Flankerman

OK - I'll be the first to jump in....... It looks like the IRST ball is solid (?) - OK if you want to paint it red to depict the cover - but no clear lens? The translating ring between the rear angled nozzle and fixed front part looks too recessed - the real thing is quite smooth...... The intakes on the leading edge of the fin root look to be the same size - the port side should be approx twice the size of the starboard one... Zvezda got them correct..... GWH supply two types of lower intake shutters - open or closed (as they would be with the engine off) - although I can't prove it right now - but I think there should be 12 slats/louvres - not what I count as 11 in the kit.?? These are just first impression nit-picks - the kit looks great from what I see so far... And no seam line down the canopy/winscreen !!!! Ken (donning Flak helmet)...... PS - I also like the one-piece intakes

With all the major components in place, it's time for a coat of grey primer....... Top View.... .... and the undersides... It is getting hard to handle now - it's just so BIG..... trying to hold it without knocking the wings..... Ken

How about a MiG-25 ?? Ken

It's starting to come together now..... The front sections of the tailbooms containing the maingear bays are glued in place on the underside of the wings.... The mating surface - where the tailbooms attach - isn't very substantial - so I fashioned a plug made from plastic tubing wrapped with plastic card to strengthen the joint..... The model is getting difficult to handle with its long-span wings .........and attaching the tailbooms really needs three hands The booms have a 'key' to aid in lining them up - but the fit is a bit 'slack' - allowing the booms to sag or rotate slightly....... I tackled it by first glueing the port tailboom into place - lining things up by eye to make sure the fin was vertical and correctly aligned in side view. After allowing the glue to set - but not too hard - I then attached the starboard boom and, with the model inverted and supported horizontally on the workbench, the horizontal stabiliser was glued in place and used to line everything up - it seems to have worked..... Underside view - the joints need to be filled and eliminated - difficult when you are handling what feels like a balalaika !!!! It's all downhill from here........ Ken

Wingspan is 520mm (approx 20.5 inches) Some more progress..... The main wheel bays form the front end of the tail booms - and are assembled from an outer 'canoe' and an inner bay. The bay is made up from a flat part that you have to fold up to form the roof and sides - a neat idea that saves having to line up separate parts A separate part is inserted for rear bulkhead... The tailbooms/fins are each made up from two halves (bottom) .... The completed starboard boom is at the top. Ken

A little more progress.... The lower wing root is quite flexible - so I've added supports made from square-section plastic..... Whilst waiting for the wings to set, I constructed the two underwing sampling pods - each made up from six parts... Each pod has two tiny hinge-like antenna at the rear - provided as teeny-weeny etched brass parts - almost at the limit of my eyesight.... The starboard pod also has a flate-plate structure - again included on the etched-brass fret - here it is on the real thing... More later... Ken

More.... A bit of fettling sees the upper wing centre-section added - with joints to fill around the intakes... .... and at the rear end.... Underside view..... The ultra long-span wings are made up from a full-length lower section and a shorter upper section....... Ken

More progress ...... The forward fuselage fits into the rear fuselage between the engine intakes - but there isn't much of a mating surface, resulting in a potentially weak joint...... So to try to improve the joint, I added small blocks of plasticard to give the forward fuselage something to butt up against.... The front fuselage (which is quite heavy due to the lead weights) now has a 'ledge' to attach to.... Closer view of the plastic card additions.... It would have been easier to make the 'ledge' before fitting the intakes in place... but I hadn't discovered the problem until too late. The M-55 has a box-like structure at the rear - between the exhaust nozzles - this is provided by Modelsvit with two halves into which are inserted two etched-brass vanes.... which must be bent to shape - all very fiddly... It took a lot of head-scratching to try and work out how the box fitted between the jetpipes.... ....but I got there in the end...... ....... aided by this photo that I took at MAKS 2013.... Ken

The twin jetpipes are each made up from two halves - with an internal nozzle... Full length intake trunking is provided - each intake made up from two halves... Bulkheads provide the compressor faces (top} and turbines.... Intakes and jetpipes in place inside the centre-fuselage 'bathtub'..... The 'bathtub' is constructed from a lower fuselage section - plus two side panels..... Lower fuselage - with side panels and two-part tai;cone attached... Lots of joints! Top view of the centre-fuselage sub-assembly. Ken

A bit of progress.... The cockpit tub is made up from a floor, two side consoles plus front and rear bulkheads. A control column and even the rudder pedals are included. Decals are provided for the instrument panels - perfectly adequate in this scale - IMHO... Cockpit and nosewheel bay (made up from a 'roof', two side and two end parts) sub assemblies fitted inside the starboard front fuselage. Modelsvit recommend 18 grams of nose weight - my bit of lead flashing weighs 22 grams.... Cockpit, wheel bay and lead weight... Forward fuselage all buttoned up... The multi-part K-36 ejection seat will be added at the end of the build... Ken

Nino, The landing system (similar to the US 'Fresnel' lights) is called 'Luna'. A search turned up this image.... I hope it helps.... Ken

Just arrived - the latest kit from the Ukrainian enterprise of Modelsvit... the Myasischev M-55 'Geophysica' high-altitude observation aircraft. With each new release, Modelsvit are raising the bar for moulding quality - the crispness and engraved surface detail is simply stunning. Page 3 of the 12-page instruction booklet - note the 22-part K-36 ejection seat construction. Page 10 showing the painting and decal-placement guide. The superbly printed decal sheet - those sponsors logos are all perfectly readable! The parts are crisly moulded in light grey plastic - with stunning engraved surface detail. Modelsvit have captured the shape of the double-curvature laminar-flow long-span wing superbly. Open or closed canopy options are included - note the parts for the K-36 ejection seat. Self-adhesive masks for the canopy and wheel hubs are provided - as is this etched-brass sheet of parts. More photos of the rest of the sprues are here:- http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/model_m-55_modelsvit.html This close-up photo shows off the delicate engraved panel detail perfectly... Finally, to whet your appetite, here's the real thing I photographed at MAKS 2012.... I can't wait to get started on this kit - it will make an interesting companion to Modelsvit's previously released M-17 'Stratosphera'... Ken

Except for the F-104 and SAAB JAS-39 Gripen - both of which are boarded from the RH (starboard) side........ Talking of Knights - that's why we (in the UK) drive on the left - so that we would face an oncoming horseman on our right (with our sword arm).... That's also apparently why we shake hands - to show that we are unarmed. Meanwhile..... Ken

BWDenver...... note the winch in the two photos you posted - on the port side. Russian helicopters are flown from the left hand (port) seat - like airliners - hence the winch position. Western helos are flown from the RH (Starboard) seat - with the winch on the stbd side. An interesting difference... Ken

More.... The gap betwen the lengthened radome and fuselage is filled in with scraps of plastic card.... .... followed by filler and a first sanding.... people of a nervous disposition look away now.. I've also made the new tailboom - using an 8mm plastic knitting needle cut and carved to shape - More butchery to follow... Ken