Build Log: 1/72 Hasegawa Su-33 Yellow 13...

Looking good so far

Vertical Stabs. There was a hefty gap left, so I got to putty some more.

I'm not one to be really concerned too much with real-world accuracy, but the big vent/intake on the right side stab is really bugging me...so I tried my hand at a little modification:

Much better I think.  Now on to finish rescribing and priming/painting.

Great work!  She's looking great!

Eagle90

This is literally my favourite aircraft but considering the price of the kit I am surprised at how much putty is needed considering the price of this kit, the air intakes are a usual issue with Flanker/Fulcrum kits they're always a pain, but other wise it looks great, I look forward to seeing more.

Did a little dry brushing on the cockpit before masking it up.

All primed and ready for the base coats tomorrow.  I used Tamiya White Fine Surface Primer for the first time and I must say I really like it. 

I've never done pre-shading, post-shading or washes of any kind.  I've done my research and watched probably ten or more tutorial videos, so my hopes are high!

I started with the engine area.  I was shooting Tamiya flat Aluminum...it was so grainy I could have used the finish for sandpaper. I tried thinning it more, thinning it less but no improvement.  It got worse as it dried.  How demoralizing.

I stripped the entire engine area to bare plastic and got some Model Masters Metalizer.  Great stuff!  WAY better than the experience I had with the Tamiya.

I almost ruined the model...again! This time, I was shooting the base coat grey and it came out all grainy, bumpy and fuzzy. After some research, I learned that it was all my fault for how I was airbrushing (too far away). I've since hit the entire model with some 4000 grit micromesh pads and some fine steel wool and I should be ready to try again tonight. Fingers crossed!  This model has been a one heck of a learning experience.

That RC unit looks stunning- I assume that you're going to paint the 1/72 kit to match?

Can't wait to see the finished model- the Flanker is a gorgeous aircraft.

Dre

That RC unit looks stunning- I assume that you're going to paint the 1/72 kit to match?

This evening's progress:  Disaster averted...again!  I used a Scotch-Brite scouring pad on it after I got home from work to finish removing last night's mistake.  I dropped my pressure to 15psi, thinned the paint more and never got further away than three inches.  It's smooth as could be now! 

Tomorrow: Masking begins. Luckily, I only have to mask once to paint both the darker colors at the same time.

It looks great, is it a good kit as far as kits go?

I'm just thinking I recognise the yellow/grey is it inspired from the Ace Combat series?

Dean30

I'm just thinking I recognise the yellow/grey is it inspired from the Ace Combat series?

Yeah...sort of says "ACE COMBAT" and Yellow 13 all over the box.

I'm not really sure how to judge this kit because it's my first one in 32 years.  As you can see there's been quite a bit of putty and sanding, but that could be my inexperience.  I think she'll turn-out fine, but assembly and prep have been a lot of work.  I've got a Trumpeter 1:72 Su-27 on the way, so I'll be able to compare.

Dean- I think that this kit may just be a rebox of the Su-27B/K molds from Hasegawa as it looks just like the 1/72 kit I built a few years back, with the exact same putty issues and gear door misfits.   They've gotten a lot of mileage out of that mold set...

T3chDad- if you want some fun (and have the shelf space to use) try one of Trumpeter's big 1/32 Flanker kits.   They're pretty simple to build, there's a host of aftermarket goodies to use on them and they're freakin' awesome when finished.  But they're not cheap by any means.

I think you're right Dre.  Just a different set of decals and instructions in a new box.  I've seen the 1/32 kit and some build logs and it looks awesome.  I'll have to do that some day.  It seems the kits go for about $150.00 USD...not too bad considering what you get.

If you dive into one of those big birds, I highly recommend the Eduard PE sets for it as they dress up some obvious weak spots in the kit.   The intake FOD screens are a bit wonky to set in place but they look the part as opposed to the big slabs of plastic that Trumpeter gives you.  The launch rail PE makes a huge difference in the look of those parts, which are very plain plastic otherwise.

Aires and Wolfpack make some fantastic resin bits to dress up the cockpit space(s), which are pretty visible under that giant canopy.  At the very least, a set of resin seats make a huge difference in the appearance of the cockpit.

Dean made a 1/32 K conversion some time back that is simply stunning.

Good progress and more lessons-learned this weekend.

Yellow accents done and ready to mask for the camouflage .

I started masking the old fashioned way...looking at the scheme and eyeballing little tiny pieces of tape.

It was difficult, slow, confusing and I wasn't happy with the process.  See, I'm lazy...so I had an idea! I took some extra transfer film I use with my vinyl cutter and overlaid a print I made by scanning and enlarging the scheme from the instructions and started cutting-out the masks but it was still tedious. I had another idea!  I took the enlarged image and used my vinyl cutter to cut all the masking at once on the transfer film.  That was awesome!  I only had to fudge a few bits due to the turtle deck.  Everything that was flat was easy as pie and I was happy.  I did fill in some some small areas with conventional masking tape.

After spraying...

Now for the moment of truth!

Wow!  I couldn't be happier with the result.  There were only two tiny little spots to touch-up.

Next up: Future and experimentation with washes.

THIS IS SCARY!  I've never done a wash before (probably shows) and this is a difficult thing to do to your brand new paint job.  I've been practicing on the bottom, so I'm fairly sure it will come out fine in the end.

Brilliant work there!

WOW, that's nice.

If this is the first model you have made in 32 years it looks great so far, I would say though one thing that sets models apart is the detail painting, don't forget it, things like the refuelling probe, the lights, the areas where there are antennas etc...

Thank you for the complements gentlemen!  My last model was a 1/48 Tamiya F-15 when I was 16 or 17.  I was also painting figurines (hobbits/dwarfs/wizards and stuff) when I discovered girls.  I'm fairly OCD and I've done many hours of research before beginning this model.  I tried to set myself up for success. My RC building experiences didn't hurt either.

I've finished the first wash and I have some touching-up in places.  The wash really helps showcase all the imperfections in the finish!  I don't know if I'll have more pics tonight, but there should be some tomorrow definitely.

Looks fantastic...I've been building most of my planes wheels up for bit now (easier to hang them from the ceiling than sit on a non existant shelf) and I'll tell you that the majority of models take some....creativity, to get to look good with the wheels up....that technique that you did with the rolled up papertowel was brilliant and I'll have to try that.

T3chDad- outstanding camo work and beautiful engine panels.  I would have cried a little when smearing all that wash everywhere.

Last update for a couple of days...it's my anniversary tomorrow.

Here we have it all masked-up for the painting of the little white parts/panels.

Here is the result after the final wash.  While I'm not  totally 100% happy with it, I do think it looks pretty good.  It has proven to be a worthwhile learning experience through online tutorials, forum posts and trial-and-error.  What do you guys think?

Next Up: I just finished the gloss coat prior to decals. 

Dont see anything wrong with the wash.  The paintjob is excellent!

I see one excellent wash job, on top of one awesome paint job.   This model is killer.