Which is the best (accurate) flanker kit in 1/72 out there on the market??
Take a look at this:
so i take it as none of the flankers out there are any good??
It’s kind of like reading Consumers Report on cars - they all have problems, some have less than others. The author of that particular review thought Airfix was the best basis for the perfect SU-27. It’s a judgment call - for example, the Airfix S-3 Viking is more accurate in shape than the Hasegawa S-3. But the latter is cleaner in appearance, better fit, harder plastic, better decals, etc. and looks okay to me, even if the engine nacelles aren’t “right”.
An alternative is to wait for somebody else to produce a kit of the Flanker and maybe do better.
Tailspin…
The Testors SU-27 is a decent build with accurate lines, and a nice decal sheet. [;)]
Take care,
Frank
I suspect that the Testors is a rebox of the Italeri Su-27, about which the author of the referenced review (not me) said:
Nice kit with raised panel detail. Excellent value for money. Nose & Radome too big, cockpit too wide and intakes too shallow which totally alters the shape. The kit has an excellent undercarriage with actuating rods for the doors and correct links and locking pins on the mainlegs. Cockpit canopy too big because of the incorrect cockpit. A pity about this kit, because it is widely available and cheap, but it just doesn’t capture the look of the Flanker.
Hmmm… that’s a new one on me, I thought the Testors profile was pretty much on the money, according to the dimensional shots in “Janes”. This review sounds like a description of the early Revell release, which WAS totally off.
Take care,
Frank
And here’s what the expert has to say about the Revell kit:
This is a re-boxing of the Tsukuda kit and is extremely inaccurate. Not worth considering
I stand corrected.
After comparing the kit pieces with this 1/72 scale diagram:
it appears there would be several modifications required to make it accurate… thanks for bringing this to my attention. Oh well, this kit would be about #82nd on my “to-do” list anyhow, so I can go ahead and take it out of the pile right now.
Ahhh… that feels better already! Thanks “warmachine” for bringing up this topic; saved me from building a piece of junk! [;)]
Take care all,
Frank
For what it’s worth, I’ve always liked Hasegawa’s kit. It has metal undercarriage legs, PE parts and best of all, the wings are molded with the upper and lower fuselage halves saving a lot of filling and sanding. No, it’s not perfect but I didn’t know that until I started reading this topic! And I built mine 10 years ago.
Take care,
Bert
The Airfix one is the best OOB compromise, but it needs aftermarket decals. If you like the Hasegawa one, it’s also available, with better decals, for less money, but without the metal u/c and PE, in a Revell Germany box.
Chris.
I have the magazine version of that lindenhill site, By Ken Duffey in Scale Models International from 1998. I’ve just built the Airfix & Italeri Su 27’s side by side & I have to say that Ken seems to be right with his criticisms. In the naked plastic, the Italeri nose doesn’t seem so bad. But once both models are painted it’s obviously too thick, which makes the oversize cockpit obvious too. Alone, it may not be too bad, but once you know it’s wrong it would be a waste of money. Yes, the Airfix one had fit problems, but I used filler on the Italeri too.
There was a step in the wing to fuselage fit on both.
panel lines don’t agree in position or length.
exhaust nozzles differ.
Italeri fin intakes way too small.
The inner ‘triangle’ on the Italeri tailplanes is too big.
There’s a big size difference on the airbrakes.
Airfix canopy doesn’t seem to include the lower frame.
Big difference in the size of the pitot probes.
decalwise, all I had were kit decals, the Italeri does not include the large ‘no walk’
markings for the panel near the forward wing roots, but I messed up the Airfix ones trying to cut out the carrier film in the middle. So made new ones from spares.
The Italeri missiles are very basic & too short.
Both models were made ‘wheels up’ in flight on a pylon stuck into a wooden block.
Both were preordered by friends & will shortly leave me, so who gets the Italeri?
I’ll let them decide. I now have to build another Airfix Su27 & an Italeri Su 34.
Pete