1:32 Polish MiG-21UM Tiger Schemes Part I

A two-seat Fishbed in a tiger coat

The UM version was the training rendition of the MiG-21 with two cockpits in tandem and served to convert pilots to the single-seat combat machines. It was precisely the two-seaters that often became the bearers of extraordinary finishes: they have a longer fuselage, a more prominent cockpit installation and artwork stands out on them better than on the short single-seat airframe. Tiger motifs are among the most popular in this respect, and the Polish machines carried several variants of them. For a modeler that means a striking piece for the display case, noticed even by a visitor who otherwise knows nothing about aircraft.

The first part of the line

The Part I designation suggests that the manufacturer divided the theme into several items. This one covers the first group of machines and schemes; anyone building the whole group can look for the follow-up parts under the same theme. The extent is among the greater ones in the enlarged scale, which matches the fact that tiger artwork usually takes up a large part of the surface.

Where the artwork runs

With tiger schemes the hardest thing is to keep the stripes lining up across the edge of a part. It pays to assemble the model temporarily, mark with a pencil on the surface where the artwork is to continue, and only then separate the individual parts for spraying. Always press a mask down from the center toward the edges, so that no air bubble is trapped under it. Apply the paint in thin coats and let the area set between them; a heavy application will run under the edge and a sharp line can no longer be saved. Make the last check in sharp side light, which reveals unevenness more reliably than a view from above. A small run can still be saved by scraping with a sharp scalpel led along the edge.