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So where is that MiG-21PF in 72nd from Eduard. In January a “dry run” Pure Plastic version was built already but that one was only to see the fit of parts on the test shoots of the new kit. It looks alright but it is completely naked. : )  There were some annoyed Czech modellers looking at it as a degrading of our hobby. I could not give a toss for their opinion. : )

 

Two kits are on the workbench in parallel builds. The PF of course will be a Hungarian version, that particular one for which a lot of research was done for Eduard. It is a/c 409.

The PFM will be a Soviet version.

 

This is the kit.

 

 MAh8CDY.jpg

 

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The Pure Plastic version

 

 

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And now to some real business.

 

Here is the extra photoetch sheet from Edu for the PF.

 

Wtfm1Jo.jpg

 

Some basic preparations were made, cutting parts from sprues, cleaning them up, adding some primer grey after a complete wash and also some colour this time.

 

ztCOBuv.jpg

 

 

The engine parts. The constriction petals are still in the making as the PF had a very unique version that no kit maker or aftermarket manufacturer has ever produced so it will be all scratch. The one on the photos will be used on PFM kit which is a parallel build.

 

1netS1d.jpg

 

 

fHZADsZ.jpg

 

 

All sorts of parts were used just as a very wide variety of paints. A lot of Mr. Paint was in use as it is simple, excellent coverage, good colours and very fast drying.

Both kit plastic parts, some Edu etch and some bits and pieces from the spares box, including the flame holders. Did not like the 2 dimensional plastic version in the kit, nor the etched one. They don’t look good so had a look in the spares box and came up with a resin replacement which is spot on. Here of course for the photo the flame holder ring is fitted on the shaft with Blu Tack. Don’t forget don’t glue it on the shaft (Part D20) only after the afterburner chamber (Part D47) was glued to the turbine plate (Part D50).

The Eduard instruction sheet is wrong in naming colours. Part D47 is NOT green inside but a mid grey metallic. On the afterburner flame holder only the central part is that ceramic Russian green and even that with use goes pale and there are a lot of streaks of lighter colours going out from the centre. The very centre (the afterburner igniter) is bright metallic colour. The “arms” of the flame holder are metallic grey with a tinge of brown/sand in it.    

 

 

 

Don’t expect anything soon as I take my time. There is absolutely no hurry, I enjoy simply the build and will show what is new, as and when it is available.

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Small illustration to show why kit part D40  was not used. OK, I did paint it just to see what it will look like but . . .   Also the photo etch from Edu, I did not like, it is not exactly right, still 2 dimensional in a way. The resin from the scrap box looks more like the real thing.

 

kQ8S72n.jpg

 

And here is the real thing to show the shape and some colours.

 

2PqqyBs.jpg

 

Stay safe!!!   Build kits!

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Not only the internal parts but also the biggies were also cut from the sprues and some cleaning started on them. As well as a little planning of what to do, what to change, which parts need replacing or altering for the intended aircraft.

 

1RIeFT9.jpg

 

 

The control stick was changed / detailed to correspond with the version used in the PF. The peculiar brake lever on the stick was made from spare photoetch parts. Neither the photoetch in the Profipack nor the detail set has this part. I expect that eventually the cockpit Brassin could have it in future. The one on the right will eventually be for the PFM but havent started work on it, shown only for comparison.

 

 

LXGMw8R.jpg

 

The tyres were sanded to get rid of that very visible mould line. Some rubber mould lines were added on the sides and tyre wear holes drilled. A flat spot was added but I did not start to go into proper conversion to make it a real weighed version. After all the aircraft is to show it in its last days with no external load or fuel on boards.

 

 

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The wheel disks are fortunately separate parts so there is no need for masking, they can be painted separately and glued together latter when completely finished.

 

 

fF78tlA.jpg

 

 

For the wings it is essential to do in advance some painting, so the light blue O2 bottles and black compressed air containers were painted in advance. This is just the start with only the blue added, will have to paint the air bottles separately and add all the markings.

 

 rWKlaB5.jpg

 

For the cockpit some basic work with adding primer to the instrument panels. But before some detailing was made to depict the versions I intend to do. Please note that the panel for the PF has the left edge section in cockpit colour, the rest is black.

 

lquSa61.jpg 

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Little to show but. . .  

Still with internal details to get them done as soon as possible so I can close the fuselage and get on with the build. A lot of work remains here.

Started to build up the rare end of the engine painting and adding the chamber (D47) and gluing in place the flame holders. I like it. (even if I say so, after all I should like it, that is the most important thing)

 

TwjwTFn.jpg

 

 

 

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Did some changes / corrections to correspond with MiG-21PF specific details. After all the cockpit tub given on Sprue D is a common part (D69) which is supposed to be mainly for the Czech MF versions. So some changes to the throttle, the floor, side walls and side panels.

