What is the best mig-21 kit in 1/72nd scale? I plan on converting a Mig-21 to a Romainian Lancer (Already have decals for the cool 3 tone gray scheme with blue belly) and need to find a kit better than the two I have. I planned on using an Eastern Express Kit but the canopy has a crease in the middle of it and black specs in the clear plastic. The other kit I have is an old Matchbox kit with no interior, I thought about swapping canopies but the Matchbox canopy appears too wide… Is the KP kit any good or should I try to find Fujumi’s kit? I believe the Lancer is converted from a Mig-21MF or bis, not certain which.
Personally, I think the Fujimi kit is the best, but I haven’t tried many others.
Regards, Rick
The Fujimi is probably the best quality with the KP kit running a close second.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
I agree with the others if for no other reason than it’s a modern tooling. The only other kit I’ve done is the KP kit and though while it’s not bad, it wouldn’t be my first choice.
I’ve built the old Matchbox kit and I’d say its spares box material at best.
The KP kit is 70s ers tooling and a bit crude, but if rescribing doesn’t scare you, its said to be one of the most accurate MiG-21 kits in outline and dimensions, wouldn’t surprise me a bit if that was true having been produced my a MiG-21 using nation.
You may want to check out Bilek’s kits, they have a few MiG-21s in their 1/72 line and some of their stuff is pretty decent, you may even be lucky enough to get a kit with a nice clear vac formed canopy.
Hands down the Fujimi kits… They are a little $$$$$ now but still the best 21s in any scale.
The Fujimi was the best around when I was building 72nd.
Nothing else came close.
Back in early 1990s when Fujimi MiG-21 kits were brand new, their MiG-21bis kit got a not-so-positive review in Aeromagazin (a modeling magazine from Yugoslavia). The author was mostly disappointed with cockpit (shape of cockpit tub) and shape of fuselage spine. There were reportedly other accuracy issues IIRC, I’ll look it up when I get home.
But the reviewer may have been a little too harsh on the kit, I don’t know.
Revell Germany has a new 1/72 MiG-21 Fishbed C that looks fantastic. You’d need to build up the spine to make an MF, though.
Regards,
OK, a small correction of my previous post: the said article appeared in a Serbian magazine Aerosvet (Oct.-Nov. 1991 issue). According to the author of the review, the main accuracy issues of FUjimi 1/72 MiG-21bis are:
- fuselage length and shape of fuelage cross-section (most notably on dorsal spine and vertical stabilizer)
- inaccurate shape of instrument panel and cockpit tub
- inaccurate shape of front speedbrakes
- 0 degrees wing dihedral - should be -3 deg dihedral (or is that +3 deg anhedral, I forget)
That’s what the guy wrote. Pictures of assembled model didn’t look so horrible to me, but I don’t have the kit at hand and can’t say if he was right. (although I do have many references on the FIshbed)
Well thanks for your advice. I will look for a Fujimi Mig-21. I have heard it has several faults before, but when I looked over some built kits on the web it looks pretty good to me. You would think there would be a really good Mig-21 kit out there, after all it was the most massed produced Mach 2 fighter. Maybe a new kit of a late Mig-21 will come out soon, Revell-Germany’s new kit of an early Fishbed looks promissing but converting it to a a late fishbed would require adding a hump and reshaping the nose at least. Maybe Trumpeter will come out with one they do appear to be doing more 1/72nd scale models lately.
Once again thanks to all who responded.
The Mig-21 F-13 or Fishbed C is almost a totally different airplane than it’s offspring. The later models have a larger, longer nose, a larger radar/nose cone, the canopy opens sideways, (the Fishbed D still opens forward), the speed brakes are different, the internal armament is different, the vertical fin has much broader cord, the main wheels are bigger, the 3rd generation has 4 underwing hardpoints instead of two, the nose pitot tube is on the top right instead of bottom and shaped differently, the braking parachute was moved from lower left fuselage to the base of the fin, etc.
The Revell Fishbed C is supposedly extremely accurate for a 1st generation machine, but it would be virtually impossible to convert it to a 2nd or 3rd generation machine.
I just bought an Aero Team Mig-21 UM, Mongol B, two seat trainer on ebay. I am anxious to see how accurate that is. The box art looks very accurate…
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
How about in quarter scale, guys?
Thanks for the info, Yardbird.
I’m happy to see a Fishbed C, however. I’ve wanted to build one since I saw one at the Smithsonian’s Garber Restoration Facility, and later, the same plane, at the Udvar-Hazy Center:
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[:)]
Regards,
According to the Linden Hill Imports website: http://www.lindenhillimports.com/zvezda.htm, the new Zvezda MiG-21kit is very good as well. It’s for a PFM/PFS/SKS, so I’m not sure if that would work for your Lancer project or not (I’m no expert on MiG-21 variants). Linden Hill claims the kit is better than the Bilek one, but they don’t mention how it stacks up against the excellent Fujimi kit(s).
I won a Fujimi Mig-21MF on E-bay for my lancer project. Since it looks like the least work required. I looked up one of my books on Mig-21s and there are 19 different variants of the Mig-21(not counting any Chinese made ones or any upgrades like the Lancer since it is an 1986 book). The Mig-21must also hold the record for most variants also.
Thanks for all your help.
Thought I would dust off this old thread with another question or two. I read on 72scale.com that the Fujimi MF 1/72’s are actually mig-21bis, based on the spine. That kinda wrecks my plan of building the kit as shown (an Iraqi “J” from the Iran-Iraq War, you know the one). I also have an Eastern Express Mig-21bis that I got some while back from a supplier in Russia, and was wondering if anybody had ever cracked open one of these. The closest review to it I could find was the “93-21” new version that India is upgrading to, and it said that Eastern Express overall shape was closer to the MF but with added details for a 93-21. Anybody know any better? I don’t have an eye for it, so might end up just building it anyway (as I couldn’t find a KP for cheap enough, those are supposed to be well shaped for MF).
Also, anybody know any decals for the Mig-21PF for Vietnam era birds? Got a Bilek that I’d like to build in Vietnamese Communist livery, but couldn’t find any aftermarket decals still in print.
I was shocked to see my old thread revived. Unfortunately I still haven’t build my Lancer yet still in my large to do pile. I am still shocked that there is a lack of accurate Mig-21 kits out there.
Well to answer (or at least try to help) your questions jdswong, I have the Eastern Express Kit of the Mig-21bis. On the box art it looks like a BIS, but in the box it looks more like a MF to me. I heard that Eastern Express Mig-21’s are copies of KP kits, but don’t have a KP kit to verify this. Interesting thing about my eastern express kit is the decals in the box don’t match the box, nor are there any instructions on painting or decal placement. My kit has a crease down the middle of the canopy, the kit looks kind of crude but not to bad.
The only decals that may be available of NVAF decals (or at least Vietnam) is by Albatros, at least a national insignia. This decal set is or was available in 1/72 and 1/48, it still shows up in some online stores so may still be out there. http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/albatros/48013_MiG-21/alc013.htm
The Zvezda Mig-21PFM aparently comes with Vietnamese decals.
For reference I found this excellent website: http://www.mig-21.de/english/default.htm
As it appeares, the new Zvezda MiG-21bis is the most accurate bis in 1/72 - compared with Fujimi kit, the later looks way off…
Thanks, you guys rock. I am off to a good start- once I get done with my two seater Hornet that is.