Eduard MIG-21 MF 1/48, Nationale Volksarmee

Started by Johannes Gerl · 27 · 8 years ago · 1/48, Eduard, MIG-21 MF, Nationale Volksarmee
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    Editor said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    Looking good. What was the exact with the wing-to-fuselage joint?

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    Rob Pollock said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    Sovereign now have picked up all the White Ensign colours, incuding the Soviet range.

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    Guillermo Diaz De Leon Calzada said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    Excellent job Halvar, I finished an Eduard's MiG-21 SMT as out of the box and I enjoy every step and detail from the kit, I am pending on you can finish it.
    Cheers from México.

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    @Martin 1:
    I do some minor post processing with the pics like adjusting brightness and shadow. The pictures of the whole airframe show the limitations of my set-up: for proper illumination they had required a lateral source of light.

    @Martin 2:
    The problem is the building step in the picture below: if you properly align the front wing edge, the bars between the flaps and the joint at the wing tips, you will end up with a gap at the wing root. If you try to position the part in a way that the gaps at the wing roots vanish (which won't work completely, but of course you can get close), you will end up with some offset at the other locations. To me the conclusion is that something went wrong at the design of the kit.
    This is not a big deal as some liquid filler would actually solve the problem. I wanted to show this alternative approach as it gives a satisfying result and helps to save some sanding. The very nice surface detail of this kit has not deserved too much sanding.

    @all,
    many thanks for you comments, I'm glad you like it.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    On with the build: airframe details.
    The Mig-21 is paved with dozens of fins and air inlets. The latter representing the control systems of the pre-digital age. Many of these parts have been hollowed out.

    The area around the rear air guide panel is certainly not the best side of the kit. The tubes installed in parallel to the panel of the aircraft, in the kit are depicted as nothing else then two humps. Additionally, with the blade installed, you get a huge gap between hump 1 and hump 2. This contrasts with the again excellent surface detail of the panel itself.
    I felt a tendency to scratch build the tubes, but found the project already too advanced for the required plastic surgery. To fill gaps like that I sometimes use styrene resolved in Tamiya Super Thin Cement as the capillary effect soaks it nicely in the clearance. I have to see what other technique is required after all is set to finally get a smooth transition.

    The fit of the panels in front of the cockpit, however, is magnificent. Very little little Mr. Surfacer 500 gives a uniform and crisp panel line.

    10 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    There were times when modelling was more relaxed than today. Expensive photo etched parts at prominent place, CA to be applied on clear parts, the build on the forum ...

    Eventually it all went down nicely. Keep your thumbs pressed please that none of the super thin CA has made its way behind the masks.

    Chapeau to Eduard for the precision of their photo etch sealings.

    I have made up my mind quite a bit about how to glue them down and finally used Cappilary CA and Microbrush applicators that allow positioning the part first and applying glue second.

    Reference picture by Daniel Große Verspohl. (I'm aware that this is not an MF cockpit, but the sealings are well visible.)

    4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Richard Mcstay said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    Looking great so far! I'm not sure I could sit in one of those cockpits for too long, I think the colour would give me a headache!

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    This is a remarkable kit. It's said to be Eduard's first work as a full kit manufacturer and you can feel this in many respects. The good news: as good as the entire rivet and panel line detail has been researched with great care and the attempt to bring them all on the kit is evident. Unfortunately most of the rivets have been clearly understated, especially on the fuselage. At many builds that can be found on the web this is yielding in an experience of no riveting at all.
    In the reference pictures of my specific aircraft, however, rivets are clearly visible and I dare to say that without them being accordingly accentuated the model would suffer a loss.
    Speaking of the fuselage, the moulds seem to have received a special treatment compared to wings and rudder as their surface texture is less smooth and panel lines are less crisp. A primer base coat therefore was applied.

    Given the above said I decided to emphasise the riveting at my model using the illustrated tools. The riveting wheel could hardly be used as there is no such thing as a unified distance of rivets at the MIG-21 and eventually I did them one by one with the steel needle. That sounds much worse as it is, the entire work was done in two hours. The result is clear to see in the contrast of the two pics of the rudder.

    12 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    When building models you never know when and how desaster will strike, but I had not placed a bet on the nose cone to break when the model fell from its stand.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 5 months ago:

    The painting process has finally started.
    I really like the days when the model develops from primer grey to its real colours.

    3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Johannes Gerl said 8 years, 2 months ago:

    Dear all,
    I'm putting this project aside for a while, the reason being
    1) that one of the resin wheel wells has loosened and fell into the fuselage. I currently have no good idea how to fix this and finishing the build with closed landing gear does not yet look sufficiently compelling to me.
    2) AMK's MIG-31 has landed on my work bench and it's calling out for me.

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    Greg Kittinger said 8 years, 1 month ago:

    I know you would lose all that interior door detail, but I suggest mounting in-flight. Give you the chance to detail out a pilot also... I'm always looking for folks to join me in showing aircraft how they were meant to be!