Flanker Frenzy 2012

bsyamato - thanks for those links. My Russian isn't so good, but the pictures should be quite helpful.

Dre - I'll have to double-check, but I think both of the Ukrainian options have a splinter pattern; one with a white nosecone, one with a green nosecone. I think I'm leaning towards the bright green nose right now. I thought I had read somewhere that someone was disappointed that "the Ukrainian roundels were a little transparent", pale blue & yellow are probably likely to be that way. I don't remember if it was the set I'm using, or another. I may want to paint/decal a white disc beneath the roundel just to make sure it shows well.

You're doing a -27 variant, yes?  If so, then know that early production -27's had a  white nose cone and antenna panels whereas the later production models sported the medium green paint on the same.  I'll need to dig into a book that mentions the shift-point on that particular detail...  but if that decal set includes color profiles I'd go with whatever they describe.  If this was a popularly-selling DML kit, then there would each production variant along the way with several whitebox offerings of Blue 388.

A white paint disc should fix that little transparency problem, or a piece of white decal film cut to appropriate size.

Hi Dre

Please put me down for this GB

Not sure when I'll start but I have the Russian Knights version in my stash - su27 flanker B 1/48 from Academy

Colour plate from the Authentic Decals sheet that I now have. "Blue 08" has some interesting badges applied to it, green nose, and false canopy markings underneath. Leaning towards this one for my first Flanker....

NeedBeer- glad to have you on board! 

Vance, those are some tasty options. If you ever get the urge to build yet more Flankers, then check out the Linden Hill decals as they have great sets for them.  They're just a little difficult to get...

There's quite a few good pics online of Blue 08...  good choice as in most photos she is wearing fresh paint.

hmmmm - just spotted a pic of blue 08 on airliners.net... with white nosecone:

VanceCrozier

hmmmm - just spotted a pic of blue 08 on airliners.net... with white nosecone:

mmm .. then you want to use some km of masking tape

From the picture seems that these light light blue are already consumed 

I'm sure the Russians had a reason for using the green paint, but the white nose cone and antennae look so much better and blend into the camo better..

That photo is great- what a sky- could anyone ask for a better day to go cloud-punching?

Well seeing as how I have this gorgeous photo, with evidence of a white nose, I'll probably avoid the green-nose on this one. It does look better this way. Now I just need to paint it right!

With the amount of masking that you're going to have ahead of you, I sincerely wish you luck at that stage because the slightest paint lift during the mask removal is going to be painful- ask me how I know from  doing German hard-edge splinters...  

I should be getting both of these Linden Hill sets sometime soon, so I'll have the opportunity to try one myself:

http://www.lindenhillimports.com/lhd32007.htm which is Ukrainian Flankers including Blue 08.  Vance, take a look at the pics of the finished model .. it is stunning.

and

http://www.lindenhillimports.com/lhd32008.htm which is for Kazakh birds. 

Well even if I don't go for the hard-edged splinter pattern, there will be lots of masking ahead of me. I think I'll be trying two things with the paint on this machine:

• leaving the rudders off until after painting (which I've never had to do since "my return", not building much in the way of modern A/C)
• Enamels for the pale blue-gray, acrylics for the dark blue/dark gray in case I need to scrub it down & repair the paint. I guess the other "safe" option would be to seal the pale blue-gray and then proceed with the masking.

Either way, it should be fun!

You're right about the built-up Ukranian Flanker, very nice. (The 1/48 Academy kit??) Great look at the splinter pattern too, I could probably base my masking on this overhead view, unless I see something in my photos that is obviously different.  That Linden Hill sheet - has two different shades of blue inside the roundel, and there are two slightly different yellows as well?

And those Kazakh machines are sharp-looking too... with a simpler pattern!

The curse of the Tweezer-pult struck last night as one of the tiny conical exhaust nozzles for one of the 1/350 K's went flying off into the unknown...  I might try to fashion another one from some spares.

hmmmm - somebody want to go nuts with colour??

VanceCrozier

hmmmm - somebody want to go nuts with colour??

 

OMG this is like a punch in the eye!

i suspect these passed through "frecce tricolori" and was not fumes trails but used tamiya cans

VanceCrozier

hmmmm - somebody want to go nuts with colour??

 

for some reason, those remind me of watermelons.....

Mach 1.8 watermelons...  just don't try to spit the seeds.

Alright, despite other projects still on the go.... I started the assembly line over the weekend. Cockpit pieces for the Flankers are now snipped from the sprues, cleaned up and assembly/painting will start up shortly. I'll probably start work on the missiles once the offices are taken care of.

Pics or it didn't happen.

Are you using any AM parts aside from the decals?

