Linden Hill Imports

Building the Academy 1:48 Scale Flanker

The imposing box-art shows 'Red 08' toting six AA-10 Alamos and just two AA-11 Archers. The artist seems to have confused the Flanker with the F-15 Eagle because he has depicted two of the Alamos mounted flush on the corners of the intakes. The kit has them correctly mounted on launch rails on the bottom of the intakes.

The brief potted history of the Flanker on the instruction sheet acknowledges the fact that the Flanker is 'probably superior to any western fighter in terms of speed, range and manouvreability'. Also mentioned is the fact that a modified Flanker, the P-42, took all the time-to-height records from the F-15 'Streak Eagle' - something not widely publicised in the west - not least in the USA !

The large stout cardboard box is brim-full of parts, each sprue being packed in its own plastic bag - although the cockpit canopy and windscreen sprue is packaged in with the fuselage halves.

The kit itself consists of 154 parts moulded in dark grey plastic with superb recessed panel detail. This detail is exquisite to say the least, being finely executed and suitably restrained. A 12-item clear sprue contains a canopy and windscreen, lenses for the IR seeker heads on the missiles and a three-part HUD, but, oddly, no lenses for the prominent landing/taxy lights on the noseleg ! A photo-etched fret is included which contains anti-FOD screens for the intakes, parts for the undercarriage doors and nosewheel well and rear-view mirrors for the canopy arch whilst the three tyres are moulded in soft rubber. The decal sheet is impressive but contains markings for only one aircraft - but what great markings !! The Academy Su-27 had since been re-issued with Russian Knights markings, but unfortunately, the yellow ?sunburst? of the VVS flag on the fins has been printed incorrectly in gold !

The model appears to be accurate when compared to the drawings in Polygons Cy-27 and the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker Aerospace Superprofile - the Academy team obviously had access to every inch of the real thing (but not to the cockpit ??) and are to be congratulated on producing a great replica of the best fighter in the world - although I do have some reservations about the nose radome shape - it looks slightly too big and bulbous to my eye.

Construction.

Cockpit

I started, logically, with the cockpit and this is one area that is a disappointment. The bathtub is too shallow and although it and the instrument panel feature raised detail it needs to be modified it to make a better replica. The first step is to deepen the cockpit. I did this by the simple expedient of carefully cutting off the the complete floor, cleaning up the surfaces, adding strips of 3mm deep plastic card to the bottom of the walls and then cementing the floor back in place.

This has the effect of lowering the floor by 3mm which looks much better, but in retrospect, I think the side walls are now too deep so if I were to make another one I would remove the rear bulkhead from the bathtub and add 3mm to it - thereby lowering the whole cockpit relative to the bulkhead but retaining the relationship between the sidewalls and the consoles. If you were to employ this second method, you would also have to deepen the front instrument panel - no bad thing as I think it also is too shallow, however - my modified cockpit looks OK.

I chose to remove all the raised detail from both the instrument panel and the side consoles and replaced it with decals from REHEATs excellent instrument set - after first painting the cockpit a light blue-grey colour, not the 'Gray' and 'Flat Black' shown in Academy’s instructions. I used the colour photographs in Jon Lake's book and the cockpit drawings in the Aerofax Extra No3 as a reference. How much extra detail you wish to add is up to you - I added a map pocket to the right wall, a similar arrangement containing a red lever to the left wall, a sliding throttle above the left console and red-painted handles to the instrument panel and right cockpit sill - see the colour shots in Jon Lake's book, but remember that these are probably 'sanitised' cockpits in aircraft on the western airshow circuit.

The control column is a gem and requires better painting than Academy’s 'Gray'. The rubber boot at the bottom is black as is the grip just below the top. The rest of the stick is very light grey, almost white.The four buttons on the front of the column are coloured, from left to right, Black/Red/Black/White.

Before cementing the instrument panel (part A16) to the tub, I removed the central pedestal as this is not present on the photographs I consulted, the resultant hole in the floor was plugged and the rudder pedals and floor dry brushed silver. When I was satisfied with the detail I dry fitted the completed tub to the upper fuselage half and test fitted the lower fuselage. The nose wheel well, which is moulded with the lower fuselage, was fouling the lowered cockpit, but a few deft slices with a craft knife soon remedied the situation and the fit was perfect. Take care though that you don't cut a hole in the nosewheel well.

