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Quite amazing, both the stories and the models.clap: What a wonderful machine - so demanding and yet so delivering, in the hands of the skilled who could respect the machine and listen to it.

I had read some interesting stories of Wg Cdr Middlecoat inducting the F104 and how his daughter was able to later able to connect with Wg Cdr Soni.

This is a link https://theprint.in/feature/when-an-...-in-71/782352/

And then, I was just wondering if a photo edit could take out the stalks and lo behold, the wish was fulfilled!:)

Beautiful models both & congratulations on your choice of the Mig21 versions. I concur with your above assessment as I interact with him regularly, 6 models of mine are under various stages of construction (MiG21FL,23MF, 27ML, Su7BMK, Mi-17, Mi-25/35). I guess noting down subtle differences is part of his repertoire but his eager willingness to explain them is an added bonus.


The fact that NATO & USAF trained pilots of the PAF were defeated regularly was perhaps hard to digest....;)
Don't forget Chuck Yeager was very actively supporting the PAF in 1971 war as a member of the MAAG, our ex navy chief Adm. Arun Prakash flying a hunter destroyed his beechcraft on the ground...:uncontrol

Regarding the MiG21 raids in Bangladesh/East Pakistan apparently the accuracy was so good that the Soviet air attache himself met a few pilots
and saw a few AC when there were rumors of laser sights being used.

Two wonderful models of IAF Mig-21s. :thumbs up Appreciate all the research gone in making the exact versions down to the intricate details. I would say they are the cream of your collection.

I have a 1:48 IAF Mig-21 kit lying around for many years now which I don't have time to make but looking at Basu's work I am tempted to start sometime.

I noticed both the models don't have pilots but are in flying configuration. Was this intentional or the kit didn't come with a pilot? If its the later you can buy scale model figures of pilots separately and add it to the kit from eBay or Aliexpress.

I had bought this 1:48 Scale Russian Su-27 pilot and painted it in IAF Mig-29 pilot colors.

Where is the HMS (Helmet Mounted Sight) of the MiG29 pilot? :D
that was the USP of the MiG29 IIRC.

Did you have to perform any mods on the pilot figure?
Good decision nevertheless & commendable building skills too...clap:

Most kits do not come with the pilot figures and need to be bought separately. There is a company in Ukraine called reskit i think, they even have 1/32 & 1/72 scale pilot figures of the IAF in different combinations (with turban, mustache, sunglasses on..etc).

off topic but does anybody here follow the you tube channel showtime 112?
The most realistic depictions of mostly modern era dogfights done on DCS with narration I have come across so far. Our 1965, 1971 wars, 1999 PN Atlantique shoot down incident & even 2019 MiG21 & F16 skirmish is covered.

It is always a pleasure to learn something new from you. Thank you for the education.:thumbs up Your depth of knowledge is a source of inspiration. I now recall the old book 'Red Star Rising' had these graphics too and I had forgotten.

The MiG-21 would easily find a place in any list of top 10 jet fighters of all time or any list of top 10 fighters {prop & jet} of all time.

Top 10 jet fighters of all time, my list. Here top is with reference to that age and technology of those times. Also I have not focussed on maneuverability alone but also tried to factor in armament, flexibility, reliability, toughness, ability to multi-role (as understood in that era), ability to be developed into further and further versions, longevity in service. Roughly in chronological order:-

MiG-15
North American Sabre Jet F-86
Hawker Hunter
MiG-21
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom
MiG-25 Foxbat
F-15 Eagle
F-16 Falcon
Sukhoi Su-30
Rafale/EuroFighter in a tie.

Between the F-35 and F-22 I can't choose. Maybe they are too new. The F/A-18, the F-14, the MiG-19 would all be strong contenders bu tI had to keep the list to 10.

Well said, the MiG21 is to the air forces world over what the AK-47 was to infantry.
I think more than 10K were produced and if you include the Chinese F-7 even more.
The IAF flew almost 800 of them over the decades.
The closest competitor is the F16 and they have about 5K plus aircraft built.

Whaaat...no Mirage 3, Mirage 2000, super etendard...you are being unfair to Marcel Dassault...rl:

Isn't the F35 rotary nozzle design a copy of the Yak 141?
Lockheed Martin & Yakovlev had some collaboration after the breakup of the USSR for a very short duration!

Nicknamed as Trishul(Trident) by the IAF, the Type 77 MiG-21FL was a big improvement over the Type 76 MiG-21PF. The FL had a new R2L Radar, Radar warning Receiver & larger fuel capacity. A detachable GP-9 Gunpod that housed aa twin barrel 23mm GSh cannon was mounted on the center pylon. It also had a bigger tail fin than the PF and housed a brake parachute on the base of the tail fin (The PF's brake parachute was house in the ventral chord)

As one who has flown all the types of MiG21s operated by the IAF, I must point out two inadvertent errors in the above quote. Firstly, the IAF's name for Type 77 (FL) was BADAL. The later version, Type 96, was named TRISHUL.

