MiG-21 FC2 Mod that predates Magnitude's Module

[Rudel_chw]

Hello,

 

While researching for a training mission that I'm currently editing for the MiG-21, I came across the User Manual of a Mod of Flaming Cliffs 2 that added a flyable MiG-21 to the game, these were their developers.

 

 

So, I then checked the manual of our current MiG-21 and found a very small note that states:

"Note: Parts of Cockpit Model, Exterior Model, Cockpit Textures, and some Weapons are made by
Laszlo Becz at beczl Studios."

 

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know more details?  I'd simply love to know more about the genesis of this DCS Module that I enjoy so much. There is a user @beczl that could be the account of one of the developers, but its been years since he last visited the forum, so I can't reach up to him.

 

best regards,

 

Eduardo

 

[hsth]

Hi Eduardo,

This is what I found in a txt file for one of his mods he made for FC2:

mail: beczl@tvn.hu
web: beczl.tvn.hu

Maybe you get lucky?

Huub.

[Rudel_chw]

6 minutes ago, hsth said:

This is what I found in a txt file for one of his mods he made for FC2:

mail: beczl@tvn.hu
web: beczl.tvn.hu

 

Thanks for the interest on this matter, unfortunately that mail no longer exists:

Remote server returned an error -> 550 550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist.

I found on YT a recent interview as he is the author of a new book on weaponry:

 

 

So I wrote to the YT channel owner and hopefully he would be willing to provide a current e-mail address  

If I find anything more, I will update this thread.

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

So, I remember this vividly since I was mega-hyped for the Fishbed and the circus it took to get it.

That beczl is probably the same beczl that was heading the development of the FC2 mod and, thus, the DCS mod. The two are one in the same.

There was some issue, some kerfuffle, that caused beczl to leave the team. We all assumed and were even told by him that development was over. Well, we've been enjoying the Fishbed for 10 years, now. I've not a clue what he's been doing in the interim, but that's a gist of his involvement with DCS MiG-21.

He started it, something happened, he had to leave, but then Dolphin and the rest of Leatherneck picked up the pieces.

[-Rudel-]

Beczl Studios was practically a community mod, that Eagle Dynamics invited to be a 3rd Party for, as grounds for testing the adaptability of the SDK, and future partnerships.

During the Kickstarter days, it was just two people.  Laszlo and Novak.  Eventually,  Rolandero, Cobra and I joined the team, and the rest is history.  

Much of the cockpit 3D is in its original FC2 form.  Cobra remade the textures and updated a few objects such as the seat belts, some knobs, etc.

I remade the external textures, and remade the entire airframe with only the landing gear, and engine turkey feathers in its original FC2 form.  Eventually the ASP and windscreen in the cockpit too.

Laszlo now writes books about Soviet weaponry and even created some 3D models available on turbosquid.
https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Artists/beczl

Some people in the community are still around today:

[Cunctator]

Here is the link to the original crowdfunding campaign from 2012. It was shortly after DCS World as an open, modular system was announced/released. I was super hyped for the future of DCS and a full fidelity MiG-21. Orignally, things like DCS A-10C, FC2, Black Shark were separate installs with some multiplayer compatibility. At the end it took 2 more years of development until the MiG was released, but back then everything looked imminent.  

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dcs-mig-21bis-fishbed

[Rudel_chw]

5 hours ago, -Rudel- said:

Beczl Studios was practically a community mod, that Eagle Dynamics invited to be a 3rd Party for, as grounds for testing the adaptability of the SDK, and future partnerships.

During the Kickstarter days, it was just two people.  Laszlo and Novak.  Eventually,  Rolandero, Cobra and I joined the team, and the rest is history.  

 

Hi,

Thank you so much for answering my curiosity    

I understand that Laszlo Becz started developing his MiG21 Mod around 2010 and initially worked alone. On 2012, after the kickstarter campaign he was able to bring Novak Djordjijevic into the project who acted as an SME since I understand he was a pilot with the hungarian air force.

The Mod was developed initially for Flamming Cliffs 1, but the release version was actually for Flamming Cliffs 2, and was released around 2013. At that point I assume ED showed interest on developing the MiG-21 into a full fledged module.

I guess that Rolandero , Cobra and Rudel came into the project on 2013 and then Leatherneck Simulations was formed, and the MiG-21 module was finished at the end of 2014.

I don't know the reason behind it, but seems like Laszlo left the project before the MiG-21 3rd party Module was released.

I guess during 2014 Leatherneck started developing the Viggen, which must have placed much strain on the team, as on 2017 Cobra left and formed his own Company: Heatblur, with the then just released Viggen and starting the F-14 development, while the remaining three members of Leatherneck changed the name of the company and started developing propeller modules, first the CE2 and then the F4U.

 

5 hours ago, -Rudel- said:

Some people in the community are still around today:

 

Its amazing the sheer quantity of people that helps with the development of each DCS Module, seems the typical DCS user does not appreciate how much work is behind each such development.

