Trumpeter Su-27 Flanker B, Kazakh AF

[jgrease]

So after rebuilding the workshop, I was going to start on a new project (an A-4 that I swore to myself I would build now), but after spotting this in the holding area I had to get it back out. I'm going to spend the weekend cleaning up joints, rescribing lost panel lines and rivets, and then moving forward with this one. Seriously- I'm really going to bang on this build - I'm sooo close to priming. Update to come, with photos and everything!

[Out2gtcha]

Nice! looking forward to it. We can always use more cool Flankers..............

[Jarda_Hajecek]

Nice build so far, however a slight detail the K-36 seats are all black not the cockpit color. Also in my opinion the seat belts could use a bit more shaping they just look out of place to be honest detracting the rest of the cockpit which is very well done. If you have the chance still i would suggest to take the seat out and give it another go. Believe me it will look way cooler and you will feel million times better about the cockpit.

 

On the subject of the seatbelts, I personally hate the photoetch ones as they are just stiff and don't in my opinion realistically represent a fabric harness plus I just cant make them work for me, not enough skill or something. I prefer making new seatbelts from either masking tape or lead foil or epoxy putty as you can then really realistically shape them, however then you have to carefully pain them. I guess its just a matter of preference.

[jgrease]

Thanks for the kind comments, and thanks very much Jarda - I will take your advice and try to pull the seat and repaint it. As of this morning, I had attached the Zactomodels nose with a dose of 2-part epoxy - it seems to be firmly attached. I also dipped the canopies in Future (Kleer) without my usual good results. I think the problem was that I had to do a 2-part dip since the container I use for dips wasn't deep enough to do a single dip. But then again, the windscreen was small enough to dip once, but still doesn't seem right. After my morning errands I will post pics to show what I mean.

 

John

Edited February 1, 2015 by jgrease

[jgrease]

So now that the house is vacuumed and dusted, I have made assessment of where the Su-27 is. The first issue I discovered was that the two-part epoxy hadn't blended completely, so the nose wasn't fixed in place - it was simply surrounded by smelly goo.    So I cleaned out the goo and washed everything down with dish detergent and hot water. I then affixed the nose (again), but this time I just used a good ring of CA. Here's how that went:

 

 

While the nose fits into the forward fuselage well, the nose has apparently shrunk a little. Once everything is dry, I will get clear photos and seek advice from you folks here. The next thing I did today was re-dip the canopies in Future/Kleer, as they didn't seem to take to the first dip very well. Prior to the first dip, the canopies had been sanded and polished to remove the large seam on the top of the opening portion of the canopy. The forward windscreen was simply cleaned prior to dipping. I'm still not completely satisfied with the results (still drying):

 

 

The next thing I did was follow the advice of Jarda, and removed the seat from the cockpit, which I realized I hadn't glued in because it actually slid on the rails! Here's my disassembled seat:

 

 

And the empty cockpit:

 

 

A question here - what color is that cover on the canopy actuator supposed to be? I am having a bear of a time with sources, aside from what you kind folks have provided. Actually, I'd love a link to a detailed shot of that back area behind the cockpit...

 

And the last thing I did today was re-putty the joint between the wings and the fuselage - just look at this:

 

 

Ugh. What was I thinking? I am writing that off as shrinkage while the plane sat on the shelf of doom. So please feel free to offer opinions and observations - I need all the guidance and tips I can get!

 

John

Edited February 1, 2015 by jgrease

[geedubelyer]

A question here - what color is that cover on the canopy actuator supposed to be? I am having a bear of a time with sources, aside from what you kind folks have provided. Actually, I'd love a link to a detailed shot of that back area behind the cockpit...

 

 

John

Hi John, I think that actuator cover is a canvas boot.

I have n't got an actual reference photo of that area for you but when I built my Flanker a while ago I did extensive research. If you have a look here:http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=46334&st=391 you can see how mine turned out.

The Trumpeter Flanker is alot of work but the end result is a big, impressive lump.

You're doing great , keep it up.

[jgrease]

Thanks Geedubelyer! So the transparencies have dried, and I'm not thrilled. Here's the view from the canopy into the cockpit:

 

 

Not very impressive. It would seem I was better off with just the plastic. I don't know what it is about these pieces, but the Future just didn't do what it does for me on every other canopy I've dipped. The ripples and inconsistencies are just bothering me more than ever, considering that I really cleaned these parts up before dipping them. Here's the windscreen with my other issue of the day:

 

 

First, you can also see the distortion in the windscreen here  . And the other issue is the nosecone. I am guessing the resin has shrunk a bit - I remember it fitting quite well when I first got it and test-fit it. In any event, I've applied the ring of Squadron White Putty and I will do my best to blend everything together. Anyone have any ideas on the canopies? I really don't have the budget to start buying another set of canopies. If I soak them in Windex will the Future come off, or am I better off just working with what I have?

