Excellent butchery going on here steve , all the more impressive in the tiny scale
Chris's 1/144 Ye-2 Conversion
- Thread starter Steve-the-Duck
- Start date
Hang on to your hats folks. I'm almost finished. Though I may regret a step too far
So, as I've got so many of these F7-IIs to make into prototypes, I've had to come up with a repeatable method for the shorter, thinner, nose, and so...
I've cut the nose back a little further, and used the kit nose cone, then done some judicious filing and sanding to get it to shape. The Ye-2 and Ye-4 noses are the shortest of them all, by about 20 cm, 1.5 mm in scale, so the others, like the Ye-6, should be easier
Should be.
If I'd been able to get a whole box of F-Toys MiG-21 Fs, I'd be laughing. But then I'd have half-a-dozen A-6 Corsairs to get rid of... Currently, the few F / F-13s individually on eBay go for about 13 quid each, four times the price of the F7-II. Still, they're nice, an d accurate, little models...
So, as I've got so many of these F7-IIs to make into prototypes, I've had to come up with a repeatable method for the shorter, thinner, nose, and so...
I've cut the nose back a little further, and used the kit nose cone, then done some judicious filing and sanding to get it to shape. The Ye-2 and Ye-4 noses are the shortest of them all, by about 20 cm, 1.5 mm in scale, so the others, like the Ye-6, should be easier
Should be.
If I'd been able to get a whole box of F-Toys MiG-21 Fs, I'd be laughing. But then I'd have half-a-dozen A-6 Corsairs to get rid of... Currently, the few F / F-13s individually on eBay go for about 13 quid each, four times the price of the F7-II. Still, they're nice, an d accurate, little models...
And so, it now looks like a 'plane, rather than an all aluminium death tube!
What it actually looks like is a Sukhoi-7! Well, at the 1954 Victory parade flypast, it was mistaken for a Sukhoi (not that there any Sukhois of that layout even in service at the time!)
The advantage of the MiG-21 for re-shaping, is the early versions aren't effected by the 'area rule' that lead to trans- and supersonic 'planes being 'coke bottle' shape in the fusealge
Without too much alteration, except to angle the root, the tail surfaces are on. Hmm, need to fill that gap in the tail, which is invisible in real life!
So, I do adhere to the tenet of 'build as much as possible before painting', but by the same token 'fiddly little bits will get knocked off, so adding the undercarriage doors may have been a mistake. The nose wheel bay had to be moved back about 5mm, and the main wheel doors reshaped, as per a photo of the Ye-2 that actually shows the underside! Also added some strip extensions to the wing roots.
And I haven't added the twin dorsal strakes yet either
Now, do I risk it and add the undercarriage now? Come painting, it'll be an all over silver spray, then panels picked out with the many many many shades of aluminium, silver, polished metal etc I have
Well, the pitot needed a new hole to mount it, but what the hell
So, just for my own level of masochism, I've already started work on another MiG, converting the Area 88 F, as seen at the start of the build here, as the Ye-4 delta-prototype to be a comnpanion piece for this. But I will finish this one before posting anything else
Excepting two other 1/72 (not MiG) rapidly approaching completion. Just need another 1/72 Highland terrier...
What it actually looks like is a Sukhoi-7! Well, at the 1954 Victory parade flypast, it was mistaken for a Sukhoi (not that there any Sukhois of that layout even in service at the time!)
The advantage of the MiG-21 for re-shaping, is the early versions aren't effected by the 'area rule' that lead to trans- and supersonic 'planes being 'coke bottle' shape in the fusealge
Without too much alteration, except to angle the root, the tail surfaces are on. Hmm, need to fill that gap in the tail, which is invisible in real life!
So, I do adhere to the tenet of 'build as much as possible before painting', but by the same token 'fiddly little bits will get knocked off, so adding the undercarriage doors may have been a mistake. The nose wheel bay had to be moved back about 5mm, and the main wheel doors reshaped, as per a photo of the Ye-2 that actually shows the underside! Also added some strip extensions to the wing roots.
And I haven't added the twin dorsal strakes yet either
Now, do I risk it and add the undercarriage now? Come painting, it'll be an all over silver spray, then panels picked out with the many many many shades of aluminium, silver, polished metal etc I have
Well, the pitot needed a new hole to mount it, but what the hell
So, just for my own level of masochism, I've already started work on another MiG, converting the Area 88 F, as seen at the start of the build here, as the Ye-4 delta-prototype to be a comnpanion piece for this. But I will finish this one before posting anything else
Excepting two other 1/72 (not MiG) rapidly approaching completion. Just need another 1/72 Highland terrier...
That is a nuts amount of work to go into a teeny-tiny model! You must be very scared of the carpet monster; if any bits fall there, you've no chance of finding them again. On the plus side, a lot less painting than a 1/48 or worse...
That's amazing. So much work on such a small model. It's coming on a treat.
