Trumpeter Su-30MKK Flanker G

and Su-27UB Conversion.

 

PLANAF Su-30MK2 boxart

Su-27UB Boxart

One-piece upper fuselage moulding.

The Su-27UB upper fuselage moulding is different - no IFR probe recess & IRST platform.

It still has the curved moulding found on the J-11B kit...

Lower fuselage - still with slanted main wheel wells.

'Standard' main sprue A - with bonus tailplanes, single-seat cockpit tub, airbrake, nosewheel, radome etc.

Standard main sprue B.

Su-30MKK specific sprues - with taller tailplanes, cockpit tub & airbrake, instrument panels and nosewheel.

Weapons sprues - Kh-31P and R-77......

.... pylons and Sorbtsiya ESM pods.

....R-27 & R-73 missiles.

Windscreen & canopy - both with mould seams down the centre.

The Su-30MKK fin is a tad too short.

Painting guide - Su-30MK2 of the 4th Fighter Division, 10th Air Regiment based at Ningbo-Zhuangqiao.

Su-30MKK of the Fligt Test & Training Centre, Cangzhou-Cangxian.

Main decal sheet.

Weapons decal sheet.

Instrument panel decals.

Stencilling decals.

Fixing the fins - first remove the bottom....

... then add a 3mm strip of plastic card - fixing the L/E intake at the same time.

Cockpit - instrument panels are decals.

Correcting the blow-in doors.

Unpainted starboard fin left, altered port fin right.

Difference in fins - Su-30MKK is far too short!

Upper and lower fuselage halves glused - radome added.

Su-30MKK upper fuselage moulding has IFR probe recess.

The underside recess needs packing out...

.... and a bit of filler.

Cockpit decals.

The port intake fits better than the starboard one.

A bit of filler is needed to blend in the nosecone.......

..... and the air brake.

Almost ready for painting.....

White plastic card shows modifications to fins.

Side profile showing overall shape.

Side view comparison.

Different tails - Su-27UB/Su-30K left, Su-30MKK right.

Two different Flankers.

Plan view comparison

Su-27UB - 'converted' into IAF Su-30K.

IAF Su-30K undersides.

Hundreds of decals applied to the Su-30MKK...

Trumpeter's decals are excellent.

The modified, taller fins.

Finished Models

Su-30MKK

Fully armed ready to go.....

The white-painted Kh-59M anti-ship missiles and associated ARK-9 designator pod are from the ICM missile set.

Although shown on Trumpeter's box art, the Kh-59M is not included in the kit.

All tooled up and ready to go.....

This view shows the modified fins.

Su-30K

Indian Air Force Su-30K sporting the temporary markings applied to celebrate 50 years of independence.

The decals are from the excellent Begemot sheet 72-025 - 'Flanker family (1)'.

The model is based on the Trumpeter Su-27UB kit - but with the Su-30MKK upper fuselage and windscreen.

The real aircraft featured a roughly applied colour scheme.

Fin comparison - corrected Su-30MKK at left, 'standard' Su-27UB fin at right.

The latest two from Trumpeter - Su-27UB (converted to Su-30K) at left, Su-30MKK at right.

Ken Duffey

June 2012