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Su-15 TM Flagon-F, 1/72, Trumpeter


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Su-15 TM Flagon-F | 1/72 | Trumpeter
Bezrechnaya Air Base, TransBaikal military district, 1991-1992
 

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Finished 4/30/2020. I just love the look of the Su-15 -- it's just so burly looking.  I've recently become intersted in Sukhoi aircraft because growing up in the US in the 80's everything was MiG, MiG, MiG.  I was aware of Sukhois, I just didn't spend anytime reading about them. Because they weren't MiGs :).  Well, I'm interested in them now, and the Flagon might be my favorite.

 

This is the first Trumpeter kit I've done and I have to say I was very impressed.  The detail was nice, the fit was nice, and except for a few... curious... engineering decisions, it was a breeze to put together. The only real issue I had was with the top piece that goes over the cockpit.  It extended back a couple inches toward the tail, which I think was to accomodate Flagon-G two seaters.  The fit was only OK, and it took a little bit of work to make it look nice, but nothing too difficult.

 

I'd read a review of this kit where the reviewer thought that the camouflage scheme was bogus.  I decided to do some research and found a black and white picture of a camo Flagon and the pattern of light and dark areas seemed to match what was in the painting instructions, so I was sure it was a real scheme.  I later found scanned images from a Russian book and a Polish book that both showed the same paint scheme, and both said it was from Bezrechnaya.  I only found color photos after the decals were on and I was looking for pictures for weathering (funny how just adding the word "Weathering" to your search terms makes the search engine cough up a whole different set of images!). Unfortunately I found that the tan color in this scheme was actually darker in real life and with the decals on I couldn't fix it.

 

I free-handed the camouflage, because in the photos I found the spray lines seemed "softer" than what I can do with rolled-up blue tak. Free-handing is really difficult if you want to keep the overspray in scale.  I had to go over a few line more than once to get the over spray back into scale.  It was a fun challenge and I think I just about made it right. 

 

I also relied on Rato Marczak's build page for his Trumpter Flagon-A (http://ratomodeling.com/finished/flagon72/) for inspiration. He did a beautiful job adding detail to his kit.  I was inspired to add scratch-built detail to the wheel wells, main gears and dashboard of the cockpit (pictures follow).  His page also helped me weather the model.  There are very few pictures of operational Flagons, so I couldn't find any good photos showing the weathering.  I had to do speculative weathering -- Just make my best assumptions.  I hate doing that, but that's the way it is.  Rato's page helped me quite a bit.

 

While I was excited about the camo scheme, and I am quite proud of how it turned out, I have to say bare metal really shows this aircraft's lines off better.  Alas. No WIP for this build.

 

Finishing: Seam filling with super glue
Paints: Mr. Surfacer 1500 black > Mr. Color 303 / 313 / 312 / 43 top > Mr. Color 20 bottom > Mr. Color 319 radome > Alclad Aqua Gloss clear coat > Testors spray dull coat (Decanted) for final coat
Weathering/Wear: Ivory Black and Burnt Umber oil paints

 

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The kit didn't come with a decal for the cockpit.  I used a Hasagawa P-40 instrument panel decal. ;)

 

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Here's my attempt at scratch-building detail in the very plain wheel well:

 

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And scratch building detail in the cockpit:

 

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After painting I dry brushed the detail with gunship gray so I would have a hope of seeing it after the canopy was put on:

 

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Good detail in the front wheel wells:

 

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Here's my attempt at adding hydraulic lines.  I used the copper wire from braided electrical cord.  If it looks too dirty, it is.  I had a terrible time with the wash wanting to run to the spaces between the hydraulic lines and I couldn't clean them up.

 

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Some close ups of weathering:

 

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Thanks for looking!  Questions and comments always welcomed!

Edited by opus999
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Very well done model. The weathering is superb. Nice to hear the kit goes together well.

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8 hours ago, Vultures1 said:

Nice work!  The camouflage is particularly well done

Thank you!  I'm happy to hear this -- using blue tak so much now, I found getting freehand to look right was quite a challenge. 

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That is a fine looking model, the SU-15 is a brutal looking aircraft - almost like a flying brick out-house!!  You've got to love some of the early Soviet jet designs, they almost defy the laws of physics...!

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Lovely work, nice to see one in camo and the detail additions you made are quality :clap:

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Well done!!!!  The Flagon looks very smart in the camouflage pattern over it`s usual silver / natural metal finish.  :clap2:

 

Mike

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Nice!

 

I like the brute look of these quite successful beasts

 

Your version is very interesting in respect to camo and load out!

:thumbsup:

Edited by exdraken
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On 5/3/2020 at 1:07 AM, exdraken said:

 

Your version is very intetrdting in respect to camo and load out!

Thanks!  This was the first time I've seen those gun pods on the bottom... I thought they were fascinating.

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  • 8 months later...

I just came on this having a rummage around the googlesphere for info on these. It appears this is the best game in town just now so best I track one down, I really like this camo on it, it looks mean with it. :) You've done a great job with this. 👍

Steve.

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13 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I just came on this having a rummage around the googlesphere for info on these. It appears this is the best game in town just now so best I track one down, I really like this camo on it, it looks mean with it. :) You've done a great job with this. 👍

Steve.

Thanks Steve!  I seem to remember this was one of the better kits I've done.  The fit was pretty good, although the intakes needed some help (although I have yet to meet a jet model that doesn't need help with the intakes).  I also remember really liking the decals.  Hope you can get one!

 

3 hours ago, Parabat said:

Cracking build, love the Sukhoi lines.

Thank you!

 

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