Scale Plastic & Rail

1:48 MiG-21BIS exhaust nozzle from Eduard

1:48 MiG-21BIS exhaust nozzle
'BRASSIN' edition
Eduard
Catalogue # 648051
Available from Eduard for 14,95€

After the BIS interior set that we very recently reviewed, it's now time for the tail pipe of your 1:48 MiG-21BIS to receive the Eduard 'BRASSIN' attention.

Eduard's 'BRASSIN' MiG-21BIS exhaust nozzle is packaged into the familiar, clear two-part blister pack, with the resin components residing in the main blister, and backed by protective foam, and a small photo etch fret packed into a shallow projection above the main blister. The sets instructions are s single, folded piece of A5 paper which doubles up as the products front and back illustrations.

Inside the packet, we have 6 pieces of resin, with three of these being cast in light grey, one in medium grey and the remaining two in dark grey. Again, I can't understand why there is a different colour use of resin, but I don't suppose that matters in the slightest. The main pipe has some of the most intricate and amazing detail cast down the full length of the part. You really will struggle to see that far into the model clearly, but at least you'll know it's there.

The inner fan is replaced with a resin component with beautifully moulded strakes, and onto this fastens the afterburner section which has both a photo etch flame holder and resin afterburner injector ring. The afterburner section has some beautifully sharp fins moulded within that my photography can't even begin to capture properly. The depth of detail really is quite astounding.

The final parts of this set are the exhaust nozzle and the actuator ring. The stunning level of detail is carried right across onto this most obvious component, and you'll see how the kit part really doesn't hold a candle to how good the resin part looks the individual petals. If you take a look into the nozzle itself, whilst on the casting block, you could be a little confused in how Eduard have cast this. There is a protruding shape which even has fins running down the side of it, but this is simply to stop any foreign objects wedging themselves in this delicate area.

All resin parts are flawlessly cast, and will need removing from casting blocks. I do advise that you invest in a fine razor saw for this, and don't use a knife to extract these areas sue to the fragility of some detail.

The single etch fret contains the flame holder ring. The fret is nickel plated and etch quality is as you would expect it to be from Eduard.

The instructions are printed within the folded A5 insert as mentioned, and the clarity is very good. There doesn't appear to be any cause for ambiguity with assembly, but unfortunately, no reference is made to painting, and you'll need to check your own references to ensure you use the correct colours.

So what do we think?
This set offers a radically different appearance and approach to finishing the Eduard MiG-21BIS, and one that I personally feel should be undertaken if you want to get the very best out of the host kit. Quality and design are both exemplary, and all is offered at a cost which I feel it correctly pitched. Watch out for more MiG-21BIS detail sets coming this way very soon.

Very highly recommended.

Our sincere thanks to Eduard for the review sample used here. To purchase this directly, click THIS link.

James H.

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