ya-gabor Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 Here is a bit of excellent news for anyone interested in 72nd scale. Modelsvit already had a long line of excellent kits of the swing wing Su-17 family. They are real gems! Modelsvit did promise few years ago to go all the way to the last operational version, the Su-17/22 M4. At last here it is. Just look at the amount of detail in that cockpit! Remember this is "just" 72nd scale!!! Dear friends and business partners, Many of you have been waiting for a decent, 3D designed, highly detailed 1/72 kit of Su-17/22M4 (S-54/ S-54K, "Fitter-K"). Well, finally we made it! So excited to share Test-shots of forthcoming: -Su-17M4 (art.No: 72058), expected in 2 liveries of Ukrainian A.F.; -Su-22M4 (art.No: 72059) in 3 liveries : Syrian, German and Czech Air Forces; Stay tuned for further product information! Just hope that they will eventualy do the Su-22M3 with Tumansky engine also which was promissed many years ago! But for the moment I will be happy with the M4! Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Murph Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Good to see they finally released it. Regards, Murph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Gabor, thanks for the news! I've been waiting for years for the M-4. I thought it would be a simple modification of the M-3, but this looks like something else! I still remember 5 April 1994, when the 20th Regiment pulled back to Russia from the former GDR. What a day that was.. An huge airbase, lots of shelters, 35 to 40 Su 17M-4 with four fuel tanks on the flightline, starting up, racing over the taxiways (way faster than I was used to with NATO a/c), leaving in pairs or fours, with the afterburners kicking in with a huge bang. I was wearing earplugs and ear defenders, combined 🙂 Here's one photo, by Stefan Goossens Against a threatening sky, Su 17M-4 coded 41 waiting on the Templin flight line for its last flight over German soil. The unit relocated to Taganrog that day. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 12 hours ago, Rob de Bie said: Gabor, thanks for the news! I've been waiting for years for the M-4. I thought it would be a simple modification of the M-3, but this looks like something else! I still remember 5 April 1994, when the 20th Regiment pulled back to Russia from the former GDR. What a day that was.. An huge airbase, lots of shelters, 35 to 40 Su 17M-4 with four fuel tanks on the flightline, starting up, racing over the taxiways (way faster than I was used to with NATO a/c), leaving in pairs or fours, with the afterburners kicking in with a huge bang. I was wearing earplugs and ear defenders, combined 🙂 Here's one photo, by Stefan Goossens Against a threatening sky, Su 17M-4 coded 41 waiting on the Templin flight line for its last flight over German soil. The unit relocated to Taganrog that day. Rob Hi Rob, It was the same here. The first and the very last opportunity to get on a Soviet base with a camera (officially) in Hungary was when they left the country, very last flight out. Long line of MiG-29 9-13's, Su-24's, Su-17's, MiG-27's . . . at different bases. Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Illu Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 That’s great news for the 1/72 fans out there. I pray that they scale them all up to 1/48 for the rest of us. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 On 4/7/2024 at 12:46 PM, ya-gabor said: It was the same here. The first and the very last opportunity to get on a Soviet base with a camera (officially) in Hungary was when they left the country, very last flight out. Long line of MiG-29 9-13's, Su-24's, Su-17's, MiG-27's . . . at different bases. Ah yes, of course! That made me remember I corresponded quite a bit with Karoly Vandor from Hungary, who lived near Kunmadaras air base, and maintained a small museum back then. I even made a web page about it on my long-abandoned 'The Russian Air Force in East Germany' website: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/vvs-ddr/kunmadar.htm The page's layout reflects what was fashionable those days. It hurts my eyes, but I can't delete it.. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 Hi Rob, The museum is still there and Karoly is doing a lot of work on it. They did have a completely renovated MiG-21bis but eventually the four owners (Karoly was not one of them) had some issues and it is now located next to the main international airport in Budapest. Well it is a "Park" for (mainly) Malev Hungarian Airlines aircraft but they found a little space for the MiG-21 bis there, so it is possible to visit. In the museum at Berekfürdő now they have a MiG-21 MF. Dont know how far the restoration went, but it also should look good eventually. With the Bis I gave them original photos, marking sizes and most important the very special "Teflon Grey" colour for the airframe. Karoly made reproduction of all the stencils, they are perfect!!! Back to the subject. It would have been nice to have there a Su-17M4 but since we did not have those. . . Just hope that for Moson show very shortly someone will bring one of the Modelsvit Su-17M4's. I know from speaking to the company that they will not be able to attend the show this year but still hope that somehow one kit will turn up! Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
