Jump to content

Another MiG! 1/48 Bulgarian MiG-21bis ***FINISHED***


Ray_W

Recommended Posts

12 minutes ago, Bbdave said:

Very interesting reading your processes i think I need to spend more time on my builds your works very neat and tidy.

 

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

 

I've come to really enjoy working this way. I am an advocate of one build at a time and will not start another till the current build is done. Since doing that completions have been 100% with one notable exception. I like the focus it gives on the current project both in terms of research and problem resolution. Also, makes it a lot easier to do the other things in life and then return and quickly pick up where you were at.

 

I am working on the next projects just not cutting plastic. Next up is the Kinetic Mirage III O then a Dragon StuG III. I am having fun studying these subjects and thinking about how I will go about them.

 

 

Ray

  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Ray_W said:

 

Hi Dave,

 

I've come to really enjoy working this way. I am an advocate of one build at a time and will not start another till the current build is done. Since doing that completions have been 100% with one notable exception. I like the focus it gives on the current project both in terms of research and problem resolution. Also, makes it a lot easier to do the other things in life and then return and quickly pick up where you were at.

 

I am working on the next projects just not cutting plastic. Next up is the Kinetic Mirage III O then a Dragon StuG III. I am having fun studying these subjects and thinking about how I will go about them.

 

 

Ray

  

I have only relatively recently taken up scale modeling my dad and god father were very keen builders but had many unfinished models in their respective sheds. So when I started early last year I decided to build one at a time plus I don't have the space or money to buy and store stacks of models, one at a time works for me at the moment.

I maybe need to work on the research a little more I'm a bit of a numpty where aircraft are concerned. 

 

Dave

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Bbdave

 

Dave,

What a great hobby to take up. Glad you're on board. First up, I would be focusing on technique. You have the advantage of the net. Lot's of good advice when you search and the BM community here is very, very helpful. 

Ray

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Ray, 

Glad to see your progress on the 21. Did you select a time period and camouflage scheme? IMHO, the green for the dielectric panels is a bit dark for 243. I don't know.... It could be because of the lighting- photos taken in the morning may look in a totaly different way. This is probably the best you can do- to have a look on it with a natural lighting. Keep in mind that the colours from that '98 are away from accurate- note the roundel red, for example. 

And, as always- a good pack of 243 shots from 2011 ;) (note the different greens on the 21s on the flightline):
http://www.balakchiev.com/bg/images-go/fishbeds
All the best,

Hristo

Edited by Hristo D.
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hristo D. said:

Did you select a time period and camouflage scheme? IMHO, the green for the dielectric panels is a bit dark for 243.

 

Hi Hristo,

 

I am glad your following along.

 

My plan is the very challenging 2011 scheme. I agree with you about the dielectric green. As I mentioned in my previous post, I went away to play with it a little more and the following image is the result. The photograph is losing a little of the brightness in the colour seen with the naked eye. I think in natural light it should be very nice indeed.

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_65

 

 I also varied the other dielectric greens based on 243's variation. For example:

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_66

 

Again losing some of the subtleties of the colours with the photography.

 

I will leave it now then mask and have fun trying to get the other colours close.

 

Ray 

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The cone definitely looks better! Looking forward for daylight shots. 

Since you have already chosen the scheme, a little about the armament- the last year when R-13M were used is 2008 I think. Consequently- you either fade the colours less, or hang only R-60 under the wing.

Hint:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AptiFWUqI0RIhKQdAZDSYh_Pz8M-9Q
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AptiFWUqI0RIhKQcwSwObLrJlOxuwg

 

 

 

Edited by Hristo D.
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Hristo D. said:

Consequently- you either fade the colours less, or hang only R-60 under the wing.

 

Great images. That first image of 243 is with the exact loadout I want to portray - R-13M, R-60 and 490 litre tank. A little less weathered for sure. So earlier than 2011 and not as beat up. That's fine. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Underside painting.

 

With Hristo's nice image (again, thank you sir!), I shifted the underside to a definite Bulgarian blue.