The cockpit assembly, minus the seat, was then cemented in place. The kit ejection seat is a travesty and is best replaced - more of that later.

Note that since these words were written a number of resin replacement Su-27 cockpit sets have appeared on the market - from Neomega , Cutting Edge etc - so choose the one that best suits you and avoid all the above work !

The fuselage and wings are moulded in upper and lower halves - a magnificent piece of mould- making that eliminates any joint lines where the wings fit the fuselage. After opening up the holes for the weapons pylons and adding the cannon barrel, the upper and lower fuselage halves were cemented together.

Intakes

The engine intakes are made up from two side pieces, a top with good engraved detail of the suction-relief holes, a lower section and a photo-etched anti-FOD screen. The lower sections are in fact the auxiliary intake slots and Academy supply alternative parts featuring open or closed slots. I fitted the closed versions, which my references show is the norm for a static aircraft. I decided to paint the insides of the intakes before assembly as they would be inaccessible later, so after removing one or two ejector pin marks , the interiors were painted light grey. When this was dry I painted the leading edges of the intake lips in the same light blue as the aircrafts undersides - the blue extends into the intake for about six inches, check the box-art and your references. The lower lip was painted black as on the real aircraft.

After all the paint had dried I scraped away the paint in a strip immediately behind the engraved holes in the intake 'roof' (parts B19 & B20). This was to give an unpainted surface onto which the etched intake ramp would later be cemented.

The intakes parts were then cemented together as per the instruction sheet. The etched screen is added after assembly and proved to be a bit fiddly. The first thing to do is remove some of the shine by gently rubbing on fine wet and dry, then bend the part following Academy’s instructions. Note that the anti-FOD screen is retracted on a Flanker at rest and normally lies flush with the bottom of the intake. It is hinged at its rear and rises into position when the engines are running. However, there must be some manual override because there are one or two shots of the intake in the raised position with the engine stopped (at least I presume they are stopped - either that or the photographer was taking extreme risks !).

Not wanting to waste the excellent etchings, I decided to depict my screens raised, so with the intake the right way up, I inserted it from the rear of the assembled intake and rested it along the bottom of the intake over the louvre insert with its rear edge in line with the rear of the insert. The rear edge was then carefully taped in place using low-tack tape, thus allowing the screen to pivot about its rear end just like the real thing. Super-glue was then applied from the front of the intake to the bent leading edge of the screen and the whole intake turned over. The screen, pivotted about its rear, flopped down into place, cementing itself to the section of 'roof' where the paint had been scraped away earlier. Once the glue had set the intake was turned the right way up, the tape was removed and the rear edge was glued to the bottom of the intake. A wordy explanation for a simple foolproof method of assembly !

Not mentioned on Academy’s instruction sheet are two parts numbered A19. I think that these are the anti-FOD screens moulded in plastic. Perhaps they were tooled before it was decided to make the screens as etchings. Whatever they are, they are surplus to requirements.

Before cementing the assembled intakes to the lower fuselage, an error in Academy’s moulding needs to be corrected. The top of the outer wall of the intake has a dished recess where the mainwheel retracts. If you hold the intake in place against the fuselage underside you will see that the fuselage bottom does not have a corresponding cutout - this means that the wheels could not retract if it wasn't modified. The surgery required is fairly simple - with the intake held in place, draw round the recess making a mark on the fuselage, then cut away the section -

The inner vertical walls of the wheel well look a bit too deeply recessed in my opinion. I didn't, but you might like to add a new wall further outboard and super-detail the wells with pipework at this stage. Both the main and nosewheel wells are relatively uncluttered on the Flanker, so don't go overboard with the detail.

After cementing the intakes in place on the fuselage, I had to use a fair amount of filler to blend in the intakes to the engine trunking - this is a mis-match that I have found on all the Flanker kits I have built - no matter what the scale. The problem is not serious but does mean that some detail is lost in the subsequent sanding down, although it is in an area that is not readily visible on the finished model.

One point worth mentioning about the intakes is that the prominent radar-warning antennae on the intake sides are moulded integrally. This means that if you want to do any conversions (P-42, Su-27K Sea-Flanker, Test Pilots colour scheme etc) it will have to be removed - a separate part might have been better, as well as being easier to paint.

