MiG-21MF LanceR C - Romania - 2012
This is the exact aircraft I am trying to reproduce
The forward aerodynamic brakes are looking fairly well before integration. I was so looking forward to using them since I think this is one of the cool MiG-21 structures missing from the standard kit.
Cutting the existing retracted forward aerodynamic brakes shouldn't be challenging.
So far pretty clean, but I had to cut even more to make the parts fit.
This is where it's not that clean anymore. I have no idea what went wrong, but resin parts didn't fit that well. I had to cut even more from the fuselage and even after several tries of satisfactory dry fitting, I am not satisfied with the result. I am not sure I would try this resin set again.
The overall integration required quite some sanding. The resing gun looks really good when compared ro the plastic one from the kit. Not all parts are added yet, some antennas and the fins still need to be added.
The white resin parts are the LanceR specific parts. The long tube on top of the wing broke in several pieces during separation from the resin block. It will need more work or maybe complete replacement.
Again a view of the gun. Really worth it to be honest.
The air scoops are also resin parts and are standard for the MF. They are also looking good. (overall some antenas are still not integrated yet.
Soma Lancer resin part - a newly mounted Flare launcher. There is another one on the other side too, but mounted asymmetrically.
Some final check before priming. Some forward fins and antennas still missing. Not sure which ones will be integrated now in order not to brake them during handling.
The two large rear resin parts are the Flare launchers which have indeed this asymmetric mounting.
The two large rear resin parts are the Flare launchers which have indeed this asymmetric mounting.
Plenty of additional small antennas, sensors and air intakes for the LanceR when compared to the standard MF.
A new air conditioning/cooling system was required for the new and more demanding avionics.
A new air conditioning/cooling system was required for the new and more demanding avionics.
The Lancer C is succesfuly primed after long sanding and adjustements of the elongated addition from the top of the wing. Some discrete fine sanding still required, since the primer was a bit too coarse.
The Lancer C is succesfuly primed. The missing small PE antennas will be added at the end.
An overview of the differences between the upgraded Lancer C and the standard MiG-21MF (missing its small fins from under cockpit). Several PE antennas not added yet to the LanceR.
Two small air intakes around the cockpit (marked with red) were sadly not included in the conversion set from Icaerodesign, but there should be nothing that challenging in scratchbuilding such parts.
Two small air intakes around the cockpit (marked with red) were sadly not included in the conversion set from Icaerodesign, but there should be nothing that challenging in scratchbuilding such parts.
An overview of the differences between the upgraded Lancer C and the standard MiG-21MF (missing its small fins from under cockpit). Several PE antennas not added yet to the LanceR.
An overview of the differences between the upgraded Lancer C and the standard MiG-21MF (missing its small fins from under cockpit). Several PE antennas not added yet to the LanceR.
Two more air pipes just behind the forward aerodynamic brakes are also not included in the conversion set from Icaerodesign. There is a third missing one found on one of the doors of the forward landing gear (not seen here).
Two more air pipes just behind the forward aerodynamic brakes are also not included in the conversion set from Icaerodesign. There is a third missing one found on one of the doors of the forward landing gear (not seen here).
So I finally managed to paint the underside. It was quite tricky to find the right color for this unusual turqouise applied on some of the LanceRs. It seems the number 5724 also had this strong color.
The small fin under the cockpit got detached during painitng.
The small fin under the cockpit got detached during painitng.
This is going to be tricky to weather...
Engine exhaust also attached and everything sealed with a glossy varnish.
Decals, washes and post-shading following.
Decals, washes and post-shading following.
Decals and most of weathering ready. I've seen some heavy chipped paint on some.of these machines.
Forward aerodynamic brakes started looking good now. Some surface imperfections I saw for the first time in the pictures.
Underside mostly ready.
The Master Model Pitot tube looks so much better than the plastic part of the kit, but it requires adding very small metallic, minuscule PE fins with a barely visible pin inside an equally minuscule hole from the tube. Since the PE fins weren't looking nice after glueing, I prefered styrene fins.
I chose as payload some Magic R.550 missiles, often carried by the Lancer C. The only ones I managed to find were from ResKit. Unfortunately, the missiles themselves were already bent from the very beginning. Also, the surface textures is very rough and required quite some work. You can see that in the first picture above, before sanding. Not really what I was expecting to be honest, but the outcome is decent. In any case, they are looking better in reality than in these photos.