Well now. The build is actually complete
The undercarriage legs needed to be shortened considerably to get the right height, and the actuators on the main legs, though nicely detailed, would sit too low, so rod replacements. I was going to paint the main wheels separate, but I needed to see that the 'ride height' was correct. I left off the main leg doors as the Ye-2 doesn't seem to have any
Now, I don't dare set it on it's wheels just yet
And lastly, the rear strakes. The ones I cut off from the fuselage halves are the wrong shape for this bird. Still debating putting on the air brakes, as a 5 thou cover
All that's left is the cockpit canopy. Do I use one of the F-13 canopies, or try to mock up a rear piece? We'll see
So many shades of silver to put on...
The undercarriage legs needed to be shortened considerably to get the right height, and the actuators on the main legs, though nicely detailed, would sit too low, so rod replacements. I was going to paint the main wheels separate, but I needed to see that the 'ride height' was correct. I left off the main leg doors as the Ye-2 doesn't seem to have any
Now, I don't dare set it on it's wheels just yet
And lastly, the rear strakes. The ones I cut off from the fuselage halves are the wrong shape for this bird. Still debating putting on the air brakes, as a 5 thou cover
All that's left is the cockpit canopy. Do I use one of the F-13 canopies, or try to mock up a rear piece? We'll see
So many shades of silver to put on...
Well, I can say, apart from some little filler to lose some more extraneous panel lines, and the canopy natch, I'd say this build is about done
And it actually stands on it's own three legs!
And I did, indeed, add the airbrakes
So now we just have to see how the paint job goes...
And it actually stands on it's own three legs!
And I did, indeed, add the airbrakes
So now we just have to see how the paint job goes...
Has anyone ever suggested you may be madder than a box of wet frogs?
Frequently. What's your point?Has anyone ever suggested you may be madder than a box of wet frogs?
Well after all your hard work Chris I am looking forward to seeing this baby in paint. Great job.
Okay, We're finished...
Wait, what?
Well, I've discovered I've run out of rattle-can silver, bur I do have two different aluminiums, and some chrome
Probably should have grey undercoated first, because the first dull aluminium coat showed a number of pits on the wings. I thought about sticking on a 5 thou centerpiece, but it filled fine, scraped an d sanded smooth enough, then overall Metalcote polished aluminium applied
Now the fun begins with all the different panel shades...
I'm not unhappy so far, and the next three builds are in the offing already, only one of which won't be strictly OOB
I'm now looking through 1/144 transfers for suitable schemes
Wait, what?
Well, I've discovered I've run out of rattle-can silver, bur I do have two different aluminiums, and some chrome
Probably should have grey undercoated first, because the first dull aluminium coat showed a number of pits on the wings. I thought about sticking on a 5 thou centerpiece, but it filled fine, scraped an d sanded smooth enough, then overall Metalcote polished aluminium applied
Now the fun begins with all the different panel shades...
I'm not unhappy so far, and the next three builds are in the offing already, only one of which won't be strictly OOB
I'm now looking through 1/144 transfers for suitable schemes
So, next stage. Different shiny metal areas, with straight edges
One thing I don't have a definitive answer to as yet is the colour of the wheel bays. Later -21s had orange or green primer bays, or bare metal. Time to search
One thing I don't have a definitive answer to as yet is the colour of the wheel bays. Later -21s had orange or green primer bays, or bare metal. Time to search
Mine handily says 'grey ? interior green ? aluminium', in fairness it does discount Orange - but maybe that is wrong and it should be an option.
I have photos of a -21MF with distinctly orange main bays. I've no idea what that primer might be. I've just gone for a pale silver-grey. Now I just have to shade the doors as there's some very obvious framework/reinforcement there. I wonder whether the different colours correspond to time periods, construction processes, material sources, or what. I mean, the early -21s have black interiors, and that fetching pale blue doesn't seem to appear until the -21MF
Also, the landing legs are very dark on the Ye-2, so I've gone with oily steel with silver detail
Just had to sand the wings, again, because the paint went all bitty. Don't think it was the paint (Vallejo metal silver brush applied) reacting with the filler, buut...
It seems plausible that they did have a variety of colours, especially the interiors. Just look at the number of operators, and it stands to reason there would be quite a few variations on the bay and cockpit colours.
Now there's a thought. Different primers and specs for different customers in different environments. I wonder if that is a thing?
Completion has now come within the forseeable end
Bit of framework on the kit canopy. Still have to make the rear section
Added a bit of detail to the cockpit, and to cover a big hole in the structure. Y'know, the resolution of these pictures just makes me cringe some times
Bit of framework on the kit canopy. Still have to make the rear section
Added a bit of detail to the cockpit, and to cover a big hole in the structure. Y'know, the resolution of these pictures just makes me cringe some times
Krasnaya zvezda!
Decals are Four+. And I can see me needing a lot more red stars in the near future!
Decals are Four+. And I can see me needing a lot more red stars in the near future!
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