Revell 1:72 Su-27 SM Flanker

[JudgeDredd]

Hi all.

Very nervous. First GB and I'm full of trepidation because I've seen the quality of the work from members around here. I'm a very, very amateur modeller who makes about 2 or 3 models a year...so I'll bring what I can to this build.

This will be an OOB (out of the box) build. No after market parts. That's partly because I'm a tight sod - but also, I like to make do with what I'm given.

Anyway - the subject matter...

The Revell 1:72 Su-27 SM Flanker


A small video of it's entertainment value from Youtube
[youtube]yNxKIsTZAt0[/youtube]

And some information (from wiki)

Su-27
The Sukhoi Su-27 (Russian: Сухой Су-27) (NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a twin-engine super manoeuvrable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth-generation fighters such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle, with 3,530-kilometre (1,910 nmi) range, heavy aircraft ordnance, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability. The Su-27 most often flies air supremacy missions, but its most modern variants are able to perform almost all aerial warfare operations. Complementing the smaller MiG-29, the Su-27 has its closest US counterpart in the F-15 Eagle.

The Su-27 entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1985. The primary role was long range air defence against American SAC B-1B and B-52G/H bombers, protecting the Soviet coast from aircraft carriers and flying long range fighter escort for Soviet heavy bombers such as the Tu-95 "Bear", Tu-22M "Backfire" and Tu-160 "Blackjack".

There are several related developments of the Su-27 design. The Su-30 is a two-seat, dual-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions. The Su-33 'Flanker-D' is a naval fleet defence interceptor for use on aircraft carriers. Further versions include the side-by-side two-seat Su-34 'Fullback' strike/fighter-bomber variant, and the Su-35 'Flanker-E' improved air superiority and multi-role fighter. The Shenyang J-11 is a Chinese licence-built version of the Su-27.

This machine can perform the manoeuvre known as Pugachev's Cobra so beautifully shown in the video above. The manoeuvre involves dynamic deceleration with briefly sustained level flight at a 120° angle of attack


Armament
It's armament for the Su-27 SM variant includes
1 × 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds
8 x R-77 advanced medium-range missile
6 x KAB-500KR and KAB-500L guided bombs
4 x Kh-29T/L air to surface missile
4 x Kh-31P/A anti-radar/ship missiles
4 x Kh-35 anti-ship missile

Here's the full wiki page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-27

And some info from the model instructions


Well - here goes...good luck to everyone

[JudgeDredd]

The Sprues

Lee's pet hate - sprues in one bag!


And each of the sprues - the detail isn't bad and there's virtually no flash - I mean almost ZERO flash. That's a good start.








The glass isn't amazing...


And the decals...there are lots and lots. I have to be honest, but the decals are always my least favourite part of building a model and made worse with modern aircraft having so many!

[JudgeDredd]

The Build Instructions
It doesn't look too difficult on the face of it...but it is Revell, so I expect there may be a few issues along the way









The colour callouts and decal positions



And the weapon specific colour callout and decals page

[DBMiller]

Love the Flanker! By the way, OOB is my middle name! I have enough trouble with the parts that come in the box without adding more. Good building!

[JudgeDredd]

Thank you.

I agree...PE and injection parts can transform a model - but they also add to the complexity.

To be honest, my reason is more financial based. Any of the models I have built or am looking to build tend to add £20 to a kit...which, imo, is unacceptable for the look I'm going for.

Lets hope that holds true for this model!

[JudgeDredd]

Looking through the instructions, I might be struggling somewhat for colours.

I've seen someone buy some Akah paints for Russian jets and whilst they look ideal, I'm not sure I want to fork out £20 for a set of paints that I may only ever use once.

So the paints will have to be mixed and I'll go for as close a match as I can get. If that fails, I guess I'll be sucking it up and buying the Akah paint set.

[TommyKillander]

Good choice!

The Flanker is one of my favorite aircrafts... it's like Beauty and the Beast at the same time...

Good luck with the build!


