Indian MiG-21FL conversion (Eduard) 1/72 - 19apr21 still working on the canopy (started again!), plus the pitot and nose antenna

[RidgeRunner]

JUMP TO POSTS FROM 17th September 2020 FOR THE MiG-21FL BUILD

 

 

 

 

Hi all!

 

Having been tweaked a little on the subject of WIPs and my lack of recent submissions, and feeling a tad guilty, I thought I'd offer up one of my next builds. It is the superb Modelsvit Su-7BMK, which I will build OOB essentially. I love the ruggedness of this machine and only wish I could have seen one or more in flight! It will be my second go at this kit, having enjoyed it thoroughly the first time around. I warn you all that it will be slow-time as I fit in in between my other interests and domestic chores! ;). 

 

Here is the box and the contents. Typical of Modelsvit there is a plethora of minute bits but they all have a place and will result - all being well - in a build of a further Indian machine. It wont be the box artwork machine (B843), though. I'm not keen on special schemes. If I had a choice, and I dont, it would be a TACDE machine. It will probably, though, end up as a regular mud moving squadron machine. 

 

 

In terms of aftermarket she will get a resin cockpit, resin nose cone, resin scoops, and a brass pitot (cobbled together from a MiG-21UM/F). Decals will be a mix of the kit sheet, Bright Sparks sheet and some home printed/Arctic Decals extras. If she goes well I might be tempted to start the Su-22M3 ;)...

 

 

I will be armed with the following books from my bookshelf:

 

 

 

and Phil's excellent:

 

 

Back soon, once the current Harvard is decalled and my MiG-21UM is cleaned and primed.

 

 

Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[billn53]

This is going to be good... 

 

[RidgeRunner]

4 hours ago, billn53 said:

This is going to be good... 

 

Thanks Bill. It probably wasnt the best week to be starting a WIP that didnt involve a Sptfire of Messerschmitt, but hey ho!! I hope you stick the course. It might take a while!

 

Martin

[Terry1954]

Well I'm in for this one Martin. Love the SU-7, as you say, a very rugged looking aircraft. I've heard good things about Modelsvit generally and this looks to be a good one. IAF option and excellent choice.

 

Terry

[RidgeRunner]

Welcome along, Terry

[Wez]

I'm up for this one, love the Su-7 and its brute force approach to aerodynamics, what aircraft engineer wouldn't approve of such an approach!

 

I'll be following this with interest!

[RidgeRunner]

10 hours ago, Wez said:

I'm up for this one, love the Su-7 and its brute force approach to aerodynamics, what aircraft engineer wouldn't approve of such an approach!

 

I'll be following this with interest!

Thanks Wez. I look forward to your guidance as I progress :). 

 

It seems I've now got my wish for a TACDE machine (see below). I will just have to get a badge drawn up and printed. It will mean some guesswork on the part of the camouflage pattern, unless an image springs in to my inbox during the WIP.  

 

 

Martin

 

[RidgeRunner]

Its only an iPhone image but thi sshows the Modelsvit kit I built a few years ago. I still regarded myself as a returning modeller at that time and was amazed by the quality of the Modelsvit product. As I recall I only used a resin nose cone and the rest was OOB. My return to the kit will hopefully build on that experience and get me a more detailed Fitter. 

 

  

Martin

 

[Terry1954]

That looks pretty good to me Martin, and as you say it seems the Modelsvit product is a good one!

 

Looking forward to the next SU-7!

 

BTW, what brand is the SU-22 I can see behind it?

 

Terry

[RidgeRunner]

That's a Smer, Terry. A rough kit but the best of the pre-Modelsvit Fitters. I used a Pavla cockpit and canopy. The thing about the Su-17/22M3 and 4 is the charactaristic look of the forward fuselage. None of the pre-Modelsvits do it very at all. That kit needed a lot of filling and sanding! I wont pretend it is perfect, as it isnt, but it is the best I could do.

 

 

 

Martin

 

 

Ma

[RidgeRunner]

My excitement always gets the better of me and so I've "broken ground" and opened the resin cockpit set. As good as the Modelsvit is - and it is good - it will benefit from some refinement in "the Office". Its a nice Pavla set, as you can see:

 

 

 

I might be tempted by a wheel set at some point too!

 

Martin

 

 

[RidgeRunner]

oops ... I forgot .... there is a vacform canopy too. I may not use that. I'd like to shw her canopy open and so I might be forced in to it later. As I recall, the Modelsvit canopy doesn't sit well and needs a fair bit of sanding. If you dont you will get large gaps around it where the square moulded lower edges should touch the cylindrical fuselage.

 

Martin

 

 

[Gondor44]

Definatly following this, Love the Aircraft and the Operator so a win win for me.

 

Gondor

[Courageous]

Think I'll crash this little party...

On 9/14/2020 at 10:56 AM, RidgeRunner said:

Having been tweaked a little on the subject of WIPs and my lack of recent submissions,

Tweaked, is that what you call it, just noted your absence but now you're back .

