Trumpeter 1/32 Czech MiG-21UM Stress Team

[spyrosjzmichos]

Hi all! Hope everyone is doing well!

With the JASDF F-4EJ done, I will now be moving on to my next project.

This time, I have decided to build Trumpeter's 1/32 MiG-21UM in the Czech Stress Team's rather eye catching livery.

Aftermarket sets for this kit are limited but I will be using the following:

 

• CAM KM-1 resin seats
• Quickboost FOD covers
• HAD resin wheels
• Master Model metal pitot tubes

 

Some scratchbuilding in the cockpit and wheel wells will also be required.

I'm aware of the kit's shape and dimension issues, however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to fix any of them.

But what I find to be the worst part of the kit are the decals.

The Czech Air Force insignia colours are in the wrong order and the provided decals for the wings' "wooden" sections aren't even close to my reference photos!

I ordered the Tiger Wings decals for the same livery but although the insignia colours are correct the wood effect is still atrocious... 

Should have done better research before buying these... 

I came across Ricardo Dacoba's wonderful build of the same model in the FSM Oct 2010 issue and have placed an order for this magazine in hopes of getting more info on how he did the painting on the wings.

In the meantime, if anyone can provide more info or advice on the kit I would be most grateful! 

 

And a bit of history. 

In 1955, the then state of Czechoslovakia became a founding member of the Warsaw Pact. Soon after, the MiG-21 entered service with the Czechoslovak Air Force. In 1993, the state was succeeded by the Czech Republic and the MiG-21s were passed on to the newly formed Czech Air Force.

Sadly, the livery of choice was short lived as the aircraft crashed in 1998 over the town of České Budějovice due to bad weather. Luckily, there was no loss of life (https://www.key.aero/forum/modern-military-aviation/72459-czech-stress-team). 

The MiG-21s were eventually replaced by the Swedish SAAB Gripen in 2005 after 43 years of service. 

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by spyrosjzmichos

[Brett M]

Looking forward to seeing this come together, even more so with that big grinning face!

[Kagemusha]

Always a pleasure to see a Soviet jet being built, Meindert tackled the kit, hope his article proves useful.

[spyrosjzmichos]

3 hours ago, Brett M said:

Looking forward to seeing this come together, even more so with that big grinning face!

 

Yes, I do agree that this specific livery can be an acquired taste for some... 

[spyrosjzmichos]

1 hour ago, Kagemusha said:

Always a pleasure to see a Soviet jet being built, Meindert tackled the kit, hope his article proves useful.

 

Thanks Andy! I came across the same article while searching for references.

The build itself is excellent and with good advice but can't help looking at those wrong decals on the wings... 

[Kagemusha]

Have you seen this site? For the wood panels I'd go with something like Uschi, a different one for each panel.

[spyrosjzmichos]

9 hours ago, Kagemusha said:

Have you seen this site? For the wood panels I'd go with something like Uschi, a different one for each panel.

 

That's an excellent link Andy! Thank you very much!

I'm contemplating on getting the wood grain decals actually.

Some compromise will be required in terms of accuracy but would definitely look much better than the Trumpeter/Tiger Wings decals.

I still find it difficult to believe how both companies got this so wrong... 

[spyrosjzmichos]

Hi everyone!

And the project has now commenced!

After examining the plastic parts I realised that the panel lines are inconsistent throughout.

While those on the wings and vertical stabiliser are well defined and clear, the fuselage details are soft.

So I decided to pull off a "Chuck" (pardon the quote Chuck ) and rescribe all the panel lines before highlighting everything with a black wash.

Before rescribing I joined the front fuselage sections with their respective engine sections.

The resulting gaps were covered with a mixture of talc powder and superglue, sanded smooth and all lost details were restored.

With this task complete, I will be moving on to the cockpit area.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by spyrosjzmichos

[spyrosjzmichos]

13 hours ago, MARU5137 said:

  That is pristine work  

Looking FLAWLESS .

 

 

Keep  it Coming. 

 

 

Thanks mate! 

[spyrosjzmichos]

Hi all!

I'm certainly taking my time with this project but at least progressing slowly. 

 

With the airframe rescribing completed I moved on to the cockpit.

Trumpeter's effort is quite commendable as the kit parts look fairly accurate when compared to my reference pics.

There a few details missing such as small switches but otherwise I was quite happy with the cockpit.

I only added some details on the control sticks as well as throttles in the cockpit tub.

I also cleaned up several injection pin marks.

For some reason, Trumpeter provides the instrument panels in clear plastic. I really don't see the point of this as separate instrument glass bezels are included, too. 

If there's one thing I was disappointed with are the CAM resin seats. They are too wide for the cockpit tub.

I find it very annoying when aftermarket companies don't test fit their products. 

I decided to order a set from HAD which will hopefully fit better. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spyrosjzmichos]

Hello everyone!

In the previous update I had added only a small number of scratchbuild parts in the cockpit as Trumpeter has actually done a decent job in this section.

I spent the next couple of days painting the cockpit and test fitting everything in place.

Initially, I used MiG Ammo's emerald green paint but found it too dark and wrong overall.

Looking through my stock of paints I came across Gaia's version of emerald green which seemed more accurate.

Smaller details were brush painted with a mix of acrylic colours from Lifecolor.

All details were then highlighted with a black wash before sealing everything with a matt varnish coat.

While I'm not a big fan of this Russian green it certainly is a change from the usual western grey cockpits.

Next step will be the ejection seats and wheel wells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spyrosjzmichos]

Hi all!

Work continued with the seats! I ended up using the CAM seats as I found the HAD ones to be undersized.

Painting was done with a mixture of MRP and Lifecolor.

While no decals were provided I was able to find some from the spares box to put on the headrest.

With the seats done, I can finally call the cockpit done (although a few more additions are required on the canopy).

 

 

 

 

 

I also completed the wheel wells.

Trumpeter has provided quite a bit of detail but due to limitations of injection moulding they looked flat.

I instead used lead wire and masking tape to get a more 3D look.

Quite unusual even for a special livery, the main wheel wells and covers were painted with a brick wall effect.

I used the kit's decals to get the final look although in hindsight I think it would have been better to paint them myself.

The front wheel well had the normal interior colour.

 

 

 

Finally, I also detailed up the undercarriage struts with lead wire, too.

 

 

[Rockie Yarwood]

Great job so far! The cockpit and seats look fantastic, and nice detailing on the landing gear as well! I have a couple of these vintage Trumpeter kits in the stash, and am enjoying watching your work.

 

Regards,  Rockie

 

 

[blackbetty]

you make me want to start mine!

[spyrosjzmichos]

4 hours ago, Rockie Yarwood said:

Great job so far! The cockpit and seats look fantastic, and nice detailing on the landing gear as well! I have a couple of these vintage Trumpeter kits in the stash, and am enjoying watching your work.

 

Regards,  Rockie

 

 

 

Thanks Rockie.

Trumpeter's effort isn't that bad actually considering it's age.

I do wish there was an aftermarket cockpit set though.