 

John

[Jarda_Hajecek]

Canopies: soak them in future again possibly overnight than take them out and wash with water till all future came off. and then re-dip again in fresh future. (seemed to work for me lat time this happened to me)

 

Seats: link to some photos: https://www.google.com/search?q=K-36DM&rlz=1C1EODB_en__545__545&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=681&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=VzjQVKWmBdbjoATbroGYCQ&ved=0CBwQsAQ 

 

hope this helps. 

[scvrobeson]

Nice work on the big Flanker. The Kazakh schemes are my personal favorite, they're beautifully done.

 

 

 

Matt 

[jgrease]

Thanks again for the comments and information. Jarda - when you look at the search results for the seat, you can see why I painted it the way I did. There just seem to be way too many colors in some of those photos. I am planning on painting the seat with Aircraft Interior Black, and then doing the cushion in Gunship Gray or another dark gray for contrast. I am currently soaking my transparencies in blue window cleaner, and I hope to have the Future dislodged by the evening. I am also planning on a good deal of sanding all of that applied white putty. Hopefully photos to follow tonight.

[Out2gtcha]

Great work so far!!! I relegated Future to dipping canopies I only a long while back, as IMHO its weak properties make it a very poor clear. However, like U as of late I to have had a lot of issues with it on canopies as well.

 

I'm going to move completely away from it for canopies.........I found a 3 step polishing system by Novus that is designed specifically for clear plastics.

 

They make a rough scratch remover, a fine scratch removed, and a clean and polisher that removes dirt and prevents static both before and after polishing.

You would likely only need the fine scratch remover and the cleaner/polisher.

My experiments with these products have yielded better results for me than dipping in Future by leaps and bounds. AND you can polish out any blemishes without worrying about destroying the transparency of the part.

 

WELL worth the money I spent on them. Now that I have found Novus's line of plastic polishes I will not be using the weak and temperamental Future for anything anymore.

[Out2gtcha]

As a follow up to that, you can also use the fine polish on top of COMPLETELY dry Future as well without issue I have found. I might suggest letting the canopy set in some glass cleaner WITH ammonia to get rid of the current Future layer, and polish it out from there.

[jgrease]

Brian- I have the Novus and have had great results with it in the past. I have removed the Future with said glass cleaner with ammonia (generic glass cleaner is great for hobby purposes!) and I'm going to stick with polishing the transparencies with the Novus so I can move on. I also sanded the new putty applications yesterday, and I am looking to prime what I've done to check my progress. Sorry for the lack of photos - I will catch everyone up in the next day or two, and thanks again for the comments and suggestions.

 

John

[Out2gtcha]

Cool. Cant wait to see this one with some paint on!!

Edited February 4, 2015 by Out2gtcha

[jgrease]

A short update because it's just too cold for me to paint in my workspace (unheated attic room) with a window open (it's like 18 degrees outside, and even with my electric heater running it will be awful to spray while venting the room). Nonetheless, some progress!

The other day I soaked the canopies in window cleaner with ammonia, and after that I polished them with Novus Polish for heavy scratches (to make sure there was no residue left), then I switched to Novus for fine scratches, and then I used some model auto wax called The Final Step. Here are the cleaned up canopies:

 

 

Much better than the distorted stuff from earlier. Also yesterday, I took the fuselage outside to spray Tamiya surface primer in white. Even outside, the fumes were toxic (I won't even spray that stuff outside without a mask again), and because of the cold, it wasn't going as planned, so I just did a light spray and came back to my senses. Here's a couple of shots of the nose:

 

 

 

In the second shot, look at the ridge between the fuselage and the top of the resin nosecone. As I mentioned previously, I'm sure with the insane temperature changes upstairs, the resin has shrunk. I don't think I'm going to go crazy trying to remove that ridge, but I'm open to opinions. My next step (when the temperature gets back over freezing) is another coat of primer, then I will fix the rivets and panel lines, and clean up any leftover unsanded putty spots, especially on the wings. Thanks for looking in!

 

John

Edited February 6, 2015 by jgrease