Rescue from the shelf of Doom: Academy's Mig 21
A long time ago I acquired a two-model deal. The first model (Eduard's Mirage) quickly found its way to the display shelf. I used the Polish swordfish scheme decal of the Mig model on an Eduard model and the model found it way to the shelf of doom. Time went by and there was no incentive for me to build the Academy model which is inferior in many aspects to the Eduard Mig 21.
The breakthrough came with the purchase of Academy dedicated Aires detail set. I also added the Yemen air force decals and spare parts from the Eduard kit. These included the vertical stabilizer and pylons.
I wanted a quick build in spite of the resin additions because it does not make sense to correct inaccuracies if you can get a better designed kit. The compromise between the conflicting building approaches was to leave out resin sub units that required substantial plastic carving and cleaning the resin parts. All wheel bays were left out.
When displayed together, the Academy and Eduard kits similar. A closer inspection will reveal that the Eduard kit represents better the original aircraft being slenderer. Unless the Academy's wings are omitted the forward molded bumps of main wheel bays cannot be seen.
Nice work, Rafi. I built that Academy Mig with the Polish swordfish decals. It sits on a shelf with several Eduard Mig-21s. All in all it doesn’t look that bad. The biggest shortcoming to me is the landing gear height gives it a beefier and taller look.
Thank you John. At the end of the day it is good to have the Eduard kit available.
Amazing job on the Academy kit, Rafi!
Thank you Spiros.
Great result, Rafi @blackmopane
The chosen camouflage scheme is outstanding. Well done.
Thank you John.
The decals came from the Afterburner sheet. There are fantastic schemes there.
That's the problem with learning and expanding your knowledge base. For its time the Academy kit was the
"Go to" kit unless you bought the OEZ or ESCI kits which where the first 1/48 scale Mig-21 kits in the West. By todays standards they where crude.
The Academy kit carried the day, Eduard didn't have anything to offer. If your not educated on the nuanced subtleties of what makes a Mig-21 a Mig-21 the Academy kit gets a passing grade.
Rafi,
Its always fun to upgrade a kit or make Lemonade from Lemons while recycling parts from other kits. Raising a kit up from the shelf of doom has its rewards. Your Academy build looks solid and next to its younger cousin, still passes for a Mig-21. Having some fun pays off. Of course those who have studied and have educated themselves will choose the Eduard kit.
Hit the like button.
Thank you Stephen.
Indeed, my point was the fun of kit rescue that can match with newer and "advanced" versions. I like the solid panel engravings in the Academy model.
Nicely done Mig{s}!
Thank you Robert
G'day Rafi (@blackmopane),
Two great MiG-21s.
I really like the camouflage scheme.
Well done.
Thank you Michael
A very nice pair of MiG's! I'm not a stickler for "accuracy." A replica is a replica, and these both look very nice!
Thank you Greg. Me neither.
I’m not a MiG expert , but this one sure looks like a nice model. You did a great job on it.
Thank you Jay