Eduard’s Mig-21MF comes with a lot of features, 13 clear parts (some not used), a colored photo-etch (PE) fret, detailed cockpit, wheel wells, and afterburner. Also included are optional armament, positional canopy, control surfaces, markings for five aircraft, and a stencil sheet.
Building the cockpit, the modeler has the option of using the plastic parts or painted PE detail parts. For those who prefer to work in plastic, the panels have relief. I chose to use the PE. After painting was done, the PE was glued with Microscale Micro Metal Foil Adhesive. The longer drying time gave me the chance to modify the placement. These parts are thin and require care.
My kit was missing the afterburner duct (Part D47). I built the rest of exhaust and glued it into the fuselage. With the engine’s rear fan (Part D50) and afterburner injectors (Part D41) in place you can’t see the missing section.
I painted the wheel wells prior to assembling the wings. Then I painted the wing and tail pieces and set aside. All of the gear doors have shallow attachments with the fuselage resulting in shaky joints. The main gear has PE linkages, but it’s unclear in the assembly diagram where exactly they went.
I assembled and painted the five-piece ejection seat, then added the PE seat belts and decal placards. Final assembly went quickly, thanks to minimal seam cleanup and Eduard’s clever part breakdown. For example, the fuselage spine is a single, separate piece that includes the tailfin.
Supplied ordnance includes R3-S, R-13, and RS-2US air-to-air missiles, and UB-16 air-to-ground rocket pods; 490- and 800-liter fuel tanks are also provided. In the kit but not used are R-60 “Aphid” missiles, S-24 rockets, and UB-32 rocket pods. I armed my MiG-21 with R-3S “Atoll” missiles and fitted it with a 490-liter tank on the centerline.
The kit provides markings for five aircraft; I chose to build mine as a North Vietnamese air force fighter. Precut masks for the canopy and fuselage worked well. Over a base coat of Vallejo aluminum, I masked some panels with Post-it notes for Testors Metalizer stainless steel. Tamiya RLM 2 gray and green colored nose and tail panels. The decals laid down well without solvent. However, the stencils are small and tedious to apply.
It spent 23 hours building this gem. With all the detail, aftermarket options are unnecessary. Because of the fiddly construction, I recommend this kit to experienced modelers.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the May 2019 issue.