1/48 KP Models Su-17 Fitter 

by Scott Persons

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

 

Sukhoi SU-17M-4 Fitter K

20th Guards Fighter Bomber Regiment, 16th Air Army

Group Soviet Forces Germany, Gross-Dolln, East Germany

The Sukhoi SU-17M-4 Fitter K (Export designation SU-22M-4) is the final refinement of the Sukhoi Design Bureau’s long line of fighter-bombers that began with the SU-7 series. Optimized for the long range low level attack role, the Fitter K incorporated state of the art attack and navigation avionics, improved engine performance, and the ability to carry the latest Soviet air to ground weapons, to include the latest family of Soviet air to ground missiles. Although having been replaced for the most part in the long range strike role by the SU-24 Fencer, the SU-17/22 series continues to provide first line attack capability in numerous ex Soviet bloc air forces.

Using the KP 1/48th SU-17/22M-4 kit, I decided to build a Soviet Fitter K based in what was then East Germany. Although the KP kit is accurate in outline, the kit lacks a lot of the detail "Finesse" found in comparable 1/48th scale kits of the time. Starting with the fuselage, I completely gutted the kit cockpit and replaced it with a combination of the Cutting Edge, Eduard, and Part cockpit detail sets. Next I cut out the small auxiliary intake doors located in front of the cockpit, replaced them with new doors fashioned from sheet styrene and positioned all four doors in a slightly opened position. The detail in the rear speed brakes was rather crude and I elected to completely cut out and rebuilt the speed brake wells and replaced the speed brake doors with those provided in the Eduard set. I discarded the kit nose gear well and modified a Mongram F-105 nose gear well to fit. I used the F-105 gear well since it contains a fair amount of detail and plumbing and looks "Busy" like the real one. Lastly, I replaced the kit provided burner can with The Cutting Edge resin burner can.

Next came the really fun part,…. The wings. I decided that I wanted my Fitter to have a more candid appearance so I decided to drop the slats and flaps. Since the excellent Cutting Edge flap/slat set was not available at the time, I went to work on the kit wings with a Xacto Jeweler’s saw and a lot of patience (Not to mention some occasional cursing) All the slat/flap surfaces were cut from the wings and the appropriate areas were rebuilt. The the rebuilt flaps/slats were glued in position after all final painting and decaling was complete. Like my FB-111, the variable geometry portion of the wings were constructed to allow me to position them after all painting/decaling was finished. As with the nose gear, I completely gutted the main gear wells and scratch built news ones. All the gear struts were detailed and with brake lines, etc.

After mulling over several possible ordinance options I decided to configure my Fitter as it would have been for the defense suppression role, in short, a Soviet "Wild Weasel". The configuration consists of two external tanks, two R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) AAMs for defense, two Kh-58E (AS-11 Kilter) anti-radiation missiles, a Bh-58 Vjuga emission location pod on the centerline, and a full compliment of ASO/KDS chaff/flare dispensers. I used the kit supplied tanks, AA-8s from the Academy Mig-29, The Cutting Edge AS-11s, the Bh-58 pod was scratch built, as were the pylons/launchers for the AS-11s. A word of caution concerning the kit supplied pylons, they are not keyed for left and right. In order to get the pylons to fit, you must shape the corresponding side of each pylon in order for them to fit correctly to each side of the wing (Left/Right).

My Fitter represents a late model K assigned to the 20th Guards Fighter Bomber Regiment, 16th Air Army, Group Soviet Forces Germany in the late 1980’s time frame. I finished my Fitter using Model Master II paint matched as closely to the FS standards listed on the Cutting Edge Fitter decal sheet. Decals are from Cutting Edge and the spares box and a very thin Burnt Umber wash was applied to all the panel lines. Although not up to the detail standards as most other comparable 1/48th scale kits, with some patience and ingenuity, KP’s kit can be built into an excellent representation of Sukhoi’s massive attacker.

Scott

Photos and text © by Scott Persons