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Hi all!

 

So I have been working on the new Kitty Hawk Su-35S and thought I would share my build experience here since I have not seen any others being built elsewhere.  I know the GWH Su-35 is coming, but this really looks like a nice kit, and is correct for the version I want to build.  I will be getting a GWH Su-35 though, it looks really awesome too, and build a Syrian service jet some day.

 

I plan on doing the Eggplant first production batch, so this kit is correct with the stinger configuration.  I am also using the A.M.U.R. Reaver exhaust nozzles, which are fantastic. Also will be using Begemot Decals.  

 

So here we go!

 

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The cockpit is really fantastic as far as detail is concerned.  I did manage to lose one of the two clear pieces for the HUD to the carpet monster, so that is disappointing.  Not sure if I will try to figure something out or just let it go.  The kit comes with decals for the IP and side panels, but the colors didn't match my Akan paint well and since the detail is so nice I just decided to do it old school with a hairy stick.

 

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10 hours ago, caudleryan said:

Beautiful start! Was wondering if you were going to do an in-progress on this one. Thinking about getting one myself.

 

Thanks caudleryan!  I am really enjoying the kit so far, so I say if you want to build an early Su-35 (eggplant or splinter scheme), get this kit.  If you want to do an in-service updated Su-35, wait for the GWH kit.  Keep in mind though, if you want the iconic drooped at-rest nozzles, you will have to go aftermarket, as the nozzles included with the kit are straight, which would only be correct for a powered up or in-flight build.  Also, Kitty Hawk is preparing to release an updated kit with RESIN extras, including drooped nozzles, updated stinger tail for in-service aircraft, and a seated and standing pilot.  So it might be worth looking into that one as well.  I think I will get it for the pilots alone.

 

10 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Grabbin' a seat!   beautiful cockpit! : )

 

Thanks CJ, welcome!  Hopefully this will be worth the watch.  I build very fast, so don't blink or you might miss it!  Hehe.

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Got the cockpit in and the fuselage halves and nosecone installed.  The fit of all of these pieces is absolutely fantastic.  Near-Tamiya like fit in these parts actually.  One thing, I wasn't sure which way to attach the nosecone.  I couldn't tell which side was up or down, there was no real way to tell.  It could go either way.  I did not install the radar,  so there may be a piece there that gives positive attachment points.  But I think I got it right, one way fit slightly better than the other, although the other way fit was decent too.

 

The stinger tail required a little putty on each side because I got a little too aggressive removing the sprue gate attachments there.  That is one negative I do have of this kit.  Kitty Hawk still tends to put sprue gates in bad spots, and they are attached in such a way that you have to be careful cleaning them up or you might have some gaps to fill.  It was like this on the KH Fitter I recently built too.  But I will say this, they seem to be a little better with their placement on this kit, it was worse on the Fitter.  So progress, perhaps? LOL

 

Also, the rear fuselage join area was kinda confusing to me.  But after I realized the vertical tails come down and cover the area just aft of the wing root I was good.  Pretty good engineering how they did that there, similar to how GWH does with their Fulcrums and ICM's Foxbat.   I know on the Academy Flankers that area is always a pain to get aligned and always needs lots of putty and sanding in my experience.

 

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Hi Fighting Eighty-Four, that putty got my attention.   Have you ever tried rescribing it to see if it would crumble?   And does it dry to the same hardness as polystyrene?  I'm still searching for the perfect putty --- one  with long working time, doesn't stink, sands and feathers well and wouldn't chip when rescribed ----   Perfect Plastic putty might be the one I'm looking for.

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Fighting Eighty-Four,

  I'm pulling up my chair and following right along. Outstanding job on the Pit, most impressive.  Nice to see a KH fuselage that has one piece halves. I've tried 3 of their kits  from the 1st one to the  Bronco, and none were really a fun build, filled with issues and poor fit of parts. Hoping that you're build goes much better. 

 

Joel

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Fantastic start on the Big KH SU-35 Flanker. Some mighty nice work and super progress. I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of Akan paints having tested a few of the colors and the paint lays down flawlessly.

Surely wetting my appetite to order one of the new KH Flankers.

Keep 'em coming:thumbsup:

Peter

 

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On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 8:12 AM, rom said:

hi

 

thank you for sharing your feedback on this kit :)

 

No problem Rom!  This kit is not getting much love out there, especially due to the impending GWH release.  But I have found this to be a very nice kit.  Definitely worth building!

 

22 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Hi Fighting Eighty-Four, that putty got my attention.   Have you ever tried rescribing it to see if it would crumble?   And does it dry to the same hardness as polystyrene?  I'm still searching for the perfect putty --- one  with long working time, doesn't stink, sands and feathers well and wouldn't chip when rescribed ----   Perfect Plastic putty might be the one I'm looking for.

 

Hi CJ!  PPP has really nice sanding and feathering qualities, and is really nice for quickly filling and shaping using just water and a Q-tip.  However, I have not yet tried to rescribe it, and it is definitely not as hard as styrene.  But for about 75% of my filling needs, this stuff is awesome!

