Scalemates Mig-21 Group Build 2021

Urban Gardini
Nice, a MiG-21 groupbuild. I hope to be able to join in with a 1:72 scale one during the year and will happily follow all the builds as I do love the 21.

Slavo Hazucha
Of course I´m watching this

- what will it be - a fresh one for the front units or a service-worn veteran? 🙂

Also, did anyone had the chance to compare the standard Eduard PE cockpit parts vs Ed Look 3D pit vs Quintas? On pics & videos, the Quintas appear to have a nicer, more even print than the somewhat grainy print on Ed metal, but I have not seen the real deal yet...

Sergej I
Thanks and welcome everyone!
Slavo, the LööK from Eduard is a prepainted 3D resin part, full volume. I will make comparison pics of both Eduards tonight. Did not want to blow 20€ into a Quintas and never again will think about it, LööK is 6,5€... Quintas would have to have workable instruments for that money...

Sergej I
Fresh or "withdrawn from DDR"... good dilema.

Slavo Hazucha
Sergej, exactly my thinking - in reviews & on youtube, the Quintas do look fab, but the Löök stuff is at least 50% cheaper so I would really like to know where one is in terms of "added value"...

I would like to try the Quintas at some point, but I need to find a justifiable project for that 😄 + I still kind of like doing the good old hand-painted cockpit job, especially when the molds are good...

Urban Gardini
I'm thinking about testing Quintas on my 1:72 Su-57. But as you say it's primary for testing as Quintas is too expensive in my mind but I'd like to test it. Eduard's printed PE otherwise works good in the scale. I prefer to go with resin in larger scales.

Jan Peters
Very nice comparison of optiins for the cockpit.
Pulling up a seat and following this.

Jos Jansen
Definitely one to follow Sergej, nice start 👍...also nice goodies!

Lex Jassies
I really like to break a lance for the Quinta cockpit set QD48077. It seems a lot of money, but when I compare it with the Eduard and Red Fox Cockpit offerings it is not to bad.
The Eduard Lóók set (644055 €7,50) includes only the instrument panel, for the side consoles you have to buy the etch set (FE1149 €11,50) and the latter is flat. This adds up to €19.-
I can't judge the quality of the Red Fox set (48015 or 48042 €17,50) it looks very nice, but lacks the seat harness.
The Quinta Studio has everything you need in it, including the upper parts of the lined sidewalls. I payed €20.- for the set at Robi Modelshop. All by all I think the Quinta set isn't that bad priced?
And no, I haven't any connections with Quinta Studio.

I started a new project and placed two close up pictures of the Quinta set, so you can take a look if you like.

Sergej I
Indeed, thanks for your view, Lex. It makes sense with also the side-panels... and the photos surely give credit to QD.
Do change your album name so it pops up in the groupbuild, it's promising a lot 🙂

Nathan Dempsey
Looks like a great start. Following🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Lovely pit and it looks excellent in the "black widow" finish! 👍

Sergej I
Thanks Nathan and Slavo 🙂
Unfortunately this is not the MiG-28, so there will be chrome and alluminium... and lots of it 🙂

James C
Really nice work and great job on the metal finish👍

Sergej I
Thanks James, the trick will be to keep the metal finish realistic and shiny through the weathering process 🙂

Sergej I
While metal finish dries forever and ALC600 aswel, I have time to spend on details... started with front gear.

Urban Gardini
Looking lovely so far mate!

Lex Jassies
Seeing your progresse (looks very good, by the way 👍) I think it's becoming time I also jump on the project. My exuce for not having started yet is 700 m2 of garden.

Lex Jassies
Did you use any nose weight? And if, how many grams? I've got the feeling it don't need any. But better be safe than sorry

Sergej I
Thank you Urban, Roland and Lex!
I did use weight, you can see the radar cone full of buckshots in pic#12, which were then layer by layer moulded over with PVA. Overengineering, not taking any chances 🙂

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Very nice looking MiG, Sergej.
Metal looks great and the vibrant green match well together. 👍

Sergej I
Thank you WhiteGlint, I like that aswel 🙂
Today's afternoon was spent making the gear struts a bit more interesting. Last two photos.

