Dmitry Udalov's Su-27SKM in 1:72

[kwc]

Quite a few years ago, I decided I wanted to build a Flanker (and asked around for some recommendations, as you can probably find in my posting history). I started working on the Su-27 from P.Model but became dissatisfied with it because it lacked detail and didn't seem that accurate.

So then I convinced myself that I could build one of Dmitry Udalov's Flankers (designed in 1:33) reduced to my preferred scale of 1:72. The one I chose was the Su-27SKM, and I bought it from Ecardmodels. It isn't available there anymore but I think it can be found at бумажные модели.

I made some decent progress on the model, but at some point I got a pretty bad water or glue stain on it and then couldn't get my printer to print a replacement part with matching colors (the ink cartridges had probably been changed). So I scrapped what I had and started over with a new printout, but because of the impact on morale as well as other things I had going on, I didn't make it very far into the second attempt before shelving it for a long while.

I finally started working on it again earlier this year, and I think I've made enough progress (significantly more than in my first attempt) that I can show what I have.

This model seems well-engineered; a lot of the interior structure is very elaborately designed. I'm sure this is much appreciated at the intended 1:33, but at 1:72 (less than half of the original), it sometimes feels like overkill, although it is still satisfying to make everything come together.



As it takes shape, you start getting an idea of how big the Su-27 is...



I'm trying to avoid a repeat of the earlier disaster by keeping my hands dry and clean and being careful where I set things down. Some minor damage has already occurred, but so far I've been able to hide it adequately with some manual coloring.

I'm not the most talented builder and the reduced scale is only making it harder, so there are a lot of imperfections in my build in general. (For one thing, I think the entire fuselage is a little crooked, but I'm hoping that won't really be noticeable when the whole thing is done.) I found another build of this Su-27SKM by na120372 (in 1:33) that is probably a much better demonstration of how well it can be built.

Kevin

[MacSongLi]

Kevin,

I'd say that you're off to a great start. I purchased a copy of this kit, but haven't built it yet. I thought that it would be a lot more sturdy if the formers were made 1mm thick (assuming the build at 1/33 scale). Your 1/72 build looks great.

Keep up the great work.

Gary

[kwc]

Some work inside the cockpit:



I thought there were some slight issues with the geometry as designed after comparing it with some photos, so I made some parts to raise the control stick up a bit. Seeing na120372's build also made me want to try adding some seat belt detail, which I think turned out pretty decent.

I still have to do something for the HUD, and then I want to try vacuum-molding a canopy (which is something I've never done before, other than some recent quick experiments), so I'm hoping I can pull that off well.

Kevin

[YOAVHOZMI]

nice job

YOAV

[MacSongLi]

Great looking pilot's office. The seat belt detailing adds very nicely to the project.

Gary

[kwc]

I didn't do much with this for a while, but I started working on it again a few months ago. As I wrote before, I wanted to try vacuum forming the canopy to avoid having visible seams in the middle of the transparent parts. Here's how that went:

I started by using the template to build the canopy out of card stock inside-out. Then I used some polymer clay (Kato Polyclay) to fill the canopy shell and form a plug, baked it, and sanded it smooth. Ultimately I had to reshape the plug a few times (both sanding it down more in some spots and adding more clay in others) to get it to be a good match for the canopy frame parts.



I built a small vacuum former, which is simply a 6"x4" box made of MDF with lots of small holes drilled in the top and a large hole in the side to attach the hose from a shop vac. I also made a two-part frame out of aluminum angle and used binder clips to clamp it around the plastic sheet. The plastic material is 0.020" PETG, which came in 12"x12" sheets that I cut into four smaller 7"x5" sheets. I used a toaster oven to heat the framed plastic before putting it over the vacuum box (and the canopy plug and other things I was using as molds) and turning on the shop vac.

This picture shows one of my earlier attempts that looked okay from a distance, but up close the canopy was kind of textured and not clear enough (the plug needed finer sanding).



When I finally got one that seemed good, I attached the canopy frames using spray adhesive and glued the canopy into place on the fuselage. Then I realized I had forgotten the HUD...(argh!) So the easiest way to fix that was to slice the canopy along the windscreen frame to open it back up.



This is the final result. Not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with how it looks.

[kwc]

I think I'm getting close to the finish now; recently I've been working the landing gear, which took a little re-engineering to make it buildable at this scale, and all the major pieces are about done and ready to put in place. I'm expecting the landing gear doors to be kind of tricky.

[MacSongLi]

Nice work on the canopy and landing gear. Are you going to add external stores and armament?

Gary

[georgerutherford1861]

That canopy turned out very nice, good work.

Doug

[kwc]

Originally Posted by MacSongLi

Are you going to add external stores and armament?

I think I'm going to keep it pretty minimal and just have a pair of missiles on the wingtip rails.


(source)

From what I've been able to find, this particular plane was mainly (or only) used as a demonstrator, and I think the black stripes mean that they're inert/training missiles.

Kevin