The Eduard MiG-21 family displays some of the best engineering in modeling. The kit cockpit is nice but there are limitations with plastic molding. Luckily for us modelers, Eduard has an answer for that in their Brassin range.

Typical of the Brassin range this set is a mixed media offering with resin and photo etch. The instructions are typical colored pictograph which is quite nice and helpful. There are five pages of actual assembly diagrams.

Also typical of the Brassin range, the resin is cast in light grey resin is perfectly cast with no bubbles or blemishes anywhere. There is one piece of clear resin. The detail is absolutely exquisite. The parts are packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with foam protecting the parts then to further safeguard them the resin parts are held in three bags to keep them safe. There are 29 resin pieces to make this cockpit.

The photo etch is on two separate frets. One is pre-painted and the other is nickel plated. I’ve said it before, if you can paint an instrument panel as good as Eduard does with the pre-painting you are a much better modeler than me. The pre-painted parts are simply gorgeous. The other thing that it shows is the color that Eduard interprets as the emerald green.

The instrument panel can be any of three methods. First you can just use photo etch sandwich or a resin version of the panel with the pre-painted PE behind it or just a resin affair. That is up to the modeler. I decided to do the PE sandwich.

The ejection seat is a work of art all on its own but it is just one facet of this jewel. One of the nice touches that typifies Eduard’s excellence is the inclusion of a helmet to pose as you see fit on your model.

Because this was designed by Eduard specifically for their model you know it will fit perfectly. It is not for the beginner though. The level of detail and the finesse of all the parts, especially the smaller ones, make this for the moderate to experienced modeler. With that said, the set is absolutely gorgeous. The use of photo etch pieces are used logically and the overall effect of this upgrade is sure to add to your model.

Highly Recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contact Eduard direct at www.eduard.com , your local hobby shop or online retailer.