LOL 

Pics would be pretty boring at this point, I'll bundle them up with the finished seats/cockpit though.

Not planning on it (subject to change at any point!), certainly not for the first one - I don't know what actually needs help until I've built one right! The glass all looks good which is a high point with me. I'll likely add some seatbelts/buckles on my own, tape & tin just to add a little depth. There may be need for a little plumbing inside the undercarriage bays, probably a few nav lights & brake lines etc etc that will improve things without me going crazy on it. The Italeri kits actually have a relatively small parts count considering the good detail - once I get the cockpit sealed in I should make pretty good time.

Vance, i must be following your playbook, as last night I did pretty much the same assemblies as yourself for my Su-27UB C...  some missiles started and  the basic cockpit and some PE installed.  At least it's a start..

Added some pics (or it didn't happen!) of what's officially what.

This is the two-seater that I'm going to work on for this GB (1/32 Trumpeter Su-27UB C) and I'm using the Flanker Squadron/Signal Walk-Around (#47) as a primary reference.

Some of the Eduard 'Big Ed' set that I'm going to use along the way... not all the PE will be used as some of it is ridiculously small.  There are two sets of ejection seat PE as well, but as I'm going to use the incredible QuickBoost resin seats I won't be using them except for the data placards.

This is one set of the Begemot technical stencils sets that I'll be using..  enough data to do everything down to the two crewmember's relief tubes.   Holy Carp there's a lot of decals here..  thankfully a portion of them are for the various missiles, bombs and whatnot that a Flanker can haul.   Still, this ought to do two complete birds.

The wheels wells and cockpit are roughed out as there's still a few more parts to go in after a basic grey painting.  The kit comes with two versions of the larger missiles, but I'll just be using the ones with the clear seeker heads as I already know how to do them right (and they look cooler than the plain nose versions).

The IP walls have been sanded down to make way for the Eduard pre-printed replacements, the PE rudder pedals are in and the seats are in for a fitting.  Time to paint!  There is surprisingly little PE that goes into the tub as the majority of the PE goes into the canopy and rail, and that's where all of the ridiculously small and fragile parts are!  Not so sure how well that's going to turn out...

WolfPack Design is supposed to be making resin cockpits for both the -27UB and the -30MKK, but they are hard to find.  I'd really like to get the -30MKK cockpit set someday... I'm thinking that I'll task the GF with this for my birthday.

I need to shoot a pic of the box of likely colored paints that I'm gathering for these Flanker kits, it has selections from the USN, RLM, Soviet and other random color charts so long as they fall into the grey-to-blue-to-cyan spectrum...  is this insanity, or AMS?

AMS

Dramatic number of pieces and differents media you going to put togheter! that (russian air) "force" will help you

Dre

 

This is one set of the Begemot technical stencils sets that I'll be using..  enough data to do everything down to the two crewmember's relief tubes.   Holy Carp there's a lot of decals here..  thankfully a portion of them are for the various missiles, bombs and whatnot that a Flanker can haul.   Still, this ought to do two complete birds.

 

 

holy decal sheet batman!!

CallSignOWL

 

Dre:

 

 

This is one set of the Begemot technical stencils sets that I'll be using..  enough data to do everything down to the two crewmember's relief tubes.   Holy Carp there's a lot of decals here..  thankfully a portion of them are for the various missiles, bombs and whatnot that a Flanker can haul.   Still, this ought to do two complete birds.

 

 

 

 

 

holy decal sheet batman!!

ZOWIE!!!!

Decals for the "relief tubes"!?!? I suppose you wouldn't want, uhh, "relief" going anywhere other than where it is supposed to go.

Sorry to mislead you guys, but perhaps my dry humor got the best of you- there are no decals for the relief tubes that I know of.  With that many decals, there ought to be though.

Dre

Sorry to mislead you guys, but perhaps my dry humor got the best of you- there are no decals for the relief tubes that I know of.  With that many decals, there ought to be though.

Well modern jets aren't my usual stomping ground, and 1/32 is a far-off land. I say you scratch-build some relief tubes anyway...

Since I made mention of them, I've thought of that myself.. and quickly thought of better things that make me happy.

Probably a good call!

Dre

Blkhwkmatt- nice -27 you have there.  What colors did you use on it?  Is it my monitor, or have you done the lighter weathering at the front where the tarps are used?

If I remember correctly I started with the Model Master Flanker Colors and then when I didn't like the looks I mixed my own colors based on tamiya acrylic colors.  I looked through my stuff and wasnt able to locate any notes on the paint ratios.  Sorry that I couldnt be of any help.

Do you recall what put you off of the MM Flanker colors?