Introduction
The first MiG-21 to fly with the Czechoslovak (now Czech Republic) Air Force was the MiG-21F-13 in 1962. "Generation Two" MiG-21s (PF, PFM, etc) followed in 1964 and 1966. The "third generation" MiG-21s first flew in 1969. All total MiG-21s flew for nearly 43 years in the Czech Air Force.
The Kit
JBr Decals has purchased a number of Eduard 1/144 MiG-21MF kits and combined those kits with their resin and decals to produce MiG-21R/MA/MF/MFN of the Czechoslovak Air Force. In the box you receive two Eduard 1/144 MiG-21MF kits and masks, and JBr has produced resin pieces so you can build Czech MiG-21R/MA/MF/MFN models. The resin pieces include 4 MiG-21R wing-tip recce pods and 2 D/R-V Type underside recce pods; 1 SM jamming pod; and 4 R-60 missiles with pylons. Decals are for 12 Czech MiG-21s:
- MiG-21R 1501 - 28. SBOLP, Čáslav, 1993-1994
- MiG-21R 1704 - 28. SBOLP, Čáslav, 1994
- MiG-21MA 1113 - 4. SLP, Pardubice, 1989
- MiG-21MA 1114 - 4. SLP, Pardubice, 1989
- MiG-21MA 2701 - 5. SLP, Plzeň-Líně, 1990
- MiG-21MF 5212 - 11. SLP, Žatec, 1993
- MiG-21MF 5305 - 5. SLP, Plzeň-Líně, 80. léta
- MiG-21MF 5512 - 211. tl, Čáslav, 2005
- MiG-21MF 7702 - 6. SBOLP, Přerov, 1980
- MiG-21MF 7714 - 6. SBOLP, Přerov, 1983
- MiG-21MFN 5581 - 211. tl, Čáslav, 2005
- MiG-21MFN 5603 - 211. tl, Čáslav, 2005
Decals are to the usual high quality one assumes with JBr. One excellent aspect to JBr Decals is you receive decals to produce all aircraft covered in either a kit or decal sheet. So you receive all the decals you need to build all twelve aircraft.
You should decide which aircraft you’re going to model before you start. That way you can not only follow the directions that are meant for that specific airframe but also so you can track down photos of that airplane. It’s always good to model from visual cues from the actual vehicle. This is also recommended in the instruction sheet so you can be sure of what loads the aircraft carried.
Speaking of the instruction sheet, JBr’s is actually better than that provided by Eduard I feel. That’s because everything is truly called out and the visual cues for each specific mark is well spelled out. I will definitely be keeping the JBr instruction sheet. Not only because of the better steps but also because I will purchase more Eduard kits to use the rest of the excellent decals. Too bad Eduard has never released their 1/144 MiG-21s as Overtrees (plastic parts only).
One thing to keep in mind is you'll need to fashion your own "extra" antennas for the MiG-21MFN. However, JBr's excellent instructions provide you with the measurements you need to make them yourself.
I won’t go into any further detail about the Eduard 1/144 MiG-21 because I have in the past and refer you to that article.
Conclusion
This is an excellent release of Eduard 1/144 MiG-21MF kits you must track down. With the unique Czech versions presented in this boxing you will definitely have some excellent built representations of the MiG-21 in 1/144 scale.
I definitely give a huge “thank you” to JBr Decals for allowing me the opportunity to review this excellent release. Now to build a few Czech Fishbeds.