FOREIGN AIRFORCE MiG BUILD. (no question mark in this topic)

Tanky,
Can I enter a second Mig? I was digging through my warehouse of models still to be built and I came across an antique 1/72 Hasegawa Mig-21 Fishbed C. It is pretty crude by today's standards, especially the cockpit, so it will go together very quickly. That will give me two birds to paint at the same time so I won't have to spend so much time cleaning the air brush. The kit decals are a federal disaster area, so I will have to look through my extra decals and find something.
The sheet for the Fujimi Mig has enough for 4 different models. Thanks.

Darwin, O.F.

OK cool, I'll add you no problem. Just not right now, it's kinda late over here in NY...

I've got both the wings and one tail plane installed on my miggy. Just need to add the other one and finish up a few gaps and add a good few PE parts and it will be ready for paint.

I have my second Mig-21 well under way. It is the ancient 1/72 Hasegawa Fishbed-C or F-13, (F-12 for export version). It will be NMF with early Egyptian markings, the type they used during the 1967 war with Israel. The cockpit for this kit is practically non-existant and I didn't feel like spending a bunch of money on AM stuff, nor can I scratch build very well, so I just left it stock. I am concentrating on doing a good job on the outside.
I put a coat of gray primer then used a rattle can from Testors called "Chrome". When I first sprayed this stuff on, it was so thick that it looked like a silver blanket. I let it dry for a couple of hours and it shrunk down very nicely. All the panel lines, detail and imperfections show through well. This paint is smooth and very shiney. I don't think that I will have to use a gloss coat before the decals.



My first Mig is the MF and the basic construction is finished and I just put a coat of primer on it. Tomorrow should see the first coat of color.

Looking great Darwin! I have used the Chrome before too, that stuff really shines! Excellent finish there on that early MiG. Both look like they are coming along nicely!

That's one shiny Mig! Any issue with decals or the paint lifting from tape like the Metalizers?

Well, I'll see about posting some pics today. Looks nice yardbird.

You can see more sanding and filling that I did to get the fron 2 fuselage pieces to fit. Also in the pics you can see the shimming I did to eliminate some gaps. The Aires resin cockpit really throws the already mediocre fit into complete disarray. But now that the fuselage is closed up the fit problems SHOULD (hopefully) be over. Well, hope you like the pics.

Tank,
your Mig is looking good. I probably would have run out of patience by now and slammed against the wall. I hope the rest of your build is less complicated.

Darwin, O.F.

Waikong...went to your site and took a look at your aerobatic J7:Awesome!

QUOTE: Originally posted by yardbird78 TM7, How about adding my name to the list. The gods of ebay just deposited a 1/72 Fujimi Mig-21MF or Fishbed J on my doorstep. It has decals for 2 Iraqi jets during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Syrian AF during 1982 Israel war, Afghanistan 1990s and Bangladesh AF, undated. I think I will do it as the Mig 21 that shot down a Tomcat, (Iranian).

Darwin and yardbird...I have to ask: What kind of dipstick F-14 driver gets waxed by a MiG-21? [:0]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cdclukey QUOTE: Originally posted by yardbird78 TM7, How about adding my name to the list. The gods of ebay just deposited a 1/72 Fujimi Mig-21MF or Fishbed J on my doorstep. It has decals for 2 Iraqi jets during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Syrian AF during 1982 Israel war, Afghanistan 1990s and Bangladesh AF, undated. I think I will do it as the Mig 21 that shot down a Tomcat, (Iranian). Darwin and yardbird...I have to ask: What kind of dipstick F-14 driver gets waxed by a MiG-21? [:0]

When it is being flown by a "dipstick Iranian" pilot! During the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war, the Iranians used their F-4 Phantoms as their primary air to air and air to ground asset and used the F-14 as their version of AWACS. I guess the guy driving this one around had his head up his _ _ _ and wasn't paying much attention to his own radar scope.

Darwin, O.F.

tchah. just shows, put equal pilots in em and migs can take on american planes. To be sure the Iranainas did get downgraded tomcats though.

I have finished my /72 scale, Mig-21/F-12 and made it with Egyptian markings from the early 1960s. This a very basic kit with a cockpit that is almost non-existant. I built it stock with no AM parts. I did add the dipole radar altimeter antennas under the wing tips, the doppler navigation antenna cover behind the nose gear, the landing lights behind the main gear wells, repositioned the dorsal VHF radio antenna and added panel lines and smudge marks with a graphite pencil. On to the pictures, Darwin, O.F.

nice work. you too have earned the right to keep your badge forever. A right I still don't have...

very nice yardbird, is the Arabic writing decals or hand painted? What did you use to do the BMF? I like the turned front landing gear, subtle but effective in giving a sense of motion to the plane.

hmm, I have yet to see any of our modern mig builders post progress pics. (Such as a mig-29) This is the first warning. If you do not finish your build on time, you may still wear the patch but you MUST put a frownie and sad smilie next to it until you are finished!!!!!

