Eduard 1/48 MiG-21PFM BigSin Set First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Eduard from the Czech Republic is easily the most prolific producer of aftermarket details. Period. Their series of photo-etched detail sets have brought additional fidelity to otherwise bland subjects, and have taken even the best-produced models and kicked them up a notch or two with details that cannot be produced with injection-molded plastic. Many AMS modelers will collect the relevant Eduard photo-etch sets for a given project, but they'll also go out and gather specific resin enhancements as well. Eduard has stepped up with a new product line to complement their photo-etched detail series - Brassin. Brassin is a play on words with Brass and Resin, and in many sets in this series, the resin details also include a set of color photo-etch as well.

If you've been using Eduard's detail sets for a while, you'll know that for the AMS modeler, they combined all of the photo-etched details for a particular subject into a single package in their BIG ED series. Buying the BIG ED sets can give you some sticker shock, but if you add up the prices of the individual detail sets and masks included in each BIG ED set, you'll see you're saving some good money in that combined package.

Following that same business model, Eduard has released their latest savings package for the AMS modeler - BIG SIN for their own 1/48 scale MiG-21PFM Fishbed F kit. If you look at the list on the box, here are the specific sets included in this release:

• 648117 MiG-21PF/PFM Exhaust Nozzle
• 648049 MiG-21 Wheel Wells
• 648110 MiG-21PFM Wheels
• 648111 MiG-21PFM Interior
• 648125 R-3S/AA-2 Atoll
• 48704 Boarding Ladder

I checked current pricing for each of the above sets and they added up to $120.00 USD if purchased individually at full price. Combined street price for these sets bought individually is around $108.00 USD. The suggest retail price for this BIG SIN set is $70.00, which saves you $50.00 USD at full price. Street price for this combined set is around $56.00 USD which saves you almost $52.00 USD. Your results may vary, but you can see that BIG SIN, like BIG ED, will save you money if you're going to use all of the available sets on a given project.

Looking at each set, the 'Exhaust Nozzle' is actually a resin (and seamless) replacement from the compressor face and afterburner spray ring through the afterburner chamber and the nozzle. The wheel set provides the main gear hubs separately cast for ease of painting and include wheel masks and even a replacement nosewheel fork. The wheel wells are common to all of their MiG-21 releases and provide some nice details up into the fuselage.

The cockpit set is very comprehensive as it replaces everything in the cockpit area with resin plus optional color-printed photo-etch. Note that Eduard uses the bright version of the cockpit turquoise on their instrument panel and console parts which is fine if you're building a contemporary MiG-21PFM that has been through depot. If you're doing an original MiG-21PFM, you'll need to use the resin instrument panels and side consoles painted the early gray (check your references). Eduard includes their boarding ladder and a set of AA-2 Atoll missiles. These AA-2s are very nicely done and you'll only need two for the MiG-21PFM, so you'll have an extra pair for another project.

You should be able to find this detail set at your local hobby retailer or one of the many online hobby shops. Trust me, this is worth looking for!

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!