Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hello,

After realising one could submit Soviet stuff to this GB, and after much pondering upon what to build, my choice fell on the jaundice-coloured Su-30MK (or MK2 or MKK, need to investigate further).

Here it is

A comprehensive decal sheet for this and nearly every other prototypical Flanker is offered in 1/48 by Begemot.

This should be a minor conversion from the Academy Su-27UB kit: new instrument panels, IR sensor moved to starboard, IFR probe added, possibly some odd ordnance and a full tin of Eye-Watering Yellow. Because the cockpit suffers from well-known problems, I'll use the NeOmega resin replacement.

Bonehammer, off to cut some pouring stumps. I'll post pictures ASAP.

Edited by Bonehammer73
Link to post
Share on other sites
I will follow this one! :thumbsup:

But you forgot one thing. Su-27 UB have tips on the vertical stabs "cut" while 503 have them straight.

Thanks for the heads up! Maybe I'd have spotted it eventually, but forewarned is forearmed they say. I made a Zhengdefu "Su-35" once, perhaps I can find the spare fin tips.

Meanwhile, looking up at pics of 503 on the ground, I realised that the nose undercarriage has a diabolo arrangement. Not a difficult conversion, but I'll need to locate some suitable wheels.

What other surprises I'm in for before this build ends?...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Should be a nice build. The primer bird is definitely going to be eye-catching.

I believe I have an extra set of dual nose-wheels from a SOL conversion set around. Let me look around. If I find them, they're yours to have.

Cheers,

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks to all for the encouragement.

Waco, thanks for the nice offer as well, but don't go mad searching - it's not a difficult part to scratchbuild.

I'm having problems with the camera - the display won't light up at times - but I made some progress around the wheel wells. They're just the way I like them - not all detail is present, but what little is there is correct.

Link to post
Share on other sites

At last, an update and some pictures!...

I got tired of scrounging spare time for modelling late at night, when I messed up my sleeping patterns and got nothing done... and I took a day off. With the hubby at work and the kid at Grandma's house, today it was just me and the goldfish.

Starting material and reference:

3288478210_ff0d65df64.jpg

The undercarriage, as I said, is accurate but bare. Some structural details in the wells:

3288478162_68c5a3d8a0.jpg

3288478168_b37a12d394.jpg

The conical front of the gear leg cover need to be hollowed out and detailed. I closed the ceiling with a piece of scrap card:

3287647169_21844eba31.jpg

It wouldn't be a Soviet wheel well if it didn't look like someone tossed a grenade in a spaghetti pot:

3288478170_e6e815b1d2.jpg

3288478178_b6a5712740.jpg

3288478202_e86804c38a.jpg

I found the fastest way to make the 'clips' holding the bundles of cables together: stretched sprue, flattened with pliers. It's easier than trying to cut scale-wide lengths of something, and bends easily.

Not portrayed (the camera choose the right moment to take sick leave), but there's work going on on the gear legs. They look undernourished, so I'm dressing them up a bit, too. Also, the battery shelf in the front gear well and the mudguard for the front wheels are underway.

And this is just a little experiment I'm toying with:

3288501294_f6e0065e51.jpg

I'm curious to see how the melted sprue "putty" will take rescribing once it's set:

3288501308_2dee71bc6e.jpg

I heard someone mentioning a MiG GB in the works... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Now all I need is another day off so I can do the port well. :)

Edited by Bonehammer73
Link to post
Share on other sites
With the hubby at work and the kid at Grandma's house, today it was just me and the goldfish.

Wow wait a minute! Hold the phone. You are a Lady. I did not realize that until I read your comment above. Well, I'll be...it sure is nice to see some ladies getting into this hobby. Looks like your doing very good. I like the wiring in the wheel wells. Also, thanks for clean and sharp photos. So, keep up the good work!!

Mike

Link to post
Share on other sites
With the hubby at work and the kid at Grandma's house, today it was just me and the goldfish.

Our last experience with a female modeler left something to be desired :pray: but that guy in disguise was a freak of nature, so that doesn't count. It's good to see some ladies building...:thumbsup:

And it took me a moment to realize...but goldfish was referring to the Flanker? :P

Link to post
Share on other sites
Meanwhile, looking up at pics of 503 on the ground, I realised that the nose undercarriage has a diabolo arrangement. Not a difficult conversion, but I'll need to locate some suitable wheels.What other surprises I'm in for before this build ends?...

Yea, wait till you get to the mud gards, I built a set it was real fun.

Curt

Link to post
Share on other sites
At last, an update and some pictures!...

I got tired of scrounging spare time for modelling late at night, when I messed up my sleeping patterns and got nothing done... and I took a day off. With the hubby at work and the kid at Grandma's house, today it was just me and the goldfish.

Starting material and reference:

3288478210_ff0d65df64.jpg

The undercarriage, as I said, is accurate but bare. Some structural details in the wells:

3288478162_68c5a3d8a0.jpg

3288478168_b37a12d394.jpg

The conical front of the gear leg cover need to be hollowed out and detailed. I closed the ceiling with a piece of scrap card:

3287647169_21844eba31.jpg

It wouldn't be a Soviet wheel well if it didn't look like someone tossed a grenade in a spaghetti pot:

3288478170_e6e815b1d2.jpg

3288478178_b6a5712740.jpg

3288478202_e86804c38a.jpg

I found the fastest way to make the 'clips' holding the bundles of cables together: stretched sprue, flattened with pliers. It's easier than trying to cut scale-wide lengths of something, and bends easily.

