MiG-21F-13

[Jabba]

For this GB I will be using the Revell MiG-21F-13 to make an aircraft of the GDR (East Germany) supposedly flown ty the first German cosmonaut between 1963-1965. This will be OOB, but I am not looking forward to the natural metal colour scheme.

 

The kit

 

 

Instructions and decals.

 

Some information.

[Col.]

You and me both commrade  

[Jabba]

I have managed to get some work done on this one, which includes the cockpit and adding some parts in the insides of the fuselage halves. I have also built up the engine which I will fit to one fuselage half at the same time as the cockpit. Does anyone know if weight is required for this model. I will do my normal check before I fit the fuselage together, but it would be nice to know beforehand as there is nothing (as far as I can see) in the instructions.

 

 

[Col.]

Nice start Jabba.

On 8/16/2018 at 8:02 PM, Jabba said:

...anyone know if weight is required for this model. I will do my normal check before I fit the fuselage together, but it would be nice to know beforehand as there is nothing (as far as I can see) in the instructions.

There's no mention of any required in my copy of the instruction either but was thinking a balance test would be good before fitting the nose as there's plenty model behind the main wheels.

[Jabba]

That is why I was a little cautious. I have done a balance test and it was nose heavy, but I have added a little weight to the nose as I had not fitted the tailplanes during the test. Fuselage is now joined together and drying on thee bench, so hopefully photos tomorrow.

[Jabba]

As mentioned yesterday I now have the fuselage together, plus the wings. I have also added a few of the lumps and bumps that are to be added to the fuselage. In the instructions it says to add these after the wings have been added, but I am doing this beforehand so that any gaps that may result can be filled before adding the wings.

 

 

[modelling minion]

Coming together very nicely Jabba.

Looks like a very nice kit.

[Jabba]

It does go together rather easily, just a little here and there. I now have the fuselage together, hopefully get the appendages fitted over the weekend.

 

 

[Jabba]

Wings, tailplanes and nose ring now added.

 

 

 

[Col.]

Looks to have gone together smoothly for you.

[Jabba]

Now with paint added.

 

 

 

[Col.]

You're making good progress with this one and have no visible seems  

[Jabba]

Thank you but I think that the slight blurring of the photos may hide some of the seam lines. Anyhow I have now applied the decals, so it is onwards and upwards. A question, did this version of the MiG-21 fly with early versions of the Atoll (Sidewinder type) missile? I ask because although I can find line drawings showing this, I cannot find any photographs in the books that I have.

 

 

 

[Col.]

I've always liked the East German Air Force markings so have a biased opinion but that does look good. As for the 'Atoll' missiles; I've not found any photos either but have read the -21 F13 started life in East German service as an air defence machine and was switched to a ground attack role as newer aircraft came through so guess they most likely did carry them.

[Aardvark]

6 hours ago, Jabba said:

A question, did this version of the MiG-21 fly with early versions of the Atoll (Sidewinder type) missile? I ask because although I can find line drawings showing this, I cannot find any photographs in the books that I have.

Missiles on the MiG-21F GDR were not carried on a photo,

because K-13 Atoll had relatives abroad in the form of a prolific AIM-9

Sidewinder, so K-13 kept trying to escape to them!

KGFSB 

considered the K-13 missile politically unreliable, so when it was suspended under the wing, near it on the ground and in the air  there were always agents Stazi with AK-47 

 

that would make its escape to the West impossible!

(Joke!!!)

 

In fact, probably air-to-air missiles have a limited guarantee number of take-offs and landings, so in peacetime, the GDR simply protected the resource of these missiles.

 

Sources photo GDR:

 

 

B.R.

Serge

Edited September 7, 2018 by Aardvark

[Jabba]

Thanks for the info.

So reading between the lines these aircraft could carry the missile, but for various reasons (lack of reliability, only so many take offs and landings, lack of trust of air/ground crew) the missiles were only put on the aircraft and flown during actual interceptions.

If that is the case I will more than likely just add the launch rails.

[Aardvark]

5 hours ago, Jabba said:

lack of trust of air/ground crew

I repeat, about the lack of trust, it was my joke*, nothing more!

 

Now there were memoirs of Soviet instructors who trained cadets of the Warsaw Pact and also those straits to which the USSR supplied arms. According to these memories, the qualifications of military and technical personnel GDR are very high. Particular emphasis was placed on discipline and the desire to thoroughly study the technical part of armaments. 

