Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Thanks guys! Great to have you on board! Next I moved onto the second step in the fuselage extension. Adding metal sheet over the plasticard supports and shaping it to the curves of the Flanker upper fuselage. This will be the basis for further work, and will be blended in to make a seamless upper fuselage with Mr Surfacer. The good thing about the metal sheet was that it allowed me to have a material that was pliable enough to shape to the correct curvature, while still holding up and maintaining its rigidity. It also sands well. Now that the tricky curved upper fuselage is done though I'll use regular plasticard for the flatter lines of the canards. Heres a quick dry fit with the front upper fuselage section Time to break out the filler! ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mario krijan Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Really great surgery so far!! Fantastic!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rdrunner Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hi Ken! Thanks for posting. I'd be happy to help. Miniarm Su-27 corrected radome Miniarm R-27T missiles Miniarm R-27R missiles All three of these kits I ordered from Russia via www.armor35.ru these guys specialise in AFV kits and aftermarket, but there are some hidden gems for aviation modellers. Because Miniarm of course produce mostly AFV conversions, but they also made these Su-27 parts, armor35 stock both. Armor35 also stock scale lenses for aviation subjects from Belarusian model firm ELF. Turbine Su-27 PE engine covers Turbine Modern Russian pilots These I ordered directly from Turbine models, via Tanel. He has a great range and both his resin figures and Photo Etch accessories are fantastic quality, and very well researched. Tanel has a welath of experience and also did masters for Miniarm in the past. He doesn't have a website I think, but his items can be ordered by emailing him at info @ pronks-graniit.ee. NH Detail Su-33 PE ladder This I ordered from Armory. http://armory.in.ua Actually I havent received this yet as my order is still processing. Some delays due to the AKAN paint set being out of stock. In fact after discussion with Tanel I probably won't use this part anyway, Turbine now make a ladder that is for use with the Su-33 that is more accurate (when I placed the order I didn't know this). I might change my order with Armory and ask them to remove the item from the basket. Hope this helps! Hey Jon, thanks for the prompt reply, I will be ordering these items from Tanel. Seats looking great and great job on the surgery Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hey Jon, thanks for the prompt reply, I will be ordering these items from Tanel. Seats looking great and great job on the surgery No worries! Happy to help. Here are some reviews of the two sets from Turbine, you might find them helpful. I recommend Turbines kits myself also :) Turbine Su-27 Exhaust cover review Turbine Modern Russian Pilots review Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Thanks Mario! :) More updates to come later today! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
designfriemel Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Thank you for those detailed pictures and your fantastic walkthrough! I'm going to keep my sol set(s) after seeing those parts. The wolfpack cockpit section does not look nice to me - esp. considering the cost. Are all parts at this level of... detail? Windmark wins this comparison, I think, and even the sol recasts I got here look better than that Wolfpack part. Anyway, I'm sure whatever brand or manufacturer you choose, you're going to create an awesome looking seaflanker! I'll be excited to see this bird finished! In case you want to build more su-33s at a lower investment in the future PM me... BTW, pity we don't have the big stuff to fit under the wings and belly, isn't it? No P-270 Moskit, no P-800 and no KAB-500s (Tally-Ho did some but OOP and very hard to find... <_<) Would you buy a P-800 resin kit if it the price is more reasonable compared to that wolfpack example? best regards Mart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mareku Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Fantastc modeling work Jon! You are e great surgeon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Mart - to be honest I'm replacing most of the Wolf pack parts. In hindsight I would have gotten the Windmark set if it was available at the time. The cockpit from Wolfpack is okay, and perfectly useable (Academys cockpit makes anything look a work of art), but the nose section really is best ignored. I'm also ignoring the wheels. The only part I've used so far is the wheelbay which is okay and actually quite detailed. As for the pods... Maybe but I haven't quite decided yet. As for big missiles sure! Miniarm only offer R-27s and it was tough even finding the SOL R-73s. Aerobonus are doing a good job but not much is useful for my project. I think it would be great to have some aftermarket for the P-800 and Moskit. They are very cool looking weapons. :) Mareku - thanks! Great to have you join me. Your attention to detail on your Phantom is also very impressive and I'm enjoying following the build very much! