dutik

Howdy! To honour the vast number of Asian air forces I start another Asia build. This will become a Chinese AF D.510 of the Sino-Japanese war. This is not a beginnig from a sealed box. I've started this kit some time ago, then moved it to the shelf of ...waiting AF in beeing. But all the images got lost when my former image hoster went the way of the Dodo, so I will restart somehow. It is the Dora wings kit. Nice kit overall, sturene with PE, decals and masks. But it has some problems of its own, which we shall overcome one by another. Let's go! Simple task: Drilling out the exhaust pipes. The cockpit is lacking a lot of details. Some scratchbuilding with strip styrene, lead wire and other stuff required. Enjoy! - dutik

Gotcha! Got the kit back. was where expected, but hidden below a twin Do-335, aka Do-635. Very clever move to stay under the radar! Side-by-side comparision with the Trumpeter kit approved that the 27s fuselage is 4 mm too tall - or Trumpeters 23 is 4 mm to small Cutting down the fuselage a la Thierry Laurent is doable, but, BUT, then I have to cut down the nose section too (Thierry used a new nose section from a 23BN conversion set). And here we have a number of curvatures, round shapes, varying cross sections and a nice sculpted shark nose. Where to cut without turning this into a complete mess? Desaster waiting to happen. I think I'll let it be just as is. It looks like a Mig-27M in all respects, so it is fine with me. Regards - dutik

The 25-%-question: Would this Dewoitine-wannabee still qualify for the GB regarding the 25-%-rule? Regards - dutik

Hamburg, btw: Are you member of a modelling chapter from Hamburg or else? There is the PMC exhibition at Lübeck upcoming next April, so the question arises if I have the chance to see your blackbird with my own eyes? Regards - dutik Member of IP 1984

Was ist ein "double reef knot"? Der gute alte Doppelknoten? Nice job! Goes together well Also interesting to learn some rigging tricks Regards - dutik

More references: An extensive walkaroung of an airworthy Mig-27M at the MAKS 2015. A whole set of cockpit photos right into the deepest corners is included. This answers the question about the TV screen at the right upper corner of the dashboard: There is none. The K variant had a TV camera system with a camera opening below the nose and a nice TV screen in the cockpit. The M was a slightly downgraded version without the TV camera system, but a better laser system and enhanced navigation suite. But they were still able to use TV guided ammunition (if I understand the technical history right), using the TV camera of the missle. So the question was if there was the well visible TV screen or not. Question settled: No TV screen. Don't know how they transmitted the TV footage to the pilot, but definitly not from the richt upper dashboard corner. Interested in bit more Flogger gossip? Well, the K variant was the technological most advanced version of the 27 line. It was twice as combat effective as the 23BN (i. e. half the aircraft would do the same job) with only 2/3rd expected loss rate compared to the 23BN. But the sophisticated systems made it also very expensive, so the Soviets looked for mass production for a less expensive version with mostly comparable capabilities. The answer was the M variant, less TV system, but with much more capable laser target designator and a enhanced navigation suite. It met the task both capability- and costwise, but hat troubles of its own. The new equipment for the M was much heavier than the K stuff, so the aircraft became nose heavy. As a result the pilots demanded to fly without the cockpit armour to get a better balance of the aircraft. The cockpit armor - 9mm hardened steel on spacers - was able to withstand direct hits with 20mm ammunition, not to mention heavy machineguns and infantry weapons, a life preserver for a ground attack pilot. The removing of the armor illustrates, how much the equipment weight affected the aircraft. Later in production they introduced a lighter version of the laser system, which restored the handling capabilities to the level of the former versions, so the armor was bolted on again. And then there are the good news: The well visible rivetting The manufacturing quality of the M was low. The M was made at a factory that was building helicopters and had no knowledge of building jets... Add some shortages of parts, counterblanced by the use of non-specified materials and parts just at hand The results were interesting. So straight rivet lines were not a top concern. The Ms featured very individual rivet patterns from one aircraft to another, and also along one airframe. So if you see some crude rivet patterns at my model - this is not a bug, this is a feature! Odd rivet lines are a must have Regards - dutik

Also have a load of AM parts at hand: This is obviously a Mig-23 project, the Czech flogger-B with Red devil markings, but some of these parts are useful for the Mig-27 too. I think about the cockpit (except dashboard) and seat, the air scoops and the pitot. Have reordered them (hey, it's Black Week right now), but they are at hand in case I want to start building tomorrow. Not sure about the engine. I'd go for a Reskit engine, 3D printed, much chaeper and less fiddly than the Aires kit, but there are still issues with the not so detailed intakes. I tend at the moment to add some more splashs of colour to the aircraft by adding bright red FOD and exhaust covers. We shall see... BTW, there is a minor issue. A nitpick. Peanuts. Nothing to write home about... I am not able to locate the Mig-27 kit in my warehouse I know it is there, photographic evidence above, and I have touched it during this year, but I can't remember where it was... Regards - dutik