Not portrayed (the camera choose the right moment to take sick leave), but there's work going on on the gear legs. They look undernourished, so I'm dressing them up a bit, too. Also, the battery shelf in the front gear well and the mudguard for the front wheels are underway.

And this is just a little experiment I'm toying with:

3288501294_f6e0065e51.jpg

I'm curious to see how the melted sprue "putty" will take rescribing once it's set:

3288501308_2dee71bc6e.jpg

I heard someone mentioning a MiG GB in the works... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Now all I need is another day off so I can do the port well. :bandhead2:

Ma'an, your "spagetti" work is amaizing. I've experimented with several techniques, but have never come up with anything close to what you do. Would you mind sharing your technique with those of us 'spagetti works challenged'

Again awesome work!

Thanks,

Ernie A.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Erm, did you all miss the joke underneath my avatar? I'm a lady - but I think gender is irrelevant on the 'Net.

BTW is it correct to call my child a "kid" if she's a girl?

The goldfish is an actual Carassius auratus named Pesce, although the Flanker would qualify as 'golden'.

Tomorrow is my other day off and I'll take some step-by-step pictures while I dress up the port gear bay.

Ta for now,

Bone

Link to post
Share on other sites
Erm, did you all miss the joke underneath my avatar? I'm a lady - but I think gender is irrelevant on the 'Net.

BTW is it correct to call my child a "kid" if she's a girl?

The goldfish is an actual Carassius auratus named Pesce, although the Flanker would qualify as 'golden'.

Tomorrow is my other day off and I'll take some step-by-step pictures while I dress up the port gear bay.

Ta for now,

Bone

Kid is ok for girl or guy i think...

Looking forward to seeing that port gear bay done :D

Should get interesting when you start putting some yellow on this thing!! :rofl:

=Awan

Link to post
Share on other sites

Today: more of the same...

But because you've asked (for) it, I'm treating you to a step-by-step journey through my detailing technique.

We start with ordinary electrical wire, peeled.

3292916119_9997404c3c.jpg

For less messiness on my workbench, I keep loosely taped bundles of everything.

3292916089_1a780e21f7.jpg

First of all I straighten the wire by pulling it between my thumb and the diamond-treaded part of an X-Acto:

3292916125_9d1480dd86.jpg

Then I align a few strands. To keep them side by side during the entire process, I use tape:

3292916137_8f19bd3ed8.jpg

I found out the other day this is the best material for making those pesky retaining clips: flatten a length of stretched sprue with pliers:

3292916145_66ac090a3b.jpg

3292916151_838e051670.jpg

Cut a bit of suitable length, then add superglue to HALF of the clip:

3293745750_fbf2284d7b.jpg

Attach the clip to the "lines" and wait for the superglue to work its magic, then bend it over. It will pull back, but nevermind...

3293745752_9ce7544a79.jpg

3293745754_f1f6fd293b.jpg

Now glue the other half and squeeze tightly in place with tweezers:

3293745756_877ec95f19.jpg

[...to be continued]

Link to post
Share on other sites

[...continuing...]

3293745764_166a8e5a3b.jpg

Once the superglue has set, you can trim or sand the excess clip.

3293745770_e309b6659d.jpg

Sometimes the lines are all but neatly aligned. In this case, wrap a bundle of strands loosely together:

3293750872_6898299b84.jpg

and "prepare" the clips by rolling the sprue onto something appropriately cylindric:

3293750880_6ec3ff196a.jpg

This cable here is the best thing singe scribing templates: just get to your Radio Shack and ask for is intercom wire. I found it by chance and it's great for making brake lines. If you peel it, you get instant fasteners - just leave a few 'rings' of sheath here and there:

3293775098_83bd6e7c33.jpg

Once painted...

3293775118_149318472b.jpg

You can see it here, in its unpainted form, peeking from the wheel wells of an unfinished MiG-21:

3293750882_144cf2592c.jpg

3293750884_414f02e422.jpg

3293750886_1d543f2a72.jpg

3293775082_45a39b016f.jpg

Those oxygen canisters are actually fishing sinkers BTW. My father is just as obsessed with fish as I am with models...

But enough with the small talk. Let's get back to the Flanker.

Edited by Bonehammer73
Link to post
Share on other sites

A peculiarity of the port gear bay is that, while its aft part is specular to starboard, the fore bulkhead has a green hose and strands of wire wrapped in tape. The hose was made from copper wire around a stretched sprue core, but it didn't look the part, so I wrapped it in masking tape and added some detail from adhesive aluminium:

3293750868_3f1d7aa6a4.jpg

Best results are obtained when the tape is torn, rather than cut, length-wise.

After judicious use of the techniques described above, the port well is completed:

3293780874_4f0d420957.jpg

3293780872_eb6b93a18c.jpg

3293780864_7d13ba8ce6.jpg

You can barely make out in the third picture that there's some gizmo sitting in the hollowed-out port fairing. The starboard one only has a few thin wires running into it, but these are best added when I attach the intakes.

Side-by-side comparison:

3293780854_36e3b0e8ef_b.jpg

3293775126_b76082e856_b.jpg

3293775122_f69f8a2dcd_b.jpg

and the moment of truth... what will be seen once the fuselage is closed?

3293775094_8d14b5bb48_b.jpg

Until next time,

Bone

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah, not to worry, I'm sure to screw up something fierce when it comes to painting. I know myself :thumbsup:

Thanks to everybody for the encouragement.

Netz, yeah, I'm at my second attempt on the mudguard. The first one was plastic card and not flexible enough. The current one is lead foil and looks promising, but it's in "scale thickness"... I may have to glue two sheets together and restart.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...