Rick's Eduard 1/48 Ethiopian Air Force Mig-21MF - completed.

[rickoshea52]

All done. What a kit! This is my first Eduard build and it really does require 100% attention to detail. The etched metal add ones are well worth the money, especially when it comes to the ejection seat. This is the DDR weekend edition from Eduard with aftermarket decals for the Ethiopian Air Force. For the purposes of this build I'm finishing here and not adding the weapons, I may add them later for club night. I may also make a base for it instead of this generic one I have been using for a while now.
All paints and varnishes are by VMA with the exception of the dielectric panels and cockpit, I used their metalcote paint for the exhaust. Weathering was done with Abtailung oils for the streaks under the engine and lifecolor elsewhere. I tried Ammo pin wash for the panels but they are so fine it didn't really work out how I wanted.
Why an Ethiopian Air Force jet? Well, it's not often you see African air forces modelled and I don't really like to follow the herd all the time.

I hope to have some better photos in the coming weeks. For now I am going to take a break from the bench until the New Year and the start of the next GB I am signed up for - the Phantom.

Build thread here;

http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/ricks-eduard-1-48-ethiopian-air-force-mig-21-mf.26350/page-2

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[Guest]

Excellent build

[dave]

Nice work Rick

[Guest]

Top stuff Rick. The camo painting is great & your choice of scheme... really cool. I hope mine turns out half as good as yours.

[yak face]

First of the eduard migs over the line rick! Great result , it looks fantastic and as you say not many african 21s are seen modelled. Ive got to get a spurt on with mine now and see if i can bag the silver medal !!!cheers tony

[Guest]

Super job Rick. Great camo paint work. Great looking kit overall.

[monica]

looks great Rick,real well done,,do like the camo,

[flyjoe180]

Great job Rick. I enjoyed following your GB thread. An excellent result in unique markings. I also like the simple yet effective base it sits on.

[rickoshea52]

Great job Rick. I enjoyed following your GB thread. An excellent result in unique markings. I also like the simple yet effective base it sits on.

Thanks Joe.
The base is a cheap photo frame and some foam board covered in Wills concrete texture plastic sheet painted with Railmatch concrete paint then weathered with their roof dirt shade applied by airbrush. The grass is an off cut of grass mat and the yellow lines were masked and painted, the number is from a OO gauge transfer pack of locomotive numbers. I built it for 1/72 scale aircraft which works well for North European/American models and even 1/48 scale. I'm not sure the lush green grass fits with a rugged Ethiopian airbase. Having said that, there is plenty of greenery in Addis Ababa and at the main airport.

[papa 695]

That looks awesome Rick, great work there mate.

[rickoshea52]

First of the eduard migs over the line rick! Great result , it looks fantastic and as you say not many african 21s are seen modelled. Ive got to get a spurt on with mine now and see if i can bag the silver medal !!!cheers tony

Thanks Tony.
Your Slovakian kite is looking pretty good. The finishing stages are a pain sometimes, the long pitot probe was tricky to fit after painting the airframe because there is a small contact area. I tried using a dab of varnish followed by a final sealing coat but it wasn't strong enough. I eventually used Tamiya extra thin cement applied on the mating face of the probe then along the bottom edge after fitting.

[rickoshea52]

Top stuff Rick. The camo painting is great & your choice of scheme... really cool. I hope mine turns out half as good as yours.

Keep plugging away mate, the effort is worthwhile.

[rickoshea52]

Thanks for all your comments and likes.
This is a kit that would have no problem recommending however it probably does require a certain level of experience and skill; I would describe myself as a competent modeller but still making basic mistakes too often and this kit exposed that sometimes, but that's how you learn and develop. As well as this being a great kit it challenged me in a way that no other brand has so far; I'm looking forward to building the others in my stash at some point in the future.

[yak face]

Thanks Tony.
Your Slovakian kite is looking pretty good. The finishing stages are a pain sometimes, the long pitot probe was tricky to fit after painting the airframe because there is a small contact area. I tried using a dab of varnish followed by a final sealing coat but it wasn't strong enough. I eventually used Tamiya extra thin cement applied on the mating face of the probe then along the bottom edge after fitting.

I got the aftermarket turned brass pitot for mine Rick , just as well too as the kit one was very bent ! Ive got to assemble it yet though , the four tiny fins are going to be a challenge I think!

[colin m]

Very nice. I like the camouflage finish, it makes the model look quite different.