Tommy

[JudgeDredd]

I also think it's a stunning aircraft - thanks

[BaldyBuilderBoy]

Good luck with this build mate.
Don't be " Full of trepidation", I agree that there are some spectacular skills on display in this group but from what I've seen nobody is gonna rip your work to shreds they'll be too interested in seeing what you can achieve and giving you encouragement along the way. I'm intending to get an entry into either this build or the current F16 build as my first GB / SIG entry.

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks BBB

Good luck with whichever one you join.

I've not yet started this one. I have to do a paint inventory to make sure I have as near as damnit what I need and I need to finish my Sea Harrier before I can go at this...but soon.

[BaldyBuilderBoy]

I've taken the plunge and invested my Christmas money into a M70 and some paint so I can join in this build group. Not done any AFV since I was a kid so this should be interesting...

[Skullfish]

why does firefox with clint eastwood music pop into my head when i watch that video

anyway, get stuck in and good luck, everyone on here is full of encouragement and plenty of tips.

Jase

[JudgeDredd]

Definitely...community is great and very encouraging. Loved Firefox and in fact it's recorded on my digital box to watch sometime...perhaps when I'm making a start on this bad girl

Good luck with the M70 BBB - what is that though?

[chief5437]

Great looking jet! I'm doing the su-33 flanker. Like you I won't be buying a set of paints just for this, I'll make do with what I've got. There aren't any rivet counters here, you could paint it bright yellow so long as you're happy with it! Good luck with the build buddy

[BaldyBuilderBoy]

What that is, actually, is a Typo error and it should read T70. I've ordered the Miniart special edition from eModels.

[JudgeDredd]

I've looked into the paint for this kit - and I really, really, really don't want to spend another £15-£25 on the specific colour set...I'm a bit tight like that.

So I've ordered some Tamiya colours and I hope to get the "mix" I need - if not...oh dear. I'll have some tweaking to do to get the colours right!

I'll be doing the number 06 (RF-92210)
http://www.airfighters.com/photosearch.php?reg=RF-92210

[JudgeDredd]

Oh - and I feel I should correct myself - there is some flash. Not much...only a few pieces, but a bit of sanding will get rid quite easily.

Also the wheel wells are very bare - so I might be throwing some detail in there. What, I do not know...but I'll think about giving it a go.

And finally - I've just noticed a piece of plastic that is loose in the box. This is because all the sprues are in one bag (Lee's (and now my) pet hate). I haven't, as yet, found out what it's from. Hopefully nothing significant!

[qeialto]

Oh - and I feel I should correct myself - there is some flash. Not much...only a few pieces, but a bit of sanding will get rid quite easily.

Also the wheel wells are very bare - so I might be throwing some detail in there. What, I do not know...but I'll think about giving it a go.

And finally - I've just noticed a piece of plastic that is loose in the box. This is because all the sprues are in one bag (Lee's (and now my) pet hate). I haven't, as yet, found out what it's from. Hopefully nothing significant!

This looks like the piece I lost on my model
In my opinion it seems to be the lower part of the optical target in front of the cockpit (see first picture on this site). http://www.indomiliter.com/tag/sukhoi-su-27/page/2/

I'd the same but went lost...

[JudgeDredd]

I'm not sure what part it's from...but your post made me look at the sprues I had posted on page one, and I think it's this piece

So thankfully, it doesn't look like a bit broken off the model, but rather just a part broken off the sprue.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Now that is a sweet looking kit!
And don't be nervous, were all good guys here!
Wishing you the best of luck, and more important, have fun!

[JudgeDredd]

Thank you.

I'm hoping to start it soon...if not this week then at least this weekend.

[JudgeDredd]

right. I've started.

This will be slow as the super fantastic 6 Nations is on for the next 6 weeks and I'll be drunk most weekends (as a Scot, it's the only way to get through it)

Anyway. I made a start before I head off to Murrayfield to watch Scotland take on the mighty Auld Enemy.

It seems rather strange, but I've started at step 21. The reason for doing so is because the glue needs to set. The step is putting the nose weight in.