Secondly, the positioning of the tail parachute for the Type76 (PF) was below the tailpipe, while the Type 77 tail parachute was housed in a bullet-shaped housing above the tail pipe. Interestingly the images of the well made models show the correct configuration.

Incidentally, the Type76s were modified locally with R2L radar and continued serving the IAF into the 80s. My log book shows that I last flew BC822 in early 1980 while posted in 45 Sqn.

The painting below is by Gp Capt Deb Gohain (Retd) who is a master aviation artist. It depicts BB Soni firng a K-13 AAM at the PAF F104 piloted by Middlecoat.

Thanks for waking up the memory cells.

Thank you for your service in the IAF. On this thread we are all fans of the IAF and their machines but I believe none of us every flew a military aircraft.

It would be great if you share your experiences on the different variants of Mig-21.

Thanks 🙏

I added the seat belts using painted tape and the respiratory pipe using threads. Yes I follow Showtime112 and enjoy his unbiased videos of air combat from conflicts around the world.

The kits did not come with pilot figures. Basu Roy makes it a point to have pilots in the cockpit for the model he makes for me (like the Type 88 MiG-21M and Ajeet previously and the ones currently in WIP stage) but unfortunately he was out of pilot figures by the time these two MiG-21s were nearing completion. So we left it as it is without pilots in the cockpit.

Thank you for the correction:), I always thought the FL was Trishul, M/MF were Badal and bis was Vikram. Quite a few books have quoted the FL to be Trishul(even Wikipdia does).

Yes, the PF had the brake parachute under the tail pipe near the ventral fin( just like the earlier F-13 did)

and the FL had it at the base of the tail fin in a bullet shaped fairing( for illustration purposes only - the tail section is that of a MiG-21R).


Woah.. that is some information, thank you sharing! As per open source resources, the last of the four PF survivors from the 1965 war last flew in the 1967 or 68 with 28 Sqdn and the lone flyable Type 74 MiG-21F-13 flew last with the 29 Sqdn in the same period. Also, it is noted that the the serials of the surviving early MiG-21s (BC series) was changed to C series some time after the 1965 war.

Clearly there is some confusion and it is great that Veterans like you come out to set the facts right.

1:72 Cadillac M41A3 Bulldog, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, South Vietnamese Army, 1972

The M41 Walker Bulldog, officially 76-mm gun tank M41, was an American light tank developed for armed reconnaissance purposes. It was produced by Cadillac between 1951 and 1954 and marketed successfully to the United States Army as a replacement for its aging fleet of World War II-vintage M24 Chaffee tanks.

Although engineered as a reconnaissance vehicle, the M41's weight and armament also made it effective in the close infantry support role and for rapid airborne deployments. Upon entering US service, all M41s received the designation Little Bulldog and subsequently, Walker Bulldog after the late General Walton Walker, who was killed in a Jeep accident in 1950. The M41 was the first postwar American light tank to see worldwide service, and was exported in considerable numbers by the United States, particularly to Asia

The M41 tanks were quick and maneuverable, with a top speed of 45 mph. They were designed for reconnaissance and security missions, not direct tank-to-tank combat. Like their predecessors, the M5 and the M24, their relatively light armor made them vulnerable to anti-tank fire.

The M41A3, as seen here, was the first US light tank to have its engine and transmission combined as a single unit in the rear of the tank. It was also the first US light tank to have an integrated fire control system where the commander and gunner sights and the main gun were connected, making its firepower more effective. Also, it was equipped with a bore evacuator that pulled gases and smoke out of the barrel after the gun was fired.

The M41 tank series never saw combat with the US Army but was exported to over 18 countries including South Vietnam. Although the US military did not used it in combat, it did engaged T-34s during the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba and was used for about nine and a half years by South Vietnam where it did engaged North Vietnamese PT-76 and T-54 tanks.

Specifications
Designed: 1944
Manufacturer: Cadillac
Produced: 1951–1954
No. built: 5,467
Mass: 23.49 tonnes
Length: 5.81 m (19 ft 1 in) (hull)
Width: 3.19 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Armor
Welded steel
25.4 mm (1.00 in) turret front
25 mm (0.98 in) turret sides and rear
12.7 mm (0.50 in) turret top
31.7 mm (1.25 in) at 30° hull upper glacis plate
25.4 mm (1.00 in) at 45° hull lower glacis plate
19 mm (0.75 in) hull rear
9.25 mm (0.364 in) hull floor

Main Armament: 76 mm M32A1 rifled cannon (65 rounds)
Secondary Armament:
.30 caliber M1919A4 coaxial machine gun (5,000 rounds)
.50 caliber Browning M2 roof-mounted machine gun (2,175 rounds)

Engine: Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol
500 bhp (370 kW)
Power/weight: 21.2 hp (15.8 kW)/tonne
Suspension: Torsion bar
Fuel capacity: 530 L (140 US gal)
Operational Range : 161 km (100 mi)
Maximum speed: 72.4 km/h (45.0 mph)

1:72 Type 59 North Vietnamese Army , 1972

The Type 59 main battle tank is a Chinese-produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, an early model of the ubiquitous T-54/55 series. The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959, with serial production beginning in 1963. Over 9,500 of the tanks were produced by the time production ended in 1985 with approximately 5,500 serving with the Chinese armed forces. The tank formed the backbone of the Chinese People's Liberation Army armoured units until the early 2000s, with an estimated 5,000 of the later Type 59-I and Type 59-II variants in service in 2002.