Slats and Flaps

A good feature of this kit is the moulding of the slats and flaps as separate items. Most Flankers at rest seem to have the flaps lowered but the slats retracted, but there are exceptions - again check your references. I decided to have both lowered and cemented them in place accordingly - the flaps are easy but the slats lack positive location so I drilled holes in the wing leading edge and fitted plastic rod mounting brackets. Academy’s instruction sheet shows the slats fitted in the retracted position but it seems a shame not to use this feature and it is nice to be given the option!

Fins & Nose

Jumping ahead of the instruction sheet I added the nosecone and vertical fins next. The fins are each in two halves with separate rudders - another plus feature. Take care to note which fin is left and which is right before removing them from the sprue. I didn't and could only decide which was which by noting that the starboard (right) fin has the leading edge dielectric aerial neatly engraved on it. This brings about another observation - the outer face of the port (left) fin is correctly engraved without the aerial but the inner face has it engraved - a slight error according to my references but nothing to get me worked up about. Note also that the intakes on the lower fin leading edge are actually different sizes on the real thing - not glaringly obvious, but you can make it out in some photographs.

Stabilisers and Wingtips

The horizontal stabilisers are in upper and lower halves on each side with the cover of the actuator as a separate part. Academy have accurately captured the fact that this cover slides into a slot in the lower fin mounting thus enabling the stabilisers, with a little modification, to be cemented at any angle from the horizontal to a more realistic trailing-edge down attitude which a Flanker at rest adopts. I left mine off at this stage, reasoning that it would be easier to add the sharks tail decal to the aircrafts fin without the stabilisers in place.

The dorsal 'barn-door' airbrake is a separate item with its own actuating ram. The interior of the airbrake is a greenish-yellow but in all the photographs I consulted the airbrake is closed shut on a parked Flanker, so mine was cemented in place and the slight gap around the edges blended in with filler.

Note - I have since seen a photo of a Chinese AF two-seat Su-27UB that was apparently ?static? with no crew aboard, but with the dorsal airbrake open. So it can be depicted this way.

The wingtip launch rails are slightly too long, but their mounting tongues are at least correctly positioned to line them up flush with the wing trailing edge.

However, I decided not to use them, electing instead to do something different. There is a colour photograph in Concords 'Military Aircraft of Eastern Europe' of the aircraft in question lined up at an airbase for some kind of display on a wet and windy day. The subject Su-27 - 'Red 08' - carries wingtip 'SORBITSIYA' ESM pods in place of the launch rails. These pods are 6mm in diameter and 88.5mm long in 1:48 scale and are easily fashioned using the drawings and photographs mentioned in the references at the end of this article as a guide. I made mine from 6mm dia plastic knitting needles cut to length. The ends were rounded off and long fairings - presumably cable ducts or strengthening strips - were made from sprue and added to the top and bottom in the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions. A square sectioned fairing with an intake at the front was fashioned from sprue and added to the inner face of each pod where it mounts on the wingtip. A square plate is fitted to the forward outer face of each pod onto which is mounted the navigation light. The plate was represented with thin plastic card whilst the lights from the launch rails could be used if they were carefully removed. I made mine from transparent green and red plastic toothbrush handles carved to shape . The ESM pods certainly look different from the normal and give the finished model a distinctly unique appearance.

Windscreen

The kit instructions have you adding the HUD at this stage but I left it off. Having supplied an etched fret for some components, Academy have, inexplicably, not included a HUD ! This, plus the angle-of-attack vanes, the 'crossbow' aerials on the fin and the Odd-rods IFF aerials could all have been included on the etched fret but for some reason they are either missing altogether (vanes and aerials), moulded in grey plastic(IFF aerials) or clear (HUD) plastic. The HUD comes in three clear components - an angles lens and two side pieces with the shape of the lattice frame as raised lines. I presume that theses lines are meant to be highlighted in black (although no mention is made on the instruction sheet) to give the impression of a latticework HUD but try as I might, I just could not get it to look anything like the prominent Flanker HUD. I even tried scratch-building a HUD but without success.

In the end I simply drilled a recess into the moulding on the top of the coaming, added a drop of yellow paint taken from the top of an unstirred tin and topped it off with a drop of Airfix Clearfix to represent the horizontal projecting lens.