 

4 hours ago, Cunctator said:

Here is the link to the original crowdfunding campaign from 2012. It was shortly after DCS World as an open, modular system was announced/released. I was super hyped for the future of DCS and a full fidelity MiG-21. Orignally, things like DCS A-10C, FC2, Black Shark were separate installs with some multiplayer compatibility. At the end it took 2 more years of development until the MiG was released, but back then everything looked imminent.  

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dcs-mig-21bis-fishbed

 

Super interesting, thanks a lot for the link. I guess the 15,000 dollars covered just a small amount of the development costs, Laszlo mentions " I need a fund to pay the DRM protection, video and sound producing also need to pay a better texture artist than me to improve the airplane presence and outer and inner textures as well."

 

Thank you both for this rare insight into the early DCS development, I guess modern aircraft Modules require a much greater effort as DCS has increased its internal complexity quite a lot.  Best regards,

 

 

Eduardo

[Schmidtfire]

1 hour ago, Rudel_chw said:

I guess during 2014 Leatherneck started developing the Viggen, which must have placed much strain on the team

The Viggen started as an internal project by a group of Swedes that was part of the Master Arms community (a Swedish virtual squadron). They worked on it for a long time without SDK access and eventually Cobra/Magnitude3 came onboard and got the proper licensing with ED. At later stages it was then finished under the newly formed Heatblur brand. From what I remember, not much (if any) development was handled by the current Magnitude 3 team. Perhaps Rudel can explain in more detail, but that's how I remember it.

There was also some kind of fallout with Lazlo Becz that jeopardized the release of the MiG-21bis module. It was something like half a year before the release and got everyone nervous . At that time modules was a rare commodity and pretty much everyone was waiting for it. Luckily, it all worked out.
        

Edited February 21 by Schmidtfire

[Beta Sokol]

Hello Eduardo,

forget this mod, isn't working anymore since a very long time. Checked my screenshots, it was around 2012 with FC2.

[Rudel_chw]

40 minutes ago, Schmidtfire said:

The Viggen started as an internal project by a group of Swedes that was part of the Master Arms community (a Swedish virtual squadron). 

 

Thanks for the interesting details 

 

40 minutes ago, Schmidtfire said:

There was also some kind of fallout with Lazlo Becz that jeopardized the release of the MiG-21bis module. It was something like half a year before the release and got everyone nervous .         

 

I started on DCS on 2013 and purchased my MiG-21 on Dec/2014, but somehow I missed all of the interesting stories and development details. Thank you everyone for every story and detail that you bring to this thread.

 

7 minutes ago, Beta Sokol said:

Hello Eduardo,

forget this mod, isn't working anymore since a very long time. Checked my screenshots, it was around 2012 with FC2.

 

Hi,

As I said on my first post, I simply want to know more about the genesis of this DCS Module that I enjoy so much, it was never my intention to fly back to FC2, as I'd rather fly the MiG-21 that we have today on DCS.   

[-Rudel-]

When we were Leatherneck Simulations with Cobra:

The Viggen started with the Swedish team Master Arms, and we recruited the entire team.

The F-14 was also in development under us, along with a planned Iwo Jima map, assets and F4U-1D.

Cobra didn't leave because we had too much work or put strain on us.  That's a private matter any ways.

Novak and Roland provided programming help for the Viggen, while their main focus was the F-14.

Me & Cobra were tackling all three aircraft. in various parts.

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

On 2/21/2025 at 3:13 AM, Cunctator said:

Here is the link to the original crowdfunding campaign from 2012. It was shortly after DCS World as an open, modular system was announced/released. I was super hyped for the future of DCS and a full fidelity MiG-21. Orignally, things like DCS A-10C, FC2, Black Shark were separate installs with some multiplayer compatibility. At the end it took 2 more years of development until the MiG was released, but back then everything looked imminent.  

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dcs-mig-21bis-fishbed

I remember when beczl departed and it was doom and gloom. I was legitimately heartbroken that I might not get the Fishbed.

[Alkaline]

Wow, this is insanely interesting

[Cgjunk2]

On 2/21/2025 at 3:13 AM, Cunctator said:

... At the end it took 2 more years of development until the MiG was released, but back then everything looked imminent.  

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dcs-mig-21bis-fishbed

Two years is essentially imminent, at least as far as DCS goes    Everything else is  "soon", which means that it may release within a human generation. 

 

This thread is an awesome history lesson on this module.    I've been flying eagle dynamics way back since I was a kid in the 90s.  I still see the mig21 as relatively recent, but I guess it actually is kind of old if I were forced to admit to the passage of time.  Yet, yesterday I grabbed a mig21 and raced an online buddy in a Fulcrum from Kutaisi to Tsiblisi, Tsiblisi to Anapa, and Anapa to Batumi.  I won two out of three legs!  One of them dead stick lol.   But I only won because I knew how to fly it exactly by the numbers.  It's awesome that the Mig21 is modeled nicely enough that it rewards a pilot that knows how to fly it.  

After all these years, the Mig21 is still a great time.  It goes to show that a good product is a good product, even if it's old.   The devs should know that they made something lasting, and something that can be deeply appreciated by discerning pilots.  

Edited March 3 by Cgjunk2