BIG Russian Jet Groupie GB

eatthis

1 of the few single engined planes that i class as a beast!

lol, a Mach2+ "mud-mover".....  it is INDEED a beast!

Thanks, Dean.

And thanks for the tip. So you don't trim the excess foil until after you glue on the lens?

Yeah, in fact I actually glue the lens into place then after pushing it down with a cotton bud I super glue the clear part into the light so the foil is trapped and then I trim with a blade.

sorry about the quality, these were taken on my phone a while ago but you should get the picture (excuse the pun) lol.

here you can see the foil lens captures the light well. In the picture below the lens caught the light from the flash and appears white, however it is just the metal reflecting the light.

this is a better one but I think you can see the advantage of tin foil lenses, also on plastic parts for the hydraulic parts for the landing gear I have used foil, it is simple and quick, now I just have to work out how to do it to a whole model lol.

Thanks so much for the tutorial. :-) That looks really good.

No problem man, I have to say my kitchen table certainly looks better when I am not building any kits that's for sure!

Lol. I can't think of a better use for a butcher block then as a display stand. ;-)

dean27

Yeah, in fact I actually glue the lens into place then after pushing it down with a cotton bud I super glue the clear part into the light so the foil is trapped and then I trim with a blade.

sorry about the quality, these were taken on my phone a while ago but you should get the picture (excuse the pun) lol.

here you can see the foil lens captures the light well. In the picture below the lens caught the light from the flash and appears white, however it is just the metal reflecting the light.

this is a better one but I think you can see the advantage of tin foil lenses, also on plastic parts for the hydraulic parts for the landing gear I have used foil, it is simple and quick, now I just have to work out how to do it to a whole model lol.

Looks great on a lens - but how do you minimize the overlap/seam on landing gear etc??

I went the easy route to paint the Frogfoot's lights- flat black bezel, MM Chrome Silver for the relector, a drop of Testor's clear window maker and c'est fini.  

It's not accurate, but it ain't empty either.

"Looks great on a lens - but how do you minimize the overlap/seam on landing gear etc??"

I measure the length of foil needed and cut that size of Bare Metal Foil, carefully wrap that piece around the oleo section and burnish it smooth.  It looks real good when done right.

Gary

I personally don't measure I do everything by eye, I just wrap the foil around the oleo and when it slightly overlaps I cut it with a new #11 blade very carefully. Or like I have done here I used SAM landing gear. I did not mask any part I simply sprayed primer which is a good match and when dry I used a metal file to remove the paint and shine the metal.

Hey, guys, awesome news!

Kitty Hawk apparently just announced a 1/48 MiG-25!!!! I am PSYCHED! I've been waiting for a new tool 25 since getting back into the hobby several years ago. Yahooooo!!!!

Link

Really? This is good news, I asked Airfix on Facebook if they were planning on making any 1/48 Mig-25's or SU-33's and no joke they said they're on the list, so who knows? But to hear the actual release of a new 1/48 Mig-25? Great news, one question, do Kitty Hawk make good kits?

From what I've seen and read, they do make good kits, which is also why I'm excited. They recently released a SEPECAT Jaguar kit that's really nice (and is also on my list).

And if Airfix wants to join the Foxbat party, I'm all for that!

Talk about a beast of a plane.....

SU-33 as well, having said that time will tell.

airfix went under but have come back and are making some very good kits now

Yeah, they are doing some good stuff. I bought their Sea Vixen a couple of years ago.

Apparently coming out in May of this year. Yes!

I wanted to show some decent detail of the cockpit area but my camera is no that great close up as you can see my ironing board with a lot more clarity, anyway these are pictures to also show the canopy as I am painting the inside of it now, I have never done this before but I thought considering the time spent so far I might as well do it, I know it will enhance the look so I decided to just go ahead, when it is completed I will use my friends camera after the base is finished and get some really good detailed pictures as these from a distance of the whole plane look good but up close detail, well not so much.

And what a pretty ironing board it is, too!

I can't see it too clearly, but I want I closer look at what you've done around the nose and canopy sections- looks like you've got some interesting wear in those areas.

If I had thought of it at the time, I would have painted the inside of Frogfoot's canopies as well.

Lol, Dre!

Looking good, Dean. I'm usually not a fan of pilot figures (they're hard to paint realistically and can detract from realism) but yours are really well done.

Making good progress on camo-ing my Frogfoot. Will try to post a pic later tonight.

After checking online references decided I didn't like the faded green base and switched to regular olive drab. Going for a weathered but not totally beaten up look. After the usual touch-ups, time to finish the pit, attach landing gear, and then stick on all of the fiddly bits. 

PB

Porkbits- that looks suitably nasty so far, NICE.   That should look really worn out when finished.

Thanks, Dre! I know the Future coat will tone down the weathering a lot, but she still should look beat up.

As usual with Russian planes, nailing down the "right" colors has been maddening. There's an online photo taken in 1993 in which it looks like it's been parked out in the rain and snow for ten years. In a later photo (at what appears to be an airshow around 1999), it  looks to have been repainted and restored. And in yet another photo it has a completely different color scheme. Gah.

So I decided to split the difference and make it used but not decrepit.

Decrepit is oft-times accurate for post-Soviet aircraft...  and there's far worse looking (and still flying) Su-25's on the net.

Yes! I've seen a few that I couldn't believe were still flying (even worse than the one above, although that would be a fun scheme to try to replicate).  I'm assuming (hoping?) that the internal bits are much better maintained.

I suppose when you don't have the $$$, you have to make hard choices.

what do you mean by big jet groupie?Does an SU-27 count?

Anything from 1945 onwards that was a jet aircraft and begins with an F and is Russian. You wanna join? Scale doesn't matter.

ok count me in. I'm doing the Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker B. I have started it actually

Good progress gentlemen!

Hi fellow mods,, I'm Dennis and new here in FSM. I would like to join this Russian group build and i have an entry already -an Su fighter. Is there a deadline for this??? Maybe I'm too late. Thanks