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The latest from A&A Models growing range of obscure Soviet aircraft - the 1949 Sukhoi Su-17 Type 'R' :- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-17_(1949)

 

Box art....

 

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Fuselage and port fin insert.....

 

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Wings, tailplanes and upper wing fences....

 

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Engine, wheels, cockpit etc...

 

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Two decal sheets, open or closed canopy and etched fret. Not shown are the self-adhesive masks for the wheels and canopy.

 

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Painting guide - keyed to Humbrol enamels.....

 

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The plastic parts are well moulded in light grey plastic with fine engraved panel detail.

 

This is a very comprehensive package which includes self-adhesive masks for the canopy and wheels plus etched-brass parts for the ejection seat belts and undercarriage struts.

 

I already have a Type R in my collection - from Legato...

 

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But this new kit from A&A is in a totally different league..... and I can't wait to get it started...

 

Ken

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've started....

 

Being a typical short-run kit, all the components have large sprue gates and all parts have to be 'cleaned up' and 'fettled' before assembly...

 

The nosewheel bay is made up from four parts, the mainwheel bay from five.......

 

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The cockpit (which doubles as the intake trunk) has eight parts (not including the etched seatbelts)....

 

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The jetpipe is in two halves - with a turbine face and two-part central cone.....

 

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All the sub-assemblies (minus the ejection seat) ready to fit(?) inside the fuselage...

 

Note that the nosewheel bay is attached to the cockpit rear bulkhead).

 

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Ken

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  • 4 weeks later...

Meanwhile......

 

The intake/cockpit, main wheel bays and jetpipe are installed into the starboard fuselage half...

 

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The port fuselage half was (with difficulty and lots of clamping) cemented in place ......... it was only when the cement had set and the clamps were removed

that I discovered that the intake splitter was not aligned vertically and the nosewheel bay was offset....... :wall:

 

So I took the drastic action of splitting the fuselage halves apart - and 3 rounds and lots of fettling later, I finally beat it into submission......

 

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There were still visible joint lines along the spine - and bottom of the fuselage... requiring filler.....

 

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But, once sanded down, the joints look OK-ish....

 

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Onto the wings - they are moulded in upper and lower halves - with the lower as an insert to give a sharp trailing edge....

 

Guess what? - the lower insert needes thinning down to eliminate the inevitable 'step' ...... :deadhorse:

 

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They say it's character building......... :whistle:

 

Stay Safe...

 

Ken

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23 hours ago, Tomcat Trebor said:

the nose was the worst part

 

I do wish that these limited-run companies (Modelsvit, Amodel, A&A etc) would provide a separate nose ring......

 

Trying to get a smooth intake without any slight gaps at the extreme tip is almost impossible when you only have the two fuselage halves forming the lip....

 

Stay Safe

 

Ken

 

PS - Re the Fowler actuators - just checked mine and they look OK - the wings are attached to the fuselage - and guess what ? - they need filler at the root.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Flankerman said:

 

I do wish that these limited-run companies (Modelsvit, Amodel, A&A etc) would provide a separate nose ring...…

 

 

What I usually do in those circumstances is to separate the nose ring from both fuselage halves, using a fine razor saw, and glue these together to form the intake ring. It's then much easier to putty/sand/improve the nose ring.

When the rest of fuselage is assembled, I then glue the nose ring as if it was a separate part, transferring the possible joints to the fuselage sides where these are much more easier to attend.

 

MB

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Edited by MarcB
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Great solution to the nose ring issue MB   :thumbsup:

 

A little progress.......

 

Wings and tailplanes attached.....

 

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Type R was actually built - but never flown due to political interference - which eventually led to Sukhoi OKB being deactivated.

 

Ken

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The Type R has three chordwise fences on each upper wing - and A&A provide them in plastic.

 

They are very thin (almost scale thickness) and very delicate - but have large flow gates that must be carefully removed and cleaned up.

 

There are engraved lines on the wing surface showing where they go - but they are just butt-joined - although, mercifully, they went on OK...

 

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What you might call 'Wing Fenced'....... :whistle:

 

Ken

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Gabor.....

 

Following a final rub-down of the grey primer, I sprayed the whole model using a rattle can of Halfords 'Aluminium'.

 

The front end was polished to highlight the detachable nose section and the decals (six red stars) applied.......

 

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The whole lot weas sealed in using a rattle can of Games Workshop 'Purity Seal' - a great satin acrylic varnish.....

 

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All it needs now is the addition of the wingtip navigation lights and the undercarriage........

 

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.... which I am dreading..........

 

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The whole levered-suspension maingear is very weak - there is a very poor location at the top of the leg inside the wheel well (almost non-existant)

- and there are no locating tabs for the front fork, nor the trailing links - they are just supposed to butt-join to the legs... :analintruder:  :deadhorse:

 

Just look at the raised 'dimple' at middle top - that's supposed the be the mainwheel axle !!!

 

If the wheels were at right-angles to the leg - and the axles were longer - it would be slightly stronger - but the strain on those trailing joints is going to be problematic.

 

I'm beginning to lose the will to finish it....... :wall:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Almost there my friend....gotta see it through!

I remember seeing blurred pics of this aircraft passing in articles of Aviation Leak back in the 50's (my university had the old volumes which I spent hours poring through in the 90's).  Of course they didn't have a name for it, weren't even sure who made it...I think one caption suggested it might be a Farmer subtype.

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