Su-33 Sea Flanker

[johncrow]

Though I don't have much to show for it, I've been working on the tail/stinger. I'm almost there; maybe some touching up and one more shot of primer before I work on scribing the stinger. I'm not too excited about how the panel lines and rivets I had put in previously ended up. It took an awful lot filling and sanding to get that pile of parts to look halfway decent. I'm going to live with halfway decent. I've spent way too much time working this, and I really want to move on.









And yes, these pics should be cropped differently. Blame that on Photobucket. Another waste of time.


As part of moving on...I've started work on the weapons loadout. I've found conflicting info on whether or not the Su-33 can carry the Kh-31...but since it looks cool, along with some Sorbtsiya pods and a few A2A missiles, that's what this thing will carry. I'm using the Kh-31s and pylons from one of the Trumpeter MiG-29 kits. The pylons don't exactly match those found on the Flankers, so I made a few changes. It is not perfect, but closer to reality. The stock pylon is on the top, my version is on the bottom.






Thanks for stopping by,

jp

Edited May 14, 2016 by johncrow

[Ilya]

Very interesting build, John! 

 

On the hook you have wrote: "after | place | screw"

But it should be : "danger below hook". In russian : "под | гаком | опаÑно". I hope it could help you!

[johncrow]

Thanks for the lesson in Russian, Ilya! 
 
I've seen the way the tailhook is stenciled in reference pictures, but I didn't have the appropriate decals on any of the sheets I had. I thought about printing off some copies of the correct stencils on clear decal paper, but I could not find the correct font. I just went with what I did as from a foot or two away it can't be read anyhow. But now, I can use this (под | гаком | опаÑно) and try printing up some stencils that will be accurate.

 

Thanks again, Ilya!

 

jp

[Ilya]

You're welcome! If you will have some problems with stencils - I will be glad to help!

Some photos of Su-33 (walkaround) you can find here

 

P.S.

Begemot produces full stencil data for sukhoi Su-27 Flanker family. I think it can be used for Su-33 (formerly known as Su-27K)

Edited February 18, 2016 by Ilya

[johncrow]

Thanks again Ilya,  I've been referencing that site for a while now, and it is my primary source of info. I also have the Begemot sheet, as well as the MiG-21 and MiG-29 sheet. Maybe I missed them, but I didn't seem to find the exact stencils I needed for that tailhook. But no matter now, I can use what you posted and it'll look great.

 

jp

[johncrow]

My latest round of jumping around on this build has been productive. I've a very tiny milestone to report. I had been wondering how I was going to make this:


 
 
It's the small vent near the gun. It is differently shaped than that in the Su-27 kit. The place on the kit where this vent was to be placed was faired over in making the mod for the canards. My plan was to carve out the appropriate hole and install the kit's vent, thinking it would be close enough. Well  no....I've been slowly working on scribing the forward fuselage, and it turns out I should've taken more time in planning it all out. I've not left enough room for the stock vent. So I took this:




 
 
And ended up with this:

 

 

It seems I've somehow acquired an extra gun cover...either that or one of my other kits is now missing one...either way, I hacked it up, glued on a small piece of card, and came up with something that is closer to the real deal, even if it is not completely accurate. And just as important, it fits in the space I've left for it on the model. Now I have to figure out the best way to carve out the right shaped space for the new vent. I'm open to suggestions on that...I'm thinking maybe outlining the vent on the fuselage, then drilling small holes around the edge, and basically carve out the correct shape. I'm not convinced that is the way to go, so if there are any other ideas out there, I'd love to hear them.

 

See you next time,

 

jp

[LSP_Kevin]

Excellent work, John!

 

Kev

[johncrow]

Thanks Kev, much appreciated.

 

jp

[johncrow]

Thank you for the kind words. There are still a few things about this I haven't figured out a plan for yet, but I am making very slow progress.

I quit trying to edit pictures in Photobucket...doing it that way was nothing but a waste of time. Now I just make any changes in MS Paint or MS Word and then attach them to the thread. Much easier, and faster. I still have the same cell phone and shaky hands though....

jp

[misha71]

very nice. impressive work

[johncrow]

Thanks misha71, I appreciate your stopping by.

 

jp

[scvrobeson]

Great build!  The Su-33 has to be one of the best looking variants on the Flanker, and you're doing a great job with the changes 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt 

[johncrow]

Thanks, Matt. I agree with you regarding the Flanker variants. There's a few mods I have yet to totally figure out...but I'm pretty sure I'll come up with something that works.

 

jp

[johncrow]

I've managed to more or less carve out a spot for the gun vent...not perfect by any means, but in comparing it to the stock vents on my other built Flanker kits, it's not far off. Especially from a couple feet away!

 

 

The Milliput chipped a bit on the edges. I will see how it looks under primer and paint before I decide what, if anything, to do about it. And the left edge could use a bit of a shim, I think. We'll see. I don't like the way the scribed lines over Milliput look in general. Too much chipping. I'll see what I can do about that.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

jp

[johncrow]

The stinger area is just about done. A bit more sanding is needed, as I think the center strip is still a bit too proud, and there are a few blemishes yet here and there, but I'm essentially finished with it. I'm at the point now anyway where just prime, sand, and repeat just isn't making it look any better. The fuel cap is a bit of PE from an Eduard set. The panel lines and hinges on the stinger are not completely accurate, but close. The real-life hinges have a more complex shape to them that I was not about to try to scribe. I'm certain my simplified versions look much better than what would have resulted had I tried to replicate the real deal.
 

 
 

 
 
 
I also took the plunge and hacked up one of the wings in order to fashion the prominent hinge. I debated for months on the best way to do this, but never came up with what I thought was a good plan. So, I'm just going to go for it. I copied a Tamiya Phantom wingfold hinge in resin, and will use those to make what I need. Again, not completely accurate, but close. I plan to remove some plastic from each part of the wing, and stick the hinge in between. As a backup, the other wing has yet to be hacked, so if this doesn't work, I'll try something else on that side. You can only really see one side of a completed model in my display case anyhow....
 
 

 
 

 

 

I'm still intent on finishing this, even though it has been over a year so far.  Drudgery is beginning to set in...so I'm using some of my precious modeling time to build a tank. One color, no real clear parts, seams don't look like an issue....how tough can it be?  Besides, I picked one up for $10. I'm just going to throw it together, and get that feeling of accomplishing something, with even less regard to accuracy than I normally have. But I do not plan to give up on the Su-33. 

 

Thanks for coming by,

 

jp

Edited October 15, 2016 by johncrow