Sukhoi Su-27 SM Flanker - 1:72 Revell

[Paul A H]

Sukhoi Su-27 SM Flanker

1:72 Revell

Instantly recognisable to enthusiasts of Cold War or modern jet aircraft, the Su-27 Flanker has formed the backbone of the Soviet Union/Russian Air Force's air superiority fighter force for much of the last thirty years. The design marked a departure from previous Soviet aircraft, with its podded engines, large wing and sophisticated avionics (it was the first fly-by-wire aircraft in the Soviet Union to enter service). Emerging in prototype form as the T-10 in 1977, the design showed great promise, and before long it had beaten the time-to-height records set by the modified Streak Eagle in 1975. Although originally designed as a long-range air superiority fighter, like many of its contemporaries the Su-27 has been developed to take on a variety of roles, including air-to-surface missions.

Apart from the states of the former USSR, Russia has succeeded in offering the Su-27 for sale on the export market. Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Vietnam are all current users, while Algeria, India and Malaysia all use the modified Su-30 variant. The Su-27SM is a mid-life upgrade for the Su-27, with new radar and upgraded avionics. Enhanced multi-role capabilities have been added, included the ability to carry a range of precision air-to-surface weapons. This variant has not been exported and is in service with the Russian Air Force only.

This kit is a continuation of Revell's long tradition of re-releasing kits originally produced by other companies. This particular kit was originally tooled by Moscow-based firm Zvezda, a name not quite as familiar as Revell, but a distinguished company with a respectable back catalogue nonetheless. Inside the familiar blue box are six sprues of grey plastic and a single sprue of clear plastic. Together they hold a very respectable 210 parts, which is outstanding for a kit of this size. The kit is very well moulded as there is no flash present and, as far as I can tell, no flaws in the plastic. Surface detailing is comprised of extremely fine, engraved panel lines and the overall impression is favourable. A minor downside (for me, at least) is the slightly textured finish on the external surfaces of the airframe. Based on previous experience, this could make adding a wash to the panel lines difficult as the wash will stick to the textured surface.

Construction begins with the interior, and so does this review. First up is the K36 ejection seat, which contains no fewer than six parts. This is pretty incredible for a 1:72 scale seat, making a resin alternative superfluous to all but the most demanding modellers. The cockpit tub is rather spartan by comparison, as decals are provided in lieu of moulded details on the sidewalls. The instrument panel follows suite, but you do get a nicely detailed control column and throttle control by way of compensation. The whole thing slides into the upper fuselage from below, while the nose landing gear bay slots into the equivalent area in the lower fuselage.

Once these parts are in place, the upper and lower fuselage halves can be joined together. The lower fuselage is moulded in one part along with 80% of the lower wing, while the upper fuselage is split fore and aft, presumably to allow for the tooling of a two-seater variant further down the line. The upper wings can also be added at this stage, meaning that the bulk of the airframe will have been completed before you get to the second page of the instructions proper! The pace slows down as some of the finer details are added, however. The rudders are moulded as one piece with the vertical tails, but the leading edge slats for the wings are moulded separately. The wing-tip missile launch rails are each comprised of two parts and are nicely detailed.

The prominent jet exhausts are a distinctive feature of the Flanker, and they haven't been ignored by Revell (Zvezda). Each is made up of five parts, complete with a nicely moulded flame holder for the afterburner. Moving further forward, each of the engine air intakes is made up of five parts, and engine compressor faces are included so there is no danger of the dreaded see-through effect. The nose cone is moulded separately to the fuselage, so there is one less seam to clean up. The instructions suggest the addition of 10 grams to the nose, and while I wouldn't have thought the Su-27 to be a natural tail sitter, it hardly seems worth the risk of omitting it.

The undercarriage is complex but very nicely detailed. For some reason I've always had trouble with the undercarriage on Su-27 kits, so hopefully this will prove to be robust. Finishing details include a host of aerials, including the distinctive odd rods IFF system. A fair of FOD guards for the engine intakes is provided, and you also get a very reasonable range of ordnance:
4 x R-73 (AA-11 Archer) infrared homing air-to-air missiles;
2 x R-27ET (AA-10 Alamo D) extended range infrared homing air-to-air missiles;
3 x R-27ER (AA-10 Alamo A) semi-active radar homing air-to-air missiles;
2 x R-77 (AA-12 Adder) active radar homing air-to-air missiles
2 x KH-31 (AS-17 Krypton) air-to-surface anti-shipping/anti-radiation missiles;
A crew access ladder and standing pilot are included by way of finishing touches, which is a nice little bonus.

