1/48th Suhkoi Su-7BKL Fitter A x 2 - completed!

[trickyrich]

Looks very well indeed.

But just how the hell do you manage to paint things once its all assembled like that? The pics are of dry fitting, surely?

the U/C are just sitting there, the mains are a good push fit and really nice and strong as well.

have just spent 2 hours re-riveting!!!

[trickyrich]

A busy day but not too much to show for it!

First up all the joins were sanded back and cleaned up and some of the panels re-scribed. I started to do some of the rivets along the joins as well……2 hours later I’d pretty much had re-done most of the other rivets as well!

I spent some more time on the main wheel wells, and added plastic strip to two sections of it to help repair the overall shape. Plus a couple of strips to help hide the wing/fuselage join. There is still a bit to do to tidy these up but I’m happy with where they’re at and how they will eventually look.

Next up the tail surfaces, I hadn’t thought they’d be too much trouble but when it came time to actually seeing how they’d eventually fit I found some real problems! The kit would have you think that the mating surface of the elevators is curved when in actual fact it’s two distinct lines to the shape.

First off I tried to just re-shape the surfaces but I couldn’t get the right shape plus it shorten the elevators. So there was nothing left to do but rebuild this section.

The elevator inside edge was reshaped and additional plastic added to achieve this. As can be seen there is quite a bit of difference to the original.

Next up the fuselage-mating surface had to be built up and shaped as well, I still need to clean all this up.

But already it looks much better and closer to the real thing.

When finally fitted I will droop them slightly.

The inlet cowling has been fitted and the inner and outer surfaces cleaned up. It’s a real pain to have to paint the cone before fitting as it’s just asking to be damaged or have the paint knocked off!

The tail pipe was fitted just to see how she looks, I need to thin down the edge of the outlet quite a bit more.

Just looks better each time...

I’ll have a break from this one tomorrow and may be work on closing up the second one…or have the day off

[AntPhillips]

Great work on the tailplanes, I'll bookmark this for when I get round to my Su-7

[noeyedears]

i just got mine out to have a look at it. Couldnt believe the terrible fit of the elevators. i was hoping i had a " new tool" version or something. but no , mines the same with the bad fit elevators, dodgy wheelwells and sinkmarks on the flaps etc . ill have to bookmark this thread for when i get around to it. keep on keepin' on for my sake!

[trickyrich]

i just got mine out to have a look at it. Couldnt believe the terrible fit of the elevators. i was hoping i had a " new tool" version or something. but no , mines the same with the bad fit elevators, dodgy wheelwells and sinkmarks on the flaps etc . ill have to bookmark this thread for when i get around to it. keep on keepin' on for my sake!

Yeap unfortunately they haven't updated the mounds for the Su-7 since this one was released, the same goes for any of the Kopro/Eduard/Or other versions of the other old Oze models. But that said they are the perfect model to do update/conversions to, plus there is plenty of AM stuff around to help out as well.

With this one and the Su-17 I built I've found and fixed most of the issues with these ones.........I have an Su-25 waiting in the wings, just know that one will be "interesting" as well!!!

[Col.]

Just looks better each time...

I agree with you there Rich. Great work

[trickyrich]

thanks guys...

Well I didn’t quite have the day off but I did managed to get some work done.

To get myself in the mood I worked on some of the smaller bits of the build. The nose gear doors were way too thick so they had to be thinned down before the PE detail bits could be added. I wish someone did a resin update for this and the main gear, would have made life so much easier!

Next I worked on the second set of drop tanks, they needed new tail fins, these were made of brass sheet. Forgot to take a photo of these! Plus I also worked on the RATO pods……and forgot to take photos of those as well!

Well I finally finished off what I had to do with the cockpit of the second build and closed it up. Once that was sorted I attached the wings, though they didn’t quite go on as simply as the first set. Again I used small spots of super glue to help hold everything in the right position.

And I forgot to take photos of all this…..so here is a photo of a kitten!

Once this was all dried I fitted the tail unit, this time I used pins right through from the bottom. This provided a much better way of securing the tail fin assembly.

Whilst this was all drying I started to sort out the tail unit of the first build. I thinned out the plastic around the tail pipe plus built a shroud for the brake chute out of brass sheet. This is a noticeable addition on these aircraft which seems to be missing from most builds!

They do look good together, but I would recommend that anyone building one of these models invest in the resin cockpit over the Eduard PE one. The PE one is actually really poor and not very accurate at all plus it’s not really worth all the effort to fix and sort out. It sort of looks ok if you have the canopy closed, but otherwise you really do have to go with the resin one, it’s so much easier to fit and looks amazing, plus it’s cheaper!