There was also a good ideological preparation. At the same time, a great looseness was described in comparison with the USSR. For example, when MiG-17** fighters from the GDR were delivered to one of the African countries, pilots and GDR personnel worked on assembling the aircraft after transportation in shorts and light shoes while Soviet pilots and technical personnel were wearing a uniformed uniform approved by the Armed Forces forces of the USSR for countries with hot climates. 

My military instructor who served as an officer in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany told me that the military men of the GDR Army were coming to the place of military training in sports suits on "Ikarus" tourist buses ..... Soviet troops arrived in uniform with their weapons after making a many kilometer march from the deployment sites to polygon. According to him, during the exercises they acted clearly and smoothly as if they were a single mechanism.

My work colleague participated in the "Operation Danube", he said he saw how the soldiers of the GDR behaved .... they just had a chalk on the ground, they said "Halt!" and gave a turn in the air showing that they will shoot for anyone who cross this line .... as far as I know the GDR losses then did not have .... my colleague in memory of those events brought home a broken jaw with which he suffered all the time .. . as he said to me: "We had to do just like the soldiers of the GDR did!"

Therefore, there was no suspicion on the part of the USSR.

 

The true reasons why a few photos of the MiG-21F-13 in my opinion are just such:

23 hours ago, Aardvark said:

fact, probably air-to-air missiles have a limited guarantee number of take-offs and landings, so in peacetime, the GDR simply protected the resource of these missiles.

Because recently there was a discussion at one of the Russian forums during which it became clear that certain types of sophisticated aviation armament including electronics, optics, etc. have restrictions on the number of take-offs and landings with them.

When these limitations are reached, it is necessary either to use them during training starts on targets or to check and adjust all systems this weapons. 

Therefore, it is most logical to assume that the GDR, which did not have such a military budget as in the USSR, simply protected the resource of these missiles and thus saved its money!

That's why, as I believe, there are so many photos of MiG-21F-13 NVA GDR with empty pylons and very few MiG-21 F-13 with K-13 carry on pylons!

 

 

_____________

* - even to some extent it was sarcasm!

 

** - 

An interesting point is connected with how these planes were delivered and their condition. The USSR usually supplied its weapons in wooden boxes carefully checking it if it was not new. Boxes of good natural wood were usually taken away by local aborigines and for their household and were highly valued among them. What was the surprise of the Soviet pilots and instuctors, when from the GDR MiG-17 arrived attached to some pipes and wrapped in several layers of polyethylene film ....and all this packaging went back to the GDR! The technical condition of these MiG-17 was terrible, Soviet specialists had to replace them with most of the wiring!

Because to teach the pilots of this African country, and therefore fly on these MiG-17 , should have been Soviet instructors!

It is unlikely that this was a bad attitude to the representative of the USSR from the East Germans, it is rather an indicator of their then-attitude toward those African countries.

 

If interested, I can indicate the source where these memories are published, but they are in Russian.

 

 

B.R.

Serge

 

P.S.

By the way, the GDR very much wanted to buy Su-24 and Su-25 for their air forces ... but at first the budget did not have enough money to buy them.... and then did not become GDR.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Aardvark

[Jabba]

All finished now. Thanks for all the help and advise with this build.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John Masters]

Nice work Jabba.  I think those DDR markings are excellent.  Welcome the the Mig-21 Group!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Great DDR Mig 👍

[Col.]

Nice work 

[Aardvark]

About  missile K-13 on MiG-21F-13 NVA DDR. 

I don't understand Deutsche language, but

combination "foto",

"raketen","tabu" & "press DDR" understands without vocabulary.

It is on this combination that I came across in this book*:

in the signature to the photo of the K-13   raise under wing pylon  MiG-21F-13 NVA DDR.

And this second photo were K-13 suspended under the MiG-21F-13

NVA DDR. But photo 

MiG-21F-13

NVA DDR with carrying K-13 in the air I really don't see!

 

So the main reasons for the lack of photos:

 

-a  tabu for official DDR-press on photoshoot MiG-21F-13 with suspended missile K-13;

- resource saving due to lack of reliability, only so many take offs and landings.

 

In addition, do not forget that the main role for interception was played by fighter & interceptor of the Western Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, NVA DDR was second defense line.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

___________

* - in this book have some photo  MiG-21F-13 & dummy K-13 and education not for fly version K-13 on the wing MiG-21F-13 NVA DDR in the air.