Eduard Sukhoi Su-33 (for MiniBase) 1:48

[Mike]

Sukhoi Su-33 (for MiniBase)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

The MiniBase kit of the Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D in 1:48 left a crater when it landed, as it was an incredibly well-designed model with tons of detail moulded-in, generating a lot of excitement, especially with modellers of Soviet/Russian subjects.  If you’ve not seen it yet, Firstly, where have you been?  Have a gander here, then come back to read about these upgrades.  Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner.  Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point.  As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between.

 

 

Upgrade Set (491185)

Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass.  A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set requiring the removal of the moulded-in details first, with new in-scale leg restraints also supplied, which is a testament to the quality of the original mouldings.   The rest of the set is used to detail the nose gear leg; create a new set of FOD guards inside the intakes; auxiliary intake louvers; a re-skin of the spine-mounted air-brake bay and appliqué panels around the shoulder-mounted cannon, plus a couple of small mesh panels on both sides of the wing shoulders.

 

 

 

 

Zoom! Set (FE1185)

This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above.  Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements.

 

 

 

Seatbelts STEEL (FE1186)

These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting.  Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE.  The kit includes PE seatbelts, but they are complex and made of bare brass, so can be a chore to make up.  These belts are pre-painted, easier to assemble, and in addition to the crew belts, you also get a set of the pull-handles between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency, plus a detail insert for the front of the seat.

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of