Egyptian air force MiG-21F-13, 1967 "Six Days" war.

 

Trumpeter 1/32 scale MiG-21F13

THE KIT

Trumpeter's series of MiG-21 aircraft in 1/32 scale are exceedingly well engineered kits that have captured the iconic shape of the MiG-21 perfectly.  This earliest production version of the 21 is no exception.  A relatively simple build that can be finished in the camouflage and markings of many countries that aligned with the Soviet Union in the mid-late decades of the 20th century. While some areas are sparse on detail (cockpit for example ), from my own experience having built a few, is that these kits can be detailed up to a high standard by any competent model builder, and easily into first place builds by the more experienced model builder. The model was primed overall with "Mr. Surfacer 1500" from a spray can. This lacquer primer lays on very smooth and dries within minutes. Highly recommended.  The metal finish is "Alclad II" and I painted varied shades on the panels according to research photos. The decals were sourced online and after googling around I found the national emblems for the UAR (United Arab Republic) in 1967 and the Arabic numerals.  The black bands on wings and fuselage were masked and airbushed.  

Israeli Mirage IIIC/ June 5, 1967 / The "Six Days" War.

 Dassault Mirage IIIC in 1/32 scale

The Italeri 1/32 Mirage kit was not the most builder-friendly model, but after much dry-fitting of the parts, quite a bit of foul language and some alcoholic beverages,  I managed to get a halfway decent result.  So not an easy build but it presents well with some patience.  The markings on this Israeli Mirage replicate a "Shahak" of the 119 "Bat" squadron "HaAtalef".  This squadron was one of the first to equip with the Mirage and quite a few Israeli "aces" were born here. The markings for this particular aircraft, #778 were taken from the 1/32 scale "Isradecal" Mirage IIIC decal sheets.  A Beautiful decal sheet.  Mr. Raanan Weiss, owner of Isradecal Studio has produced an excellent decal set for the Mirage (Shahak).  His products have always taken my models to the highest level of accuracy.  

 

 

Next up: Egyptian air force/ MiG-21F-13

For information about my commission building services, contact me here: seahors1@gate.net

Lemkits 1/32 scale Sukhoi-7/ 1970 Egyptian air force

 LEMKITS 1/32 RESIN KIT OF THE SUKHOI-7

 

The Sukhoi-7 

The Egyptian air force in the 1970s, was the largest operator of the type in the middle-east. It's rugged design and powerful Lyulka AL-7 engine put it at the forefront of  Egypt's air force attack capability.  It   was well known and respected for it's ability to absorb damages incurred in the numerous instances of air combat against the Israeli air force. The SU-7 design however was flawed by a limited operational range and weapons load capacity requiring the attachment of auxillary fuel tanks to accomplish any mission longer than a local flight.  Other design issues were eventually improved in later Sukhoi designs, SU-17 & SU-20 also provided by the Soviets to their middle-eastern clientele.

 

The model

The Lemkits SU-7 is a full resin kit in 1/32 scale that is very well designed with adequate surface details and a simple but well appointed cockpit.  The model is quite heavy so some extra support to the landing gear struts was necessary.  The fit overall was good and rivalled any injection molded kit on the current market. Some of the parts requiring structural strength have imbedded copper wires. The  necessity for application of putty was minimal and seams were generally tight.  I had a slight mismatch in the overall length of one fuselage side part which I shimmed and blended in with putty but that was really the only issue that I had in assembly. The decal markings that I applied are for the Egyptian air force from the early 1970s which scavenged from my decal collection. The Arabic numerals were sprayed onto clear decal material through a  stencil which I fabricated.

Out of the box

After assembly

The cockpit and ejection seat

Primer coat used is Mr. Surfacer 1500

Photos of the finished model painted with Testors Modelmaster enamel paints