**** DONE: MiG 21 PF 'Fishbed D', Moscow District PVO Aviation Fighter Regiment, 1967

[Wurger]

Terry could you post a pic of the bulges for the Fowler flap tracks on the wing? I have to check something....please.

Oh....one info more.When was looking at the pic with the bulge on fuselage ( above the wheel bays) I've noticed these could be incorrect too.. These seem to be too long and placed incorrectly.I'm not sure but in a few of fuselage drawnings I have seen these were put directly above these bays and had the same length as the wheel departments.

 

[Airframes]

No problem my friend. I'll do the pics now and post them in about half and hour. Funnily enough, I'm just looking at the fuselage bulges now. I think you might be right, although in some pics they look similar to those in the kit. I'll probably leave them, as they'll hardly be noticed, and changing them will be a complex job due to the way the wing jointing surfaces and slots are arranged, and the moulding of the wheel bay.

 

[Wurger]

I think you are right.These corrections of bulges on the fuselage can be omitted.The incorrection can be seen barely.

 

[Airframes]

Sorry for the delay, I lost Internet connection.
Here are the pics.
PIC 1. Lower wing, showing inboard and outboard bulges over the flap tracks.
PIC 2. Upper wing, same.
PIC 3. The fuselage bulge, which appears perhaps too long at the forward end. The dark 'spot' at right is the SPS panel which will be filled-in.
I haven't identified any panel for the ammunition loading, which I think was above the wing, at the forward fuselge, but rear of the cockpit.

 

[Airframes]

I've made a bit more progress on the cockpit, with the scratch-built additions now sanded, cleaned-up, and painted. The instrument panel still didn't look quite like it should, so some more work has been done there, building-up the top of the 'Sapfir' radar scope housing, drilling holes for a couple more instruments on the engine panel, and making a mount for the attitude indicator, which is very prominent on the real panel. It's still not totally accurate, but good enough.
PIC 1 shows the starboard cockpit wall, with the switches and test panels used by the ground crew. These mate-up with the side console, and look quite effective when viewed through the cockpit opening. The colour here is a slightly darker shade of Peacock Blue. I had mixed this to what was approximately the right shade, using Tamiya acrylics (bl**dy Humbrol matt white enamel had dried-up yet again!) but it looked too light, so I darkened it a touch which, although it appears now to be too dense and bright, actually looks about right when the cockpit is enclosed in the fuselage.
PIC 2. The cockpit tub has been painted, and the control column and rudder pedals added. I've just noticed I forgot to make and add the brake lever to the control column grip!
PIC 3. The instrument panel is only clipped in place here, in order to check alignment with the cockpit side walls. Once the model has been painted, the instrument coaming and armoured internal windshield will be fitted, and the sidescreens made and fitted, along with a gunsight and some wiring etc.
The nose shock cone and nose- wheel well will be added next, some lead weight stuffed into the nose, and the forward fuselage sections joined around the cockpit tub.
The next job then is to scratch-build some details onto the basic representation of the SK-1 ejection seat, which will be fitted after the model has been painted, in order to avoid damage when masking.
Thanks again for your kind comments, and I'll post another up-date soon.

 

[Catch22]

Very nice Terry!

 

[rochie]

looks good Dogsbody.
you think they painted them that colour because they had a big stockpile of unused tins and didnt want to waste them ?!!!!!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Cory and Red Two.
Yeah, that colour is almost gay isn't it!? Apparently, the colour was used following research, which showed it was a more relaxing, less distracting colour for the small enclosed space, or something like that. Bit unusual for the Russians I would have thought, they always seemed to be more of the 'Yes, it's crude, but it works and we've got bl**dy thousands of 'em' school of thought! Of course, during that period, the RAF, being 'ever so, old chap', were still using designer black!
Better than pink I suppose......

 

[T Bolt]

Looks great Terry! That blue is rather startling though. Maybe the Soviets thought they were decorating a nursery.

 

[A4K]

Interesting idea behind the choice of paint colour ...much better than the RAF "It's small, it's cramped. F--- it, let's paint it black!" idea..

Great work Terry!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Looking good Terry

 

[Crimea_River]

With all above.

 

[Wurger]

Humm..unfortunately the blue colour for the cockpit interior is incorrect I think.All early MiG-21s that were delivered by the Russian factories had their cockpit interiors painted with a grey colour.The pilot panel was black painted. Later the blue-green paint ( not the blue one) was used as the cockpit interior colour.Mostly the late interior blue-green was applied by factories that carried overhauls out. I mean these ones from former DDR, also in Dęblin , Poland.

 

[Airframes]

Hmm. I've got pics and notes in more than one book showing the black finish, and the blue cockpit with black instrument panel, and then the peacock blue overall. The latter was apparently introduced on the second generation MiG21, including the PF. I painted it from a photo of a PF, so it'll just have to stay this way now!

 

[magnu]

Looking good Terry

 

[Airframes]

Thanks mate.

 

[Wurger]

OK. Terry There is no problem I think. It is not easy to recognize the paint tonality having a B&W pics.

 

[Airframes]

They were colour pics Wojtek, and some B&W which showed probably grey consoles, with a black instrument panel. One of the books I downloaded from you said the cockpit was chromate green!!!
I must admit, a colour pic of the SK-1 seat looked more of a greyish blue though. It's probable that the colour pic of the cockpit wasn't a VVS or PVO aircraft, possibly German. Ah well, too late now!
BTW, did you check the pics I posted of the flap track housing?

 

[Wurger]

It appears that we can't trust the colour pics... The info about the grey colour of the early MiG-21s is from a pilot who has flown them.Concerning the Sk-1 seat colours , please follow these in the references.However we can't be sure if these aren't for these seats that were overhauled. Also there wasn't any difference between these used by VVS and those used by PVO I thought.What is more the PVO was a part of The VVS.

And yes I have seen these pics.Sorry I didn't mention that.I must have been a little been wired with other things.
Generally these look good.But there is something wrong with them .I don't know what but there is a PF MiG standing at my workplace.So I can try to take a few shots of the flap ereas.I'll post then soon I hope.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much Wojtek, that's brilliant! As for the colours, you're right, I always thought the cockpits of earlier MiGs were a grey colour. Ah, well, not to worry. I might try to repaint it, but it might really mess it up. I'll have to think about it!