I am waiting for an etched-brass HUD to be released - who will be first ?? - with luck I can simply slot it into place under the windscreen arch.

The kit windscreen has the Infra Red Search and Track (IRST) ball moulded integrally, which is fine for this model, but if any conversions are to be attempted, such as the Su-27K Sea Flanker or Su-35 (offset IRST) or the Test Pilots (no IRST) then you might run into difficulty removing it from the windscreen. However, we are talking about 'Red 08' , so no problem - the windscreen was cemented in place and masked off ready for painting - after first removing the mould line (see later).

Painting

With all the major components in place it was time to start painting. As usual with all my models, I gave it a thorough wash in warm soapy water to remove any mould release agent or greasy finger marks. The intakes were masked off and the whole model was then given a coat of Halfords White Plastic Primer as a base coat. Once dry I made good a couple of flaws in the joint lines around the nose, the fins, the airbrake and the engine nacelles. After another coat of white, the nosecone and the intake RWR aerials were masked ready for the camouflage colours.

The Flanker has not been well served by the specialist paint manufacturers. Xtracolour have some Flanker colours in their excellent range (X601 Medium Blue, X602 Pale Blue and X603 Blue/Grey) but they are, in my opinion, not a good match to the real thing. I tend not to get too pedantic regarding Soviet/Russian AF colours - I don't think that they actually mix them to Federal Standards, but I try to at least get as close as is practicable and in the past have used the Xtracolour paints but with 601 lightened slightly, 603 lightened considerably and 602 darkened just a touch. I have also mixed my own colours using Tamiya Acrylics. Most references agree that the nearest FS equivalents are :- Light Blue FS 35550, Medium Blue FS 35450 and Blue/Grey FS 35526.

As luck would have it, about a week before obtaining the kit, I received a parcel from Niche Marketing in the US with three bottles of their latest colours - all for the Flanker, 7706/7707/7708. These are the paints quoted in Academy’s instructions and I can report that they are spot-on colour-wise. The paints are acryllic (or should that be Cyrillic ? - sorry) and airbrush on beautifully, giving a nice silky finish.

I don't know if there is a UK distributor for these paints yet but their US address is given at the end. In addition to the Flanker colours, Niche also do a 'Cockpit Blue/Green' (SP1), 'MiG-29 Grey/Green' (SP2), 'VVS Grey' (SP3) and 'Dielectric Green' (SP4) in their 'Red Paints' range. I used SP4 on the fin tips, starboard fin leading edge aerial and RWR aerials on the tailboom.

After allowing the paint to dry, the whole model was given a couple of coats of Halfords Clear Lacquer to give a gloss finish ready for the decals.

Note :- Unfortunately, Niche paints appear to be no longer available, but Testors now do a set of ?Flanker paints? and there is a promised set to come from Russia – watch for a Linden Hill announcement (Linden Hill note: we hope to begin stocking Hobby Plus paint sets from Belarus soon).

Decals

The decal sheet contains just one marking option - 'Red 08' with the large shark down the port side.

Contrary to Academy’s instructions, I added the decals BEFORE adding the undercarriage, as I could foresee problems in trying to add the sharks body behind the port maingear leg. The shark comes in four pieces, the mouth and body, the tail, the lower head and the upper head and they all fit beautifully. A word of caution here. Academy’s decals are very thin and require care in application. After soaking for a minute, place the decal over the model and, using a soft brush to hold the decal in place, carefully slide the backing paper out from from under the decal, taking care not to strech the decal in the process.

Do not be tempted to move the decal with your fingers - use a brush and plenty of water. Once in position, press down carefully with a cotton bud rolled gently over the decal to get rid of any trapped air. If you are careful you will be rewarded with decals that are dense in colour but adhere to the surface well and look as though they have been painted on. I did not use any setting agents or solvents and am very pleased with the results. The rest of the decal sheet comprises the sharks mouth and tail for the starboard side, six red stars, nose and tail numbers and an adequate, but not comprehensive, set of stencil data. Not included on the decal sheet but easily made from white decal film are the rectangular aerial panels on the nose, the notch aerials on the LERX (note that Academy’s instruction sheet is wrong in showing only one aerial on the starboard LERX - photos prove that there are FOUR - two on each side) and a large bucket-shaped aerial panel on the spine behind the airbrake - see the panel outline for its shape.