I first signed onto this GB with a Mig-21 MF and then added a Mig-21 F-12. I got involved in the F-12 and wound up finishing it first. The MF is out of the paint hangar and ready for markings.

Darwin, O.F.

Ahhh, continued nice work form your factory yardbird.

Great looking camo work there yardbird! Excellent!

I've been delayed in trying to finish my Egyptain MiG; I have ruun out of lead sinkers to weight the noses of my aircraft. I've been looking for substitutes, and finally found some nuts I can use. I'll have progress pics up in a day or so.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Duke Maddog I've been delayed in trying to finish my Egyptain MiG; I have ruun out of lead sinkers to weight the noses of my aircraft. I've been looking for substitutes, and finally found some nuts I can use. I'll have progress pics up in a day or so.

I bought a tube of BBs 2 or 3 years ago to use for nose weights in models. It is about 3/4" diameter and 3 inches high. I have used them in several models and still have over half of the tube left. They work very well because they are basically lead, I think, which makes them heavy for a given space. They are also fairly small individually so that they will fit in the smallest and most irregular spaces.

Darwin, O.F.

Sounds good Darwin. I'll look out for that. I usually get the assorted sizes of lead shot that is used for fishing weights. They are soft enough for me to form with pliers to fit in irregular places, and are very heavy for their size due to the use of lead. I placed all I had in the nose of my C-119 that I'm building, which was a mistake. I should have used nuts from my fasteners box.

Still, I'll be on the lookout for those BB's and pick some up along with more fishing weights when I get some cash.

Edit: I found a couple extra laying beneath the desk; should be enough to close the MiG.

I am afraid my MiG may turn out to be a tail sitter. The nstructions said to add 3 ounces of weight, and I added more than that, but I still have my doubts. Duke, try using clay, just the regulars children's clay type stuu. That''s what I use for nose weight.

The instructions for the Fujimi Mig-21MF call for 5 grams of nose weight. That figures out to .176 ounces, which isn't much. The Hasegawa Mig-21 F-12 that I have recently completed didn't mention anything about nose weight and I forgot to put any in before I closed up the fuselage. Once I had most of the parts in place, I used an old Radio Control modeling trick to figure the Center of Gravity. I put a pencil on the bench for a fulcrum point and set the plane cross wise of it and moved it front to back until it balanced. This CG or balance point was in front of where the main gear would go, so I was OK.
The picture is of the Mig-21 MF nose weights, 8 BBs. That was way more than necessary, because it sits on its nose with great authority.

Darwin, O.F.

OK, I've been filling and sanding for the past week. I just have to : Fill 1 more wing fuselage seam. Fill 3 more intake seams. Reattach tailfin which fell off. Sand the radome a little. Touch up seams. Ad about 20 more PE parts. And finally it will be ready for paint!

And then there was an ending. I finished my 1/72 Fujimi Mig-21 MF Fishbed J done up in Iraqi colors. This kit has some of the best detail I have ever seen on a kit this small. The cockpit is excellent with raised instruments that are pretty accurate. The various cooling vents, venturi tube, pitot tube and pressure data sensors are right on. These parts were all molded solid, so I used a .013" pin drill to open them up. An even casual look at the close up photos will reveal a major problem with overspray. How does one correct this without masking right on the model and then having a hard demarcation line? I didn't do any weathering or panel line highlighting because I am still figuring out how to do that with paint.









the full scale venturi and the model, note the fine drill bit completely through the venturi



This is the full scale main gear door actuator and the one on the model




Darwin, O.F.

Awesome work Darwin! I love the detail you've put into this.

One way to mask to get a soft demarcation line and prevent overspray would be to do the following.

First off, doing this technique would mean applying your two-tone pattern in reverse.
First, take a piece of paper cut into the shape of the darker pattern. Tape a rolled up piece of tape (or two or three) on one side of the paper. make sure it is rolled with the sticky part outside, as if you were making a single-adhesive-side tape into a double-sided piece. Tape it then to the model. The doubled up tape will hold the paper piece slightly off the model allowing the AB to make a soft line. When you AB, point the AB straight towards the model, but angle it slightly away from the center of the paper that is taped to the model. For painting the demarcation line between the upper and lower fuselage, get a piece of paper that wraps around the top of the model. Hopefully this should help.

Also, great idea for finiding the center of gravity on the model. What I usually do is put in the nose weight, then tape the two fuselage halves together, tepmorarily put on the tail surfaces (if they fit w/o glue), and then dry fit the wings (again, if they fit w/o glue). Then I hold the model up with one finger in the one rear gear well (where the gear gets glued in) and my thumb in the other one. That usually tells me whether I need more weight or have enough.

Again, outstanding work on that model Darwin!

Yardbird, use poster putty. It will give you a harder demarcation line, but not a hard one.

OK, I think I've done the last of the filling and sanding. Now I just gotta add some more PE attach and mask a couple of pieces, clean the whole model, and it's paint time!!!!!!

There is an article about Mig-21 in the completely new Brazilian magazine Plastinet, http://www.plastinet.com.br, pages 31-35.