there was a gap between the canopy and the spine. The canopy fit is iffy, some gaps to deal with. I've painted Marek the MiG driver. My figure painting skills are atrocious, so he will not make an appearance in this WIP! The plan for the weekend is to get the wings on and figure out the best way to deal with the canopy. 

 

Thanks for looking in on my build.

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Max!

 

The build is primed and masked, and it's ready for the paint shop! The wings went on without any issues. The top wing/fuselage seam wasn't that bad and easily dealt with with Mr. Surfacer. The bottom seam on the other hand had quite the gap, on both sides. The canopy fit wasn't as bad as I had feared, but there were some pretty good sized gaps the deal with. The fix isn't perfect, but it works.

hS1SCxV.jpg

 

Next up is deciding which paint to use. It's either airbrushing Floquil Old Silver or a spray can of Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver. I'm leaning towards the spray can, but I'll do a test of both colors on the kit's MPF tail to see which I like best.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Mike

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I haven't been motived to do any painting on the build, so I decided to work on the in-flight stand. It's been awhile since I've done any woodworking; it was enjoyable to generate some sawdust! The stand is made from 3/4" MDF, and I gave the base a 45 degree chamfer. 

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And here's the build posed on the stand. I may shorten the acrylic rod a bit.

7nc8pIy.jpg

 

The stand will be primed and painted gloss black.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Mike

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  • 4 weeks later...

Wow, can't believe it's been near a month since I've posted any progress on my build! Although I haven't done much, I have made progress. The build now has it's colors. I went with the Floquil old silver and AKAN green (faded) for the build. Silver definitely shows ALL the flaws! Good thing this will be viewed from afar!

HYfroKD.jpg

 

I also tackled the ordinance for the build.

cBKZwSF.jpg

 

Decals are next, and I'll try adding some weathering. I also need to get the base cleaned up and painted. 

 

Thanks for looking in.

Mike

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