Academy's 1/48 scale
MiG-21PF
by Bucky Sheftall
![](images/mig21pfbs_title.jpg) |
MiG-21PF |
![](images/squadronbannernewbg_6.JPG)
Academy's
1/48 scale MiG-21MF is available online from Squadron.com
Here is the Academy 1/48 MiG-21PF done up as an early
model Fishbed in North Vietnamese Air Force scheme circa 1967.
Most of the Natural Metal Finish is foil, but wingtips, tricky fillet
areas and, most notably, the "tube" portion of the forward fuselage are
Alclad "Aluminum" and/or "Polished Aluminum".
![](images/mig21pfbs_1.jpg)
The kit employs a mixture of Eduard brass and FM Details brass and
resin.
The pitot tube is scratched from telescoping brass
pipes. "Atolls" are AIM-9s shanghai'ed from the Hasegawa F-86F-30.
Canopy is acrylic (my source was plastic from name card holders) "blown"
over kit part on my homemade vacforming setup. Decals are from the kit.
The pix with the vermilion Japanese-style "chopseal" signature are
"oeuvres" that have been, in the parlance, "optimized" in Photoshop.
Said "optimization" consists mainly of: thinning out unrealistically
thick edges (e.g. Atoll fins) ; extending model base out to merge with
"virtual" landscaped; adding 'Nam-like foliage to the background (photos
on Vietnam tourism websites are good sources for realistic digital
vegetation!), and of course, the jet exhaust thermals in several of the
shots.
![](images/mig21pfbs_6.jpg)
Overall, I had a great time building my Fishbed. The kit deserves every
iota of the accolades it has garnered over the years.
Click the
thumbnails below to view larger images:
Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21
Units in Combat
(Combat Aircraft 44) |
|
|
![](images/S6550AS.JPG) |
Author: David Nicolle and Tom Cooper
Illustrator: Mark Styling
US Price: $19.95
UK Price: £12.99
Publisher:
Osprey Publishing
Publish Date: March 25, 2004
Details: 96 pages; ISBN: 1841766550 |
|
|
Model, Images and
Text Copyright © 2005 by
Bucky Sheftall
Page Created 26 May, 2005
Last Updated
25 May, 2005
Back to
HyperScale Main Page |