Bernhard Pethe
I always like to look over the shoulder of anyone who builds a MiG-21. I noticed the lowered ailerons on both sides. But that doesn't work with the MiG-21.
Just as a hint and it can certainly still be changed.
Otherwise, clean model construction. 👍

Sergej I
Bummer. Thanks for the remark, Bernhard, I appreciate you preventing me making a basic mistake. I'll get drunk and cut the bastard 👍 🙂

Daniel
Stunning metallics, exhaust and detailing?
Also good to see you working in the correct scale now Sergej ?

Erik Leijdens
Fantastic NMF painting Sergej! As is your whole build 👍

Nathan Dempsey
Your metal finish is looking beautiful & all that extra detail is going to look great too ?

Sergej I
Thank you mates for your kind comments.

Daniel, I am 45, I suppose it's about time I switch to 48th scale 🙂

Jan Peters
Age is but a number🙂

Lex Jassies
Pity that the numbers are rising so quickly 😉

Jan Peters
I'm turning 51 in a few weeks, feeling 18 at night, 80 in the morning :-D

Urban Gardini
Only 80 at the morning? I feel at least 81 at the morning and from there it gets worse as the day goes on. I turn 51 in six weeks and my Mom turned 81 yesterday and she's in better condition than me...

Maciej Bellos
Excellent work Sergej!

Sergej I
Thanks, Maciej! 🙂
Jan, Lex, Urban, luxury, we are still looking into 40+ quality years of modeling 👍!

Sergej I
Update for today, ailerons fixed 😄

Lex Jassies
Haha Peter. My girlfriend wishes that I would feel 18 when going to bed and in the morning I often wonder if I'm dead or a live 😉. And Sergej, 40 years from now I would be 109. But still love live and a lot of models to build 🙂

Jan Peters
I need at least another 100 years to finish the stash 🙂
Keep it coming Sergej, it looks great

Sergej I
Jan, when you empty your stash, your life ends. It's something that regular people don't understand! 🙂

Jan Peters
🙂

Maciej Bellos
So lets say our stash is our longevity potion then, Sergej. 😄

Clifford Keesler
How did I miss this one? Excellent metal work.

Sergej I
Thank you, Clifford!
Maciej, MrColor Leveling Thinner is anything BUT a longevity potion. However, empty stash means the end of opus, instant death, or so the gypsy fortuneteller at a local model shop tells me...

Augie
Love the metal work!

Rui
Very nice…very, very nice! The metal finish is superb.

Sergej I
By now the stencils are done on top, bottom and right side. Next weekend left side, then GX100 and satan varnish over it. Still a bit confused how much it should be weathered, I kindof like a clean MiG... but not too clean 😄

James C
Looking awesome Sergej👍

Clifford Keesler
Agree with Ja mes, looking awesome. I did not know Migs had so many stencils. It took me forever to put all of mine on.

Sergej I
Thanks James and Clifford. Hopefully Weekend brings the end to stencils.

Slavo Hazucha
Ha! I managed to pull myself together and get back to the hobby before this little bud gets done! Great job so far, looking forward to the final stretch!

I hear you on the stencil topic - I got the Begemot decals for my MiG-31's and there is enough text in red & blue there to put the full volume of Anna Karenina on one and War and Peace on the other one! 😉

Sergej I
Glad to have you back Slavo, looking forward to your masteries! The MiG was resting for the summer, will get back to it... soon.

Sergej I
The rest is no more, back to modeling! So small stencils, I haven't even seen in 1/72 😄
Bottom started playing with wash, then matt, then make-up.

Slavo Hazucha
That's a really nice MiG in the making! 👍 Hope the stencil-work & all turns out as it should!

Clifford Keesler
Looking amazing sir.

Sergej I
Thank you, Slavo and Clifford.

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Beautiful shiny metal and oil stains go really well together.
This is a very fine treat, Sergej.

Sergej I
Thank you WhiteGlint! Much appreciated.

Konrad -
Awesome looking MIG Sergej!!

Augie
Really awesome 🙂

Spanjaard
that NMF is really beautiful

Clifford Keesler
Agree awesome finish.

Sergej I
Thank you all, I really appreciate your comments.
I have learned one thing with NMF... less is more.
Next time no primer, just one very thinned layer of gloss black lacquer will be enough.
Next time I will not use acrylic products on metal, acrylics always form a thin foil over metal. Lacquer bonds, is thinner and leaves more details visible. The trick is to do misty coats over metals, NOT wet-coating.
I started using lint-free wipes for wiping off wash... surprise, surprise, no more scratches and rubbing of wash into varnish.
I would still like to use oils for shading, but tamiya makeups are just so easy and controllable.

