Mig-21 help.

[Bulldog 09]

I need help from all of the Mig guru's out there. What is the best metallic colors to use on the exhaust area of a MIG-21MF. I am talking about the exterior portion on the fuselage. I have noticed it seems to be two shades. Any help would be great and thanks in advance.

 

Dave Fassett

[ChernayaAkula]

Don't know if this is helping much, but.... just paint what you see.

The rearmost part seems to be an aluminium colour, the part further forward a steel colour. But depending on weathering state, the colours can blend and the distinction is lost. On some, heat discolouration adds additional tones. I think Ya-gabor had some interesting pics showing how the stiffener ribs on the inside protected the outside from heat discolouration. So, really, go by your references. There's probably no totally wrong way about this.

 

I'm building four Fishbeds by four different operators at the moment (LINK!) and there are three different metal/camouflage demarcation lines. And - of course - I had to respray the areas in some cases. The most common one seems to be where there are two tones (lighter at the back) that extend to somewhere below the rudder portion of the fin. On some aircraft, the unpainted portion extends further forward to about mid-rudder. That extra section also seems to be an aluminium colour. One some (least common, I think), only the rearmost part is left unpainted.

[Bulldog 09]

18 hours ago, ChernayaAkula said:

Don't know if this is helping much, but.... just paint what you see.

The rearmost part seems to be an aluminium colour, the part further forward a steel colour. But depending on weathering state, the colours can blend and the distinction is lost. On some, heat discolouration adds additional tones. I think Ya-gabor had some interesting pics showing how the stiffener ribs on the inside protected the outside from heat discolouration. So, really, go by your references. There's probably no totally wrong way about this.

 

I'm building four Fishbeds by four different operators at the moment (LINK!) and there are three different metal/camouflage demarcation lines. And - of course - I had to respray the areas in some cases. The most common one seems to be where there are two tones (lighter at the back) that extend to somewhere below the rudder portion of the fin. On some aircraft, the unpainted portion extends further forward to about mid-rudder. That extra section also seems to be an aluminium colour. One some (least common, I think), only the rearmost part is left unpainted.

Thank you ChernayaAkula for the response. I have actually been following your builds since the beginning and I have gained quite a bit of knowledge from it. I think your advice is the way to go. I have spent most of the day making a paint sample card of all my Alclad II colors so that I can get an actual feel for them side by side. I can also use it as a reference next to my photos. Thanks again for the response and I look forward to more updates on your current projects.

 

Dave Fassett