Sukhoi Su-34 'Fullback'

[Siwi]

So, my latest project - a departure from my usual WW2 stuff with a contemporary jet, the Sukhoi Su-34 which has the NATO reporting name of 'Fullback'.

I am aware that building a Russian military machine at the moment may be contentious, and I'm not doing this for political reasons, simply because I think it's an interesting and unique aircraft. The Su-34 is somewhat difficult to categorise but is usually described as a fighter-bomber or attack craft. It is derived from the Su-27 fighter, with the main differences being the vastly increased payload up to 10400kg and a much larger frontal area to seat two crew side-by-side and incorporate a powerful radar system. The cockpit is so large it has led to a myth that the Fullback has a toilet, bunk and a galley in the back, which is half-true: there is a small heating point for drinks and rations, and a 'sanichok' relief vessel provided. This is not much of an advance over a Lancaster or B-17...

The Fullback uses the same planform of twin tails and canard control surfaces that are quite common on modern jets. As it is so high the crew enter via a ladder in the front wheelwell and open a pressurised door to the cockpit. The canopy does not open other than in the event of emergency ejection. The very rear of the aircraft has a notable cylinder-shaped object which is not in fact a rearwards radar but the APU to run all the electronic systems.

The model is a Scissors and Planes 100, repainted by Brent into the blue and teal camoflage of 'red 24' of the VVS (Russian Air Force). He very kindly upscaled this model to 1:72 for me with the parts re-laid out to make it possible to print the sheets in that scale. It is a good repaint with the panel lines crisp and the camo accurate. The aircraft depicted was shot down over Ukraine earlier this year, allegedly by small arms.

[Siwi]

Starting construction. Several of the parts need rolling quite substantially to form the correct shapes. I cut the canards in order to have them in an angled position. Also cut off some tabs and made internal ones in order to get a flush join between parts. There is going to be a fair amount of colour matching and repairing required as despite pre-varnishing the toner shows creases from shaping. Cut the holes in the APU exhaust and the vents around the gun.

[CharlieC]

The Su-34 has similar performance characteristics as the F-111 strike versions.
The F-111 had a very uncertain start to its career but proved to be a useful strike aircraft. It was in service with the RAAF until 2010.

Regards,

Charlie

[Siwi]

A little more progress from the last two weeks...I was busy doing other things.


The Fullback's 'oviposter' is now in place, which I added some glue tabs underneath to. The upper fuselage piece needs to be bent subtly to meet the form of the underside, and this structure also needs to be persuaded to meet the back of the fuselage fairing, which annoyingly resulted in a crease. I hope to cover this up with a panel in future...
Also decided I was going to add detail to the engines, so cut into the fuselage pieces so that the rear of the turbines can be modelled. The upper engine covers need burnishing to get the compound curve at the front. Underneath, the engine intakes are made from three pieces. I found there were some vents on the real thing, possibly to increase the airflow on takeoff, so made some cuts to add these.


I also found a wooden box with minor water damage and painted it to use as a tool tidy. It is the perfect size for tweezers, knife, pencils etc.

[Siwi]

Originally Posted by CharlieC

The Su-34 has similar performance characteristics as the F-111 strike versions.
The F-111 had a very uncertain start to its career but proved to be a useful strike aircraft. It was in service with the RAAF until 2010.

Regards,

Charlie

Having now made the nose of the Su-34, the similarity in appearance is quite clear.
Here's where we are now:
The nose and cockpit section has been created from the supplied parts, plus the addition of the foremost part made from a sandwich of mount board carved into shape with the help of some blueprints and photos. It will need some further material adding either with paper or putty on the underside, as the side profile is a little thin.
The canopy frame was formed from four layers of paper and the glass was cut from a Coke bottle and superglued into place. The flush effect is pretty satisfying, but it proved unavoidable to get glue stains on the glass whilst getting these into place. Tweezers were almost useless for carrying or holding the parts in place since they wouldn't grip the smooth plastic. If anyone has any bright ideas for cleaning the glass without damaging the paper, please pipe up. On the other hand, the shape is perfect. The canopy won't be glued in place until the cockpit interior is ready.
The raised central rail (possibly an ordanance rack) on the underside was carved from a sandwich of 160gsm paper and added.
The flaps were cut and can be displayed in lowered position.
Canards were mounted using a wire held securely by carving a 'canal' into two pieces of mount board.
The electronic jamming pods on the wing tips were formed with an extra layer for firmness and superglued to the wingtips. I always add a carved mountboard former at wingtips to prevent warping and as a stable base for any wingtip mounted parts.
Tails and horizontal stabilisers are built but will be glued at a later stage so I can get the engine exhausts in first.