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Minibase SU-33 Madness


Uncarina

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In between painting sessions for my Lancaster build "Sugar's Blues" I've been dabbling with the new Minibase 1/48 SU-33 Sea Flanker kit. Either I'm a sucker for punishment or I like a challenge, I dived right in with assembling the K-36DM Ejection Seat. This is what I was up against:

 

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And this is what I managed to come up with:

 

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I certainly hope that's the hardest part of the build!

 

Cheers,  Tom

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Neat!  That's quite some detail for 1:48.  I've read somewhere about Minibase doing some nice kits, but have never seen one in person.  How is the quality on the rest of it?

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Thanks Alex. It's one of the most detailed 1/48 aircraft kits I've ever seen, and at least as far as the seat is concerned it is more detailed than any other I've seen in the scale. The fit so far is OK to good, so we'll see how the rest of it comes together. In terms of buildability, there are definitely easier kits!

 

Cheers,  Tom

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The more I work on it the more I like it. I think the right approach is to think of it as a ship model: lots of tiny parts, sub-assemblies, mini-builds that eventually become something very impressive.

 

Cheers,  Tom

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Hey Tom!  We were just talking about the Minibase kit weren't we?  And now you've gone off and bought it!  Very jealous... I may just have to buy it just to marvel at the molding quality.  It DOES look a bit intimidating but you are off to a great start.  Never seen a more complete and intricate seat right out of the box.

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Wow.  I just read the in-box review of this kit on Britmodeler.  Wow.  I’m not really even a jet guy, or a modern military subjects guy, and still I want this kit.  Just the challenge of assembling it to the standard it appears to demand seems like a worthwhile thing to devote half a year to...

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4 hours ago, Thunnus said:

Hey Tom!  We were just talking about the Minibase kit weren't we?  And now you've gone off and bought it!  Very jealous... I may just have to buy it just to marvel at the molding quality.  It DOES look a bit intimidating but you are off to a great start.  Never seen a more complete and intricate seat right out of the box.

Thanks John! In fact it was our conversation that piqued my interest. I have the Kinetic kit partially built, and while it’s perfectly good in its own right I was intrigued by what I had read and saw about the Minibase release. There is a lot in the kit, and the detail is indeed just that much greater. As far as the seat, it’s even more impressive than the GWH equivalents. I appreciate your stopping by!

 

Cheers,  Tom

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2 hours ago, Alex said:

Wow.  I just read the in-box review of this kit on Britmodeler.  Wow.  I’m not really even a jet guy, or a modern military subjects guy, and still I want this kit.  Just the challenge of assembling it to the standard it appears to demand seems like a worthwhile thing to devote half a year to...

Yep, pretty ambitious. On the one hand, most kits in this scale have the control stick in one piece; this kit has four. According to one build video I saw the nose landing gear has 62 parts! You don’t even see that in 1/32 scale. To be honest, I’m not sure if the over engineering is necessary, but each finished component is certainly impressive. I’m just enjoying it bit by bit.

 

Cheers,  Tom

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13 hours ago, The Madhatter said:

Yay! A kit you finally don't have to but AM parts for. I looked at that instruction sheet and inwardly cringed. And people call me mad...

Will be watching this one for sure

Thanks, it’ll be great having you along! I agree about the aftermarket, but I do happen to have camo masks from DN Models and a canopy mask on the way. Still, the kit doesn’t need any corrections or detail enhancements that I can see. You would knock this one out of the park.

 

Cheers,  Tom

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Camo masks are not what I would consider AM parts but more an essential item if you want the right pattern the first time round :D

TBH, I suck at building real life subjects. Me and PE never really got along and still don't.  Unless something is horridly wrong, I'm not a big enough perfectionist to spend time and money on a replacement part. Im also too cheap ;) I just wouldn't notice the difference! I prefer a good paint job to worrying about a missile pylon that is said to be wrong 'cos it had a bolt or panel line in the wrong place. 

All that aside, I love the SU-33. Its so agressive looking! Are you going to go for the sea camo or a splinter scheme? Just don't do folded wings otherwise it ruins those beautiful lines :rolleyes: what's shelf space for if not  to fill with glorious aircraft :D

Edited by The Madhatter
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