 

6ErtE27.jpg 

 

Have to remember the fact that this would have been the weekend for the Moson Show 2020 with a chance to see and meet a lot of people, speak to friends from all over the world, do some shopping and look and wonder at some amazing kits on show.

Well, not this time but hopefully in 2021 we will meet!

 

 

Stay safe!

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Hi Robert,

 

I am sure you will have lots of fun with those kits! : )  : )

 

Is that MF the one which was released this year with that Soviet Blue 71?  Have a look if it has the reworked Sprue D? (hint: very sharp nose cone and the intake ring with sharp edge as it should be) As far as I know Eduard was planning to add the new D Sprue in all newly released boxes. 

 

Stay Safe! And have a great weekend.

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Hi Falconxlvi

 

This is very simple. I cut a hole the size of the tire in a cardboard. Drawn the tire details on it in a sunburst from the centre. Put the plastic part in the hole and freehand quickly cut along the lines with a scalpel on the plastic surface just enough to leave a mark.

You can do it in just about 4 minutes for both sides of the two tires and it costs nothing!

The only real work I had to do is to sand down that nasty tool mark on the middle. A proper rounded cross section was given to the tire and the holes for inspection of its wear were drilled.

 

wl8x5Bm.jpg

 

I did have a look at the super detailed aftermarket tires which are supposed to be the ultimate answer to this question. They are very nice but they give you a spotless tire thread the kind you will see on the wheels only for the first hour after putting new tires on an aircraft. After the first flight and landing it will not look the same. Actually in most cases one will have a tire without those groves on the running surface only the side marks will be visible while the tire is still perfectly safe to use. The inspection holes make sure that you don’t over use a tire.

 

The other problem I have with aftermarket ones is that they almost never have proper weighed look and it is a bit funny to see on a competition a beautifully built and weathered a/c with full weapons load prepared for mission (so full of fuel) and still it stands like on tip toes with not a micron of weighed compression.

 

Not really authentic even if the owner spent a fortune on aftermarkets and invested hundreds of work hours on his masterpiece.

 

So if I was to have a fully loaded aircraft then will have to do a bit more work to add those sags on the sides. Simple to do but more time needed.

 

Actually adding the thread on the tyres is not so difficult. Scalpel and a scriber is needed. But for this PF build I have them used "naked".

 

Uk0YGTR.jpg

 

9c2JWyR.jpg

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

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ya-gabor wrote:

Don’t expect anything soon as I take my time. There is absolutely no hurry, I enjoy simply the build and will show what is new, as and when it is available.

Best regards

Gabor

 

Gabor,

Sounds like my kinda speed in building kits, "slow but good!" I like what and how you're

improving the basic kit, with the OOB renovations. I have a feeling you're gonna do great

things with this project. Stay focused and much success!

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Hi Pali!

 

Thanks for following my little project. Hope you are well and also doing some kits! : )   : )

 

Hi Underdog,

 

Thanks for dropping in and looking at my trial project. 

 

 

Stay Safe!!!!

 

 

Best regarfds

Gabor

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While working on different areas of the kit, one part is still under “development”. It is the engine exhaust and pipe interior.

So, how does the real thing look like?

 

YkYhfIw.jpg

 

What is in the kit?

 

G4x3yCi.jpg

 

This is a OK-ish representation of the pipe if one likes that sort of thing. The ultimate question, will this be seen or not? Well if you look into the pipe of the finished kit, then yes. And maybe even use a light then for certain. There are many areas of a kit which are not visible but the modeller knows that the details are there and he likes that. I am one of them.

If you are not one of them, then I think you should skip the next few posts.

 

So what are the alternatives?

 

-  The easy route 1.

Use what is given in the kit and maybe do some highlights with paints to achieve the desired result.

 

 

-  A bit more complicated way 2.

Sand down the internal plastic details and replace it with an easy homemade alternative. Like use a metal foil, add the corrugation effect on it and glue in place. All is done after some paint.

 

rrKbBKI.jpg

 

 

 

-  Going even further in complexity 3.

Use the aftermarket alternative provided by Edu. Well, here you are instantly confronted with a strange problem. Look at the kit part and how wide the corrugated part is made on it. Compare that to the width of the photoetch corrugation. I believe at least the manufacturer should be consistent in its product of the plastic part and of its own photoetch. Surely one is wrong.

 

89FJiK2.jpg

 

 

DWfkV66.jpg

 

OK so here in alternative 3 one sands down the inner surface and adds the photoetch by rolling it into a ring and gluing in position. Yes, it will fit in there alright. But even if having some very nice surface details the rolled up photoetch will still be a flat piece of brass faceted in places of half etch. It will be like this.

