Begemot 1/48
MiG-21 Fishbed

Begemot Decals is an interesting decal company from Rostov-on-Don, Russia that offers a nice array of markings for Russian-built aircraft. In this release, they've provided a wealth of markings for the MiG-21 that spans the aircraft's lifespan. Since the artwork is identical to their 1/72 release, some of the versions here have not yet been released in 1/48 scale, but I hope someone will rise to the challenge!

There are 18 aircraft covered in this set:

• MiG-21F-13, 23, 32 Guards Ftr Regt, Kubinka AB, Soviet AF, June 1962
• MiG-21F-13, 23, FAR (Cuban AF), Santa Clara, December 1962
• MiG-21F-13, 415, North Korean AF, May 1967
• MiG-21F-13, 10 FS, Syrian AF, 1969
• MiG-21PF, 'Trenazher', Krasnodar, Soviet AF, 1964
• MiG-21PF, 1851, JG 8, Peenemuende AB, EGAF, late 1960s
• MiG-21PF, 257, 31 IAP, Falkenberg AB, GSFG, August 1968
• MiG-21PFV, 4326, 921 Ftr Regt, Noibai AB, NVAF, summer 1968
• MiG-21PFM, 6122, 927 Ftr Regt, Da Nang AB, Vietnam, 1974
• MiG-21PFM, 54, 234 GIAP, Kubinka AB, Soviet AF, 1967
• MiG-21PFM, 03, 136 Fighter-Bomber Regt, Kanahar AB, Soviet AF, 1980
• MiG-21bis, 1 FS, Pieso AB, Croatian AF, 1993
• MiG-21SM, 18, 234 GIAP, Kubinka AB, Soviet AF, 1974, 'Komsomol Guarantee'
• MiG-21MF, 2500, 22 Ftr Regt, Caslav AB, Czech AF, May 2005, '45 Years of AFB Caslav'
• MiG-21bis, 03, prob 797 Tng Regt, Krasnodar, 1991
• MiG-21bis, 40, 234 GIAP, Kubinka AB, Soviet AF, 1983, '17th Congress of Komsomol'
• MiG-21UM, 160, 706 Tng Regt, Volgograd, Soviet AF, 1986
• MiG-21UM, 165, 1 FS, Pieso AB, Croatian AF, 1996

The decal printing is perfectly in register. The instructions are printed on four sheets that provide not only decal placement for each aircraft, but also a nice color reference for each aircraft as well. Decals include the distinctive aircraft markings as well as appropriate national markings. A set of wheel masks are also included in the set for our convenience.

This set is definitely recommended!

For more information about this set and the other releases from Begemot Decals, visit their website at http://www.begemotdecals.ru. You can find this set and others in the series from either FlightDecs or Hannants.

My sincere thanks to Begemot Decals for this review sample!