discussion Chris' 1/144 Ye-50 'Not another -21 prototype!)

[Steve-the-Duck]

Okay, decided on the next mini-MiG, as this one is going to need the most work

The Ye-50 was a rmixed-power interceptor, based on the Ye-2, with an added rocket motor. It turned out to have the highest performance of the early family, but was very short-ranged
Modifications will be the usual shortening of the undercarriage, and also a heavily modified tail, and a nose extended half-a-metre
Oh and the wings. Which gives me another spare pair to go with a spare MF fuselage...

I really ought to do some later service types, of actual MiGs rather than F-7s, but there are just so many fun prototypes. Even if the GB ends first, I'll still do a PD (VTPL) and a Ye-8

 

[Neil]

This really is the perfect GB for you. So many Migs, and as much time as you want.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

This really is the perfect GB for you. So many Migs, and as much time as you want.

Well, I could spice it up with a -15 or a -29!

Or finish my half-built -3. Not that that would count for the GB!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Okay, this is the bird I'm doing here

So: nose extension; new wings; new tail fin with rocket motor; modified tailplanes; new small strakes mounted on pipes

Using my new sandwich method for the wings, but now I'm leaving off the extra lower pane, as on the Ye-2 replacement wings, and cutting the undercarriage bay directly into the main 30 thou piece. Clamping on the 10 thou skin does require a bit of sanding and filling extra
On the left, without the skin, on the right complete so far wit filling

I'm seriously thinking about re-doing the fuselage of my Ye-2 when I do the Ye-2A, cannibaliosing what went right with the initial build

But that's another story

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Okay so, tail adjustments first

Chord shortened, and the rocket exhaust added - which is out of a SNEB rocket pod in the kit. Lot's more work on the base needed, pit of edge thinned and shaped plasticard probably, plus the rudder to re-scribe

The various ports and rail have to be filled, and shaped, plus the airbrake position

Added a lot of weight to the nose, what with all the additions going into the tail

Bad pic sorry. Fuselage halves together, and spine behind the cockpit removed for when the extra canopy piece is added (I have a cunning plan for that this time). Added a small shim in the nose to fill around, but nit's going to need an extra 2mm added

And the black line, just ahead of the canopy, is where the extra will be added. That should save me having to shape the extra to the right angle (which did not go so well on the Ye-2)
Although the J/F-7 has a long nose, it's still not quite as long as the Ye-50 extension, as is only really obvious when the thing is together
I'll have to be cutting through the nose weight though
Fortunately, my cutting back the nose wheel bay has put the back of that in the right place

Lot's more shimming and filling to go now. So, happy birthday to me!

 

[flyjoe180]

Modifications are looking good Chris

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Sawing time

The blue tape is a straight edge guide, and is AK's curvable masking stuff, BTW. As a mask it's okay, from first attempt (the August First J-7MG)
The F/J-7 is slightly longer than the equivalent -21, so needs shortening by a mil-or-so in front of the tail. And this even though the Ye-50 is longer than any of the other -21 prototypes or derivatives!
Cutting through the nose weight bars was no hassle, and where the front of the modified nose-wheel bay is, at the cut, is actually the right place (the J/F-7s nose wheel is further forward, for some reason)
The Ye-50 had a much longer nose to reduce drag, rather like how longer ships are faster than fatter ones!


The spacer is actually two wheel hubs from my Airfix Ju-88s. So many useful bits in that kit. And I got an Italeri Ju-88A4 for my birthday (without any prompting my partner), so that's on the cards to finally do a Regia Aeronautica night-fighter
The bit sticking out is a 5 thou shim just bto straighten stuff up. The tail is on fine, and the rear fuselage join fitted perfectly. I'm not adding the usual engine exhaust part, as the Ye-50 had a different, smaller, engine than the -21

The -21s and variants all have very prominent separate wing roots, which hides a few gaps here! Going to need to get rid of that access panel below the root piece too.

Usual extra cockpit detail added, which covers gaps that are invisible when it's all painted black anyway!
The spaces at the sides of the rear cockpit panel I've left for the insertion of the curved acetate sheet cockpit rear transparency. Each time I do one of theses, sopme new idea or modification comes up (which is why the original Ye-2 I did is going to be cannibalised to make a better version, alongside a Ye-2A. Though whether they're next or not is another matter)

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Last two bits today.
The main undercarriage bays I cut in the wings are, of course, in the wrong place. So a bit of cutting and shimming puts them right

Lining them up before hand, no matter how much I 'measure twice cut once, never seems to quite work out. I've got one more set of these wings to do, so they should be perfect first time
He said without a hint of irony

Finally

Building up the tail base has begun. First added a parachute cover cone from the end of some stores with the kits, Then a 10 though spacer-former for the root shape. This will probably be covered by a 5 thou skin to shape, though I just know that's going to need shaping, filling and sanding and all the usual
Going to finish that before I do the tail-plane mounts (another thin g I missed off the Ye-2 build!)

