MiG-21MF Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2005 | Title | MiG-21MF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Krzysztof Barcz | Publisher | Kagero |
| Published | 2005 | ISBN | 83-89088-62-2 |
| Format | 44 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $18.98 |
Review
Kagero has started a new series of books called 'Topshots' and these are equivalent to Squadron/Signal Publications' series of Walk Arounds. This title is 44 pages long, contains 151 full-color photographs, 14 detail scrap drawings and three color profiles. As with most of the Kagero series, this title also includes a set of Techmod decals.
'MiG-21MF' covers the Fishbed J series as flown by the Polish Air Force. This title has some of the best detail photos I've seen to date and are all of operational aircraft, no museum pieces. The photographer clearly had access to several MiG-21MFs undergoing maintenance as there are shots of access panels and avionics boxes I haven't seen before.
In addition to the excellent MiG-21MF coverage, the author has some nice shots of the MiG-21UM (Mongol B) trainer, also from Polish Air Force service. Unlike the Kagero titles in other series, this series has a single page of historical summary about the aircraft in English, with the remainder of the title driving straight into the photo coverage with captions in English and Polish.
The decals included with this set provide markings for low-visibility Bort 7809 that is profiled above, Red 7907 which is not covered by a profile or photograph in this title. These markings are provided in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scale.
The aviation historian and modeler alike will want to add this to their reference libraries - especially considering the VERY reasonable retail price!