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Which 1/48 SU-35?


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Need some input gents. I have an opportunity to pick up the KH SU-35S “Flanker E” for $60 after shipping which seems to me like a decent deal. I’m hesitant to pull the trigger however. After absolutely fallening  in love with @Fighting Eighty-Four‘s build of it and want to do the same aircraft in flight, fully loaded. 

 

Would it be a good idea to pick this up or spend a little bit more for the GWH kit that everyone is raving about? Thoughts?

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check out doogs models on youtube.  He has a really nice build series that compares between both SU-35's you have mentioned.  it is called "flankoff'.  He is painting as he goes along, and the series is ongoing!  Highly worthwhile, and is quite neutral (in my opinion).    

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Yeah I keep up with his blog. Like I said before I was just posing the question as I have what seems like a decent deal on the KittyHawk kit and wanted some opinions before I committed to it.

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If it's the original boxing of the Kitty Hawk kit (with the Russian Air Force decals), I'd save my money and go for the Great Wall Hobby kit, because it lacks the thrust-vectoring nozzles (they're just straight in the kit), and it has the upward-facing flare launchers on the tailboom, which will cost you more to fix than the difference up to the GWH kit.

 

If it's the Chinese Air Force version of the Kitty Hawk kit, which comes with resin replacements for the exhausts and tailboom... I'd still save my money and go for the Great Wall Hobby kit, because the GWH kit looks like a much easier and more detailed build, and and the only thing Kitty Hawk will give you that the GWH kit won't is a huge pile of weapons for your spares box... and a migraine from sorting out the various evil-looking seams without destroying any detail.

 

 

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I am currently building GWH kit.

I would definitely go for GWH, despite some issues.

Though I haven't seen KH kit in person, but I did see a lot of comparison.

Beside that, I had a lot of KH kits, and although I liked them a lot, none of them was even near to something I see in this GWH su-35. I doubt that Su-35 kit stand out much from other KH releases

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First, thanks Zach for the kind words about my KH Su-35 build.  :-)

 

Now, I have both kits, and the GWH kit is definitely the better kit, amongst the nicest kits I have ever seen in the box.  However, judging by what you want to do  I would strongly consider the KH kit for the discounted price.  First, you want to do an eggplant prototype like I did, and that one uses the tail stinger that comes in the KH kit.  Also, you said you want to do it fully armed to the teeth, and the KH kit gives you more munitions than you will know what to do with.  The GWH kit only has air to air missiles.  Also, the issues with the KH nozzles becomes moot because you are planning an inflight build, so you don't need the drooped nozzles.

 

One thing to watch out for though, I had read somewhere that it is difficult to model the KH canopy closed.  I can't confirm that as I didn't even try, but I did see an in-flight build of the KH kit so I do know it can be done.

 

So, if you can get the KH kit for a steal, go for it.  There is no doubt the GWH kit is superior, however the KH kit might actually be a better choice for what you want to do.

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44 minutes ago, Fighting Eighty-Four said:

So, if you can get the KH kit for a steal, go for it.  There is no doubt the GWH kit is superior, however the KH kit might actually be a better choice for what you want to do.

 

I did just what you recommend here as I too wanted to do an eggplant scheme prototype. I have the GWH kit too and will do a standard camo version with that kit. It would have been nice if GWH had included parts for doing a prototype bird as they had some interesting camo schemes.

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3 hours ago, Solo said:

GWH is just absolutely better kit out of those two.
More accurate, with much better details, better fitting.
Just better.

 

Much better details, yes.

 

Better fitting, yes.

 

More accurate, not really. There are inaccuracies with GWH too. And overall shape and dimensions are very good on kittyhawk.

 

With Chinese boxing which comes with resin exhaust, it is not a bad kit at all. 

 

Also, cheapest Kittyhawk kit you can find is ~$60 whereas cheapest GWH one is around $90.

 

So kittyhawk Chinese boxing is a respectable option. 

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On Prague is difference between both kits a FIVE USD. And GWH is more nicest as Kittyhawk. I don´t know why bought Kitty Hawk.... I received my Su-35S from GWH yesterday and is really gorgeous. Kitty Hawk have more colourful decals for PLAAF and resin pilot figures in patriotic re-box, but when i read a KH isn´t enjoyable build....  And in G.W.H. are decals for Aircraft from Syrian War, with mission markings.... PLAAF marking from GWH i excepted later.  

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Also keep in mind the Chinese boxing contains a VERY nice seated (and a standing, as well) pilot, which would be necessary for doing an in-flight build.  The issue is that you would have to go with Begemot decals to do an eggplant scheme since that boxing only includes Chinese markings.  But that is not a bad thing, it is what I did and you get many more options and like a zillion stencils for the weapons.  You would then have an extra resin tail stinger and drooped nozzles that you could probably sell or keep for another project in the future.

