Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

[Domi]

Hi there, I'm new here, but LetLetLet is far from being new to me, as I know and have had 'dealings' with several members of this forum over many years now.  Our friend Srecko has tasked me with reviewing a few 1/144 kits for your benefit, and I'll be starting with the really cute Eduard MiG-21.  More precisely, the SMT boxing.  My plan is to review the kit and build it out of the box, to show you what the kit is all about, rather than going into a lengthy build with super-detailling  or other conversion.  I'm not saying those type of builds will not appear here from time to time, but in this case, I just wish to show you the basic kit and point out a few things (if necessary) and hopefully tempt you into building the kit yourself...

1/144, in terms of military aviation is becoming quite popular here in Europe, though the great majority of the products are still only available in Japan, a few from some of the main manufacturers like Hasegawa, but mostly from some far less well-known sources.  A look at the Kampfgruppe 144 blog will simply astound you by the shear variety and quantity of 1/144 products available..!

Eduard has dabbled with 1/144 aviation in the past, namely with some really nice Me-262s and Ju-52s and after a relatively long break, brought smiles to the 1/144 community by releasing not one but three boxings of the famed MiG-21.  More recently, Eduard has offered us a Spitfire Mk.IX and has re-released the Ju-52.  A good sign that 1/144 military aviation is on the move, in a good way.

I'll be working on the SMT (Fishbed K) boxing.  Most of the parts are common to the other two boxings, and I assume most comments that will follow in terms of fit, accuracy, and all, will apply to the other boxings (it certainly does when it comes to the initial, MiG-21 MF, boxing).

The cost of the kit is making it accessible to all, or most I'd say.  Of particular interest though is the fact that each of those boxings offer not one but two complete kits, which gives the package an even better deal in my eyes!

Here is a picture showing the kit sprues (only one of the two kits' sprues are shown), and the common decal sheet, masks sheet and the cover of the instruction booklet.

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

The parts are finely engraved, with plenty of detail despite the diminutive size (the fuselage, without the nose cone, is just under 9cm long).  Whether those panel lines should be finer, or even non-existent at this scale, is a matter of debate and of current trend in our hobby, but to me, they look just fine and will result in finished models that will fit well with other current releases from other manufacturers.  Note that engraved panel lines were the norm on 1/144 military aircraft well before they became common on 1/72 and even larger kits...  Otaki, LS, and Arii in particular were offering this feature at least back in the very early 1980s..!  The clear parts are commendably thin, extremely transparent and this kit offers the canopy in two parts (windshield as a separate part) and two separate main canopy parts, one with the pilot's periscope, the other without.

Here's a view of the sprue that differenciates this SMT boxing from the others, with the more prominent dorsal hump of the Fishbed K.

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

The decal sheet provides markings for five Soviet/Russian aircraft.  The decals appear thin, and are well printed.  The masks sheet offers masks for various areas of the aircraft that are not typically camouflaged, such as canopy, windshield, wheels, dielectric panels and the like.

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

The next view shows the kit in construction.  I have deliberately not followed the kit's instructions, in particular when it comes to the cockpit, so that I can apply the main colour on the aircraft (silver) before painting the internal areas.  This saves on masking chores!  The fit is very good overall...

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

[No.1]

Nice start mate and kit look very detailed no matter of its size

[Sall]

Go ahead mate!!

[Domi]

Things are progressing pretty well...  As can be seen above, the fuselage is split verticaly.  The 'hump' and fin assembly is also split verticaly (though the fin is in one piece) and places itself over the back of the fuselage without any trouble.  I used just a touch of Milliput epoxy putty to fill in a tiny little gap between the two assemblies right under the rudder, but this may well have been caused by myself and poor assembly technique instead of by poor design and poor fit of the parts.  Indeed my previous work on the MF kit did not cause that particular problem...

The fuselage halves contain a separate 'bulkhead' / afterburner ring that is located quite deep inside the rear opening, with very little actually visible once the fuselage halves are joined.  At the very front, the nose cose is also inserted prior assembly of the fuselage halves, though my previous efforts on the MF kit proved that with a touch of sanding down, the nose cose can be inserted at a later stage if need be.  The fit is real tight in any case, and there is no fear of any 'see through' effect with this kit.  The cockpit detail is provided by a number of well detailled parts, including floor (with integral seat or bottom part of the ejection seat), separate side walls, separate control stick, separate instrument panel and separate instrument panel cover, along with enough parts for two ejection seats 'backs'...  Some two-seater in the making..??  Although PE sets are now available for this cockpit, the level of detail is adequate for the scale.  Only seat belts are really missing in the offered parts, and those, in my eyes, will look better made of milliput strips, or even masking tape, than rigid PE parts.  As can be seen from the pictures of my build, I've so far left off the back of the seat and the instrument panel cover, to make sure I can access all areas when painting this cockpit in the proper Soviet turquoise blue...  