Tomorrow…..I do some filler work to #1 and on #2 tidy up all the filler work and stuff….or I may work on some of the other stuff, I’d like to get the U/C finished so I may work on that.

[modelling minion]

Excellent work Rich.

My only concern is that "Once this was all dried I fitted the tail unit, this time I used pins right through from the bottom." refers to the Sukhoi and not the kitten! Don't want a visit from the RSPCA when you're doing so well with your build .

Craig.

[franky boy]

Hi Rich

Great work.

Any idea if the Aires cockpit is still available. I've had breif search around the Internet which didn't bare and fruits.

I have one of thess kits in the stash, the Smer boxing, and this build thread is making me want to get it out even though I have my amigos on the go for this GB.

thanks

James

[trickyrich]

Hi Rich

Great work.

Any idea if the Aires cockpit is still available. I've had breif search around the Internet which didn't bare and fruits.

I have one of thess kits in the stash, the Smer boxing, and this build thread is making me want to get it out even though I have my amigos on the go for this GB.

thanks

James

I'm not too sure about the Aries one, I actually didn't know they made one! The one I came across is by Scale Resin which produced by Czech Master Resin , they may still be available but you are probably best to contact them direct. They do list some other stuff for the Su-7. I also see this set is sometimes sold under the name Resin Art as well, it's the same kit.

http://www.cmrmodels.eu/models

But you may just have to keep and eye out for something on evilBay.

[noeyedears]

Kitty pic much appreciated !

[Antoine]

Again a bit late, but some excellent work so far.

[Skids]

What scale and make is that kitten?, its well painted Rich.

Great work on the Su's too

[trickyrich]

24/5

Yes I was very happy with that paint job, I used a new natural textured paint, it gives a nice realistic fur look, some careful shading and highlights make it look very realistic. It’s the first one I’ve done in 1/1 scale. And yes Craig sticking the pins in through the bottom was…….interesting!

Anyway back to the Sukhoi’s.

More done today but not too much to show. The joins on the second one were cleaned up and again filler was used. Strangely enough it actually required more filler than the first one!

The rest of the time was spent trying to sort out the pylons for the first one. Naturally of cause they didn’t fit at all! I would actually defy anyone to build one of these and get everything to fit first off straight from the box! Once you have built one of these you would find resin models just so easy!!!

Anyway enough complaining….as if I didn’t like them I wouldn’t build them and still wouldn’t have another 3 to go!

So after lots of re-shaping I got the pylons to fit, I will need to add a wee bit of sprue to fill a couple of gaps but that’s easy. The second model won’t have the nice PE bits so I may have to made some up with thin brass sheet.

The first set of RATO’s are nearly complete, plus the drop tanks now all have new brass tail fins.

So that’s it for another week, got lots done this break, I’m hoping the have the first one may be painted next break or very close to it. Have to get a move on as I have the Fw-190 already and waiting. For those who don’t know, this one will have lots of panels removed and a complete new engine….basically take a good model, throw away most of it and replace with resin……..very exciting!!

[mirageiv]

Amazing! Cannot remember seeing a better job on the Su-7, will use your thread for sure whenever I get round to building my Egyptian one

[trickyrich]

Amazing! Cannot remember seeing a better job on the Su-7, will use your thread for sure whenever I get round to building my Egyptian one

Thanks for that, glad I could help/inspire.

The only problem for me with these builds is I have to go one better for the 2 Su-17's I have in the stash.......I can see myself going full detail with these ones.....oh dear!

[Skids]

Thanks for that, glad I could help/inspire.

The only problem for me with these builds is I have to go one better for the 2 Su-17's I have in the stash.......I can see myself going full detail with these ones.....oh dear!

Dont do it Rich, I keep putting my Su-22 off as I have amassed quite a bit of AM and it looks a bit daunting now.

[trickyrich]

Dont do it Rich, I keep putting my Su-22 off as I have amassed quite a bit of AM and it looks a bit daunting now.

I've got one of the Eduard Limited Edition M4's plus a Kopro M3's (basically the same models, old OZE ones) and just about every bit of resin ever made for them...just seem to be collecting the stuff. As to building one of them...my calendar is so full for this year and next looks pretty full. All I can do is hope for a GB thats suits them. I do know for a fact that the doggy wing fences will be replaced this time, I'll probably make them up for them well before hand.

But as I've mentioned before, don't let these models scare you, they have lots of faults but are actually such a breeze to correct, the only trouble you'll have is the same trouble I have and that is decided in to when to stop!