Talking of tweaking though @Terry1954 is a returning modeller 

 

Stuart

[RidgeRunner]

😊 I’m happy to be tweaked, Stuart . Take a seat once I get going. I’ll hopefully make a proper start on the Su next week. 🤞

 

M

[RidgeRunner]

Maybe it'll prove too much, especially with the Heller GB approaching, but I've decided to make this a double WIP. My Su-7 will now be joined by a conversion of the Eduard MiG-21PF to being a 'FL variant by incorporating PFM parts and some after market. The link here is that both will be marked as TACDE machines. The TACDE was, and is, India's combat honing unit, developing new tactics, etc. It was also active in the various conflicts with Pakistan. In fact my MiG will be a "MiG killer", or correctly "Shenyang Killer", as it was insrtumental in the downing of a Pakistani F-6. As I've said earlier, this will be a slow build - now two - and will take me beyond the end of 2020. So, where do I start with the MiG? Well, I have the kits:

 

 

and some aftermarket if I need it. I should say, though, that the Eduard Fishbeds are superb and these might remain on the shelf ;). 

 

 

Thanks so far for help from Navin at the asiaairarms group @Liberator224J, @tomthounaojam and @Linescriber

 

Here is the subject:

 

Courtesy: asianairarms SIG

 

and pre(?)-TACDE while with 8 sqn "Pursoots"

 

Courtesy of, and previously posted on BM, by @Basilisk

 

Martin

 

 

 

[Terry1954]

Welcome to the soon to be FL! Nice one Martin. 

 

Terry

[RidgeRunner]

Back to the Fitter and a rundown of the box parts. As I mentioned before, there are a lot of them!  Many are optional, such as the RATO bottles, but many are fiddly intakes etc. Here goes:

 

Everything comes nicely wrapped

 

 

The first set of sprues - the Fuselage etc

 

 

the second set of sprues:

 

 

To give you an idea of the surface detail here is the BMK fin. As you can see, the panelling is fine and there are none of the puncture marks that manufacturers call rivets!

 

 

I'm now building in excitement, ready to start cutting, cleaning, priming and cementing!  The MiG-21FL will be a little behind this until my available modelling space gets freed up. The first job on the Fitter will be the cockpit and for that I will be using the resin that I showed earlier. It'll need a wash and then I'll get it primed. My old brain cant recall any fit issues but lets see .......

 

Back again soon with some real progress. I'm looking forward to this one as it will be built without any conversion, unlike most of my 2020 builds. The MiG, though, will be a combo but wont really need any surgery - I hope!

 

Martin

  

 

 

[Vaastav]

This is an interesting topic. Do you mind if I follow along, since anything Indian is always interesting to me

[RidgeRunner]

Absolutely, @Vaastav. Please sit back and watch with a glass of Kingfisher by your side ;). As I have said, it will be slow but Interesting  - I hope.

 

Martin

[tomthounaojam]

Martin how is the progress so far, as for me I haven't touch a kit in last 4 months.

[TheFlogger]

You courage me to start my 1:72 modelsvit Su-20  

[RidgeRunner]

On 11/8/2020 at 4:13 AM, tomthounaojam said:

Martin how is the progress so far, as for me I haven't touch a kit in last 4 months.

Hi Tom, I haven't started these yet. Right now I am trying to finish my MiG-21UM Eduard/KP conversion and my other current build, which is in the Heller GB. I am close to starting the Su-7, though. The decals are getting done so it will just be a matter of construction. The MiG-21FL will follow. 
 

On 11/8/2020 at 5:10 AM, TheFlogger said:

You courage me to start my 1:72 modelsvit Su-20  

Excellent! You will enjoy it. Which Su-20, @TheFlogger? Modelsvit have produced many. I have a Su-20M3 in the pile awaiting my time and targeted to be a Peruvian machine.
 

Your profile photo shows a Libyan MiG-23. Did you go to Mitiga? I was there in 2007.

 

Martin

[RidgeRunner]

As I'm on a MiG high at the moment I've finally cut stryrene on the MiG-21FL :). Its only a small step but psychologically it is a significant one and will stop me kicking around in bed thinking about getting her underway ;). Today's work was very simple, following the instruction sheet rigidly apart from a couple of PE bits that only an ant would see on the finished model! This work was on the cockpit and nosewheel housing assembly and the main gear housing. Typical of Eduard (apart from the dreaded PE) this is a straightforward build, so far. I have elected to go non-PE for the instrument panels. There are two reasons for this; 1) I dislike PE and 2) the Indian MiGs had a grey interior whereas the Eduard PE is the standard turquoise. This means painting the IP but I'm happier with that, even though my painting skills aren't as good as they need to be. I will probably be using a resin seat. Here is what I got together today:

 

 

Overnight Giorgio @Giorgio N has sent me the draft of the decal sheet for this MiG and the Su-7. I will print them on paper and check sizes before he can finalise them and get them to Mika at Arctic Decals for printing.  Thanks as always, Giorgio. 

 

 

I've also been getting some great guidance and help from Jonathan @Stilwell. This has primarily been centred around the method I will employ for producing this model. There are two options really; 1) using the PF as thre basis together with the PFM wing or 2) use the PFM and modify the wing to match the PF. The second is less wasteful but the first will/should be simple. As I'm looking for something with less surgery this time I think I'll will go with the first option.  Thank you Jonathan for encouraging me to think before cutting more stryrene. I hope to get back to a bit more tomorrow!

 

Martin

 

 

 

 

[Terry1954]

Great start on the FL Martin. I'm intrigued by the FL and judging by what you say above, it seems like it has a PF fuselage but a PFM wing - never knew the difference. Need to brush up on my Mig-21 variants in more detail as I now have 7 in the stash and one in build all 1/72. If I include the 1/144 collection we get three more in stash and a UM in build!

 

Will watch this very closely!

 

Terry

 

PS just checked my Eduard PF and PFM and I think I can see the main wing difference - the flap guides?