How about a quickie? Palmsize LSP aircraft. Nice kit, but it is renown for exposing lots of air bubbles when sanded. We shall see. Regards - dutik

Reference book: Regards - dutik

Who says that a K-4 is NOT of interest to them? Also Kiwis might have some interests beyond Hobbit stuff. There is even an I-16 replica flying in NZ... Who knows what aircrafts are Kotare staff members interested in beside just NZ-related aviation? Regards - dutik

Tempmodels PAG-14 airfield plates are the best in scale that money can buy. Superior in details, check the incredible diamond thread pattern and the recessed welding eyelets, but also expensive. IIRC we are talking 20x30cm for 100 bucks. BTW, there is a Mig-21 maintenance set by HAD. Most parts are geared towards the 21, but the oil catch pan and the fire extinguishers will fit any russisan aircraft. Regards - dutik

I've built the M-47M Patton, the KV-5, one of the CDLs ("Canal Defence Light"), the SA-N-7 and the St. Chamond. Every kit was pure joy; good fit, overall useful instructions, nice details, not to high parts count. Even the really complicated suspension of the St. Chamond (there is a jamboree of crossbars and supports below the bottom) went smooth together. Good engeneering solutions for the flimsy handrails of the SA-N-7 too, that enabled both solid joints and easy alignment of the bars. Only part I replaced was the main turret of the KV-5 - simply because I had one build from scratch before the announcement of Takoms kit, and my front plate was beefier and had nice torch cutting marks along the sides But the other stuff in the box was superb. Verdict: Buy one and have fun! Regards - dutik

3D Print Mayhem features some boarding ladders and tow bars for russian and other jets. Ebay-shop here. Also available from Hobby Market Greece. Regards - dutik

I skipped WNW Gotha G.IV due to the required multitudes of rigging. I had the kit in my own hands, offered for WNW official retail price, but I renounced because of my rigging skills (or not-skills). If Gothaforce comes up with an easy-to-build kit with the proposed Gothaforce-easy-rigging-solution I might fell inclined to buy one. Even for todays price. Regards - dutik

Looking for K-4 paint schemes in numbers and lots of photos? Here. Regards - dutik

The box: The content of the kit: Regards - dutik

Nice Regards - dutik

India with stripes? India with fin flashes and snakes? Vietnamese in 3 blues? Might be Zotz decals today. Very colorful, have both in the stash for another day. Regards - dutik

Teaser: Massimiliano Bianchis Mig-27M in Sri Lankanian markings here at Large Scale Planes. Looks buildable. Russian instructions are no problem for me. Vacu canopy is. Might be call for assistance by my wife, who owns a Cricut cutter. So this might qualify for a "group build" in a "group build" Decals are at hand. Photos of the real deal too - had my head inside the UC bays of a Mig-23 some years ago. And Thierry Laurents conversion of the Mig-27M into a Mig-27 using HPHs Mig-23BN nose (and tons of other stuff). Great job Regards - dutik

Howdy! I am in, as often The Asia GB was a proposal by me and a longstanding wish, so I try to contribute with something, well, asian : A Kazakh AF Mig-27 M by LEM kits. Do I need to introduce LEM kits? I think not, indeed. High grade resin kits of subjects neglected by other vendors. Mostly soviet, but also Luftwaffe and some japanese stuff. The Kazakh AF used to paint its 27s in bright colours. Love it! Decals provided by Linden Hill: Kazakhstan - Snow Leopards of the Seven Rivers This set provides beside a fistful of Flanker decals for 3 Mig-27s. Large Red Stars with crests and fancy coat of arms for the hull. Fancy, fancy Just expect nothing for a while, than a bit of progress, followed by more of nothing. I guess I will miss the deadline, as always, and have a lot of fun, as always too Regards - dutik

Finally! Yesss! - dutik

BTW, do you want to buy my late Halberstadt kit too? After your build I feel too intimidated to build it by myself. I am unworthy, indeed... Regards - dutik (Just kidding, but only a little bit. This IS high-end modelling here... )

Very impressive results Do the Aviattic decals react well to Solvaset/sol or other decaling stuff or do they even settle well without this? Regards - dutik

Wow! A Lancaster the size of a Zeppelin! Regards - dutik

Very interesting approach Watching with interest Regards - dutik