Also located inside the fuselage halves is a unit, made up of 4 parts, including two bulkheads, that close off the main landing gear wells.  The level of detail in there is quite impressive, really, and the unit does a great job of 'furnishing' and closing off the openings.  Well designed!

The wings are in one part with a big chunk of the fuselage underside.  Fit is really good, with no filler needed anywhere.  The proper slight dihedral of the wings is therefore easily achieved in a single 'click'.  This leaves only a few areas of fuselage where a joint line remains visible.  Light sanding down of those areas, and a little re-engraving work (7 panel lines, including 5 at the top of the fuselage, at most) give us the expected and desired finish.  The elevators are added without any fuss.  Although their locating holes are gaping holes in the rear fuselage and can be seen through the rear opening, once in place, the elevators close off the gaps properly and the locating tabs are too deep inside the fuselage opening to be seen.  The kit offers a number of pylons for missiles, bombs and other tanks.  I like my models 'clean', but for this build, I did add the three pylons for the three tanks.  Only two underwing tanks are provided with each kit though, so the under-fuselage one, if required, must be taken from the other kit in the box.  The pylons fit really well to the airframe.  Tanks and missiles are all provided in one piece, and look like decent representation of the real things.  Purists, if using those stores, may want to replace the fins with thinned plastic of metal sheeting.  The pitot tubes are very delicate things, and the main probe at the very tip of the fuselage is provided twice with each kit, so messing one up is OK..!  I left mine off the build for later addition, one the painting, decalling and weathering is done. 

A coat of primer reveals no makor issues:

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

   

[Domi]

A base coat of matt silver has been airbrushed over the aircraft...

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

Without the benefit from any washes, the main landing gear already look good:

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

Here's a view of the unpainted cockpit area:

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

The decals are next.  They are very thin and I'd recommend using solvents only once the decals are at their perfect location: moving them around is tricky, at best, due to their thinness...

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

[No.1]

Very fast and very smooth finish!!!

[Sall]

Excellent job mate!!

[Domi]

The silver used on the model is a metal cote Humbrol shade, though I was not planning any rubbing nor buffing, just a 'base coat' over the acrylic primer (Halfords automotive acrylic grey primer).  The various dielectric panels have been painted green, the air intake ring dark grey, the tyres dark grey too.  I did not bother using any of the provided masks.  A fine brush and some well mixed acrylic paint can save a lot of time!  ;-)  A couple thin coats of Microscale satin varnish seal eveything.  Now a bit of waiting before getting into the weathering and panel shading...

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

The landing gear is quite good for the scale: the main landing gear consist each of two parts, plus the wheel, plus two doors, one needing a bit of bending (well explained in the instruction booklet).  The front landing gear is a one piece affair, with two separate doors.  The tyres are well defined and a fine brush and thinned grey paint cover the 'rubber' areas quickly and efficiently.  The cockpit has received a coat of turquoise blue, followed by a dark blue water-based artist paint wash.   

[No.1]

Any link to get more info about Halfords automotive acrylic grey primer? Work is great

[Sall]

 

[Second Air Force]

Great build!

[Domi]

Halfords is like a generic car (and bicycle) parts supermarket, where one finds the basic tools and parts to take care of one's vehicle.  Shops are all over the UK, and Ireland, but I don't think there are any outside those countries...   They carry a large range of spray cans to do repair on most common makes of cars (they do not have Ferrari red, for instance!), and this range is complimented by a very good series of primers (red oxyde, black, white and light grey) which I have been using for years...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_categoryId_165505_langId_-1

[Domi]

A wash of sepia has now been applied overall.  At this scale anything darked would be too harsh, I feel.  I tend to prefer artist's water colours for this operation, as the effect can easily be 'erased' if too strong.  Once the wash has dried, I can remove any excess with a damp Q-tip.  My washes are made with water and a couple of drops of washing-up liquid, as well as a couple of drops of vinegar.  The washing-up liquid breaks the tendency of water to 'regroup', hence allowing a nice flow in all recesses.  I found that the vinegar helps reducing hard edges when the wash dries off.  Not much of an issue here since we're talking water colours, but it can make life a lot easier with acrylic-based washes.

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

[No.1]

This is good idea about wash, it is also possible to use artist ink for that purpose but need some little practice. Nice link and info about the spray but to regret the do not deliver them so I will continue with my Gunze Sangyo primers

[Domi]

Here is the state of things before the week end break..

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 SMT (Fishbed K)

Panel shading planned for early next week...