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Ugandan Air Force SU-30MK - Complete


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Well having failed to complete my Bomber Command GB Lancaster within the deadline I now give myself the challenge of 2 builds in one GB!!

First cock-up: I've realised that my cunning plan of doing 2 x 1/48th builds has been undermined already - that'll teach me to concentrate when ordering.

Anyway here we go with the first build: a 1/72nd Su-30 of the Ugandan Air Force made from the Trumpeter kit

The Kit:
248AB37B-67D6-47DE-99FD-FA3BB21BDB78_zps

The Contents (well some of them):
345DA7D1-E8B5-4408-BEB5-FBFA2D652008_zps

The Decals:
D4A63766-4B2B-4434-A50E-E79462D90F6B_zps

And this is what I am aiming for (copyright:Tarmac Images):
imagejpg4_zpsbbb85948.jpg

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Looking forward to this one, I've always had a thing for Flankers. They are such a cool aircraft. Didn't know there was a kit like this out neither, will have to see if I can find it. :)

Kind Regards,

Dazz

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Cool, got this one planned myself at some point in the future, to sit next to the Angolan Su-27UB I just last night finished! The UB was a very nice kit to build I assume this one will be the same given it's pretty much the same plastic!

Enjoy

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Well having failed to complete my Bomber Command GB Lancaster within the deadline I now give myself the challenge of 2 builds in one GB!!

This is really not what we want to hear!

This one is a fantastic looking aircraft though - a great choice.

Cliff

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This is really not what we want to hear!

This one is a fantastic looking aircraft though - a great choice.

Cliff

I know Cliff, but one of my many resolutions for 2015 is to complete more kits. The stash gets ever bigger, so it is time to start building and no buying.

As an aside though, would anyone have any suggestions on the correct colours for the Ugandan Su-30? I assume they are standard Russian colours so do any of the paint manufacturers do the right colour?

Unfortunately the instructions that come with the decals only state Olive Green; Dark Earth and Russian Light Blue but this picture on Airliners.net seems to suggest colours paler than (RAF) Dark Earth or Olive Green.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/1/9/0/1974091.jpg

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I know Cliff, but one of my many resolutions for 2015 is to complete more kits. The stash gets ever bigger, so it is time to start building and no buying.

As an aside though, would anyone have any suggestions on the correct colours for the Ugandan Su-30? I assume they are standard Russian colours so do any of the paint manufacturers do the right colour?

Unfortunately the instructions that come with the decals only state Olive Green; Dark Earth and Russian Light Blue but this picture on Airliners.net seems to suggest colours paler than (RAF) Dark Earth or Olive Green.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/1/9/0/1974091.jpg

I have a copy of Tom Coopers very good African Migs (and Sukhois) book. I'll take a look in there this PM and see what he suggests. All the colour refs that are given are in fact in BS381C as that's apparently what the Russians use!

I'm actually suprised Tom hasn't posted on this Group Build yet, as it's right up his street!

Phil

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I have a copy of Tom Coopers very good African Migs (and Sukhois) book. I'll take a look in there this PM and see what he suggests. All the colour refs that are given are in fact in BS381C as that's apparently what the Russians use!

I'm actually suprised Tom hasn't posted on this Group Build yet, as it's right up his street!

Phil

Thanks Phil, much appreciated.

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Very cool choice Roland! This one will different from the typical Flanker blue/grey schemes.

As for colours; I'd say you have some leeway on exact shades as the paint must fade in the sun but as Phil says they are based on the BS381C range so will hopefully be less exotic than would one would think. What paint brands do you prefer?

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Thanks Col

As to paint my preference is acrylic over enamel, but I have no real preference over Tamiya, Xtracrylix, Lifecolour, Gunze Sanyo etc.

Colour fade in the African sun is noted, but the only pictures of the Sukhoi I have seen were on their delivery flight and arrival in Uganda, so they were pristine.

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Right then, whilst I am covering SWMBO's office whilst she is out I thought I would abuse the 'Net and see if I could come up with some ideas for the colours I might need for my UgAF SU-30. Based on the assumption that BS381C is correct This site and this site seemed like reasonable starting points. For the "olive green" I think I have come up with the following colours as possible options: 218 - grass green; 217 - sea green and 278 - light olive green. To my eye, and I know there is great risk in using a photo, an online colour chart and a monitor to do this, the light olive green and grass green seem to be too dark and the sea green (strangely for a land-locked country) seems to be closest albeit maybe needing a slightly bluer hue.

For the "dark earth", which it definitely isn't, things get even trickier. I think I have options that include 361 - light stone; 384 - light straw, 366 - light beige, but to my eyes and monitor then 367 - manila and 365 - vellum seem to be the closest, but when comparing the colours on the e-paint website to the TPS website it all goes horribly wrong again!

Annoyingly, some of the good quality pictures on the 'Net make the beige colour look almost Hemp/Camouflage Beige in some light!! :hypnotised:

Anyone got any thoughts (apart from I wish Roly could post pictures of the colours rather than using links)?

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Right I have had a quick look in the African migs book and the photo you are basing your colours on is in there BUT there are 3 others on the next page that show the colours to be darker and richer, so I think the one you are looking at is washed out by the sun (photo I mean). To me the brown doesn't look too far off dark earth, maybe a touch lighter, you could try XF-52 Flat earth...The green is not BS Olive green, that is too dark. It's almost just green if that makes sense, something close to Tamiya XF-5 or from a quick paint lid match Mr Color 135 Russian Green looks good....