Now on to assemble main gears, add static dischargers on front wheel and wings, paint and add pitot tube. various antennas, launchers and airbrake.
And THEN, canopy. That will be a project of its own :/

Metalworks will be finished with a semi-gloss and on some parts I will polish it with tamiya wax. Lets see...

John
The Mig-21 is such an iconic Cold War fighter - excellent work so far.

Paul
@sergej - Great work and loads of fun to watch. In pic 45 you mentioned Gauzy. I've never used that product on bare metal. So do you dip the whole thing? just brush some on then wait to dry and polish? Totally lost on how you did it. Any help would be appreciated.

Andrew Horton
Nice job man.

Jan Peters
Beautifull weathering!!

Gary Victory
Beautiful Work on the MIG Sergej. The metal finish looks spot on. Looking forward to your final reveal.

Slavo Hazucha
Symphony in D-metal 😉 👍 Every panel has its own tune...

Sergej I
Thank you mates for watching and feedback 🙂
@Paul - There are two Gauzys. Glass coat is the orange one for dipping. It seems thicker to me and I only use it for glazing the instruments and lights.
Then there is the green Intermediate Gauzy. That one is airbrushable from the bottle, but it does not level as nice as GX100.
This stuff is "Future clone". Acrylic layer which adds decent protection for handling ultra thin coats of metal lacquers and enamels such as Gunze Metal II, Alclad II and AK Xtreme Metal.
However, as I wrote above, even thin layer of Gauzy forms some sort of film over the paint and more severly - deposits into nice thin panel lines - making panel lines uneven when filled with panel-liners. So next time I will go one step further and use only lacquer products up to weathering. 🙂

Paul
Thanks!

Erik Leijdens
Fantastic bare metal!

Thomas T
Beautiful paint job!

Clifford Keesler
That seat looks awesome, just like the rest of the build.

Daniel
Looking beautiful, stylish and realistic at the same time, an absolute gem in the making👍👍

Sergej I
Thank you all for kind feedback! I see an end to this one, it will be my first completed build in 2021 🙁

Daniel
Quality > Quantity 🙂

Spanjaard
I fully agree with Daniel. less is more, a lot more 🙂

Maciej Bellos
Many many likes!

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Great job, Sergej. The vibrant cockpit between all that metal looks great! 👍

Nathan Dempsey
Wow, that's lovely.

Clifford Keesler
What a beautiful Mig Sergej I, well done sir.

Sebastian Meyner
Fantastic finish mate 👍

Andrew Horton
Very nice, indeed!

Jan Peters
Excellent job, looking forward to the pictures

Sergej I
Thank you mates! It was definitely a pleasant build, a trip into several firsts, but I am happy how it turned out. A liiiitle bit more discrete shading would be in order, it was nevertheless an exemplary serviced aircraft, or so the badge states...
Can't wait for October-scheduled re-issue of a Yugoslav MiG-21R by Eduard. That one will probably have to be alu-repainted, so a totally different approach 🙂
Wooo, first completed build in '21, thank you all for following it through, now on to next project 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Congrats Sergej - beautiful MiG and a very nicely documented build! The paintjob really put it in afterburner mode, superb planning, techniques & execution. I think the shading is spot on, maybe on the top end of the realistic, but definitely within the boundaries and - let´s be honest - it just looks fabulous here. 👍

Will you shoot more pics of the finished deal? This one would definitely deserve that! 🙂

Treehugger
Very nice. 🙂

For those looking for aftermarket parts, there are some nice ones for the rocket pods I know. Seems to come in two versions which I can't tell the difference between, one for helicopters and one for jets.

Sergej I
Thank you Slavo for a nice review, means a LOT coming from such an experienced modeller 👍.
The finished Fishbed album is already up, Scalemates Mig-21 Group Build 2021 | Album by Vargbrujo (1:48)

Thank you Treehugger, actually these rocket pods are Eduard aftermarket, included in the Profipack. They are resin with much higher detail than moulded ones.

Lex Jassies
Just beautiful. Congrats with this result 👍

Urban Gardini
Lovely metal finish mate!

Jos Jansen
Absolutely a stunning build with beautiful details in painting and weathering...👍!