So - step 21 is putting 10g of weight in the nose


First, getting the nose off, I had a bit of sanding to do to get rid of the sprue connections.

For that I used Ultimate Coarse sanding stick rubbed very lightly and then some Ultimate Fine sanding stick to remove any impressions the coarse stick left.



Next, get some PVA into the nose and wipe it around. This was just a precaution measure to make sure the weight I was putting in would have something to bind to the side. I then put 9g of weight in using Liquid Gravity



I then topped up the nose cone with PVA glue which took the weight to 11g


I was rather surprised at how much 10g actually was...I didn't think it was all going to fit in.

Hopefully, jumping ahead to this step is not an issue. I knew I had to put nose weight in and I knew it would have to set, so I decided to do it early.

And that's that. Sorry for getting your hopes up...I know there's not a lot here. But I do hope to get cracking in Feb and March (rugby aside).

[Homerlovesbeer]

Wow that did nearly overflow didn't it.

[JudgeDredd]

It did indeed - hopefully, it'll be fine. Otherwise I have to get my chisel out!

[Avgas]

I'm with you on the OOB, they are complicated enough for me!

[JudgeDredd]

In case anyone is wondering what Liquid Gravity looks like once the PVA is settled....



Sorry progress is slow. It's a result of the 6 Nations on weekends I'm afraid.

[Homerlovesbeer]

It's all good. My 2 builds are crawling along too....

[JudgeDredd]

Ok - no huge great shakes on the building front.

I decided to get some pieces built and, as is normal with me, I started with the weapons as they have to be made and painted prior to being put on the machine anyway - so if I make them first, I can prime them with the rest of the aircraft

So I got the missiles made that this bad boy carries - and she carries plenty.

First off, there were no letters on the sprues to identify the sprues - which seemed odd as the instructions had a sprue letter-number combo. Thankfully, at the beginning of the instructions, there's a graphic that shows the sprue letters...so I stuck a piece of paper on the sprue to easily identify it


Next, the R27 ET
From Wiki
AA-10 Alamo-D, the infrared-homing extended-range version, Weight 348 kg. Missile can be used at 20 to 27000 meters altitude. Effective kill range: 2 to 52.5 km head-on, 0.7 to 12.5 tail-on. Maximum range: 104 km. Maximum allowed vertical separation: 12 km


All the missiles had tags from cutting from the sprues...


...so they needed a bit of TLC (sanding with an Ultimate Fine sanding stick)





Then it was the turn of the R27 ER
From Wiki
AA-10 Alamo-C, the semi-active-radar homing extended-range version. Missile can be used at 20 to 27000 meters altitude. Effective kill range for a target at same altitude: 2 to 65.5 km head-on, 0.7 to 16.5 km tail-on. Missile cannot be fired at altitude less than 3 km against a target with background earth, if launch range is less than 6 kilometers. Maximum range: 117 km. Maximum allowed vertical separation: 12 km





And the R77
From Wiki
The Vympel NPO R-77 missile (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder) is a Russian medium range, active radar homing air-to-air missile system. It is also known by its export model designation RVV-AE. It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile


These had a nasty sprue piece holding them - between the "propeller" section

And when cut off the sprue, I had to deal with this





And finally the Kh-31
From Wiki
The Kh-31 (Russian: Х-31; AS-17 'Krypton') is a Russian air-to-surface missile carried by aircraft such as the MiG-29 or Su-27. It is capable of Mach 3.5 and was the first supersonic anti-ship missile that could be launched by tactical aircraft. There are several variants, it is best known as an anti-radiation missile (ARM) but there are also anti-shipping and target drone versions. There has been talk of adapting it to make an "AWACS killer", a long-range air-to-air missile[/]

[JudgeDredd]

So slooooooooooow. Sorry. Just not enough time in the week.

First off, a bit of filler was required for the Kh-31 missiles



Next, the cockpit. So I had bought a resin pit for this, but really didn't like the look of it. Whilst it was relatively detailed, it kind of looked, well...messy. Anyway, it came with a complete pit and seat but also with panels and a HUD for using with the stock pit...so I decided to use that.

