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Kitty Hawk Su-34 "Fullback"


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This is a decent kit with plenty of potential but needs patience and perseverance.

VK7QbU.jpg

 

I chose the "Eggplant" scheme which offered plenty of options for weathering in the Syrian Civil War.

 

qTUF5Y.jpg

 

Markings for the aircraft are from the Two Bob's "Syrian Sukhois" which were much nicer to work with when compared to the kit decals. I hope to build another Su-34 and will do the 3 color camo with Begemont decals at that time. The decals that should be white colored (antenna etc.) are way off color. Kitty Hawk gives you decals that are properly sized, but light blue. I was very disappointed.

 

hVObGg.jpg

 

The resin nozzles are adequate from a kit maker, but I look forward to seeing something better from the aftermarket crowd. The ECM wing tip pods are not correct either. Fortunately, Zactomodels has been working on giving us a new accurate set.  I filled in the vent areas on the tail boom which were for early fullbacks. I used sheet styrene and 2 part putty leaving only the large one on the port side of the aircraft. Two Bobs gives you a couple of the "Exhaust Flaps" in the form of decals for the aft part of the tail boom.

 

ifDzf0.jpg

 

For ordinance, I hung a pair of KAB 500 -GPS 500 kg bombs on each intake and a single KAB 1500 Kg TV guided bomb on the center line.  The kit comes with a "cornucopia"  of ordinance and tanks to hang on your Fullback. I have a ton left over. The ordinance is of mixed quality. Some are very good for injection molding, others (like the the ordinance on my jet) could use better details or replacement with resin. That also applies to the pylons...very simple.

 

nM4QAe.jpg

 

I modified the refueling probe...and forgot to paint it! Back to the basement with it! The landing gear is very complex on this build. Take your time with them and assemble like separate kits. I tried to order up a set of G-Factor to have for my next build of this kit, but have not been able to find them. Do yourself a favor and get some. The main struts are very complex as is the front. When I was assembling the kit and mating the top and bot fuselage, I did NOT do enough dry fitting and working to mate them up properly. I used clamps to get it done but this caused a single piece canopy to fit pootly. As a result I had to put extra work into the join and ended up cracking it. It is small but noticeable enough to declare  this build as a "stay home" kit.

 

37hEWV.jpg

 

Just a quick shot of the underside.  The engraving on the Kitty Hawk Su-34 is very nice. I washed the entire plane with Flory' models Dark Grime and it really shows itself here. My apologizes for the photos. I received a light booth yesterday and assembled it this morning. I got a BIG one but it should be a mainstay for the future. I don't have a Macro lens for my DSLR so this is the best I could manage at home by myself.

 

Overall the Kitty Hawk Su-34 is winner. No problems with the shape of the radome, but it could use some fixes of the instructions which are misleading and in some cases inaccurate. The instructions are basically incomplete as far as the correct pylon(s) to use for much of the ordinance.

 

Like I said earlier, I will build another, but I'm going to wait and hope for more aftermarket items first. The Su-34 is an impressive aircraft, much larger than an F-15.

 

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10 hours ago, Falconxlvi said:

Cool Matt,

  Yours is the first Fullback I’ve seen in the eggplant scheme.  Nice job with the weathering.  Sounds like the kit is a bit of a mixed bag, but you did her justice in the end.  Well done!

 

Steve

 

Hey Steve,

Yeah it is a mixed bag of sorts. The fit is great on some of it, but like I have said on other posts, take your time and work through it. I think with a little bit of aftermarket (if and when we get some) you could turn it into a jaw dropper. I owned the hobby boss kit and traded it away. The shape of the Kitty Hawk kit is much better in my opinion. The fine details are there (some very fragile ones too), the cockpit out of the box is a bit spartan but you don't really see a whole lot. I have no idea if the wheels and tires are all that accurate. The tires seem a bit fat and balloon like, but again, I would hope we will see some aftermarket products for the kit.

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, BN7149 said:

Damn, that's sweet.  I had pretty well talked myself out of wanting a Fullback, and now you got me shopping...

 

-Ryan

 

Thanks Ryan. If you're looking to buy a Su-34, the Kitty Hawk offering is the one to buy.

