Su-27 / 30 / .....
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Sukhoi "Flankers" in 1/72 scale
... continued from old Flanker page 4...
Trumpeter from China released a 1/72 scale kit #01659 stated to be the SU-30 MMK "Flanker G".
It is as SU-30 a tandem two seater fitted but without canards and seems to be the Chinese version with ECM pods on wing tips and different vertical tails.
There are about 10 sprues with 2 fuselage parts in this Trumpeter kit which looks good with recessed inscribed panel lines. The later style IRST fairing is fitted off set in front of wind screen which is correct for the SU-30 version.
Decal sheets in the kit are for 2 schemes:
- PLAAF China in medium grey "blue 01";
- PLAAF China in dark blue "blue 21".
But you get many numbers so others can also be made if desired.
The sheet also has decals for the armament/ missiles provided in this kit. You get quite some: 4x R-73E, 4x R-27R, 4x R-27T, 2x KH-31P, 4x R-77 and their pylons and launch rails.
Comparing the shapes with the Zvezda SU-27 kits (discussed earlier) showed that:
- overall the kit shapes are comparable;
- a nice feature are the lower intakes grills #B11, B12 in the Trumpeter kit;
- the size of the vertical tails look OK, but a small SU-30K change is needed (discussed below);
- main gear wheels are similar in diameter but the double nose wheels are a bit simplified with moulded mud guards;
- the main gear enclosure/ side wall next to the gear leg is a bit less heigh;
- the round bullet fairing in front of the main gear bay besides the intake is a bit more prominent;
These differences are small and were not further tackled in this built.
This kit was made as a SU-30 of the India Air Force for the World Military Aircraft series.
BEGEMOT decal sheet #72-025 "SU-27 Part 1" provides decals for over 20 Flankers including a very nice scheme of an aircraft of the India "Hunting Hawks" as flown in 2000 in a special scheme. The scheme was used to celebrate the 50th India National Day and sports the India flag.
It seems that some 18 SU-30K and SU-30MK were supplied from Russia initially to India (codes SB-001 to SB-018) around 1997. These later went back to Russia as India decided to do a follow up order for the more advanced SU-30MKI aircraft. (upgrading the older airframes to MKI standard was not feasable).
The "Hunting Hawks" Flanker coded "SB-008" is a SU-30K. As the Trumpeter kit is for the later MKK version, some small adjustments are needed:
- the vertical SU-30K tails are clipped and triangular at the top, so with a razor saw a small section was cut off. The rudder gaps were inscribed a bit deeper and a small fillet was made at the lower base.
- it appears that on the early SU-30K no pair of small pitots are fitted aft of the radar nose. (later versions have these).
- ECM intake fairings in the kit #9,10 were not fitted on the India SU-30K.
It is probably that weapons capability of the SU-30K was limited, so only install if desired the earlier armament on the model. Also it is logical that may be some small panels are different, I did not see big differences though.
Further kit assembly is quite straight forward.
Some putty and sanding was needed at intakes and the lower outside wing joints. The vertical tails were not set in place yet.
The large speed brake was set closed.
It was decided to add the older style wing pylons #N1,2,3,4 as in the kit as well.
Paints I use are acrylic paints.
The model got a base grey "primer" coat to check for any small flaws, for which Revell Aqua 75 steingau acrylic was airbrushed.
It looked OK so the special India "Hunting Hawks" paint scheme now could be airbrushed.
Begemot suggests these colours:
-1- white;
-2- dark orange FS22473, for which I used Revell Aqua 30 orange;
-3- sea green FS34092 for which I used Gunze Sangyo H302.
Masking was needed, begin first with white.
And the special scheme...
... and the white pylons installed
As with the previously made kits:
(a) some areas near the hot exhausts are metal and were airbrushed after masking: first Revell Aqua 90 "silber".
Than a varnish coat with some drops of blue were airbrushed at some of these panels.
Also, a few cotton swab strokes were added with AK true metal AK455 paste and quickly polished.
(b) the jet exhausts were given a few coats with ALCLAD burned metal with the airbrush.
(c) paint gear bay interiors medium grey with Gunze Sangyo 337 (about FS35237) and insides of gear doors red.
(d) wind screen with the correct off set IRST fairing was set and frames painted orange with a fine brush.
(e) some off-white antenna panels (so not using the decals) and tiny anti-collision lights were hand painted such as on the wing tip missile rails, also on the tails.
After the paint work, decalling was done but first make sure to have a gloss surface to avoid "silvering", that is getting air bubbles below each decal that spoils appearance. A few coats of gloss varnish were airbrushed on the model with my usual mix of Johnson Future/ Pledge, thinned with IPA.
The large decal on the upper fuselage should follow a large humped curve. I made a few cuts and DACO decal coat. The small gaps were repaired with spare blue decal bits.
The landing gear was now installed. I found a strange bit at the rear of the nose gear leg, this was cut off. The nose gear is a bit simplified with integrated mud guards; I did use it though but the super detailler may want make this from scrap.
Set the main landing gear at about 85 degrees. Add some thin metal wire to suggest the hydraulics and some "wash" paint brushed inside the bays and on the legs.
The cockpit interior was painted medium grey with Gunze Sangyo 337 (about FS35237). Kit instrument panels are a bit simplified with decals for the panels and side walls. Some bits were added like throttles. The K36 kit seats can be used, but after I closed up the holes in the rear of each seat, added a red firing handle on each and some straps/ seat belts from painted tape.
The big canopy has a good cross section but as a result a moulded seam in the middle; this was removed with sanding and than polishing with Tamiya polish paste or use a polishing stick.
Inside the canopy at the rear was added a plate (it seems part #36 is in the kit?) and hinge rods.
Intake covers were set in the intakes, these were obtained from a Zvezda kit. Here the nice close moulded louvres on the intake belly are seen of this kit.
A few missiles were fitted on the older style pylons but the missiles in the Zvezda kit seemed a little bit finer. So a few spare R-27 and R-73 were set (the missiles in the Trumpeter kit can also be used when you don't have the Zvezda ones).
The model got a semi-gloss varnish coat airbrush with Johnson Future/ Pledge with a few drops of Tamiya X-21 "flat base" matting agent mixed in.
The canopy was set in place.
INDIA
For information about the India Air Force, look at my Jaguar page here...
SU-30K, India Air Force, "Hunting Hawks", 2000, to celebrate the 50th India National Day.
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Created this page Jan 17, 2023