Because I had lowered the slats (and was going to mount the tailplanes at a different angle) I had to paint the area between the wing and the slat where the sharks head is and the areas of the tail on both fins where there is a gap for the tailplanes. Tamiyas Blue X-4 is a very good match for Academy’s shark colour and was used unaltered. With all the decals in place, the model was given a final coat of Klear to which I had added a couple of drops of Tamiya Flat Base X-21 to take off the gloss. The engine nacelles forward of the nozzles were masked off and painted with Humbrols Metalcote Polished Steel which, when dry, was burnished and then given a coat of matt varnish to replicate the appearance of the real thing.

Alternative Markings

Meteor Productions - Cutting Edge - produce an excellent set of 1:48 scale decals that feature nine Flankers as follows :-

Russian AF Red 09 with a St George and dragon on the tail

Ukrainian AF Red 28 with correct yellow and blue roundels

Russian AF Red 10 with sharkmouths from Lipetsk

Russian AF Blue 24 from Chojna, Poland

Russ/Ukrainian Blue 06 with Eagle and moon insignia

Russian AF Blue 12 from Kubinka with no nose number

Russian 'Test Pilots' Just the markings, not the coloured areas

Chinese AF Blue 22

Finally, as an appetiser for a forthcoming(?) conversion set from Meteor, markings for a naval Su-27K are included.

The instruction sheet is very comprehensive, giving colour paint mix details, photo references and, where appropriate, modification notes. The multi-coloured items such as the badges and Ukrainian roundels and the white outlines to the side numbers are printed separately to avoid register problems. This is a timely sheet made and marketed by people who know their stuff and is to be highly recommended. This set of decals makes me want to re-make my extensive 1:72 scale Flanker collection in 1:48 scale - No ! I musn't !!!

There is also a sheet of Russian Knights decals in 1:48 scale from Propagteam's 'Marking Collection' with the correct colours - but availability might be a problem.

Undercarriage

Academy’s Su-27 landing gear is a work of art and makes up into a faithful replica of the real thing. It can be improved however with a few additions. The mainlegs consist of the main strut complete with scissor link and sway brace, a separate retraction jack plus the locking pin that fits into the engine trunking. The assembly is very robust and requires only the addition of brake pipe detail which runs down the legth of the leg, over the scissor link and into the wheel hub on the inside face. I made mine from black cotton which was sufficiently stiff to represent braided hose yet flexible enough to fit around the various bends. It was cemented in place with Clearfix. The mainwheels have two-part hubs with good detail and soft PVC rubber tyres. I must admit to having some reservations about the use of rubber for model tyres - it just doesn't look realistic enough. However, Academy’s are quite good with a tread pattern and raised manufacturers detail on the tyre walls which I have been trying to translate. I have been unable to confirm whether this writing is on the real thing and all the Flanker tyres I have seen 'in the flesh' have been bald - in some cases with the inner fabric showing though in places !

I gave the tyres a good rubbing down with wet and dry which not only takes off some of the tread but also removes the sheen from the rubber, making them much more realistic. I also sliced off a section from the bottom of the tyres to give the impression of weight. The overall result is to my mind quite acceptable.

The noseleg comprises no less than thirteen parts and makes up into a very accurate representation of the real thing. I cut through the oleo strut at the bottom of part A27, drilled it out, added a piece of rod for strength and cemented it back in place (using superglue) offset at an angle to give a bit more life to the finished model. The prominent landing lights - parts A7 & A8 plus the one moulded on the leg itself were drilled out and MV lenses added - two of number L173 for the upper lights and one number L149 for the lower. The addition of these mirror lenses really adds to the final appearance and can be thoroughly recommended.

Academy’s colour notes are correct - except that the bottom of the debris guard (parts A21) should be painted black to represent the rubber strip found there. I also replaced the struts between the leg and the guard with stretched sprue for a more scale appearance. A brake pipe to the nosewheel and cables to the landing lights completes the assembly. The wheel hubs are painted green - Humbrol 117 is a good match.