I might email Mr Cooper and point him at this thread and the GB as a whole I'm sure he'd be interested...

I hope that helps.

Phil

Edited by SaintsPhil
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Phil

Many thanks for looking. I did look to see if I could get the books you mentioned on Amazon but at £35 per volume I decided that was a bit too much for a single GB.

I'll have a look at the XF52 and Mr Color Russian Green when I can. I did find a picture of a Vietnamese SU-30 which seems to carry the same colour scheme so that might be if help - or maybe not.

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Sorry for 'late arrival'... was 'out of office' for most of the last three weeks...

Anyway, I've never got BS381C references for top camo on UPDAF Su-30MK2s.

After some discussions and quite some re-working of available photos (Entebbe is a very dizzy area, and all the shots by Melting Tarmac became possible only thanks to some extremely powerful zoom), conclusion of the team that prepared the two volumes of 'African MiGs' books was

- 'dark earth' (it surely looks lighter on most of photos than it actually is), and

- 'olive green' on top surfaces, and

- the 'famous' BS381C/697 Light Admiralty Grey on bottom surfaces.

All dielectric pannels were painted in matt white.

BTW, since it finally managed to increase the number of operational pilots and navigators (foremost with help of several L-39s and Bulgarian instructors), the UPDAF is presently in the process of purchasing a second batch of Su-30MK2s.

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Tom

No need to apologise and welcome aboard. Thanks for your comments above. I'm a little bemused by the dark earth conclusion and wondered if you could expand upon why? I've been having a closer look at the UPDF Su-30 pictures that are available on the Net and whilst I agree that the most may appear to be a little "pale" this one taken in close formation and in good light would suggest something a little lighter than dark earth but darker than my earlier options of Manila or Vellum. Light Stone perhaps?

496e8bb583cc30f278a5bc2982f4b55e_zps65af

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There is always plenty of sun and damp in Entebbe (where Sukhois are based). Combined with a zoom, they tend to wreak havoc with any camera that's not properly calibrated (and that's about 99,9% of cameras on this planet).

Photos provided by Melting Tarmac for African MiGs project (as RAW files) were therefore reworked with help of very advanced software from Nikkon (obtained via Katsu Tokunaga, famous Japanese military aviation photographer). And then some things get really 'crystal clear'.

Anyway, for something like an 'introduction to the real feeling' of what the brown colour on these aircraft looks like, check this photo:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Uganda---Air/Sukhoi-Su-30MK2/1953037/L/&sid=6577381c28bf72ce4bae865509c3a060

- and then especially the fin area, which is here shown in 'neutral' position (neither really under a direct sunlight, nor in shade). As can be seen, that's really not 'pale', but something 'quite dark' actually.

Edited by Tom Cooper
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Antoine

Can you please help with the decal's brand

Certainly they are Berna Decals "African MiGs and Sukhois". I got mine here https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/BER72087 which will show you the other countries represented on the sheet; some interesting subjects and colour schemes available. They also do a 1/48th set as well.

Tom

Another question if I may: when you (and Berna Decals) refer to "dark earth" are you referring to a generic earthy brown colour or are you referring to RAF Dark Earth as used on Lancaster and Halifax 2nd World War bombers? This may be the source of my confusion as I keep thinking of RAF dark earth which is much darker than the colour that appears on the Ugandan (and Vietnamese) Su-30s.

Regards

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Yes, the RAF Dark Earth.

I have now reviewed all the 70 available photos (most of these never published and some taken on the ground, in much better light than usually), and compared them with the BS381C and RAL colour charts. The shade is 'very close but not really' 411 Dark Brown, and has a slightly stronger red touch than 450 Dark Brown.

It is simply closest to the 'RAF Dark Earth'.

In 'worst case' it's - perhaps - 5% lighter than that. An 'alternative' would be something like the USAF's FS 30219 Tan, though this is something I should 'study' much more closely.

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Thanks Tom, I will PM my e-mail address shortly. Still struggling with "dark earth" though; I could be persuaded more towards light brown or light stone but dark earth just looks to dark for me when you look at these two, both taken under a neutral light

bf653f9fa0e2acd19169e546bf871c65_zps1022

9fd07944aa572a8a2f74056580f7caa5_zpse17e

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Here a following suggestion in this regards: cut-out a piece of photo showing the similar part of aircraft, painted in 'same' colour - and do so with either photo (for example: top of the rudder on that Hurricane and top of the left fin on that Su-30).

Then compare: it's really 'overall/general effects' (such like sun-glint on the back of the Sukhoi, and the light green colour around dark earth) of the entire photo that are 'spoiling' actual impression.

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Well I'm no further forward with the Sukhoi but following a trip to a hobby shop near work I thought I would do some experimentation with paint. After re calibrating my computer monitor, and adding a print profile I thought I would start with some colour prints. Here are the results so far:

022427B6-14CA-4482-AB04-189379E68951_zps

8E269D62-6212-4C7B-8B7E-715375A248B1_zps

6F9D6F84-D735-472D-A689-5669153F1113_zps

Thought I had done quite well with the Israeli Air Force green, but it looks too olive and is lacking the chalkiness of the photo. The beige colours are looking not bad and, to my eye, Humbrol 121 Matt Pale Stone is looking like a pretty good match.

Next step will be to paint the colours onto some white plasticard and then line up with the colours on the photos and monitor. No other real progress on this or my F-5 tonight :(

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