Flanker Frenzy 2012

No beer needed, I'm running with the Tamiya acrylics on this one. Maybe 2 colours/1 weekend is too ambitious, but it's good to have goals! ;)

Vance- Oh yes, the zombies have risen and are taking over my bench...  and that's a good thing!

I'm thinking that the masking and painting is going to take the better part of two weeks if you allow adequate drying time in between each color....  got beer and a good, comfy chair?

I'm suprised you didn't tackle the Zvezda SU-50 It is the Flanker Version of the US F/A-22 Raptor.

It's.... ALIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!

Waiting until the weekend to resume work on my Flanker, I need some alone time to cut out & apply my masking patterns. If I do it right I may have time for both the grey and dark blue.

In shocking news, I spent about 6 hours working on my 1/32 Su-27UB C last night after nearly 6 months of inactivity.   Mostly it was grunt work- installing the already painted gear wells and sanding seams on the previously assembled main wing flaps and rear stabs.  I built up the main wings and both tail fins- each with 'working' flaps although I'm going to leave the leading edge flaps static.

I could have assembled the fuselage, but I might wait to attach the wings first- it looks like I can get a near-perfect join if I'm careful up top.

Also, since I stole the ejection seats from this for my Frogfoot, I need to cobble up some belts for the new resin seats from the Frogfoot.

Vance, I don't know of a coat of Future will help prevent pull up or not...  I've gone back to enamels for the time being because they adhere better than acrylics, especially on camo jobs that require heavy masking.   I masked the entire fuselage of my MiG-21 with yellow Tamiya tape and had only a few places where it pulled up a tiny chip of paint.

Having some areas be glossier than others might make for an interesting effect- I was looking at a Ukrainian Frogfoot that had a dead-flat base color and glossy camo spots.   Ugly bugger, that one.

Dre - I usually use "Painters Mate green" tape that is available from a building supply store up here. I lay it out on my cutting mat to take some of the stickiness away & it's good to go. Still thinking about sealing up what I've got now with a coat of Future to make sure the paint doesn't pull up., but then I'd have areas that are more glossy than others wouldn't I?  I'm custom-mixing my colours to try & use up my store of Tamiya acrylics. Annd I've spotted all sorts of reference pics of my machine with the white panels rather than the green. Gotta love Google!!


Bsyamato - my dry-fit shows one rudder that drops in almost perfectly, one needs a little work on the tab, but not much. Again, I think a touchup will be easier than trying to mask after assembly.

I just wish I'd left the afterburner cans off until later!!!

You convinced me Vance.. effectiveli the correction areas il reaaly few, will glue only fuselage and wings and adding the vertical rudders before the glossy layer

Vance, that's how I did the splinter camo on a Ju-87 some time back..  multiple layers of tape cut to order from a guide.   Don't use 3M Blue tape- it'll pull the paint right up.  I guess that you found the colors that you want to use?

Looking for Ukrainian Frogfoots the other day showed me that there's a lot of variation on the Flanker schemes now..  and the radome/antenna patches should be white as they're supposed to be later date builds.. but always check that reference pic.

Don't worry about the end date as it is now extended until ??

bsyamato

It's a good solution Vance but i fear about the perfect junction of pieces after the paint .. waiting for your result 

So, my updates

Primed and added the original cloches refined and added three buttons on both

Macro picture are really usefull to find incorrections that is hard to see with eyes 

now workin on the canopy to add inner structures, pictures to follow 

Oh I doubt it will be a perfect solution, but I think it will be easier to touch up the join areas afterwards, rather than try to mask the splinter pattern after the fins have been installed.  I think.

That cockpit work is beautuful!

Dre

Vance, are you doing the splinter scheme?  

YES!!! This is the machine I'm working towards, using an Authentic Decals sheet. It is described on the sheet as having green radome/antenna areas, but I've sen many pictures (as below) with those areas in white.

Brought my marking guide to the office & did the ol' scan & scale-up bit. I plan on using the same method as used on my Mirage F1, laying down a layer of masking tape on my working surface, laying the guide over top of that & cutting/labelling sections, then peeling them off to mask as I need them. There will be some adjustments to be made over curved surfaces of course, but it should work fine.

Overall pale blue (which never seems to photograph well) and main white areas taken care of. In good light, it is probably still a little pale, but is closer to the above image than it looks here. I probably should give them a clearcoat before I start adding layers of masking tape though.

Thanx Dre 

I just realized that the end of the GB is between two months.. i will try but not sure will finish the hunched sukhoi before the end 

That canopy framing looks fantastic, Bsyamato.   Outstanding work!  

Updates:

Draw ,sanded and added inner frames structures 

It's a good solution Vance but i fear about the perfect junction of pieces after the paint .. waiting for your result 

So, my updates

Primed and added the original cloches refined and added three buttons on both

Macro picture are really usefull to find incorrections that is hard to see with eyes 

now workin on the canopy to add inner structures, pictures to follow 

Vance, are you doing the splinter scheme?  

Yes bsyamato, rudders will be painted seperately and attached afterwards. I've done my pale blue over the past two days, and painted the white nosecone and areas on the rudders + spine. Switching to my Morane this evening, but I plan on painted the gray areas of my Ukraine AF camouflage tomorrow.

..But instead of me you're near to paint the giant  

You'll glue vertical rudders after paint the fuselage?

Wow bsyamato, look at all the scratch work in there. I feel kind of embarrassed - all I did on my Flanker was spray a primer coat!! Sealed up & primed, top & bottom. Need to give it a quick buffing, then I should be able to start the camo colours this week.  Need to find some good colour mixes for Ukrainian Flankers.

Also note that I got rushing around & attached the afterburner cans already... probably should have waited until after major painting, but...

Thanx guys 

here more:

added rudder pedals

at the next

damn fine scratchbuilding, sir!

Bsyamato, I love that you are scratchbuilding all this detail, and in 1/72 scale!   Great work so far.

Nice work Vance :) the same kit i built years ago!

so, i resumed the 34 despite this chaos:

Some bending and break on the ip cover was performed  too low the eightness of it, also the crude ip on it

Added more details on the cockpit

lots of test fits i did 

throttle housing

and after gluing pieces on pieces the actual state

At the next!

Yep, when the electric heaters finally get turned on, that one can routinely be found asleep, leaned right into the heater in my daughters bedroom. How on earth that thing hasn't caught fire yet I'll never know...

Hey, progress!   My little feline accomplices have been all too eager to 'help' me this last week as well...  low 40's at night tends to make them really affectionate.

Just put the finishing touches on a Grumman Intruder, and a Saab J21... therefore, the Flanker box is back on the bench!

Kit seat + wire pull-handles & tape seatbelts...


What can I say, I enjoy contrast! Both in 1/72, Su-27 and MS.406...


Agent 001 makes a rare appearance. We haven't turned the heat on yet, making the cats friendlier than usual.

thanks guys!

Dre, PM incoming!

Fantastic work, Owl!!

PM me your postal addy if you want one of these miniFlankers...  you earned it!

Nice finish Owl! Those gear bays remind me, I need to pick up some red paint on the way home tonight...