Book Review of
Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-21MF Fighter
Scale Plans No. 65
1/72nd & 1/48th Scales
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP)
ISBN: 978-83-66549-07-4
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $11.99
ISBN: 978-83-66549-07-4
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $11.99
HISTORY:
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames include: Balalaika, because it's planform resembles the stringed musical instrument of the same name; Ołówek, Polish for "pencil", due to the shape of its fuselage, and Én Bạc, meaning "Silver Swallow", in Vietnamese.
Approximately 60 countries over four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it still serves many nations six decades after its maiden flight. It made aviation records, became the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history, the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War and previously the longest production run of a combat aircraft (now exceeded by both the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon).
MiG-21MF (1970; Izdeliye 96F; NATO "Fishbed-J")
M = Modernizirovanniy ("Modernised"), F = Forsirovannyy ("Uprated [engine]")
Export version of the MiG-21SM, with RP-22 radar and R13-300 turbojet. The choice of weapons loads was increased with the addition of the R-60 (NATO: AA-8 "Aphid")
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter and interceptor aircraft.
National origin: Soviet Union
Design group: Mikoyan-Gurevich
First flight: June 16, 1955 (Ye-4)
Introduction: 1959 (MiG-21F)
Status: In service
Primary users: Soviet Air Forces (historical), Indian Air Force, Croatian Air Force. Romanian Air Force
Produced: 1959–1985
Number built: 11,496, (10,645 produced in the USSR, 840 in India, 194 in Czechoslovakia)
Unit cost: MiG-21FL (Indian version): $ 2 million (1974)
Variants: Chengdu J-7 and later the R-60M IR-seeking AAM. These were also licence-built in India by HAL as the Type 88.
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed in English by their associate Stratus in Sandomierz in Poland.
Stratus also does their own line of books in both the Polish and English languages.
The book is soft cover, with a cover of 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” format.
It contains 3 sheets of line drawings that are 16” x 11 ¾” format, folded in half to fit the covers.
The cover shows a Polish Air Force Mig-21MF in flight. It is posed on a dark green cover that has a yellow line drawing of a Soviet Yak-9 fighter on it.
It is overall chalk-white, with a orange tip on the rudder, over blue word “Fishbed”, the Polish checkerboard insignia and 45 Lst.
Painted down its whole side is a blue bird. The red number 6814 is on the side of the nose and it has a red nose tip.
The sheets in the book are all line drawings, printed on both sides in either 1/72nd scale or 1/48th.
The first sheet’s face side shows 4 side views in 1/72nd scale. One drawing shows the fuselage bulkheads.
The second two side views shows the Mig-21MF with a R-3S rocket on the outer underwing pylon and a RS-2US rocket on the inner underwing pylon.
The third side view shows the Mig-21MF with a UB-16 rocket launcher on the inner underwing pylon.
On the reverse side of the sheet is more 1/72nd scale line drawings.
There is a top and bottom view, 2 head-on views and illustrations of pylons, rockets and their launchers, bombs and their racks and fuel tank variants.
The second line drawing sheet is all in 1/48th scale.
The face side shows two side views of the Mig-21MF. One is carrying a 490 liter feul tank. One has a R-38 rocket on the outer underwing pylon and a RS-2US rocket on the inner underwing pylon.
The reverse side line drawing shows a Mig-21MF with a R-36 rocket launcher on the outer underwing pylon and a RS-2US rocket on the inner underwing pylon.
The second line drawing shows a Mig-21MF with a UB-16 rocket launcher on the inner underwing pylon,
The third line drawing sheet is all in 1/48th scale. It shows a top and bottom view of the Mig-21MF on its face side.
The reverse side shows a repeat of the illustrations of the pylons, rockets, launchers, bombs and fuel tanks shown in the 1/72nd scale drawings.
This is a neat book. It will be of much interest to modelers planning on building a Mig-21 or also to aviation historians.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of MMP books and Dr. Roger Wallsgrove, head editor of MMP books for this review sample.
