Hasegawa Su-33 Flanker D

[JamesPerrin]

Oooh now I might actually want to build an F-18 dam you!

[novokits]

I'll wait

[jssel]

Great work Bruce. A real Blue Meanie.

[shangos70]

Cracking job Bruce , well done .

Shane

[Pugz636]

i have always wanted to build a Flanker.....never got round to it of course but yours has turned out beautifully
Great job

Pugz

[MerlinJones]

The Words...

When The Word reached the modellers that there was to be a new tool from Hasegawa and that the Word was “Sukhoi”, apparently, there was much rejoicing.
For it is generally accepted that the Hasegawa make a goodly kit and much promise there was, for ‘twas said that the 21st century is good for the modeller and that Hasegawa would not disappoint…

And so it came to pass, etc., etc..

My last Big Russian was the Airfix Su-27, from when it was all fields around here and we had to boil our own glue. Whilst some manufacturers have steadfastly returned to those halcyon days of hallowed and hollowed panel lines, it is fortunate that Hasegawa have chosen to produce a kit that reflects modern technique and taste.
You get a Big Box, containing bags of plastic and the detail and engraving is very, very nice indeed. The transparencies are beautifully clear and the main bubble canopy is flawless, with the structure of the sprue cleverly designed to protect the pieces attached.
The decal sheet is a work of art in itself and I enjoyed reading the instruction sheet, long before I actually started to build. Colour call-outs are in Gunze-speak and more hours were spent with modelling buddies, trying to ascertain the best Humbrol equivalents for the Russian blues required.

Once I started to build it, I very quickly finished it and it could be a very brief Review indeed. There's no such thing as a "Shake and Make", or a "Shake and Bake" kit. The former will give you broken plastic, the latter a sticky puddle.
That said, provided you use your basic modelling skills, there's not a lot for the modeller to do during the construction phase. As this is a Review kit, I felt compelled to model the beastie with the gear down and, as you’d expect, the detail here is spot on. If, however, you chose to build it gear up, the gear doors are an excellent fit.

Any how, before I rush away with myself and for the benefit of traditionalists, I’ll start with the cockpit. Again, this has nice detail, to be enhanced with decal instruments. The Russian Interior blue was produced by applying Humbrol 1325 Clear Green over Humbrol H65 Aircraft Blue.



Unfortunately, I cannot show you the lovely decals, because I just had to stick a PJ Productions Modern Soviet Pilot into the ‘pit and he effectively filled it. Compared to modern US jets, it’s a tight squeeze in there.
(I can also confirm that the decals are very sensitive to Microsol and that it is inadvisable to mistake this product for Microset).

[MerlinJones]

This was rotated several times, just to ensure that I hadn’t boobed and the picture shows the best fit I achieved. Perhaps the Hasegawa Team have inserted this to give us modellers some modelling to do! If this was the case, it only took a few strokes with fine sandpaper to blend the piece in and I very soon had a big bird on my table, awaiting the Hairy Stick;



Searching the modelling ‘Net, there are paint companies out there who do exactly the right shades of blue for the modern Soviet aircraft. To assist, some of these blues are even called Flanker Blue.
However, just as I insist on my Hairy Stick, I also lean towards Humbrol as this is the paint locally available. These are the colours I used;

Gunze 115/H67 = RLM65 Light Blue = Humbrol H65 Aircraft Blue
Gunze 74 = Air Superiority Blue = Humbrol H47 Sea Blue
Gunze 72/H56 = Medium Blue = Humbrol H89 Mid Blue

Now that was out of the way, I studied the complex camouflage pattern and was able to apply the blues, from lightest to darkest. Not the easiest paint job I’ve done, but I got there in the end.

The decals were faultless, although the placement diagram is a very busy affair and I was careful to tick off decals used. Options for 4 aircraft are supplied, two bearing the tigers head on the fins, two bearing an eagle. All 4 are from the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetov.

Atypically for Hasegawa, there is a huge amount of ordnance supplied and it was a task in itself to assemble the assorted missiles. The instruction sheet has these painted either white or pale gull grey and, unlike American ordnance, there was very little by way of stencils or coloured bands. Checking on the ‘Net, I did discover that it would be okay to add a little more colour, but not much. Regardless, it’s still an impressive warload.

To conclude, this is an impressive kit of an impressive aircraft and ably demonstrates just what a modern kit should look like. You’d still need your basic modelling skills to build it, but little else. The painting may be a challenge, but again, a little effort goes a long way and the finished result easily makes that Tomcat on your shelf look positively dated.

Regards,
Bruce

[Softscience]

Awesome Flanker Bruce. There is little else to say; its just a damn good looking model

[Viking]

looks pretty good Bruce; the weapon load is awsome.

[Molly-new]

Lovely job Bruce, as always. I do like a fully loaded bird.