This is the standard pit (detailed, eh?)


This is the ejection seat (stock) built complete with "fiddly bits"


And this is the pit with the seat fitted and the resin panels. They were not a great fit, but I'm hoping the finish will be reasonable when painted...we'll see




Next is primer and painting the pit which I will probably do with the airbrush with a base colour and then touch up parts with a brush before dry brushing

Don't hold your breath. At this rate I'll be lucky to meet the April deadline!

[JudgeDredd]

So sorry for the delay in this. There have been LOADS of things that have got in the way - not least of which was my "fear" of airbrushing due to lots of issues I seem to have...but if I'm not going to try, I aint gonna learn.

So I'm back on this in the hope it gets completed in time.

Pics shortly.

[JudgeDredd]

These were actually primed using Badger Black Primer about 2 months ago

I've been fretting over the colour. The instructions say some sort of grey (mix of colours) for the cockpit, but I've seen pictures showing blue - so I was in turmoil over that. Then once I decided I was going to do the blue colour, I started worrying about how I was going to get the right blue...as it is, I still don't, but I'm going to have a trial tonight for the cockpit and behind the cockpit



The cockpit is the standard pit and the standard seat. I had bought resin (which I have never done before) but I thought the standard was better than the resin for both the pit and the seat.
I did use a couple of pieces of the resin for the side panels






And the beautiful weapons this plane holds

[SkyPainter303]

I don't know what paint is available in your area, but here in the States, Model Master is prevalent. They have a color in their Russian colors called Russian Interior Blue/Green.

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks Skypainter

I've been fretting so much over the colour I decided sod it - I'm putting paint on.

As it happens, I found a colour in my Vallejo (Pastel Blue) and just decided to use that - unblemished. I had trouble with Vallejo paints when I first got them...turns out it may well be my mixing technique. So I mixed the paint with thinner in a cup before putting it in the airbrush...didn't get a blockage.

This is it...no going back. I'm done. I've never been a "rivet" guy anyway...close enough is generally what I aim for.










And this was "the shade"

[JudgeDredd]

So I was going to move on with this, but I have decided I'm going to try and revisit the cockpit etc...I think the blue cockpit coulr I'm using is too blue and needs some green...so I'm going to work on getting a greener blue tonight. If I can get a match, I'm leaving it and I have to get moving.

If I do get a better match...yaaay...and I can get going knowing I've done my best

I actually think that blue could be a very close contender for the camo pattern

[JudgeDredd]

I think I've nailed it.

A mix of Tamiya paints - XF-23 (Light Blue), XF-71 (Cockpit Green) and a touch of X-14 (Sky Blue) - no measurements I'm afraid...I winged it.

What it was...

How it turned out


What it was...

How it turned out

[JudgeDredd]

Now to get the cockpit hand painted parts done so I can put the fuselage together!

[JudgeDredd]

Weapons painted in their main colour Tamiya XF-2 Flat White...touch ups to come (metal/black etc)

[mick]

good progress

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks Mike. It's taken me some time to dust the cobwebs off...but I am making some progress now I've got past my apprehension on the cockpit colour

4 holes drilled on each wing and the back end glued on



You can see on the inside of the fuselage where I was trying the cockpit colour

[JudgeDredd]

The seat was looking a tad bland, so I put some white tack on it and some "hatching" markings in it...just a wee bit of xtra detail. I tried to put some tape seatbelts on, but my fat fingers won't let me :'(

[AndreFerro]

Fantastic result with this "Russian-Blue-Gree", (or whatever they call it !). Got yr 'recipe' and will try to make it on my next russian plane!
Congrats !!

[JudgeDredd]

Thank you. Sorry I didn't have proper measurements. The "needles" I had bought to help me measure were not as good as I had hoped.

This was much trickier than I thought. The pit (being 1/72) wasn't very detailed. I've done what I could. There was a couple of bits of after market resin I could put on the sides (though they had to be chopped and filed a bit to fit.