 

I have now come to the conclusion that it can be worse trying to match colours when you have a plethora of colour images, rather than working off scant information like a grainy black and white photo bolstered with some, hopefully, good research. Only because I am constantly going back and forth comparing. 🙃 Joking really. Great to have all this information. As it is, sitting on the bench in front of me, it just looks right. In the end I used Gunze H323 with a tiny amount of white.  

 

First step, build in some textural and shading variation with a marble coat over the black base. I am not a pre-shade panel line guy unless the subject definitely shows it. I can build that into the marble coat if need be.

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_67

 

Then blend in the top coat trying not to lose the textural and tonal variation. 

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_68

 

I know from experience that what is there will come out even more with weathering and a final clear coat. Here it is from another angle with my usual lament that the subtlety is difficult to capture in photos.

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_71

 

I played around with another image varying lighting positions to try and capture the actual colours. This is more like it!

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_70

 

I will check it in the morning in the natural light and save the top colours for the weekend. Good light will be a must.

 

Ray

 

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You rule! Keep on!

Само така!

I don't deserve to be called sir, I'm only 21 :D 

You force me to buy an airbrush, gain some experience and build my 21, which is in the stash .

Looking forward for more!

And if you wander about anything, don't be shy to ask :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Hristo,

 

The info is great. Keep it up. You have to build your 21 while your 21.😁

 

Ray

 

 

 

 

 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, modelling minion said:

I really like the effect you have achieved on the underside,

 

Thanks Craig, 

 

In the link Hristo provided there is a great Anton Balakchiev image of the underside of "392" showing the effect I was trying to achieve.

 

http://www.balakchiev.com/bg/images-go/100-years-vvs#&panel1-1

 

Interesting in that the photos also show the changes in the underside blue's appearance  - sometimes blue, sometimes grey, sometimes bright, sometimes dull. The hard part is knowing when to stop fiddling with your own paint job before losing everything.

 

8 hours ago, Beazer said:

Nice looking BIS and man can you ever tell the difference side by side on that nose!

 

It's why I really like modelling critiques that discuss shape. It is sad that the "red lined" photographs are not as common anymore. That was:popcorn:for me. If you end up up agreeing with the critique then you never un-see it.  Yes, it may of been a detail you would not have picked up on, but once corrected it is very satisfying. Like @Troy Smith highlighting the nose shape issue on the Italeri Ju-87 D-5, very satisfying to correct this and one of my favourite builds. I am a sucker for punishment and will generally give the correction a go. In this case, Cold War Studios make it easy.

 

Ray

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 20/12/2020 at 16:47, Ray_W said:

Eduard did not change the nose shape when they did the "bis".  Their argument is that the difference is negligible. Fact is, as I mentioned before, once you see it you cannot unsee it, the bis having that thick dorsal spine and the heavier looking nose making it more brutish. 

 

Here is Eduard as supplied at the top and the Cold War Studios (CWS) correction part at the bottom.  

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_2

I remember the controversy.   One of those occasions where Eduard try weasel out out a problem of their own making.  Eduard have a odd attitude to the MiG-21 family, they could 'own it'  but have shied away from the MiG-21 F-13 (I know it is now planned) that were made in Czechslovakia, and have failed to join the dots up in the PF-FL-PFM  line,  which is odd, as the FL was used operationally by both the United Arab Airforces and the Indian AF.... 

 

Thank for the tag Ray, interesting build and some fascinating stories about the country as well.

 

cheers

T

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some exceptionally good light today so I pulled the painting forward by a day so as to not lose the opportunity.

 

I reversed my usual painting order starting with the dark colour and then using the light colour to fill the gaps. Still trying to get paint textural and tonal variation. Also, no camo masking (everyone cheer) so straight into it free hand for a soft edge demarcation. Whoopee!!

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_75

 

Every colour was a mix, continuing with my build theme of not being able to find a paint in the pot (easily available to me) that suited this aircraft. Now, what were the mixes? Umm 🤔 ... a bit of this and a bit of that, mixed on the fly.