Academy provide two etched pieces to fit in the nosewheel bay which are rather superflous. It would have been better if they had provided some detail such as pipework for both the nosewheel and mainwheel bays. The instruction sheet quotes the landing gear well interiors as being 'gray'. This is correct for the main part of the mainwheel wells but the rear of the main wells that are covered by parts B15 and B16 plus the nosewheel well are a light tan colour - I used Humbrol MC-25 Unbleached Linen (now No 103 Cream). The interior of all the doors is bright red and the pneumatic reservoir bottle (part A53) is dull silver. This latter item needs a pipe adding which disappears up into the well.

Ejection seat

As noted earlier, Academy’s attempt at a K-36DM seat is pitiful which is surprising given the level of detail on the airframe itself. There are currently, to my knowledge, four resin K-36 seats on the market - from Neomega, Reheat, True Details and Verlinden. I have the Reheat seat to hand and it is a reasonable facsimile of the real thing.

I used the excellent resin K-36DM seat from Neomega. This is the best model K-36 seat that I have seen - accurate and crisply moulded with seat belt detail included - but then it should be given that the original is on display at Monino !

I painted the main body satin black with cushions in Panzer Grey and the straps in grey and blue-grey. Details such as the Mic/oxygen connectors on the seat side and the various pipes were picked out in grey and silver whilst the knob on the right hand side was painted white with a red top. The two recesses on the top of the drogue tubes were painted tan and manufacturers data plates were added from silver foil to the sides of the head box. The whole seat was then given a light dry brushing of grey to highlight the detail. I used the firing handle from the kit - part A44, thinned down, to complete my seat.

Horizontal stabilisers and Exhausts

Having left off the tailplanes so that the decals could be applied more easily, I added them at this stage. Most parked Flankers seem to have the tailplanes positioned trailing-edge down but Academy’s are designed to be mounted straight and level. However, by shaving off a section of plastic where the tailplane meets the ledge on the inner sides of the fins, I was able to mount them at a more realistic angle. They were cemented in place with superglue for strength and, when dry, the actuator covers (parts A37 & A38) were added. Mounting them in this way means that the thinner, sliding portion of the covers that is supposed to be inside the fin base is exposed - the cover should be the same thickness all the way along its arc - but I won't tell anyone if you don't !

The exhausts, left off until now, were first painted in Metalcote Polished Steel and then buffed up to a steely shine. The forward portions that attach to the nacelles were then given a dry brushing of thinned metallic blue - Humbrol 52 - and the rear halves a wash of black Indian Ink, which was then wiped off. This dulls the steel and highlights the grooves. After a coat of satin varnish, the exhausts were cemented to the nacelles.

Final Details

Academy have not designed the kits canopy to be posed in the open position, but a few simple modifications can make it so. The windscreen and canopy are both well moulded but because they have captured the bubble shape so well, there is a mould seam line down the centre of the windscreen and canopy that needs to be removed. After carefully paring the seam down with a sharp knife blade, I rubbed the area down with ever finer wet and dry and then finished off with a proprietary canopy polisher. A quick rub on a piece of denim cloth restored the clarity.

The cover (part C10) at the rear of the cockpit rises with the canopy so it needs to be modified accordingly. As it is meant to fit into a recess in the decking behind the cockpit, it is too deep to fit under the canopy. I removed the vertical ledge to reduce its height and sanded the base smooth. Two 'wings' were added from thin plastic card to make it the same width as the canopy sills and a plastic card bulkhead was cemented in place at the rear. A hole was then drilled in this bulkhead and a short length of plastic rod added. The cover was then carefully positioned inside the canopy and the 'wings' cemented to the sill -

With a corresponding hole drilled into the rear of the cockpit opening, the canopy can now be mounted in the open position.

The recess underneath the cover is now exposed and needs to be filled with plastic card and requires some detail adding - not much, just a few latches and pipes and, most important, the actuating ram with its canvas cover.

http://www.lindenhillimports.com/flankers.htm – check out the ‘Flanker Details at the end.

Having fitted the wingtip ESM pods I decided to leave off the missiles but added the pylons as per the photograph I was basing the model on. Academy have done a good job here, correctly depicting the different type of pylon at each weapons station but their colour notes are slightly misleading. The lower part of each pylon - the launch rail - is certainly grey, but the mounting brackets, where they fit the airframe, are the same light blue as the aircrafts undersides.

