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MiG-21bis, No. 47 Squadron, Iraqi Air Force, Al Hurrya Air Base, Iraq, 1990

MiG-21bis, Free Libyan Air Force, Tobruk, Libya, November 2011

MiG-21bis, 797, German Democratic Republic, Holzdorf, 1990

The No. 47 Squadron was equipped with the

MiG-21bis through the seventies, and over the

fall of 1980 scored significant number of kills

of Iranian F-4s and F-5s. During the Iran-Iraq

war, Iraqi pilots flying the MiG-21bis fired not

only Soviet air-to-air missiles (R-3S, R-13M),

but also the French R.550. A typical loadout

configuration consisted of two air-to-air

rounds and three drop tanks. The aircraft were

camouflaged according to the period MiG-21

standards developed for export aircraft going to

Africa and the Middle East.

The Free Libyan national army, under the

leadership of General Khalifa Haftar, occupied

several air bases after its formation, some of

which yielded airworthy examples of aircraft

abandoned by forces loyal to Muammar

Gaddafi. One of these was this one, which was

subsequently coded “800” and was flown by

pilots of the Free Libyan National Army. The Free

National Army, under Haftar’s leadership, added

aircraft to their inventory from other airfields

(MiG-21s, MiG-23s, Mirage F-1s and Su-22s)

and purchased other ones from foreign sources

(these again were MiG-21s and 23s, along with

Mi-24/35 helicopters). The camouflage scheme

of this particular aircraft hails from the days

of Khaddafi and was first displayed at Lavex in

2007 in Tripoli. The upper and side surfaces of

this plane were in sand, brown and green, the

lower surfaces were painted a light blue-grey.

The national insignias on the upper surfaces of

the wing remained the pre-revolutionary Libyan

ones.

In the mid-1970s, the GDR Air Force began

taking deliveries of its first MiG-21bis to bolster

its fighter fleet of aging MiG-21MFs and PFMs.

German Democratic Republic was to receive

46 aircraft of this type, 14 of which were to be of

the “Fishbed-L” variant, i.e., equipped with the

Lazur-M GCI (Ground Controlled Interception)

guidance system. The remaining 32 were to

be delivered in the “Fishbed-N” version with

the Polyot-OI guidance system. To distinguish

the two variants, the aircraft were designated

MiG-21bis Lazur-M and MiG-21bis-SAU in GDR

service.

KITS 05/2025

INFO Eduard36

May 2025

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Editorial
Dear Friends, So I have to say that this April was a good ride. Over the more than thirty-five years of our company's existence, we have experienced various historical events, starting with the revolution and the overthrow of the communist regime in 1989 (yes, Eduard was already a functioning entity back then and we thoroughly enjoyed the revolution), through the terrorist attacks on New York on September 11th, 2001, to the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank and the economic crisis of the late 1990s.
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MiG-21bis Weapons Variants and Combinations
The loadout possibilities of the most modern version of the MiG-21bis fighter aircraft were determined primarily by the role for which the aircraft was intended. Since it was used as a multi-role aircraft, the range of armament was very wide. The use of a specific weapon loadout, relevant also to model building, depends on the specific mission. However, the combination of armament was also subject to certain regulations and technical limitations. This two-part article deals primarily with this issue and also shines a light on individual types of armament from a technical, military and modeling perspective. The first part describes the general scheme of armament carried with a focus on the different types of air-air weapons utilized. Air-ground armament used on the MiG-21bis will be covered in the second part of this article in the June issue.
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The World of Japanese Calligraphy Shodō
As part of the box design for the April limited edition 1/48 Kamikaze Tokkōtai IJN Special Attack Units, there is a calligraphy inscription of "Kamikaze Tokkōtai" (Kamikaze Special Attack Unit), created by the Japanese calligraphy teacher living in Prague, Mrs. Mari Kučera. Since unique calligraphy created specifically for a plastic model kit is not a common occurrence, even in Japan, we asked Mrs. Kučera to introduce us to the history and secrets of calligraphy creation. (Editorial note)
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Aerial War in Ukraine - Retreat from the Kursk Region and Global Chaos
In this continuation of the series, we cover events that occurred between March 1 and March 31. The fighting continued on land, at sea, and in the air—despite U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that Russia is playing for time and stringing Trump along...
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The Night Tests
In Germany, prior to the Second World War, flight test centres known as Erprobungs-Stelle (abbreviated as E-Stelle) began operating. These centres were responsible for testing new types of aircraft, their armament, and on-board systems. One such centre, E-Stelle Rechlin, also began testing captured equipment from 1940 onwards.
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Tail End Charlie
The spring round of exhibitions is over. We are glad we could meet with you, happy we were able to visit our favorite places again, and we’ll be delighted if we can keep meeting you at these places in the coming years. That’s never guaranteed. Here in the Czech Republic, some of the biggest events (Modelbrno, Nymburk's Kitsaloon, or Pilsenkit), where we used to have a booth, have disappeared. And the events meant to replace them attract nowhere near as many modelers as their predecessors did. We see declining interest year by year, for example, at PanthersCup in Prosek. I cannot praise the Panthers highly enough for organizing it, as they are among few still willing and able to host a major event in the Czech Republic. It’s actually the last large event in Prague, which might seem odd, but when we researched potential venues for this year’s E-day, we discovered that prices for spaces suitable for such an event in and around Prague are so high that organizing it could be financially unsustainable for any modeling club. So we’re thankful that at least events like PanthersCup are still going strong, and we’re always happy to support them with our participation.
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Editorial
The World of Japanese Calligraphy Shodō
Aerial War in Ukraine
Hungarian Shark
The Night Tests
Cobras over Sicily
Markings for MiG-21bis 1/72
Markings for Fw 190A-6 1/48
Markings for P-39K/L Airacobra 1/48
Tail End Charlie

Info EDUARD