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Airfix MIG-21


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Hello again!

 

At the weekend I dropped into Hannants in Hendon and bought three kits from their second-hand selection. One of them, the Airfix P-51B Mustang, I have already finished in the 2018 Blitzbuild GB. This one is the second:

B60012_F3-2_A91-45_BD-_A32_D-4104_B204_D

 

This is a 1967 mould in a 1975 box. It has raised panel lines and the undercarriage is a bit weedy, but it fits together well. I am going to keep the raised panel lines but probably replace the undercarriage legs. The canopy may make it on to the model but it is a good candidate for plunge moulding. Some detailing will occur...

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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The fin has some delicate IFF aerials moulded on, sadly broken or short shot, so I have filed some openings so that I can add them later from wire. There is also a second location under the fuselage, so I did that as well:

714_F02_F9-8_AA4-4_AF5-8_EC7-98_DF8_FE0_

9_A324_B66-_D47_E-410_A-8_ECE-4_C36_CC3_

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a toy pilot in possession of a minimalist chair is in need of a cockpit. Thus it was that the spares box was raided and a cockpit pulled together with the aid of some walk around pictures. There is a kit part hiding in the middle of the chair:

AD07_B5_B4-40_D3-4588-8_D6_B-_F2_E6_F659

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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48 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a toy pilot in possession of a minimalist chair is in need of a cockpit. Thus it was that the spares box was raided and a cockpit pulled together with the aid of some walk around pictures. There is a kit part hiding in the middle of the chair:

AD07_B5_B4-40_D3-4588-8_D6_B-_F2_E6_F659

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

We don’t get a lot of Austen on BM!

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Nice addition to this GB Adrian.  I’ve got a feeling your enjoying yourself here. The 21 is looking great so far and am sure when finished, it’ll look like nothing like what most would have achieved back in 1967! 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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2 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

The control column is an old Airfix Blenheim exhaust pipe.

 

That'll confuse the instrument fitters. Or, possibly, the pilot.  :D

 

Looking very nice indeed, Adrian.

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Excellent addition to the GB, Adrian. Big brother to the Mig 15 and if you do it in the Red Star scheme then our only representative of the Russian Air Force so far - what's the correct name?

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Another Airfix memory jerker appears!

 

I built one of these when they first came out, it was my first attempt at a spray finish. I used a car aerosol over bare plastic, not being familiar with the concept of primers. The finish was bright, shiny and free of any brush marks. It was also wrinkled to death by the paint solvents attacking the bare plastic! Ho Hum. Lesson learned.

 

It's going to be good to see one built properly.

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2 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

I don’t think nose weight is going to be an issue with this one!

6_B239240-14_FE-485_E-912_D-4_FDCD237_B0

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

WOW - Now that is a weight :thumbsup:

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I found some replacements for the kit buttons, donor kit unknown:

36_E95_D48-8_BC9-463_D-_AFAF-_E44_F116_E

 

Thanks for  looking,

Adrian

 

[edit - I remember now. I bought a super cheap Frog Sea Vixen kit at a show and spares’ed it after finding it had no upper wings.]

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Great job with making this kit better - I remember being bitterly disappointed with this kit when bought as a youngster. I had neither the resources for research nor the skills to improve it! 

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13 hours ago, nimrod54 said:

improvements

I’m enjoying it. It is simple but nicely engineered. For instance the -2 degree dihedral is set in the wing tabs and they glue in exactly right, unlike the B-25 for example...

 

12 hours ago, BIG X said:

tailpipe detail

Thanks! The Yak-9 wheels have fluted tyre edges which kind of reflect the corrugated “stuff” in the real tailpipe, but you can’t tell in reality, not that anyone’s going to look.

 

13 hours ago, Parabat said:

bitterly disappointed with this kit when bought as a youngster. 

Sorry to hear that! I can sort of see how, because it is an extremely basic kit with some over simplified bits. But I do appreciate as an adult how the bits that work , work well, and the other bits like the undercarriage can be fixed because I have a bigger spares box now than I did back then.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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I had been trying to make a plunge mould better canopy. While failing to do that I put some stress fractures in the kit canopy, so I got out my home-brew vac kit today and made a couple of new canopies, amongst other things. The one on the kit will do after some more trimming, but the one still stuck to the kit canopy will in all probability be better. Whittling starts now!

299_F04_AB-7754-49_AE-8957-2_C339_EF9_DC

 

The new thinner canopy means that I now have space to model the enormous piece of armoured glass just inside it. 

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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It turns out that there isn’t enough space to add the extra armoured glass. I will add a black outline to the frame instead. I have done the jumble of fuel lines behind the cockpit, so when they are dry I can put the canopy on:

00092_E1_D-1_E59-4_EEC-_AC93-_C90_C22_EC

 

Airfix moulded the underside air brake in three pieces. It actually fits together pretty well, contrary to my expectations:

 

26_DBEE8_A-_B575-4_EDB-_A31_E-_AEF444_F7

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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