The missiles, of which there are fourteen - 2 x AA-8 Aphid, 4 x AA-11 Archer and 8 x AA-10 Alamo (of varying lengths) are well moulded with two out of the four fins on each Alamo being moulded separately. The fins are a little bit on the thick side and I have some reservations as to the accuracy of the missiles - Parts 4 and 5 are Alamo A and B's (IR and Radar) and are just about the right length according to the references I consulted (PREZGLAD KONSTRUKCJI LOTNICZYCH No 15 and a Russian magazine - Aeroplan No 3, both of which give dimensions). Parts numbered 3 are Alamo-C extended range versions. They are a little long (111mm instead of 98mm) and the bodies are too thin. The Alamo-C has a fatter body at the rear half - presumably for increased fuel, but Academy’s versions is narrow along its whole length. The remaning two Alamos - parts 9 - I could find no references to whatever! The four AA-11 Archers are OK but I could only find reference to an IR variant - Academy supply two with lenses and two with solid (radar ?) noses. Finally there are two AA-8 Aphids - reasonably accurate but not normally seen on a Flanker. A good feature is the inclusion of separate clear mouldings for the seeker heads on the IR versions of all the missiles.

All that now remains is to add the air data probes - parts A47 and A11, the noseprobe, A49 and the dorsal aerial, A12. The aircraft has two sets of Odd-Rods IFF aerials - one set moulded integrally on the top of the tailboom and one set moulded separately as part A48. I thought these to be too thick so they were both replaced with thin sprue - note that Academy have got these aerials the wrong way round - they should have the smallest 'prong' forward at the front and rearward at the back. Missing from the kit are three angle-of-attack sensors on the nose (see Flanker Details at http://www.lindenhillimports.com/flankers.htm ) and the crossbow aerial on the trailing edge of the left fin. Either scratch-build these or wait, as I am, for some etched-brass accessories. One thing that I did add are the static discharge wicks - three on the trailing edge of each stabiliser, two on each aileron and one at the top of each rudder. There is also a small red blade aerial under the tailboom (the same as the one under the nose - which should also be painted red). I also added a silver strap from foil over the top of the IRST ball. This extends onto the fuselage in front of the windscreen and is quite a prominent feature.

Summary

I enjoyed building this kit. It is accurate, fits together well and is reasonably priced. The Flanker has not had a great coverage from the plastic kit manufacturing industry compared to, say, the F15/F16/F18 and this new kit goes a long way to redressing the balance. Academy have expended all their skills in producing a well-engineered model that looks good built straight from the box and with a little effort, that I hope I have shown here, can be improved by those who like to add something extra. It also gives the Cottage industry and specialist decal producers something to get their teeth into.

If you want to add figures to your Su-27, Reheat Models produce some Soviet/Warpac aircrew in 1:48 scale. The set comprises three figures - a pilot in flight suit and jacket with his hands in the jacket pocket with an old style helmet, a pilot in a flight suit carrying his oxygen mask wearing the latest helmet and a Mig-25/31 driver in full pressure suit and closed helmet. All three are well moulded and beautifully sculpted and should look good posed in front of the appropriate aircraft. As a bonus there is also included two separate helmets and a flght bag. All we need now is some means for these pilots to get into their aircraft !!

The finished model:.

References :-

1 Cy-27 by Polygon ISBN 5-88541-005-4

2 Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker' - Aerospace superprofile

ISBN 1-874023-53-0 or ISBN 1-880588-12-9

3 Su-27 Flanker Sukhoi Superfighter by Osprey

ISBN 1-85532-152-1

4 Su-27 Flanker by Concord publications

ISBN 962-361-710-0

5 Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker - Aerofax Extra No 3

ISBN 0-942548-51-5

6 Su-27 - PREZEGLAD KONSTRUKCJI LOTNICZYCH by Altair

7 Military Aircraft of Eastern Europe - (1) Fighters and Ground Attack by Concord publications. ISBN 962-361-028-9

8 Red Star Fighters and ground Attack - Wings 8

ISBN 1-872004-83-0

9 Russian Warriors - Osprey

ISBN 1-85532-293-5

10 PREZEGLAD KONSTRUKCJI LOTNICZYCH No 15 - Weapons by Altair. ISSN 1230-2953

Ken Duffey, March 1999

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