 

[flyjoe180]

Nice work Chris, useful those Ju88 parts!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Nice work Chris, useful those Ju88 parts!

I'll say
Only the wings and fuselage halves haven't had a use so far!

 

[Jim R]

Amazing. Modifications at this scale
Who would have thought there were so many prototypes/variations along the development of this aircraft

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Amazing. Modifications at this scale
Who would have thought there were so many prototypes/variations along the development of this aircraft

Okay
There are something like fourteen or fifteen different prototypes, including sun-variants and test aircraft before you even get to the service / production types, of which there are at least sixteen different sub-variants, not including the dozen-or-more localised variants, and all the Chinese versions. Then there's at least another half-dozen later experimental aircraft, high-speed and VTOL tests, all based on the -21

I'm not doing all of them, and things like the I-7S (which only shares a cockpit and tail fin), but I have got thirty-six-or-so in the offing

And I must stop from going back over ones already done...

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Like this...

Top is the Ye-50, middle is going to be the Ye-2A, bottom is me going back and building a 'better' Ye-2, using the wings and tail fin off the first attempt

They won't appear anywhere here tho' until they're completed

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Progress

Added the two fuel dump pipes out of rod. Easiest bit so far

And the two small strakes, which, in the photos, appear to be smaller than the standard ones fitted to the prototypes

I was in two minds about the reshaping of the fin base: whether to build it from sheet plasticard, or out of putty. So, I went for the second option. I'm using the two-part Apoxie putty here, which is one of the finest ones on the market (a little more so than Miliput Superfine White, my previous go to). Apparently, tho', it's mildly toxic, so it needs great care to use, and can only be got from the States. I inherited the pots, and they work fine still, after a good few years usage

Speaking of putties, the white I use is either Perfect Plastic, or Vallejo Plastic Putty. If you try to smooth and wipe off the former, it has a tendency to all come off. The latter... Well, it comes in a nice tube with a tiny applicator, which is great for hard-to-reach or small spots, buuut... I've left it to harden for a day-or-so, then filled and smoothed over it. But, for some reason, second applications do not cure with the base layer, and tend to peel off whole when sanding. So, I used some more Apoxie to fill the gaps and divots

Strictly speakin g, the nose intake is slightly smaller on the Ye-50 to the Ye-2s, because of the longer nose, but in some pictures it's hardly noticeable the difference
Aaand, I didn't want to try and make a slightly smaller cowling to the inner diameter of the one already there!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

And on with the tailplanes and wings!

Still needs a little work with filling and sanding. And getting rid of the end of the brass rod that pins them on!
The tail-plane mounts look different in every photo of every sub-variant, even ones that were converted to another, like the Ye-2A and Ye-50. The Yer-2, Ye-2A and Y50 all had different engines, hence different ducts and inlets

The wing pitot is only visible in one photo, of the half-dozen I've got of the -50

I'm a great believer of building as much as possible before paint, and leaving off as many of the fiddly little bits that will bet knocked off through handing. But with these I go all the way to adding the undercarriage legs. A fair few times I've had to replace the nose landing gear doors, which are moulded as one piece and need to be split apart
Same goes for the doors that attach to the main wheel legs. And they also have a locating pin right in the middle, where they're supposed to split, for some reason

Paint to go on soon, first coat of silver, after a little more careful sanding

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

And as a last note, a quick comparison piece

From the left, the Ye-2 redux, the Yer-2A, and the Ye-50.
Made an interesting minor cock-up with the Ye-2A wings, forgetting the middle 20 thou piece of thr sandwich which goes to make the upper surface curve more pronounced. Buuut, the did turn out closer to scale thickess!

 

[Neil]

You must be seeing Mig-21 variants in your sleep by now! You can see the subtle differences between them when they are together.

 

[flyjoe180]

They're coming along well Chris, good attention to detail

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

You must be seeing Mig-21 variants in your sleep by now! You can see the subtle differences between them when they are together.

Oh, you wait until I get onto the Ye-6s!