1/32 Trumpeter Sukhoi Su-27B  Part 1

Flanker 

by Guy Wilson

--------------------

 

In late 2004 the British government invited aircraft from the Russian airforce to take part in dissimilar air combat maneuvering exercises.  Pictured is Sukhoi Su-27B Flanker Bort No. Red 51 at RAF Waddington shortly after arrival in the U.K.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

I had seen Flankers at RAF Waddington airshows in the '90s so when Trumpeter launched their large scale Sukhoi I decided to build one.  I bought the model in November 2004 at the IPMS U.K. Nationals but didn't start work on it until February 2005.  The superb work of Massa Narita provided the inspiration once again.  He managed to build a marvellous model straight from the box but I decided to spend a little extra and buy some aftermarket accessory sets.

Trumpeter are to be commended for bringing this model to the market place and the kit provides a sound basis for a Flanker build but there are issues.

 

I opted to use resin parts for the canopy, nose cone, intakes, wheel wells and jet nozzles. Not entirely necessary for a nice model but if an accurate looking Su-27 is your aim, these parts are a must.

This is my second article submitted to ARC.  The build took very nearly two years to complete but I'm pleased with the end result.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.  In part two of this article I would like to go into a little more detail about what was involved.

Guy

Photos and text © by Guy (geedubelyer) Wilson