 

I started with the black-green and thought Gunze H302 would do the trick. Nope! Do you know how difficult it is to get a green that does not have a hint of olive? I thought, OK,  I'll be smart Gunze RLM 70 Black-Green! lightened it a tad and it lost the black in black-green. Then the fun started - a little blue, oops too much a little yellow etc, etc. In the end, I was happy with the result. The photo above captures the colour fairly well, possibly making it look fractionally darker.

 

The brown needs to be like a Mahogany (Eduard colour call out is exactly this H84 👍) fading through its life to a Dark Earth (the old too red Tamiya Dark Earth might be a good match). This time I started with Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown and added a little Blue a little more Red and a very little White. Happy again. The photo exaggerates the colour making it appear too orange, It is a nice faded red brown tending to earth.

 

The Light Green is what I would call lightened early Spitfire Apple Green. I started with H312 FS 34227 and had to again kill the olive effect with blue and play with tiny amounts of yellow to bring it back before lightening with white. I tried 3 versions on my paint mule (the current kit being worked on) until I was happy. The photography makes it a little too pale losing the hint of apple green.

 

I now have enough of these colours to build a veritable squadron and enough apple green for at least four, maybe forty,  early Spitfire cockpit builds. 

 

 

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_74

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_73

 

Tomorrow daylight hours  I will do some more variations in the colours and then set aside in readiness for a gloss coat. It is close though. You can also see another reason why I like black undercoat. Panel line detail is naturally accentuated. 

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_77

 

Ray

 

  • Like 12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there!

Nice painting, the light green looks pretty mych the same as the real one.

But...  I am worried about the other two colours.

It seems to me that the dark green is too dark. The colour itself seems to be OK, but just darker than it should be. It might be becaouse of the light, bot I doubt- the real plane looks somehow "softer". 

The brown really looks too "rusty" for the certain airframe.

Maybe daylight photos would show the model in its full grace.

Looking forward to seeing them. Don't hurry, painting such a "pipe" (as we call the 21) is a pain in the... eyes ;)

All the best,

Hristo :)  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Hristo D. @John Masters @modelling minion

 

Thanks for the kind remarks and thanks Hristo on the colour advice.

 

I agree that my brown is too orange.  After spending some time trying to get it right, to no avail, the decision was made to redo. Don't worry, I had made this decision before your post.  I now have a revised brown that is much better - a touch of blue was added. I am still playing with the light green - this was a case of looking right in the photo and not so in real life. Thankfully the black-green is Ok.  It seems right after fading a little. I do not expect to lose the detail even though I also had a nice gloss coat on and all was in readiness for the decals. Oh well, it sure did look pretty. 🤦‍♂️

 

So we will try again. Frankly, the change is not a big deal. My paint coats are thin so nothing is lost - other than the time. I suppose I can also say that this model has had as many colour changes and coats of paint as the real thing.

 

I would post some photos, but found it necessary to do some airbrush maintenance before the re-spray. I was a little unhappy when spraying the camo demarcation lines the first time. I can usually get nice fine controlled lines with my Iwasta HP-B Plus. This time, too much overspray and things just behaving badly. It was after I finished the job that I decided to have a closer look and found some crud in the airbrush nozzle. Seems like a micro fur ball.  Removed it with a micro-brush. I also removed the air cap and with the HP-B, once you remove the air cap and crack the seal, you need to replace it with liquid thread sealant to prevent air leakage. Back in the workshop I have just the stuff, here, I used Windsor & Newton Art Masking Fluid. Tiny bit on the threads and seems to do the job. All is good. 

 

No excuses now!

 

Ray

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fully recovered!

 

Re-sprayed with colours that are more prototypical and weathered accordingly. With the naked eye the dark green is more faded and the light green is a little more green. All good.

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_79

 

 

This is to be "243" around the 2005 period so not quite as beat up as they appeared in 2011.

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_78

 

Thankfully no detail lost. On that wing we have grey undercoat, black undercoat, first colour coats, Gunze GX112 gloss coat, multiple re-respray trying to get the colour right and now ready for another gloss coat. Gunze and Tamiya aqueous acylics thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinner. 

 

BG_Mig21bis_Construction_80

 

Time for some detail painting and then the gloss coat (again!).

 

Ray

 

 

 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...