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1 hour ago, Fighting Eighty-Four said:

Also keep in mind the Chinese boxing contains a VERY nice seated (and a standing, as well) pilot, which would be necessary for doing an in-flight build.  The issue is that you would have to go with Begemot decals to do an eggplant scheme since that boxing only includes Chinese markings.  But that is not a bad thing, it is what I did and you get many more options and like a zillion stencils for the weapons.  You would then have an extra resin tail stinger and drooped nozzles that you could probably sell or keep for another project in the future.

 

Should have started with that haha!

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If you don’t care below issues or problems, go for the cheaper one:

 

Too long nose

Wrong angled nose landing gear

Too pointy windsheild

Too narrow canopy and cannot be closed due to wrong size to fit fuselage

Fictional details including panels and rivets

Weird looking ejection seat which is neither close to K-36DM or K-36D-5

Heavy 3D printed trace resin nozzles

Useless resin pilot since he wears a TK10 flight helmet which is not for Flanker whose pilot uses ZSh-7 or TK12 helmets(Chinese copy of ZSh-7)

Fictional decal options

 

So save your bucks and enjoy! ;)

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11 hours ago, foxmulder_ms said:

 

Much better details, yes.

 

Better fitting, yes.

 

More accurate, not really. There are inaccuracies with GWH too. And overall shape and dimensions are very good on kittyhawk.

 

With Chinese boxing which comes with resin exhaust, it is not a bad kit at all. 

 

Also, cheapest Kittyhawk kit you can find is ~$60 whereas cheapest GWH one is around $90.

 

So kittyhawk Chinese boxing is a respectable option. 

Really doubt that if you do compare the kit with real plane photos.

The cheaper one has very obvious shape problem as I have already listed above.

 

As for GWH kit it would be interesting to know about the “inaccuracies” indeed, so we can improve them in the 1/72 scale version.

Yes I have already summarized all errors on original 3D design but I have no authorization to disclose them ( they are quite minor actually, even may not be regarded as mistakes for some brands maybe).

But more user feedback would be very much appreciated.

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5 hours ago, haneto said:

As for GWH kit it would be interesting to know about the “inaccuracies” indeed, so we can improve them in the 1/72 scale version.

Tadaaa ! :punk:

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6 hours ago, haneto said:

Really doubt that if you do compare the kit with real plane photos.

The cheaper one has very obvious shape problem as I have already listed above.

 

As for GWH kit it would be interesting to know about the “inaccuracies” indeed, so we can improve them in the 1/72 scale version.

Yes I have already summarized all errors on original 3D design but I have no authorization to disclose them ( they are quite minor actually, even may not be regarded as mistakes for some brands maybe).

But more user feedback would be very much appreciated.

 

6 hours ago, haneto said:

Really doubt that if you do compare the kit with real plane photos.

The cheaper one has very obvious shape problem as I have already listed above.

 

As for GWH kit it would be interesting to know about the “inaccuracies” indeed, so we can improve them in the 1/72 scale version.

Yes I have already summarized all errors on original 3D design but I have no authorization to disclose them ( they are quite minor actually, even may not be regarded as mistakes for some brands maybe).

But more user feedback would be very much appreciated.

Haneto,

          How about an F-35 series, in 1/48th scale. 

 

Brad

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5 hours ago, galfa said:

Go with the GWH.

 

You can easily do an "eggplant" bird also from the GWH.

 

Amazing how some posts here are defending the indefendable.

 

Because it can still look like this as a final product: 

 

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8 hours ago, haneto said:

Really doubt that if you do compare the kit with real plane photos.

The cheaper one has very obvious shape problem as I have already listed above.

 

As for GWH kit it would be interesting to know about the “inaccuracies” indeed, so we can improve them in the 1/72 scale version.

Yes I have already summarized all errors on original 3D design but I have no authorization to disclose them ( they are quite minor actually, even may not be regarded as mistakes for some brands maybe).

But more user feedback would be very much appreciated.

 

Heey, dont take offence. GWH is my favorite model company. I think GWH kit is better (also 50% more expensive) but no need to bury the Kittyhawk kit either!

 

GWH main wheel bays are too shallow and cockpit "wall" is too thin. These are tiny things which I dont think important but just saying.... 

 

Other little "problems" (not accuracy), for my taste, horizontal stabilizers' details are not apparent. Also, the 4 piece exhaust is not ideal compared to Kittyhawk. Kittyhawk resin exhausts are nicer than 4-piece offering from GWH. 

 

Overall my take is, if you don't care about the price go with GWH, but there is nothing wrong to buy kittyhawk either. 

 

 

 

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