Trumpeter 1/48 Mig 21UM
A well photographed Croat Mig Mongol that I thought would be a weekend project, but remained un-finished for some time. As it turned out the problem was not with the kit.
Trumpeter's Mig 21UM is a good kit. By comparison in terms of quality to the Eduard and Academy Mig 21 kits it sits comfortably in between. The choice however, is limited since Trumpeter's kit is the only game in town for the scale. Cockpit layout is better than basic but, I felt that it would look better with closed canopies. The trouble was that the canopy parts would not close properly because the ejection seats are too high.
Over all the fit of parts was good and the model looks like a Mongol. However, seem lines are prominent and since the fit is not better than good, I decided to go with the flow with the kit. In hind sight, it was a good decision since the paint job to represent the particular aircraft was difficult to accomplish. White is no color and red is a very dominant color. Combining the two in an intricate pattern over ever-changing surface means that you would need to repeat the painting process to cover the tiny over flows.
Decals were adapted from the spare box together with Eduard parts to adapt the model to the Croat version. After the model was completed I corrected the overflow bits with a white oil paint.
A wonderful job, Rafi! Congratulations on the painting, really stands out!
Thank you Spiros
Superb result, Rafi @blackmopane
The scheme turned out really great, especially how you got the lines so perfectly straight at the rounded areas.
Thank you John.
The photographs are deceiving. You may think that all the angles are covered but,...
Looks to be a difficult paint scheme to say the least. Well done.
Thank you Steve
Great colour scheme that came out very well. I hate the real thing, they’re so noisy.
Thank you George. I also was not impressed with the real aircraft (defected from Iraq) and never thought that I would build so many of it.
Well done, Rafi. With that great paint job it must really stand out in the display case.
Thank you Gary. Indeed, which is why I put it in the back so that it does not over shadow the rest.
G'day Rafi (@blackmopane),
This is a fantastic scheme.
Liked!
Thank you Michael
That is a sharp looking model Ravi. Quite the challenging scheme but you managed to pull it off. I’m sure it stands out on display. I’m sure you aren’t thrilled with the end result but who of us who builds isn’t always disappointed knowing what is incorrect or what we could have done better. Regardless, you did a great job on an iconic aircraft !
Thank you Dan.
Super cool, love the color scheme- great paintwork!
Thank you David
Very striking model @blackmopane! That looks superb Rafi, such a different scheme for that MiG! 👍
Thank you Gary
Nice work on a challenging scheme, Rafi!
Thank you John
Wow - very cool build. Excellent work on the paint scheme, and the tip on using the white oil paint for touch-ups is one I will remember! Well done.
Thank you Greg