[Skids]

Nice I have the Eduard one. Perhaps a Suhkoi or Swing Wing GB would be good. I don't think I would complete it in a GB time frame though.

I am planning on starting mine hopefully towards the end of the year. I am still hoping to get a few more bits before I start.

In all honesty Rich, looking at your progress above, you seem to have this model/resin/AM/scratch building lark pretty much sorted.

[trickyrich]

Nice I have the Eduard one. Perhaps a Suhkoi or Swing Wing GB would be good. I don't think I would complete it in a GB time frame though.

I am planning on starting mine hopefully towards the end of the year. I am still hoping to get a few more bits before I start.

In all honesty Rich, looking at your progress above, you seem to have this model/resin/AM/scratch building lark pretty much sorted.

A MiG vs Sukhoi GB would be the way to!

Pitting peoples favourites against each other would be very interesting! What is the quintessential Soviet military aircraft, MiG-21, Su-27, MiG-15, or an Su-17/22? I may have a little bit more of a think about this idea and I may start a thread in the GB chat.

[RMP2]

A MiG vs Sukhoi GB would be the way to!

Pitting peoples favourites against each other would be very interesting! What is the quintessential Soviet military aircraft, MiG-21, Su-27, MiG-15, or an Su-17/22? I may have a little bit more of a think about this idea and I may start a thread in the GB chat.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there Tiger! Dont go forgetting the Tupolevs!

Tank fins look nice, I was hoping to ignore such things with my Su, but I dont think I can now. Thanks for that...

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Sturmovik.

Fascinating build, following with interest.

[trickyrich]

well some progress but not as much as I had hoped for, taking a little bit to get back into it.

The last day and a bit has been spent getting up bits and pieces on the detailed model tidied up ready for painting….very time consuming and not too much to show for all the work!

One issue I did find was with the inner wing pylons, there is a left and a right one due to them being slightly kinked. Unfortunately the instructions tell you to fit them on the wrong sides (the Eduard instructions for the same model correct this issue). I didn’t notice this until I was doing some more research on some other stuff, and there was a clear photo showing how they should sit. Luckily they came off quite easily, so that’s all sorted now.

Next up was the JATO rockets, for some reason this has been the hardest part to find details on. I can find detailed photos of the mounts but not of the rocket or it in its mounted position (there are so fuzzy ones taken at distance but they show now details). There are a couple around but purport to be of a Su-7 but careful study shows them to be actually ones mounted on a MiG-21, which has a different set up. So with this in mind, first up the mounts were…..mounted!

For some strange reason Eduard have gotten themselves a bit muddled up here with some of the instructions. The instructions that came with External PE set are correct, the PE hooks replace the kit part for the rear mount. The instructions for the Su-7 Limited Edition model are incorrect, they have you adding these PE hooks to the front mounts. The small PE “hooks” are actually for holding the rear of the JATO pod, photos of the actual mounts on the aircraft show this clearly.

The rockets themselves are quite plain in the few photos I’ve see, so I only added some detail to the mounts and the “fuse!!” A wee bit of artistic license here but I think I’m pretty close.

They don’t look too bad at all!

Plus the final bit of detailing around the exhaust as well.

So time for the first bit of paint and a chance to see what modelling sins need to be fixed!! I’m using a Non-Buffing Aluminium Lacquer as the primer and base coat, as it’s perfect for showing all the issues plus I have a nice metal base for any chipping and weathering later on. It certainly showed all the areas that need sorting out! On the whole it’s not too bad considering what has been done to this model! If it was going to be a NMF I would be a bit concerned but being camouflaged means I don’t have to get a prefect surface for painting. Most of the issues are either scratch marks from sanding or join/filler marks, plus a few dodgy panel lines thrown in for fun as well! All simple fixes, a little bit more filling and sanding/polishing and we should be all set to go.

It does look pretty nice, hopefully I can finish the prep work so I can lay down the first colours on Monday!

[CliffB]

An interesting choice of primer Rich. I've seen Alclad used as a primer too (that maybe is what you used?), straight on to plastic. Sounds scary, but seems to work well.

I'm really enjoying your build.

Cliff

[trickyrich]

An interesting choice of primer Rich. I've seen Alclad used as a primer too (that maybe is what you used?), straight on to plastic. Sounds scary, but seems to work well.

I'm really enjoying your build.

Cliff

It's Testors Metalizer paint, it's a lacquer that goes onto plastic really nicely, I use it a lots. besides showing up all the issues it give me a nice paint on metal look that i like.