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nazar Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Jon Fitzgerald I hope it is useful Su-33 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tonal Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Awesome start Jon, this bird is one of several in my stash, will follow your build to completion. B) Tonal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fu Manchu Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Hi Great build so far and I will be watching this with real interest as I have the conversion to do as well shortly. Sure glad I saw the better cut line pictures, but not sure I am comfortable tackling the lengthening! I too bought the Wolfpack conversion and pretty much realised that their new nose was pretty lame. I intend to Dremel out the Windmark one as well. I bought it when Lucky Models had a sale, so it really pretty much cost the same as the Windmark one, so I'm not too fussed. Thanks for the links to the Miniarm stuff, I used one of their noses on my Su-27 and have been looking for a stockist for ages! Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Thanks Tonal! Ian, I wouldn't be put off too much or worry really. The Windmark set is a lovely kit and builds up into a great model. The length and canard issue aren't really huge deal breakers and you can make a wonderful Sea Flanker "OOB" so to speak. I'm just going to town on mine because I'm a "crazy surgeon" Also I'm glad the link helped. Just don't buy out all their stock a once, I might need another one in the future! :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Building is progressing very well and I'll post some update pictures later today, but for now heres the outcome of some of my research into the Deck Tractor on the Kuznetsov. Firstly it seems that the M-Hobby drawings are incorrect. Tanel sent me a side by side comparison picture and it shows that while the M-Hobby drawing is generally alright, its measurements and dimensions are wrong as is the shape in certain areas. Tractor Comparison He also sent me a great link to a thread on a Russian Forum RCForum.ru, that discusses the vehicle in detail. On this forum is an excellent picture of the factory drawing, with full measurements. Tractor 3913 Factory Drawing Photo copyright rcforum.ru This image is the one I will be using when I start building my own Tractor 3913. There seems also to be two different setups for this vehicle, one with the short end being the front, and one with the long end being the front of the vehicle. There is discussion on rcforum that perhaps this is the difference between the two vehicles, 3910 and 3913 that are on the Kuznetsov inventory (it's not clear if only two were built, or if four were initially issues and two later lost in accidents. I've heard both versions). However consensus seems to be that the difference in setup could be due to the kind of vehicles towed, and the difference in weight, and length of the Yak-38 and the Su-33. Here you can clearly see the long end as the front of the vehicle when used with Yak-38's. Towing Yak-38 Yak-38 period Tractor Photo Photo copyright rcforum.ru And here the short end as the front with Su-33's Tractor with Su-33 Tractor on deck with Su-33 So thats a nice theory, however... Tractor on deck with Yak-38 This picture clearly shows the short end as the front when used with Yak-38. So my guess is that is could most likely be small chassis differences between vehicle's 3910 and 3913. Also there seem to be two different wheel hub types. Some pictures show the Tractor with wheels that are MAZ-500 type (picture below) MAZ-500 wheel While some show wheel hubs that are very similar to ZIL-131. I have decided to model my Tractor around the factory drawing of 3913. It's interesting that there is very little information about this tractor, other than that it was built by Lviv GSKB. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
speedlimit Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Interesting! I shall follow this thread for reference. Nice stuff you got there. Eric Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vesthepes Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Excellent work so far, always wanted to do this academy, I never knew that much aftermarket exists, good to know, thumbs up on the project.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Thanks guys! Yes there's quite a lot of aftermarket parts available for both the Su-27 and Su-33 a lot of it can be quite hard to find outside of the Aires stuff, but you will still need to do some surgery. More so on the Su-33 I think. To be honest when I build my Su-27 I doubt very much that I will chop the kit up that much :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 Well progress on the build has been rather slow as I have been doing a lot of filling, and sanding... a lot of sanding. necessary but not very exciting :) Here are some very rough work in progress pictures of my work on the fuselage extension. A lot more sanding and filling is needed on this, but it gives an idea of the added length. A few dry fits Extending the fuselage and canards also means extending the front landing gear wheel bay. Luckily you can cut Wolfpacks bay, add the length and extra detail, without damaging the surface details cast into the parts. It's just a case of finding a good space to break things up and stretch ;) I've also been working on the engines and intakes. Aires exhaust set is very good, but much like the cockpit set the instructions are just plain wrong, with pictures that do not