MiG-21UM Conversion

Neomega

Reviewed by Mike Reeves

As a long time Mig-21 fan I was very excited when Neomega released a Mig-21UM (two seat) conversion for the 1/48 Academy kit. As usual, once I got it in my hands (thanks Bill Nix and Linden Hill Imports) I was not disappointed.

The set is moulded in Neomega's usual Green grey resin and it contains 22 resin parts and one (I wish there were two) vac formed, crystal clear canopy. The resin you get is, two replacement forward fuselage halves, two complete cockpits with tubs, instrument panels, bulkheads, sidewalls, sticks and seats. The KM-1 seats are in my opinion the VERY best resin KM-1s that are on the market today. You also get a rear cockpit coaming, new nose bullet, nose ring and a new spine. As with all of Neomegas sets that I have had experience with, the parts are meant as direct replacements of the kit offerings. The only surgery required are a couple of well marked panels on the rear fuselage for the new front fuselage to mate. This simply allows the rear cockpit to sit back in the fuselage as on the real jet.

The castings themselves are up to Neomega's usual very high standards. All of the detail is very crisply moulded with no pin holes, bubble or warpage. The detail on the bulkheads has to be seen to be believed. My only real gripe is with the casting blocks on the forward fuselage halves. They are rather bulky and once removed it will be a rather difficult undertaking opening up the nose gear wells. It is not as bad as it sounds but it will create some hair pulling moments I am sure. After doing some test fitting of the cockpit parts I can assure you that all will fit very nicely. Did I mention how much I love the seats?

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

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If you are a diehard Mig-21 fan or simply want something a little different in your collection, this is a conversion to get. By the same token, if you are relatively new at doing conversions, this one looks to be about as easy as it gets.

The only drawback is the price tag. This baby weighs in at a hefty $40-45 USD on average. Its not cheap but boy is it well worth it. Also on another note, Linden Hill also has a PE set out to make this set a Romanian Mig-21 Lancer B. The PE includes very nice instrument panels, exterior grills, antennas and other details.

So go out and get one of these great conversions, you will be happy you did!

 

Review Copyright © 2001 by Mike Reeves
Page Created 30 December, 2001
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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