1:48 MiG-21F PTB-490 Fuel Tank PRINT for Eduard

Eduard - MiG-21F: PTB-490 drop tank, 3D print (PRINT) 1:48

An accessory set from Eduard from the range made by direct 3D printing. It is not an aircraft kit but a PTB-490 external drop tank for a model of the MiG-21F in 1:48 scale. A tank of this type was hung under the fuselage on MiG-21s and lengthened the range considerably - without it the aircraft lasted only a short while in the air on its internal fuel. That is exactly why the ventral tank appears so often in period photographs and why it looks natural on a model.

3D printing makes it possible to produce the tank as a clean, continuous shape with no parting seam down the middle - so the classic gluing of two halves, filling and laborious sanding of the seam, which always hurts on aerodynamic bodies, falls away. The surface detail and the thin tail fins are sharper than injection-molded plastic can manage. The part replaces the corresponding parts of the base kit.

Procedure and use

• Wash the parts in lukewarm water with detergent and let them dry - this removes the residue from the printing process.
• Cut off the print supports with a sharp cutter; do not lever the thin fins, so that they do not break off.
• Sand the marks left by the supports with fine paper - sand with respiratory protection (a respirator) or wet.
• Bond with super glue (cyanoacrylate); plastic cement does not work on resin.
• Apply a primer before painting; the tanks were often in a different shade from the fuselage, which is a welcome opportunity for color contrast.

Who the set is for

For modelers who build the MiG-21F in 1:48 and want the stores to match the rest of the model - without seams and with sharp detail. Working with resin is easy, but it calls for super glue and a little care when cutting the supports off.

This is an accessory and not a model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package. Use a respirator and ventilate when sanding resin.