Overall, the model is 98% finished now.
Overall, the model is 98% finished now.
And finished finally.
And exactly the number 5724 while firing a R550 Magic II missile.
The blue color seems a little distorted due to the yelowish light.
And a group photo with the older standard MF from the beginning of the 90's.
And a group photo with the older standard MF
A contrast of the cockpit can be seen here better
A contrast of the cockpit can be seen here better
Kommentarer
77 18 December 2021, 18:30
Jan PetersVery cool subject Marius, I will follow this with interest.
Shame the resin parts dont really fit, I had the same problem with the brassin exhaust tube that came with the bunny fighter MF. Could not get it to fit,. You are taking the hard road, but in the end it will be worth it👍🏻
19 December 2021, 16:52
Pierre-Christian BaudruGreat project ! I'm doing the same and will follow your build.
26 December 2021, 05:38
Piotr Sarniński-GóreckiYour projects Marius are some kind of NG or Discovery documents - a really pleasure to watch 🙂
26 December 2021, 10:49
MariusSo I finally managed to find a proper color for the unusual blue applied on the underside. General painting should be ready. Decals next.
17 January 2022, 05:46
Michael Kohlinteresting project. Thanx for the detailled outline of the versions specifications. This might help some in the future.
17 January 2022, 07:52
MariusThank you all for the comments so far. The construction is very advanced, but I am waiting for some white stencils to arrive before posting new pictures. I am so far happy with the progress, but it's going slow since I am having other 5(!) MiG-21s in progress.
28 February 2022, 09:18
MariusThank you. As usual, I noticed some surface imperfections for the first time in the pictures thanks to the lightning and macro....I guess that should be the next step, fixing all of that.
15 March 2022, 09:25
Bernd GrünVery impressive LanceR, Marius. Outstanding build and paint job. Congratulation!
15 March 2022, 12:53
Jan PetersLooking good Marius 👍🏻
Minor imperfections are only seen in a macro picture, so why bother?
15 March 2022, 18:48
Piotr Sarniński-GóreckiAnother beautiful model from your workshop Marius - congrats !!! Pleasure to look 🙂
27 April 2022, 08:42
MariusThank you so much guys, really appreciate it! 🙂 I am aware it's not perfect, but I am comfortable with the result.
I decided to upload the finished model here as well, since I apparently created more confusion with two albums.
@Jan you were right at the beginning, the resin parts were worth it in the end.
It is a very heavy model in the end due to the resin parts and additional counterweights to compensate. The landing gear broke several times during handling due to the weight.
27 April 2022, 14:56
Simon NagorsnikGreat result mate!
Top paint job and i like the camo pattern that you have chosen👍
27 April 2022, 15:10
Album info
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, several Eastern European countries were facing difficulties being supplied with spare parts and engines for their Soviet made military aircraft fleet, in some cases even with significantly higher prices. One such case was Romania, which had a particularly cold/distant relationship with the USSR. This forced the Romanian Air Forces to retire prematurely the MiG-23s and MiG-29s not long after the year 2000. The MiG-29s were barely received in december 1989.
Instead, it was decided in 1993 to upgrade 110 MiG-21Ms and MFs to western standards. The program provided a total inventory of 73 MiG 21 LanceR A (single-seat ground attack variant), 23 LanceR C (single-seat air superiority jets) and 14 LanceR B (two-seat training and ground-attack version). The MiG-21 LanceR had now modern avionics, self defense systems and could arm both modern western weapons and soviet weapons, becoming a fourth generation jet.
As of end of 2021, between 25 ad 30 MiG-21 LanceR were probably still operational, with parts of the fleet being already replaced since 2016 with F-16 AMs. The MiG-21 LanceR will be completely retired in the coming few years, after which Romania won't be having any Soviet made military aircraft any more.
On the 3rd of March 2022 , one week after the Ukraine War had started, a further fatal MiG-21 Lancer C accident has lead to the indefinite grounding of the entire remaining LanceR fleet. The accident was officially caused by extreme weather, but since the event happened not very far from the border to Ukraine and the Black Sea, there was plenty of room for speculations.
My model is equipped with two R550 Magic II missiles ans two external fuel tanks, a typical configuration for air policing.
Group Build
Scalemates Mig-21 Group Build 2021
15. Mars til 31. Desember 2021
15. Mars til 31. Desember 2021