1/48 Academy Mig-21 MF

Indian Air Force, No.3 'Cobras' Sdn

by Shekar K. Rao

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  India Independence Day 2005 

 

The Indian Air Force is probably one of the few in the world which is still depending on the reliable Mig-21 in service. A large number of squadrons still use this old warhorse, and it has served the country admirably in all its major conflicts, especially in the ones with Pakistan.

Sadly, this plane has gained a reputation as a pilot killer, since most of the rookies are forced to learn on this plane, and it is an unforgiving one. Still it trundles on, giving the best it can in the difficult circumstances.

As a result, quite a large selection of paint schemes is available in the different squadrons of the Indian AF, and this one is special. It is from the No. 3 'Cobras' Squadron, and is the plane used by the squadron commander. I have always wanted to make a special effort to salute the spirit of the brave Indian pilot, and this is my contribution to those heroes.

This is actually the third time I am making this kit; I broke the first in a fit of rage ;), the second remained incomplete when I came overseas to Germany last year, and this is the last and final effort. I have made my own decals in MS Powerpoint, and these were printed on laser printer paper.

As usual, it all starts off with a cockpit. I used MM enamels for the interior, and added smaller details with Revell paints and a toothpick. A coat of Future and a wash brought out the details to some extent.

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This was then followed by some detailing on the hydraulic cabling for the undercarriages, done using stretched sprue. I also created side panels in the cockpit out of scrap plastic, and added details using more stretched sprue and paints.

I then started work on masking off the rear areas of the plane for painting the yellow lightning areas and the black areas. This took a lot of time, since it had to be same on both the sides, and I had to eyeball it every now and then. However, it turned out quite well in the end, and you can see the results below.

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The paint job started next. I was able to get the top Sand and bottom Grey equivalents in Revell Airbrush paints, which were really convenient. I sprayed the overall plane grey first, and then followed it up with the Sand on upper surface. The remaining parts of the camo were shades of green, and they were also from Revell, but painted by hand.

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Finally, it was time for the decaling. I sprayed the model with a coat of Glanzer(Future equivalent here in Germany ;) ), and applied the decals carefully. I did have a problem when I used Microsol for the decals (it literally stripped the colors from the printed decals!), so I stopped using it after messing up on the first two.

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This was a great model, and I loved every bit of the effort that I put into it. I am also putting in the picture below, since my daughter insisted on helping me set up the photo table, and she wouldn't allow me to continue unless I took her photo as well. Thanks, Rachana from your loving Dad :)!!

Happy Modelling, and Jai Hind!!!

Shekar

15 Aug 2005.

Photos and text © by Shekar K Rao