History

The Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker-C is a two-seat, twin-engine, multi-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air, and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions, developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. The Su-30 started out as an internal development project in the Sukhoi Su-27 family. The design plan was revamped and the name was made official by the Russian Defense Ministry in 1996.

While the original Su-27 had good range, it still did not have sufficient range for the Soviet Air Defense Forces, which needed to cover the vast expanse of the Soviet Union. The development began in 1986 on the Su-27PU, an improved-capability variant of the Su-27 capable of serving as a long-range interceptor or airborne command post. The two-seat Su-27UB combat trainer was selected as the basis for the Su-27PU, because it had the performance of a single-seat Su-27 and long-range missions require two crew members.

History

The F-6D was a standard P-51D Mustang that was converted to photo-reconnaissance after completion. 126 P-51Ds built at Inglewood, California were converted to F-6Ds. The conversion consisted of 3 major items:

1. An oblique camera mounted in the side of the fuselage.
2. A vertical camera mounted in the bottom of the fuselage.
3. A radio direction finder with an added loop antenna on the rear fuselage.

After I received the QuickBoost F-6 conversion, I decided I would like to build a famous aircraft, if possible. In my search through the internet, I found a very interesting, if little known, Photo Mustang.

For decades, Kalmbach Publishing has given us FineScale Modeler Magazine – a virtual staple for thousands of modelers worldwide. Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of outstanding “how to” articles in FSM designed to share fundamental and advanced modeling techniques. Often times, these “essentials” are relegated to shelves and boxes for later reference, and many times their subject matter spans multiple issues, slimming the odds of finding all applicable information years later. What could be better than compiling all of those golden nuggets of modeling know-how into a series of books for quick and easy reference to the modeler?