 

m9igwOV.jpg

 

 

Well if one looks at the first photo of the corrugation it will be evident that it is not a plain faceted surface of -flat-flat-flat-flat- surfaces but every second has a semi-circular round shape with perforations on it. The photoetch gives you the perforation and all the surface details but it is still flat. On the real thing it is a -flat-curved-flat-curved-flat-curved-flat- surface.

 

One other thing is that Eduard reproduced the corrugated part as in later versions of MiG-21 engines. Surely just took the drawings for the etching from a previous 21MF sets and added it to the PF fret. Who will see the difference. . .  If one was going to be 100% exact then a new etching would be needed but here one has to make a compromise.

 

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Second instalment of the exhaust pipe story.

 

Here comes the forth way.

I don’t think most are prepared to put this much work into this small detail. They should go back to easy root or the second version.

 

The original plastic corrugated effect was sanded down inside the pipe.

 

pr9FMnT.jpg

 

 

8HjcwJU.jpg

 

 

First of all one has to anneal the brass.

 

To remove stress from the etched metal and to make it much softer to aid forming. It is extremely simple use a candle or a cigarette lighters flame. Prefer the lighter as candle will leave soot residue. Hold the etch with a plier (it will get extremely hot) and run it over the flame several time. You will see when it is done and don’t be alarmed as the metal will get discoloured and slightly bent. No other ill effects to the brass apart from this!  

Absolutely no problem. One can have practice with the frame of previously used etch sets. Brass will turn soft and easy to form. With the annealed brass it is even possible to do compound curves from a flat piece of metal this way. It will be all natural looking.

 

 

XWE7Sr1.jpg

 

 

Now one can start forming those curved areas. Even with annealing one has to apply force and I used a photoetch bending tool to help me. Also make a lot of use of different hard steel dentist instruments. Slow and tedious process of holding down each flat part of the etch and bending the perforated part first one way then the other and this gives the curved surface in the end. Definitely not for inpatient modellers.

 

MsE0HlQ.jpg

 

 

dzTbQj7.jpg

 

The end result is far more convincing than the faceted earlier surface, even if I say so.   : )   : )

But “Houston we have a problem!!!”.  Initially the photoetch part was designed for simple plain rolling into a ring so its length is designed accordingly to fit perfectly into the plastic part from end to end.

 

Now, if you add all those “waves” into the equation then obviously the length of the brass part will be reduced and the corrugated strip will no longer fit, it will be shorter by about one   –flat-curved-   section (this is a very scientific definition of a given distance).   : )   : )   

 

Since I still preferred this version of the exhaust pipe out of the 4 possible ways, had to make a copy of one  –flat-curved-  section and fit it in for the final result.

 

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6HAxtC0.jpg

 

Is it / was it worth all the work?

For me yes!

 

I did like the fun part of playing around with brass and trying to reproduce the original and there are always lessons to be learned which can be incorporated into future projects.

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Excellent work Gabor - very realistic.... :worship:

 

But.... if it was me I'd go for option 5 - fit a red-painted circular cover over the exhaust.... seeemples.. :whistle:

 

Keep up the good work - and stay safe.

 

Regards

 

Ken

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Hi Ken,

Excellent idea! Why didnt I think of that?  : )   : )   : )

 

Actually I did.

So scratch built the intake cover and the exhaust cover too, but they will be placed only next to the final kit. Did persuade Eduard to add the cover stencil also to the decal sheet. Something that I havent seen with any other manufacturer. Was surprised that the Eduard designer said yes to my idea.

 

Had to make  both covers as they are specific Hungarian versions not made by any aftermarket companies.  Scratched them and made few resin copies.

 

 

Stay Safe and stay home!!!!!!  Look forward to development on your kits!

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Hi Steve,

 

Thanks but as mentioned earlier not much of it will be visible on the final product. But it was fun to play around with the brass and also a chalange. I like them! : )  : )

 

Best regards

Gabor

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Nice tips and tricks! Fishbed is like T-55... sooo many examples and versions, and many variations and many identical parts on versions... i lost my nose cone on my MF, order brassin and i will take from another plastic nose.... it looks nicer! Waiting for your tips about nose. PFM is in plans too 

 

 

7IcY4yD.jpg

 

kzjNJTz.jpg

Edited by mario krijan
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On 5/3/2020 at 10:35 PM, mario krijan said:

Nice tips and tricks! Fishbed is like T-55... sooo many examples and versions, and many variations and many identical parts on versions... i lost my nose cone on my MF, order brassin and i will take from another plastic nose.... it looks nicer! Waiting for your tips about nose. PFM is in plans too 

 

 

7IcY4yD.jpg

 

kzjNJTz.jpg

 

 

That is a nice looking MiG-21M you ahve there!

 

So what exactly happened to the nose cone? Is it lost? The plastic part. Or you want to change it or simply use a cover on the intake?

 

Best regards

Gabor

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