Sukhoi Su-27SM Flanker
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Kit Review
Revell have reissued the new-tooled Zvezda kit in this box and as we have not reviewed it in its original form, we can now take a detailed look at it in this boxing
Inside the box, which is of their usual end-opening (floppy) style, you will find a single clear sprues and seven moulded in a light grey colour; the clear sprue and smallest of the grey ones being separately bagged. The SM (serial/production modernised) version will be the last true Su-27, the last in the family being the Su-35S and this new tooling is superb. Surface detail is all via finely engraved lines, the kit also features the non-matching intakes on the vertical fins and you get two Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles plus eight R-27, four R-73 and two R-77 air-to-air missiles. The tooling is obviously intended to produce the two-seat version, as the fuselage is split just behind the dorsal air brake, however a quick test-fit of the parts shows that they all go together without any unsightly steps or gaps. You get two pilot figures, one seated and the other standing, which is kind of unique nowadays. The sprue with the figures is packed with the clear one in a separate snap-lock bag; OK, but the clear on its own would have been better, and reduced the risk of the other sprue scratching it? You also get a boarding ladder, two styles of wheel chock (four of each) and two intake FOD guards. The clear sprue offers the canopy, separate windscreen, HUD glass, IRST dome and the wing tip light covers. The only thing to note here is that Zvezda have opted not to truly depict the canopy cross-section, which is horseshoe-shaped, as this would have required a very complex mould and would have left a big seam line down the centre; not a great issue because in 1/72nd you will struggle to 'see' the difference. The interior is well detailed. the K-36 seat is made of a main element to which smaller parts are added. The cockpit tub has the control column and throttle lever separate and the instrument panel has a decal for detail. The wing tip rails are separate as are the leading edge slats. Each engine has a fairly deep exhaust with afterburner ring, then a two-part outer exhaust nozzle. The instructions note the need for 10g of weight in the nose cone to keep this one on its undercarriage. The undercarriage itself is nicely moulded with separate landing lights on the nose oleo and a two-part mudguard that may prove to have a difficult centreline seam as a result. There is good detail inside the nose wheel doors, with the linkage and hinges being separate; the same is true for the main wheel doors. Options in the kit include having the seated or standing pilot figure, open or closed canopy, fitment of the access ladder and having the dorsal spine air brake either up or down.
The kit offers two decal options: 'Red 06', RF-92210, Russian Air Force 2013; 'red 54', RF-93731, Russian Air Force, 2012. The first option is in the current two-colour bright blue scheme, whilst the other is in the older three-colour scheme. Sadly once again Revell identify the colour concerned by complex mixes of their own colours. If you want to go with accurate versions, then the AKAN acrylic range offer sets for this. The decal sheet is lovely, being printed in Italy, but the carrier film is opaque and will be visible. There is a mass of stencils, in fact 3/4 of the sheet is taken up with them!
Conclusion
If you missed it in the Zvezda box then get this one, as it is the ultimate Flanker in this scale. OK, it is about £4 more than the original, but Revell products are far more widely available, so I can see that many of you will only come across this version. Invest in it, you won't be disappointed.
Our thanks to Revell GmbH (UK Branch) for the review sample, for more details about this and all other Heller products by visiting www.revell.de/en.
Revell have reissued the new-tooled Zvezda kit in this box and as we have not reviewed it in its original form, we can now take a detailed look at it in this boxing
Inside the box, which is of their usual end-opening (floppy) style, you will find a single clear sprues and seven moulded in a light grey colour; the clear sprue and smallest of the grey ones being separately bagged. The SM (serial/production modernised) version will be the last true Su-27, the last in the family being the Su-35S and this new tooling is superb. Surface detail is all via finely engraved lines, the kit also features the non-matching intakes on the vertical fins and you get two Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles plus eight R-27, four R-73 and two R-77 air-to-air missiles. The tooling is obviously intended to produce the two-seat version, as the fuselage is split just behind the dorsal air brake, however a quick test-fit of the parts shows that they all go together without any unsightly steps or gaps. You get two pilot figures, one seated and the other standing, which is kind of unique nowadays. The sprue with the figures is packed with the clear one in a separate snap-lock bag; OK, but the clear on its own would have been better, and reduced the risk of the other sprue scratching it? You also get a boarding ladder, two styles of wheel chock (four of each) and two intake FOD guards. The clear sprue offers the canopy, separate windscreen, HUD glass, IRST dome and the wing tip light covers. The only thing to note here is that Zvezda have opted not to truly depict the canopy cross-section, which is horseshoe-shaped, as this would have required a very complex mould and would have left a big seam line down the centre; not a great issue because in 1/72nd you will struggle to 'see' the difference. The interior is well detailed. the K-36 seat is made of a main element to which smaller parts are added. The cockpit tub has the control column and throttle lever separate and the instrument panel has a decal for detail. The wing tip rails are separate as are the leading edge slats. Each engine has a fairly deep exhaust with afterburner ring, then a two-part outer exhaust nozzle. The instructions note the need for 10g of weight in the nose cone to keep this one on its undercarriage. The undercarriage itself is nicely moulded with separate landing lights on the nose oleo and a two-part mudguard that may prove to have a difficult centreline seam as a result. There is good detail inside the nose wheel doors, with the linkage and hinges being separate; the same is true for the main wheel doors. Options in the kit include having the seated or standing pilot figure, open or closed canopy, fitment of the access ladder and having the dorsal spine air brake either up or down.
The kit offers two decal options: 'Red 06', RF-92210, Russian Air Force 2013; 'red 54', RF-93731, Russian Air Force, 2012. The first option is in the current two-colour bright blue scheme, whilst the other is in the older three-colour scheme. Sadly once again Revell identify the colour concerned by complex mixes of their own colours. If you want to go with accurate versions, then the AKAN acrylic range offer sets for this. The decal sheet is lovely, being printed in Italy, but the carrier film is opaque and will be visible. There is a mass of stencils, in fact 3/4 of the sheet is taken up with them!
Conclusion
If you missed it in the Zvezda box then get this one, as it is the ultimate Flanker in this scale. OK, it is about £4 more than the original, but Revell products are far more widely available, so I can see that many of you will only come across this version. Invest in it, you won't be disappointed.
Our thanks to Revell GmbH (UK Branch) for the review sample, for more details about this and all other Heller products by visiting www.revell.de/en.
