By the mid-80s, 3 aircraft of this modification ended up at the training site of the Military Department of the Moscow Energy Institute in the village of Dolgoye Ledovo, Moscow Region, where they remained until its liquidation
By the mid-80s, 3 aircraft of this modification ended up at the training site of the Military Department of the Moscow Energy Institute in the village of Dolgoye Ledovo, Moscow Region, where they remained until its liquidation
complete winring and tubing on wheels according real counterparts. Later on I found that Eduard has the set for this, but still I wanted to do them myself.
the colour scheme from the guideline is bit different from real plane, because it was sanded down nearly completely, on front area stays with all the brown areas. Also I did not used red stars from the decal kit, but I used them as the stencils for painting them as on real plane.
I´ve added also on the rear fuselage small metal holders, in reality the have different shape, what I found too late. It is a pitty, that these simple details are not in set or as an additiolan parts
spare canopy used during varnishing, because the painted one will be opened in model, and it has two small pins, so it cannot seal the cabin completely.
Finaly done, after 2 and half months of nearly everyday work.
I have pick this model, because I wanted to learn new tricks an techniques (and becasue it was on sale with many additions from Eduard).
My goal (after I found the pictures) was to build model what looks like the real plane. I have pictures from few different times and statuses of real plane on different places so I pick one set as the inspiration. Rest of them supports me with the details, which are missing on the first set.
There are many mistakes, because I found rest of the pictures too late, so I have a bit different interior configuration as it should be, also real plane did not have full seat inside (only the metal bucket-seat support) but I decided to put it in, becuase I wanted to make it and have it in the plane.
Also I did add few self made parts, and made few covers opened according the real plane (also some damage on components and of course the paint scheme and weathering).
Aircraft 964015 was produced by the Znamya Truda aircraft plant on May 26, 1971, and entered service on May 31, 1971. It ended up in the 234th Guards Proskurov Fighter Aviation Regiment, based in Kubinka. It was planned to use these aircraft for demonstration to foreign delegations, but it quickly became clear that due to the shading of the fin by the overhead tank, the aircraft became significantly worse in aerobatic performance and was inferior to the MiG-21SM.
Therefore, the planes ended up in a squadron where young pilots gained experience. In 1972, all MiG-21MTs were transferred from Kubinka to the 296 IAP at the Altenburg airfield, 626 IAD 16 VA Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
And 6 years later, in September 1978, these aircraft were transferred to Fighter-Bomber Aviation (IBA). The place of service was 66 APIB at the Veshchevo airfield near Leningrad. Then the plane ended up in the parking lot of the military department of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, after the disbandment of which it was sold under the Moscow Defense Ministry's recycling program.
In 2010, the club managed to save this rare modification of the aircraft from destruction. Only 15 of these machines were produced; our last one is number 964015. The aircraft is currently mothballed, but is in potentially flightable condition and will eventually (after restoration work) be able to take off. After the restoration program, we plan to show the aircraft at various air shows.
Only two examples of the MiG-21MT have survived, one of which is in our collection.
At the moment you can see this aircraft in the Oreshkovo Airpark Museum.