 

20 hours ago, Joel_W said:

Fighting Eighty-Four,

  I'm pulling up my chair and following right along. Outstanding job on the Pit, most impressive.  Nice to see a KH fuselage that has one piece halves. I've tried 3 of their kits  from the 1st one to the  Bronco, and none were really a fun build, filled with issues and poor fit of parts. Hoping that you're build goes much better. 

 

Joel

 

Thanks Joel!  I have completed all major assembly, and I must say other than the wings, everything fits really well, with only a couple minor issues, but easiliy overcome. 

 

I have heard many bad things about older KH offerings, but so far I have only built two... this and their infamous recent Fitter release.  I actually enjoyed building the Fitter as well, and it turned out very nice.  So maybe they are getting better...

 

18 hours ago, Aigore said:

Looks awesome even... really peaked my interest in this kit!

 

Thanks Janne, welcome!   I hope I can help you make your decision about this kit.  So far I am very impressed.

 

12 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Fantastic start on the Big KH SU-35 Flanker. Some mighty nice work and super progress. I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of Akan paints having tested a few of the colors and the paint lays down flawlessly.

Surely wetting my appetite to order one of the new KH Flankers.

Keep 'em coming:thumbsup:

Peter

 

 

Thanks Peter!  I do like Akan paints too, although since I found Mr Paints I find myself using those more and more. 

 

Anyway, stay tuned, more updates coming!

 

10 hours ago, Matt Walker said:

Crackerjazz, Perfect putty is not the putty you're looking for. Superglue with Dental Acrylic does what you want...

 

M

 

8 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Dental acrylic --- wow that's new to me.   Gonna look that up.  Thanks for the info!

 

Huh.  I have never heard of that either.  I too will have to research that.  Thanks for the tip!

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OK, got most of the major assembly done, just a couple little things to do then I will begin priming.  I usually prime in black (Mr Surfacer 1500 Black), but since I am going with the very dark "Eggplant" scheme, I have decided to use gray Mr Surfacer 1000.  I have found painting dark colors over the black primer is rather difficult, so that is why I am doing it this way.  I am also debating whether or not to preshade this, since the eggplant color is so dark and these Flankers seem to have rather flawless paint in most pics I see.

 

So notes from my recent work... 

 

-The intakes fit very nicely.  I really like how they engineered the intake pieces.  I did not, however, like how many sink marks there are inside the intake.  That took some work to remedy. 

-The refueling probe is designed to be modeled only in the extended position.  I wanted mine retracted and stowed, so I have some work getting that right.  Still cutting and sanding the probe to get it to fit right.

-The windscreen and canopy have seams.  No biggie, the canopy was easy to fix.  But that damn windscreen, with the integrated IRST, was a major PITA to get rid of, especially down at the front by the IRST.  And to add insult to injury, it seemed like the seam in that area we even more pronounced, requiring more work.

 

Anyway, here are my latest pics-

 

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8 minutes ago, Silenoz said:

looks like a nice kit so far... especially interested how you will paint the burner cans... 

 

I am really looking forward to painting those cans... I have seen some amazing pictures of the nozzles, with various hues of violet, blue, gold, silver, soot, ceramic, and everything in between.  It is going to be fun to see how well I can replicate that.  What is not going to be fun is painting and masking the engine areas between the tails.  That is a pretty tight area.  But the kit is designed in such a way that you really have to attach the tails before painting the model.

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 The 1st time I heard of the use of Dental Acrylic and CCA glue was on one of Paul Budzik's videos.  Since he's a dentist, he has all sorts of dental tools, drills, powders, and denture materials that certainly work extremely well in many plastic modeling applications. That's the good news. The bad news is that Dental Acrylic isn't cheap by any means. I did a Google search, and most of these acrylics are a two part process, so measuring and mixing comes into play. The killer for me is the cost factor. Most start out at $22 and go up to nearly $60 for what we would consider a small amount of material.  Then just to make it even more interesting, there are several different types that are meant for different applications. You really need to be a dentist to understand their uses, and which ones are applicable to our needs. 

 

 While I've never gotten around to trying this out personally, mixing thin CCA glue with Baking powder shortens the drying and curing time of the CCA glue, and makes it much harder when cured.  This just might be the solution that you're looking for.  And the best part is that Baking Powder is available in any supermarket and is dirt cheap.  

 

Another alternative that I been using for years is a product called Bondo Glazing Putty. It's an automotive product, comes in a tube for less then $5, is very easy to use, dries rock hard, but does shrink some, and I've scribed it without issues. If it's good enough for small auto body repairs and can stand up to Mother Nature, our demands are way less then what it designed to do. The down side, is like I said, it does shrink some, and it's lacquer based, so it does smell. 

 

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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Re the dental acrylic, make friends with your Dentist! I spoke with 2 dentist friends, each of whom gave me decent quantities of the powder, for nothing. 

 

Re the Bondo, I also use this for some jobs. It is relatively quick to dry, sands well, does shrink some, but does "bite" into the plastic. I've never had luck in scribing it though, as it tended to chip. If I know I'm going to be scribing over filler, it is either acrylic/cyano or 2 part epoxy putty.

 

Baking powder and cyano can work too, but I find it is more "brittle" than the surrounding plastic.

 

M

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