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The Chinese Trumpeter manufacturer issued several kits of the Mig-21 , including that of the subtype F-13 . 

So how do those kits compare and what to do next? Looking at the Trumpeter kit, which represents in kit box no. 2210 a Mig-21 F-13 "early mig", the kit requires quite some studying as there are many delicate parts.

Unbelievable how much this Chinese kit company Trumpeter has learned and made progress in a few years! The kit is far better in details and fineness than their first Mig-15 kits series, although these were also quite good. 

This report will look at both Revell and Trumpeter kits. 

You get besides the obvious parts in the Trumpeter Mig-21 / F-13 kit [referred to here as kit no.1]:
- excellent cockpit with reasonable early style seat
- avionics bay details
- canon bay details
- detailed engine with separate tail section
- fully detailed undercarriage and bays (with metal legs)
- very good set of stores

Trumpeter kit instructions; very nice !
EARLY SEAT TYPE of F13

The kit has very good surface detail, with nicely engraved lines, rivets, added raising plate details etc. Very good indeed!

Trumpeter kit Mig-21 F-13 decals and parts; 
Upper picture shows the common "engine parts" sprue to all Trumpeter released Mig-21 kits.

note below the F13 decals and the photo negative type of instruments

The Trumpeter kit also came in other kit issues with variants, the Mig-21 UM Mongol two seater, the MF etc.... 
 

Trumpeter kit Mig-21 F-13 parts (not all of them)

F13 fuselage parts

F13 cockpit parts with metal undercarriage legs with smaller thin F13 type tyres

Compared to the first Revell Mig-21 kits issued (in the nineteen seventies),  it has in its re-issued form some extra parts to make a better kit with an improved seat, new canopy with separate windshield and also has a larger spine (for the MF) on top of the fuselage. 
Well.... the kit is quite good to use as a basis! 

When you compare the Revell kit with the Trumpeter kit, you can use the Trumpeter kit with some additional references and pictures to "upgrade the Revell kit". It is quite strange and surprising indeed  that Revell managed to mould this kit so well in dimensional sense considering its very old age back in the cold war. The Revell kit is basic and has its faults, but all can be corrected.

Lets start with the most large ones, to correct them first before going into detailing. 
As with any larger kit, first make sure that the main issues are corrected and that you have a good basic shape before going on to the detailing of cockpits, bays and other parts.

What about the main parts in the Revell kit? [referred here to as kit no. 2,3, and 4] 

(1) The basic kits fuselage height is OK, but the width should be 3 mm wider. This can be done quite easily by adding between the fuselage halves some plastic sheet inserts. At the same time you will then get a more correct oval cross section shape, and the Trumpeter kit and Revell kits cross-sections will be remarkably the same. 

A very nice co-incidence is that the Revell intake ring is too large for a Mig-21 F-13 Early mig, but is quite good for the later MF with the more powerful engine! For the Early Mig-21 F-13 the intake diameter should be 19 mm at the leading edge, and 27 mm for the Mig-21 MF. 

So the Revell intake is only 1 mm to small in width at the intake but this can be left as is or corrected by adding some small pieces of strip and tapering it into the large width required at the cockpit and along the larger part of the fuselage.

Widening the Revell fuselage vastly improves its appearance. But the MF kit of Revell has the fairing added in the kit and this will help on the top of the fuselage. The lower area at the fuselage edges also needs the 3 mm cart inserts.

(2) The Revell exhaust pipe is 2 mm too small in diameter, and this can be seen. As you can make the rear fuselage cone wider, some corrections can be done here also. Replacing the exhaust pipe with something "round" from the spare box will help here.

(3) The Revell wings are also quite good in plan view and outline. A large fault is the flap outline; the inboard flap should be 3 mm larger in span and you will need thus to "move" the flap tracks fairing 3 mm more outboard. Also, you can slightly correct the lower flap panels. But again, all can be corrected and the Revell kit's wing is quite a good starting point. 

The position of the Revell wings is OK, but the wing main undercarriage opening should have a larger angle. This also shows that the main undercarriage bay in the fuselage should be moved 5 mm more forward. The lower wing undercarriage bays were then improved by removing some plastic in front and adding a strip aft. Also re-scribe the panels lines.

A cut out of the main bays "around the bulges" was made and repositioning it; sounds difficult but can be done.

(4) The Mig-21 MF kit has the correct larger wheels provided and the Revell kit has the correct larger bulges on the fuselage. Also, I removed the ceiling of the fuselage main undercarriage bays and made them about 4 mm deeper as in the Trumpeter kit. Detailing will be done later.

(5) The lateral position of the cockpit, the nose undercarriage, the wing in height, the taper ratio's, stagger height and separation between the tail and fairings seem all OK. Surprising for such an old kit with very limited information being available at the time. 

(6) The Revell kit's nose undercarriage bay has some edges moulded on; these  were removed and the fuselage intake ring edges slightly aft of the leading edge intake are also removed. Smoothing the inner areas here is needed.

(7) The horizontal tail stabilizers of the Revell kit are oversize, but can be corrected at their tips. The tip weight anti flutter balances should be much fatter and larger. 

(-) More issues to be seen later on and to be yet discovered..

So, continue to upgrade the Revell kit with the Trumpeter kit as pattern example? Very well indeed and very worth the effort.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Trumpeter kit (bottom) and Revell kit main bay positions; moving it 5 mm more forward will improve it; see also notes on the wing bays.. applicable for all Mig variants

Revell kit main bay correction work in progress. 

checking the Revell wing bay and main fuselage bay positions.

Trumpeter kit (left) and Revell kit wing: note incorrect angle at Revell wing; see notes. But the main legs positions is correct! That's why the kit's fault has hardly been noticed in the past.

Trumpeter kit upper wing (left) and Revell wing right with corrections: increased span flap and moved fairings and removed wing fence: to be replaced with a thinner one.

corrected lower Revell wing. 
Flaps will be set in the neutral up positions as most Migs on the ground  do not show drooped flaps and ailerons..

the total result : vastly improved. Note rescribed panels

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