janman Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Good to see it's finally here. And with what kind of details! Modelsvit just gets better and better with every release. I was already impressed with the Fishbed F-13 and in some respect with the Tu-22, but the surface details on this are just beautiful - not to mention the cockpit back wall. I really like how they've executed the wing fences. Never seen it done like that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mario krijan Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Great adition from Modelsvit! Hungary have M3 but with engine from M4? even in those days M4 was avaliable, but Hungary get M3? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 19 hours ago, janman said: Good to see it's finally here. And with what kind of details! Modelsvit just gets better and better with every release. I was already impressed with the Fishbed F-13 and in some respect with the Tu-22, but the surface details on this are just beautiful - not to mention the cockpit back wall. I really like how they've executed the wing fences. Never seen it done like that. they did that fence design on their earlier 17s and from my experience with the M3, it might not be the best solution. I remember I had quite some clean up to do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 23 hours ago, ya-gabor said: The museum is still there and Karoly is doing a lot of work on it. They did have a completely renovated MiG-21bis but eventually the four owners (Karoly was not one of them) had some issues and it is now located next to the main international airport in Budapest. Well it is a "Park" for (mainly) Malev Hungarian Airlines aircraft but they found a little space for the MiG-21 bis there, so it is possible to visit. In the museum at Berekfürdő now they have a MiG-21 MF. Dont know how far the restoration went, but it also should look good eventually. With the Bis I gave them original photos, marking sizes and most important the very special "Teflon Grey" colour for the airframe. Karoly made reproduction of all the stencils, they are perfect!!! That is so nice to hear! I think I found their website, but my internet security blocks it. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thadeus Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Oh this is great. Can't wait. Shame no Polish AF decals OOB, but there are a few sheets out there. We recently got a new paint scheme. https://www.super-hobby.com/products/Su-22-Boar-Mouth-And-Bonus-Shark-Mouth-Tanks-57469434.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
janman Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 On 4/9/2024 at 10:49 AM, Sebastijan said: they did that fence design on their earlier 17s and from my experience with the M3, it might not be the best solution. I remember I had quite some clean up to do. Yeah, of course there was a caveat here... 🙂 As a concept it looked promising but reality is another thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Laurent Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 On 4/9/2024 at 9:47 AM, mario krijan said: Great adition from Modelsvit! Hungary have M3 but with engine from M4? even in those days M4 was avaliable, but Hungary get M3? Just an educated guess. I think it was because of engine fleet maintenance rationalization. Hungary had MiG-23s that used the Klimov engine used in the Su-22M and Su-22M3. Using the M4 would have required maintaining also a Lyulka engine fleet. Gabor could probably confirm or infirm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 1 hour ago, Laurent said: Just an educated guess. I think it was because of engine fleet maintenance rationalization. Hungary had MiG-23s that used the Klimov engine used in the Su-22M and Su-22M3. Using the M4 would have required maintaining also a Lyulka engine fleet. Gabor could probably confirm or infirm. Hi Laurent, Yes, it is a rumour never officially confirmed. The problem really is that the Tumansky engine in the MiG-23MF and that in the Su-22M3 are not the same and not interchangeable!!!! They are a different sub version of it. It is still a mystery! But the fact is that we had the Su-22M3 (with Tumansky engine) which is a completely different aircraft from the Su-17/22 M3 with Ljulka engine. So one requires a brand new fuselage for the Tumansky engine version! Lets hope that eventually Modelsvit will make it as promised many years ago. I am amazed that in view of the bloody war going on both Modelsvit, ICM, Clear Props and many other Ukrainian manufacturers are still capable of high quality production!!! Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aircal62 Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 Love the Su-22's, but personally I have wondered for years why there are no new kits of the Su-7 in 1/48 scale. I have thought about cross kitting the Trumpeter Su-9 fuselage and stabs with the wings from the old Su-7 kit produced in the CZ republic, then ESCI. Kind of gives the look, but know there are a ton of detail differences. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted June 29 Author Share Posted June 29 Now how about this news? Modelsvit is doing / preparing four late Su-17/ Su-22 kits in 72 nd scale!!! The Reconnaissance Su-17M4R was already announced along with the export Su-22M4 versions. Bbut there are two more kits in the pipe line. The export Su-22M4 with Polish markings will be a special edition but there should be a brand new kit as well. This has been promised many years ago in a statement saying that the whole line of swing wing Su-17/Su-22’s will be made including the more versions. So here it is, kit under catalog number 72080 is the special Su-22M3. I know we already had the M3 version years ago, but this is different, very different. It is the Hungarian version of the fighter bomber with a completely different engine and back end to the aircraft! WOW! At last! Most welcome addition. It will be when released! Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Laurent Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 I'm very happy ! Question: are there visible differences between the Su-22M (Peru, etc) and Su-22M3 (Hungary) ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted June 30 Author Share Posted June 30 2 hours ago, Laurent said: I'm very happy ! Question: are there visible differences between the Su-22M (Peru, etc) and Su-22M3 (Hungary) ? Hi Laurent, Never studied the Peruvian AF Su-22M’s but as far as I know they also had the Tumanski R-29 engines, so it was a “short tail” in comparison with the Su-22M4 Ljulka engine version. I believe they (in Peru) had two versions of the export swing wing fighters and only the second batch corresponds with the “true” Su-22M3 version, the same as we had. The bottom strake is missing on some photos, but those photos could be of the earlier version. Never had a closer look. As far as I know also Vietnam had the Tumanski version and one or two other countries but have to admit that never was interested in them, more in the version we had!!! Unfortunately the Tumanski version of the M3 was never kitted before. There were many M3’s with the Ljulka engine but they are a very different aircraft! I know that a friend made a 48th scale conversion set a decade or so ago including a full fuselage from resin. But it is long gone. It was some 30 years ago that I prepared a conversion set for the Bilek (or Italeri) kit in 72nd and made an article about it. Lots of resin parts, a dedicated photoetch set, vac form parts and a decal. It was a long conversion with a lot of work, but now it will be so much easier with the new Modelsvit kit! Still have few of the photoetch sets made back in those days, so they could come in handy with the new kit. We will see! But, yes I am happy to see this release from Modelsvit!!! Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 So Modelsvit is doing an Su-17M4 / Su-22M4 version with the Ljulka engine as used by most Fitter equipped air forces around the world. The kit is of course in 72nd scale and the initial release is in two versions: under the original Soviet designation of Su-17M4 with paint schemes for the Ukrainian AF and also the “export” Su-22M4 with schemes for a Czech AF Yellow 4011 in 2002. There is a colourful Luftwaffe scheme for 98+14 from 1993 and a Syrian AF from 2012. Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 Here is the other Fitter version of this new release from ModelSvit in 72nd scale. This is the Su-17M4R with paint schemes of the Ukrainian Air Force from around 2003. Kit number 72058. Plastic is the same as in the export Su-22M4 kit. Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted August 6 Author Share Posted August 6 Here is a brand new box which just arrived this morning. It is from the Ukrainian based Modelsvit company, the 72 nd scale kit of the Su-22M4 fighter bomber. Actually the company has released in parallel two kits, there is the original Soviet designation Su-17M4 kit with three different Ukrainian AF markings. And the export Su-22M4 version with a colourful Luftwaffe scheme, a Syrian version and a Czech version. The kit has just been released and came directly from Modelsvit Balkans which has been the distributor for the Ukrainian company since 2015. While the kits are designed and produced in Ukraine, Modelsvit Balkans is responsible for professional distribution, for packing and lots of additional work. Here is a short video from this morning on opening the postal parcel with the kit Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diego Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 (edited) On 4/7/2024 at 12:09 AM, Rob de Bie said: Gabor, thanks for the news! I've been waiting for years for the M-4. I thought it would be a simple modification of the M-3, but this looks like something else! I still remember 5 April 1994, when the 20th Regiment pulled back to Russia from the former GDR. What a day that was.. An huge airbase, lots of shelters, 35 to 40 Su 17M-4 with four fuel tanks on the flightline, starting up, racing over the taxiways (way faster than I was used to with NATO a/c), leaving in pairs or fours, with the afterburners kicking in with a huge bang. I was wearing earplugs and ear defenders, combined 🙂 Here's one photo, by Stefan Goossens Against a threatening sky, Su 17M-4 coded 41 waiting on the Templin flight line for its last flight over German soil. The unit relocated to Taganrog that day. Rob It was indeed a very special day...there was the ( first and last ) occasion to see many great nose arts applied on the mighty Su-17M4s together... after the show, we made a whole decal sheet in 1/72 and 1/48 to commemorate this event: these can be found, among others, here: Hi Decal Aircraft decals - HD48011 | Hannants Hi Decal Aircraft decals - HD72031 | Hannants and could be useful for the beautiful Modelsvit kit, specially taking into considerations that a "Russian AF" boxing could take much time to be released, for some obvious reasons... Greetings Diego Edited August 7 by Diego Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mario krijan Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Better ever than never!! M4 is one of my favorite aircraft, partly because these photos of Russian leaving DDR, cannot imagine sounds and sight with so many aircraft!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ya-gabor Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 I am sure many modellers were waiting for the ultimate Fitter version, the Su-17/Su-22M4. Sad that in 48th scale the Chinese manufacturers failed to capture the lines of this brut fighter-bomber, but at least now we have a good 72nd kit. How long will it be around is a good question since earlier it was made clear that the Modelsvit technology is basically a short-run so the number of pressings is not endless. I believe the biggest production run was for around 2000 copies. The kit is not perfect, as no kit is perfect. How to correct them? Based on communications in the past years don’t expect any photoetch or other sets from a Czech aftermarket producer. The boss has stated many times that Modelsvit is a marginal producer in the eyes of Eduard, not worth investing in sets which will never make a return. But I am sure there are other producers who will make this or that including additional decal sheets like the ones shown above by Diego. I can already think of some Master pitot tubes as extras for this kit. : ) : ) Actually the departure in earyl 1990's was a unique chance to see Su-17, Su-24 and MiG-27 aircraft here also. Not so colourful as the ones in Germany but still there were some interesting schemes! Best regards Gabor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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