The Type 59 was modified several times during its service. It was also the basis of several later Chinese tank designs including the Type 69 and Type 79 tanks.

The first war involving the Type 59 was in Vietnam, where North Vietnam fielded at least several hundreds supplied directly from their Chinese ally against American tanks used by their South Vietnamese enemy, such as the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank and the M48 Patton main battle tank. Against the US tanks it faced in Vietnam, the Type 59, along with the similar T-54 tank of Soviet origin (also widely operated in the war by North Vietnam), achieved some success against enemy armour. Most of the losses of armour suffered by the US and South Vietnamese forces were to North Vietnamese infantry-based anti-tank weapons, such as the RPG-7, rather than to North Vietnam's own tanks and other armour.

Specifications
Manufacturer: First Inner Mongolia Machinery Factory, Norinco
Produced: 1958–1985
No. built: 9,500
Mass: 36 tonnes (35 long tons; 40 short tons)
Length: 6.04 metres (19.8 ft) (hull)
Width: 3.27 metres (10.7 ft)
Height: 2.59 metres (8 ft 6 in)
Crew: 4
Armor: 20–203 mm
Main Armament : 100 mm rifled gun
Secondary Armament : 2 x Type 59T 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, Type 54 12.7 mm air-defence machine gun
Engine: Model 12150L V-12 liquid-cooled diesel 520 hp (390 kW)
Power/weight: 14.44 hp/tonne
Suspension: torsion bar
Operational range : 450 km, 600 km with external tanks
Maximum speed : 50 km/h

1:72 M41 Walker Bulldog, South Vietnam Army v/s Type 59, North Vietnam Army, Battle of Dong Ha, 1972
In continuation of the above two posts - a diorama depicting the clash between South Vietnamese Army M41 and a NVA T-59. The South Vietnamese tanks were routed and had to withdraw in the Battle ,which resulted in a decisive victory for the NVA.

In their first major engagement, during Operation Lam Son 719 (February-March 1971) It was the Walker Bulldog that initially came out on top, when seventeen M41s were deployed an abortive cross-border incursion to disrupt strategic supply lines for the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong.

In the first major armor engagement of the Vietnam War, the M41s counterattacked and destroyed six T-54s and sixteen PT-76s.

Five M41s were lost during the same encounter, mostly to land mines and infantry ant tank weapons such as RPG-7.

Thereafter the M41s were outnumbered by and generally inferior to the enemy T-54s, hence the remainder of the operation, the M-41s were dug into defensive positions and essentially used for fire support missions rather than mobile combat.


The 1972 Easter Offensive
This was a major PAVN (People's Army of North Vietnam- Nort Vietnam Army) operation launched against ARVN(Army of the Republic of Vietnam - South Vietnam Army) and US forces between 30 March and 22 October 1972. The US policy of Vietnamization, or turning the war over to South Vietnam, was progressing as many US units had left Vietnam. ARVN units manned the frontline along the DMZ with the US providing advisors along with logistical and air support.

During the PAVN 1972 Easter Offensive, M41s were again dug in and engaged the 400 or so attacking T-54 or or Chinese T-59 tanks from the side.

After holding a defensive line along the Dong Ha River for more than week, the ARVN 1st Armored Brigade was finally outnumbered and forced to withdraw with their M41s to the south.

Early morning on 23 April 1972, a M41A3 of the 19th Armored Cavalry Squadron parked near the main gate of the Tan Canh base camp was destroyed by munitions which penetrated the tank. The tank crew thought they were hit by a B40 rocket fired by a RPG-2 beyond the defensive wire. The US advisors did not think it was possible because the B40 only had an effective range of about 100 meters and the enemy was more than 500 meters from the tank. The advisory section confirmed that it was a new type of rocket controlled by wires with a maximum range of 2,500 meters and able to penetrate 400mm of armor. That day was the ARVN first encounter with the Soviet-built missile, the 9M14 Malyutka, meaning “little one” which was designated by NATO as the AT-3 Sagger. This was some 18 months before their use against the Israelis during the Yom Kippur war . By that afternoon, five of the M41A3s in the base and several bunkers were destroyed by the missiles.

Wow!!! I was out for a few days and here I return home and to this thread and we have a real MiG-21 pilot in our midst. How much luckier can we all get. Welcome to the thread brother and please have a look at all the aviation threads we have in this section of "Commercial Vehicles". On behalf of all regular members in the aviation community of Team BHP I welcome you and thank you for your service to the nation. It is an honour to have you on our threads. We all do hope you will post more often.:-)

Dear Sir,

Welcome to this thread and the forum. What an incredible honour to have you here. We'd absolutely love if you can share more, as may be permissible. Thank you for your service!