resemble the parts and no guidance on what bits of PE need to be removed. I used Squadrons excellent SU-27 walkaround book to help out here, as well as Mil-Tech series book on the SU-27. Removing the casting blocks from the fan parts was a very long and tedious process, as you can't just cut or saw the blocks off without destroying the surface detail. You have to instead sand them off, which is VERY time consuming! However once the PE is added it looks impressive, this should be 3D and not 2D as Aires provide in 1/48 (the 1/32 set is more correct in this respect). I tried chopping this part up and making it 3D, but it proved too tricky and the end result wasn't so great, so I laid the parts down flat again. To be honest they are very deep into the cans so it isn't really that noticeable. I used Academy's Photo Etch FOD screens in the intakes and positioned them closed. These parts are fine enough for this and look good once in. I'm not sure but I don't recall seeing any after market Photo Etch for these parts any way. Perhaps though Eduard have covered it in one of their sets? I'm not sure. More updates to follow. I also finally ordered and paid for one of Yufei's su-27 canopies, so I'm very excited about adding that, even though it will mean yet again more surgery! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fu Manchu Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Looks good. I too have the canopy on order, so it will be nice to watch you act as a Guinea Pig :) With regards to the Akan paints, they seem to have been out of stock at Armory for ages, I wanted to order the same set as you plus some mig-29 colours. I ended up getting them from Linden Hill, that took about 2 weeks to get back to the UK (they must have an impressive carbon footprint...). I painted my Mig with them (pics on B---Modeller) and they seem pretty nice. For me they seemed to spay best neat from the bottle. One question as I don't have them side by side, are the Aires pit and the Wolfpack pit the same depth? I know it is said that the Wolfpack pit is too shallow but not sure if the Aires one corrects this? Keep up the good work ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mareku Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Great progres with the build Keep working mate! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 (edited) Thanks guys! I've been taking my time with this and just enjoying it. It's my first attempt at such major surgery and extension work, so it's been very educational and good for me to push myself. It's good to work outside your comfort zone sometimes and learn new things, or force yourself to do things you don't usually try. :) Ian thanks for the info on the paints. I've emailed Armory again in Russian but no response. It's getting a bit ridiculous now and I think I'll just order everything I needed from Linden Hill instead. As for the cockpits I'll hold the tubs up side by side and check. I must admit I wasn't sure if the depth issue was down to the tub itself (floor too shallow) or if it related to the postioning that the wolfpack nose section has you insert the tub at. I'm not an expert on this but the Aires tub certainly looks the business. Maybe our resident experts can advise on this point though. The reviews I've seen online haven't made reference to the Aires tub being too shallow. Edited September 16, 2011 by Jon Fitzgerald Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Av8fan Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Excellent work and recovery. I am enjoying watching this build. Keep up the great work! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Uncool Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I also finally ordered and paid for one of Yufei's su-27 canopies O'Reilly...? :blink: :o :( Or ain't ya just pullin' "me" leg, Jon? How is it possible that, although I've been campin' inside of a Western Union agency for nearly two days - customers hurdlin' over me 'n' stuff to get to the counter - I still haven't been able to even have Yufei's data needed in order to wire the money to him? That's much unfair, methinks. <_< How did ya pay? Gettin' kinda edgy now, y'know... Cheers, bloke Unc² Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Fitzgerald Posted September 17, 2011 Author Share Posted September 17, 2011 Seriously? You posted in my build blog just to complain about something totally unrelated? I really hope this is some kind of attempt at humour, if it isn't I am very disappointed. What a remarkably rude thing to do. Incidently LOTS of people have ordered and paid already to yufei. Simply PM him and use paypal. Also I've not even ordered the set you want. Mine is without IRST not that it's any of your business. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Berkut Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Seriously? You posted in my build blog just to complain about something totally unrelated? I really hope this is some kind of attempt at humour, if it isn't I am very disappointed. What a remarkably rude thing to do. Incidently LOTS of people have ordered and paid already to yufei. Simply PM him and use paypal. Also I've not even ordered the set you want. Mine is without IRST not that it's any of your business. Just report him. :) Great build Jon, i am quietly following it. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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