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I am no fan of what literally looks like an ugly duck in my opinion but you have one heck of a stunner you built. I really like how you did the eggplant scheme and thanks for sharing on how you achieved the 'fade.' Will definitely be looking into those paints and varnish.

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22 minutes ago, Whiskey said:

I am no fan of what literally looks like an ugly duck in my opinion but you have one heck of a stunner you built. I really like how you did the eggplant scheme and thanks for sharing on how you achieved the 'fade.' Will definitely be looking into those paints and varnish.

 

Thanks Whiskey!

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On 11/5/2018 at 6:28 PM, Mr Matt Foley said:

This is a decent kit with plenty of potential but needs patience and perseverance.

VK7QbU.jpg

 

I chose the "Eggplant" scheme which offered plenty of options for weathering in the Syrian Civil War.

 

qTUF5Y.jpg

 

Markings for the aircraft are from the Two Bob's "Syrian Sukhois" which were much nicer to work with when compared to the kit decals. I hope to build another Su-34 and will do the 3 color camo with Begemont decals at that time. The decals that should be white colored (antenna etc.) are way off color. Kitty Hawk gives you decals that are properly sized, but light blue. I was very disappointed.

 

hVObGg.jpg

 

The resin nozzles are adequate from a kit maker, but I look forward to seeing something better from the aftermarket crowd. The ECM wing tip pods are not correct either. Fortunately, Zactomodels has been working on giving us a new accurate set.  I filled in the vent areas on the tail boom which were for early fullbacks. I used sheet styrene and 2 part putty leaving only the large one on the port side of the aircraft. Two Bobs gives you a couple of the "Exhaust Flaps" in the form of decals for the aft part of the tail boom.

 

ifDzf0.jpg

 

For ordinance, I hung a pair of KAB 500 -GPS 500 kg bombs on each intake and a single KAB 1500 Kg TV guided bomb on the center line.  The kit comes with a "cornucopia"  of ordinance and tanks to hang on your Fullback. I have a ton left over. The ordinance is of mixed quality. Some are very good for injection molding, others (like the the ordinance on my jet) could use better details or replacement with resin. That also applies to the pylons...very simple.

 

nM4QAe.jpg

 

I modified the refueling probe...and forgot to paint it! Back to the basement with it! The landing gear is very complex on this build. Take your time with them and assemble like separate kits. I tried to order up a set of G-Factor to have for my next build of this kit, but have not been able to find them. Do yourself a favor and get some. The main struts are very complex as is the front. When I was assembling the kit and mating the top and bot fuselage, I did NOT do enough dry fitting and working to mate them up properly. I used clamps to get it done but this caused a single piece canopy to fit pootly. As a result I had to put extra work into the join and ended up cracking it. It is small but noticeable enough to declare  this build as a "stay home" kit.

 

37hEWV.jpg

 

Just a quick shot of the underside.  The engraving on the Kitty Hawk Su-34 is very nice. I washed the entire plane with Flory' models Dark Grime and it really shows itself here. My apologizes for the photos. I received a light booth yesterday and assembled it this morning. I got a BIG one but it should be a mainstay for the future. I don't have a Macro lens for my DSLR so this is the best I could manage at home by myself.

 

Overall the Kitty Hawk Su-34 is winner. No problems with the shape of the radome, but it could use some fixes of the instructions which are misleading and in some cases inaccurate. The instructions are basically incomplete as far as the correct pylon(s) to use for much of the ordinance.

 

Like I said earlier, I will build another, but I'm going to wait and hope for more aftermarket items first. The Su-34 is an impressive aircraft, much larger than an F-15.

 

Word 

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6 hours ago, LyIgor said:

Great result Matt! Well done!:thumbsup:

It was necessary to still highlight the barbell for refueling in the air

 

-34-1_zpsj587mvlh.jpg

 

Yes! I mentioned that earlier. I modified the probe and door but completely forgot to touch it up after I applied my last bit of flat clear. I will take care of that. I hope some of your fellow modellers and manufacturers are working on improvements for the Kitty Hawk Su-34 like some of the cockpit details I see in this photo and some better pylons.

 

 

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