I also chucked some white tack on the seat to make it look like a cushion. I've put some dots of button colours etc - but it's all I've got really.

As for colours, these were Vallejo Model (so not for airbrushing)...helps with painting by brush.

I didn't realise how bad my "hand shake" was until I started doing those wee details!

[JudgeDredd]

And in the fuselage

[JudgeDredd]

So I tried to put the top front part of the fuselage (the top comes in two parts...front section and rear section) and I could not for the life of me get the lugs to fit.

This had to be something to do with the front wheel well or the cockpit, because a dry fit of the top fuselage (both parts) fitted fine yesterday. It appeared to me it was the cockpit. The front wheel well had a lug at the rear - only one - and so that could not be out of place. Having said that, I don't think I did anything wrong with the cockpit either...I fitted it snug to the rear of the opening on the top fuselage as I could - as the instructions showed.

However, I did notice last night that the cockpit at the front was not making contact with the fuselage. This was because of the after-market hud I used. It was either ill fitting or I placed it slightly forward. Whatever the reason, this meant the cockpit was not making contact at the front with the fuselage.



This in turn would have a knock on effect of the cockpit sitting screwey and therefore the snug fit between the cockpit and the front wheel well (the cockpit sits in front of the well but it looks like it should be very snug) was knocked out.

So - I had to removed some plastic from the cockpit and the wheel well in order to allow them to fit.

Now - this was my first time using my rotary tool EVER. First bad move. Second bad move was having it on high speed when I made contact with the plastic to shave some off. I was caught by surprise at the amount of plastic it was removing...and now I have some holes in the back of the cockpit. However, it is the back of the cockpit, behind the seat and so unseen!!

Lesson learned, I turned down the speed and went considerably slower over the front part of the wheel well.

Both sanded down somewhat meant the top front section of the fuselage could meet successfully (although very snug) with the lower section. Nightmare avoided for the most part!

[JudgeDredd]

Top part of the fuselage is on!

It was a tough fit. Tight (due to my error above) and not a great deal of places where you can put pegs to hold it (sloping airframe).

But she's looking good I think. I do love the shape of this aircraft

[JudgeDredd]

Wings are on

[JudgeDredd]

Slowly but surely taking shape



This is a Revell kit and they are cheap for a reason. They are a bit more difficult to build (less lugs etc) and also can be a poor fit. For the most part, this has been ok, but there are some parts that have required considerably more glue and pressure than other sections.

There have been sections that have required some Tamiya Ultra Thin (thank god for that!) to be spread along the joins as you can see from some of the images

All that will be covered by paint anyway

[Schoof]

Just under 2 weeks left,hope you'll be able to finish in time

[JudgeDredd]

So do I. I left it late, that's for sure.

Having said that< I got more done over the last two days than I had done in the previous 3 months...so that's a positive!

[JudgeDredd]

It's entirely possible I will not get this finished.

In fact, it's entirely possible I'm going to kick airbrushing to the kerb.

I went to use AK Xtreme Metal Gun Metal on the engine nacelles(?) and absolutely nothing was coming out. I turned up the air pressure to 30, 40 and 50 and eventually the tiniest amount was coming out...and then nothing again.

I really do not know what I'm doing wrong with airbrushing...but every time I go near it, I end up rage quitting.

For the record, I watched this video

and the guy makes it look soooo simple. No mixing or thinning...just in the cup and go...and yet, here I am struggling again.

I used to think I was over thinking things. In fact, my previous airbrushing attempt (the cockpit etc) went quite well and I thought (using the "consistency of milk" theory people had told me about) that I had nailed it. But seriously - if this guy is putting the paint into his cup with no thinning and sprays so easily - then what am I overthinking? There really isn't anything to it.

Prior to trying the paint I had some thinner in the cup (a tiny amount) which I blew out until the air coming out was just air...so there was no blockage in the brush!

So - I am desparately sorry if this does not get completed. Time was short. I knew that. But I was fairly confident I could get it done as it would be all I was doing for the next week. Unfortunately, I hadn't taken into account my ridiculously recurring airbrushing issues!