The source kit is
the Italeri Su-27B (aka Su-27K) that is mostly different with Su-33. While
doing this kit, I used as a reference Ken
Duffey's Flanker Page and his recommendations. Ken used an Airfix
kit, but I couldn't find it and bought an Italeri one. It is further from the
real Su-33 than Airfix, but there was no alternate for me:)
First thing I found
- was drawings (blue prints). I used Aviation and Time Ukrainian Magazine
with very good drawings of Su-33 and Su-33KUB inside. After comparison
with the drawings I have found a lot of mistakes. I divided my future work
into some main groups:
-
wings (on the
real plane wings are wider and longer than in the kit and also have a large
flaps):
-
vertical fins
(on a real plane it is shorter and a slightly different shape);
-
tail fin (Su-33
has ultimately different tail fin - is is shorter a quarter, wider and
positioned above the underside of the center-section);
-
front wings
sections - kit parts also are far from original and places for them to clue
on are wrong too;
-
jet intakes -
they are smaller than required;
-
and of course -
the main problem of the Italeri kit - is the nose. It is more bulbous
than original one.
Other mistakes are
not so obvious or and can be repaired without a lot of work.
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First of all I
corrected vertical fins - corrected shape and cut off part to make them looking
like on my drawings. Then I did some scribing according to the photos and
drawings. Wings were transformed a lot - I cut off the small flaps,
cut the wings onto 2 pieces, made folding units. The large flaps were
built from old Nakotne Su-27 wings and were glued to a new wing in the parking
position. Also I made a large slats on the leading edge of the wings.
On the wings fins I
glued two "Sorbtsiya" ("Sorbtion") ECM pods that are installed
on some Su-27/Su-33 fighters.
Tail fin was built
from a plastic rod and epoxy putty, placed between the engine nacelles was
cut and made from the beginning, after that I used a lot of sandpaper a
patience:)
To make the correct shape for the
jet intakes more closer to original, I used plastic too inserting some
triangle pieces between intakes and center section. A lot of time was
spent on this stage to smooth the lower surface and the whole shape between the
intake and engine nacelle. After this I did some scribing on this section.
Concerning the front wings
section and shape of nose were not so difficult-to-make stages - rather
time-taking ones. But I did everything I could:)
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Well, I corrected nose gear and
made a mud scraper for it. Wheels are from the Russian firm
"Equipage". For the decal set, I used Linden
Hill set - Flankers on Patrol, Part I (as for my Su-27 and my Su-30K).
After all that I painted and
weathered the model.
The missiles and pylons were
improved too. Hope you like the model. Perhaps it looks further from a
real Su-33 than some of kits on the ARC and some sites - I don't know really:)
Denis
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