All MMP book titles can be viewed on MMP’s website at:
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames include: Balalaika, because it's planform resembles the stringed musical instrument of the same name; Ołówek, Polish for "pencil", due to the shape of its fuselage, and Én Bạc, meaning "Silver Swallow", in Vietnamese.
Approximately 60 countries over four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it still serves many nations six decades after its maiden flight. It made aviation records, became the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history, the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War and previously the longest production run of a combat aircraft (now exceeded by both the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon).
MiG-21MF (1970; Izdeliye 96F; NATO "Fishbed-J")
M = Modernizirovanniy ("Modernised"), F = Forsirovannyy ("Uprated [engine]")
Export version of the MiG-21SM, with RP-22 radar and R13-300 turbojet. The choice of weapons loads was increased with the addition of the R-60 (NATO: AA-8 "Aphid")
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter and interceptor aircraft.
National origin: Soviet Union
Design group: Mikoyan-Gurevich
First flight: June 16, 1955 (Ye-4)
Introduction: 1959 (MiG-21F)
Status: In service
Primary users: Soviet Air Forces (historical), Indian Air Force, Croatian Air Force. Romanian Air Force
Produced: 1959–1985
Number built: 11,496, (10,645 produced in the USSR, 840 in India, 194 in Czechoslovakia)
Unit cost: MiG-21FL (Indian version): $ 2 million (1974)
Variants: Chengdu J-7 and later the R-60M IR-seeking AAM. These were also licence-built in India by HAL as the Type 88.
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed in English by their associate Stratus in Sandomierz in Poland.
Stratus also does their own line of books in both the Polish and English languages.
The book is soft cover, with a cover of 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” format.
It contains 3 sheets of line drawings that are 16” x 11 ¾” format, folded in half to fit the covers.
The cover shows a Polish Air Force Mig-21MF in flight. It is posed on a dark green cover that has a yellow line drawing of a Soviet Yak-9 fighter on it.
It is overall chalk-white, with a orange tip on the rudder, over blue word “Fishbed”, the Polish checkerboard insignia and 45 Lst.
Painted down its whole side is a blue bird. The red number 6814 is on the side of the nose and it has a red nose tip.
The sheets in the book are all line drawings, printed on both sides in either 1/72nd scale or 1/48th.
The first sheet’s face side shows 4 side views in 1/72nd scale. One drawing shows the fuselage bulkheads.
The second two side views shows the Mig-21MF with a R-3S rocket on the outer underwing pylon and a RS-2US rocket on the inner underwing pylon.
The third side view shows the Mig-21MF with a UB-16 rocket launcher on the inner underwing pylon.
On the reverse side of the sheet is more 1/72nd scale line drawings.
There is a top and bottom view, 2 head-on views and illustrations of pylons, rockets and their launchers, bombs and their racks and fuel tank variants.
The second line drawing sheet is all in 1/48th scale.
The face side shows two side views of the Mig-21MF. One is carrying a 490 liter feul tank. One has a R-38 rocket on the outer underwing pylon and a RS-2US rocket on the inner underwing pylon.
The reverse side line drawing shows a Mig-21MF with a R-36 rocket launcher on the outer underwing pylon and a RS-2US rocket on the inner underwing pylon.
The second line drawing shows a Mig-21MF with a UB-16 rocket launcher on the inner underwing pylon,
The third line drawing sheet is all in 1/48th scale. It shows a top and bottom view of the Mig-21MF on its face side.
The reverse side shows a repeat of the illustrations of the pylons, rockets, launchers, bombs and fuel tanks shown in the 1/72nd scale drawings.
This is a neat book. It will be of much interest to modelers planning on building a Mig-21 or also to aviation historians.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of MMP books and Dr. Roger Wallsgrove, head editor of MMP books for this review sample.
All MMP book titles can be viewed on MMP’s website at:
Highly Recommended.