Two options are provided on the decal sheet:
Su-27SM 06, RF-92210, Russian Air Force, 2013; and
Su-27SM 54, RF-93731, Russian Air Force, 2012.
Both aircraft are finished in variants of the blue-grey scheme depicted on the box artwork. The decals are well printed but they look a little matt so if I were you Id watch out for silvering.

Conclusion

This is a well detailed and accurate model which looks very good on the sprue. It should be enjoyable to build and with a little care and attention will result in a stunning model. The texture on the external surfaces is a slight concern, but that is one negative point against an almost overwhelming list of positive points. Highly recommended.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

[Ravens]

This kit looks like a good choice for my first Flanker model. I especially like that an access ladder is included.

Ross.

[PhantomBigStu]

Zvevda make some great kits, great to see Revell reboxing then for wider market

[AngstROM]

Also boxed by Academy with a small amount of etched brass, but for a lot more wedge.

[Flankerman]

The Zvezda Su-27SM is the FIRST Flanker kit - in any scale - to get the intakes in the fin leading edge correct......

On the real thing, the port intake is about twice the size of the starboard intake - something always missed on previous kits.

The shape of the LERX is also worthy of mention - on all other Flankers it is depicted as a continuous concave curve - in real life it has a double S-shaped cross section - something also captured by Zvezda.....

Zvezda LERX.....

Trumpeter Flanker (and all others).....

It's very subtle - but noticeable once pointed out.

One slight niggle with the Zvezda/Revell/Academy Su-27SM is the cross-section of the canopy - it is U-shaped rather than being horseshoe/Omega shaped....

This is because it isn't made with a slide-mould like Trumpeters or Hasegawas - but it does mean there is no ugly seam down the centreline to remove - and in this scale is acceptable, IMHO.

It's just a pity the Zvezda chose to make a Su-27SM - a type not operated by any other user !!

Still. it' far and away the most accurate Su-27 to date - in any scale.

Sorry for the rant..... but I am a slight bit passionate about the Flanker.

Ken

PS - My build is here

Edited July 28, 2015 by Flankerman

[jrlx]

I have the original Zvezda kit and it really looks nice and detailed on the sprues. I'm afraid I won't be able to build it any time soon, due to other models being built for GBs...

Cheers

Jaime

[Antoine]

Thanks Paul,

I'm wondering if this kit could be backdated to an earlier version sold to other users than the RuAF.

[Flankerman]

Thanks Paul,

I'm wondering if this kit could be backdated to an earlier version sold to other users than the RuAF.

You would need to make a new IRST ball - mounted centrally on the windscreen.

You would also need to leave off the part for the offset IRST ball mounting plinth - then sand down and fill that area.

Other, minor changes would be to remove the small aerials on the wing leading edge - and change the instrument panel to remove the MFD screens of the SM.

It's all do-able, the biggest challenge being the IRST ball.

Ken

PS - If you added an IFR probe to the basic SM - you could quite easily make an Indonesian Su-27SKM.

[Antoine]

Thanks a lot, Ken.

Sounds quite easy, worth a try anyway.

[Antoine]

Got the kit!

The original Zvezda, in fact.

Just beautiful.

Now let's reflect about the best way to backdate it.

But looking at the sprues, I think there's hope for further release of other version.

Anyone heard about it?

[sofiane1718]

According to one guy here:

http://www.master194.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=90826

Su-33 is planned for august 2016.

I think we'll have more answers with their 2016-2017 catalogue, so in 2 weeks now

[Antoine]

Thanks Sofiane,

But by "backdate", I mean a bit more than an Su-33!

I'm thinking about early Su-27 foreign sales.

You're right, I should have asked Alex.

[sofiane1718]

Ok, found more here :

http://www.master194.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=89916

"Su-27 UB, Su-30"