1:32 MiG-21 Around The World - Libya

The Fishbed over the Libyan desert

In the 1970s the Libyan Air Force joined the most numerous foreign operators of the Soviet MiG-21 supersonic fighter. The machines operated from bases on the Mediterranean coast as well as from airfields deep inland, and in the 1980s they took part in the long-running border conflict over Chad. For a builder this chapter is attractive above all for its coloring: instead of the gray-blue and silver machines of the Eastern Bloc these are desert tones matching the North African terrain, which catch the eye in a display case at once.

Why it is better to spray the markings

The masks are stuck onto a finished base, sprayed over with paint and removed once it is dry. The insignia or the fuselage number is created directly in the layer of paint and has no glossy framed edge, by which decal film sooner or later gives itself away on a matte surface. Sprayed markings cannot be peeled off during further work, they take dry pigments and a final varnish, and they age in the same way as the paint around them.

What has proved itself in practice

In the large scale every detail stands out, but every piece of carelessness comes out just as mercilessly. The base must be perfectly cured and free of grease from fingers. Thin the paint more than usual and apply it in several weak coats led perpendicular to the edge of the mask, so that it does not run under the edge. Remove the mask at the moment when the varnish has set, not after it has fully cured, and pull it off diagonally along the surface rather than straight up. Any adhesive residue is evened out by light polishing with a cotton swab.