[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I assume you mean that the 21st Interceptor Regiment took part in the Bay of Pigs 1962 action and later inducted the MiG-21bis.

Yes sir, the regiment was a part of the of the Brigada de Aviación de la Guardia Playa Girón (Girón Beach Guard Aviation Brigade). After the Cuban Revolution in which Fidel Castro's rebels seized power after ousting Cuban government, the brigade was formed in 1959 with the remnants of the erstwhile Fuerza Aerea Ejercito de Cuba (FAEC) - Cuban Army Air Force.

In April 1961 the Brigade received their baptism of fire at Playa Girón, when with 11 pilots and nine planes (Douglas A-26 Invader, T-33 and Hawker Sea Fury) in poor condition and without parts, they carried out more than 60 combat missions, in which they shot down atleast two A-26s, and sank several ships and barges of Brigade 2506 that was invading the Bay of Pigs (Brigade 2506 was a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro). It was then that the Brigade was honored with the title of “Bay of Pigs” Guard Brigade,

Since 1961, it began to fly Soviet origin fighters like the MiG-17 , MiG-19 , MiG-21 , MiG-23 and MiG-29.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21M Fishbed-J Type 88 "Badal"(Clouds), Indian Air Force
This superb piece of art is by fellow bhpian and Aircraft Scale Modeler Extraordinaire - basuroy. It now stands as the centerpiece of my aircraft scale model collection. He was patient enough to listen and gracious enough to honour some very specific requests to be done on this model. The attention to detail, colour, IAF markings, stencils are all spot on and flawless. I can't be thankful enough for the magnificent work he did on this model. Thanks so much Basuroy. If you wish to see his other works, this is the link to his instagram page.

The model is armed with 2 X drop tanks and 2 X UV-16 rocket pods.

Type 88 MiG-21M "Badal"
The MiG-21M(nicknamed "Badal" in IAF service and designated as the Type 88) was the from the family of third generation variants of the legendary MiG-21 family. It was an all-weather interceptor, strike and reconnaissance aircraft with an internal gun and missile/bomb/rocket (on four wing pylons) armament and was considered a multi-role version of the MiG-21.Compared to second generation of MiG-21s (MiG-21PF/FL/PFM etc), the MiG-21M had a larger spine(dorsal fairing above the fuselage), two pylons on each wing. It had a RP-21MA radar and a built in GSh-23L cannon in the belly. However, it continued to be powered by the MiG-21FL's R11F-300 engines(which was being license manufactured in India for the MiG-21FL).
While the production of Type 77 MiG 21FLs was going on in India, the Indian Government in the early 1970s signed an agreement with the Soviet Union for the manufacture of the MiG 21M in India. The IAF also received 36 R-13 powered, direct supply MiG 21MFs (Type 96) - Tail number C1474 to C1509 and the Indian Manufactured MiG 21Ms eventually totaled up to 162 (C1531 to C1691).

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 15.0 m (49 ft 2.5 in) (with pitot)
Wingspan: 7.154 m (23 ft 5.66 in)
Height: 4.125 m (13 ft 6.41 in)
Wing area: 23.0 m2 (247.3 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,339 kg (11,770 lb)
Gross weight: 8,725 kg (19,235 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Tumansky R11F2S-300 , 38.74 kN (8,710 lbf) thrust dry, 60.54 kN (13,610 lbf) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 2,237 km/h (1,468 mph, 1,276 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.05
Landing speed: 270 km/h
Range: 1,210 km (751 mi, 653 nmi) (internal fuel)
Service ceiling: 17,800 m (58,400 ft)
Rate of climb: 225 m/s (44,280 ft/min)

Armament
1x internal 23 mm GSh-23 cannon with 250 rounds
4x K-13A/M
2 x 500 kg (1,102 lb) bombs
2 X UV-16/32 Rocket Pods, 2 X S-24 Rockets

MiG-21M Tail Mo. C1624
MiG-21M C1624 was built in the year 1978 and was the first example in the batch of 18 MiG-21Ms manufactured by HAL during the FY 1978-79. C1624 is now on display at the General Thimmaiah Museum in Madikeri, Coorg. It remains the only IAF aircraft I have seen closeup from a hand's distance away( in 2021) and thus this very special MiG-21 (for me) was the subject of this project by Basuroy.

C1624 at Gen. Thimmaiah Museum in Madikeri, Coorg. Note how well basuroy has replicated this MiG-21M - the size and location of the IAF roundels, finflash and the Tail no. on the scale model - All perfect.






























C1624 with its PC counterpart


Close up shots - Look at the magnificent attention to detail - rivets and near perfect panel lines - something which you rarely get to see in diecast models.










With the book - Legacy of a Legend.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21M Fishbed-J Type 88 "Badal"(Clouds), Indian Air Force
This superb piece of art is by fellow bhpian and Aircraft Scale Modeler

Spectacular model! no doubt the king/queen of your collection.
I was reading the post on my phone and I thought for a moment some model manufacturer has finally made an iconic Indian Air Force Mig-21.

Its looks great in flight mode where you can see all the details on the underside also. Why did you go with this particular weapons layout?

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Spectacular model! no doubt the king/queen of your collection.

It sure is, thanks to basuroy

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I was reading the post on my phone and I thought for a moment some model manufacturer has finally made an iconic Indian Air Force Mig-21.

Yes, at first glance it is easy to mistake it for a diecast model.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Why did you go with this particular weapons layout?

I have always liked the look of the MiG-21 with drop tanks mounted on it's wings . I still remember the visuals during the Kargil War where MiG-21s were armed with R-60s and wing drop tanks( MiG-21bis) for CAP/Escort missions and wing Drop tanks & Rocket Pods (MiG-21M) for strike missions. Those visuals have influenced the way I want my MiG-21s to look in my display cabinet. In fact both my HM MiG-21s have the drop tank+ K-13 loadout instead of 4 X K-13s.


Besides that, there is something I find very appealing about a MiG-21 in a shallow dive firing rockets at a target.