1/72 Zvezda MiG-21 bisD

Gallery Article by Laurent Stern on Mar 22 2010

 

A number of Croatia's MiG-21 bis aircraft have been modernized by Aerostar who has integrated NATO compatible navigation and communication equipment into them. Their "à la European One" camouflage is so nice that I had to make a model of one of these planes and the MiG ARC Group Build gave me the occasion to do it.

The kit used was Zvezda's MiG-21 bis. The only aftermarket product used was El Presidente Decals "Fancy Fishbeds" sheet. Its instruction booklet provides photographs of the antennas that need to be added.

 

The camouflage was done by using UHU-Tak for masking. Colours used: Humbrol 89, 106, 116 (with drops of white) and 149.

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The Zvezda MiG-21 bis kit is very good: recessed panel lines, good detailing, excellent fit except for some small parts. The cockpit is detailed enough OOB if the canopy's closed. The pilot is nice, so I decided to use it

A little bit of scratchbuiding was done to detail the model. 

  • I added detailing of the the landing gear leg wells and rings around the underwing landing lights
  • the vent on top of the nose was reworked on request of Pierre Baudru

The kit is the most accurate MiG-21bis kit available but there's still room for improvement for the MiG enthusiasts:

  • the intake lip looks too tubular so I've decided to curve its profile by sawing some slits perpendicular to the lip in it in order to remove some plastic, bend the strips and glue them back.

  • the wheel hubs aren't good for the Bis version of the aircraft so I've reworked them a bit

  • The wing panel lines suggest that the flaps are of the Fowler kind (used in the MiG-21 F-13, PF and FL). I've filled up and rescribed some panel lines so that they look more like blown flaps (used in the MiG-21 PFS and later) panel lines.

Things I should have done:

  • an antenna (white blister) similar to the one behind the canopy in front of the fin is missing

  • I should have opened the air intakes above the anti-gun gas ingestion plates (the intakes are closed during flight only); I've painted black rectangles instead... not very convincing

  • I've should have done the landing gear trapezes (they keep the wheels vertical when the landing gear is going up)

I'm still pretty happy with the model. The kit is great but it's a shame that Zvezda did not make a 3rd generation MiG-21 (S, R, M, SM, MF versions). It would have sold well.

Laurent Stern

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Photos and text © by Laurent Stern