The fit on this model had me working very hard from every direction. For example, on the tailplane, there was a locator tab that didn’t seem to have a matching hole. The result was that I accidentally mounted the horizontal stabilizer inverted. I had to carefully prize it off and clean the parts before remounting it and adding the vertical stabilizer and tail struts.

I applied most of the paint scheme before final assembly. A second-line R.A.F. type, (post-1941) called for a medium gray/olive green upper surfaces (Testors 1163 Flat Gray for the gray and my suicide stew bottle of mostly Pactra olive greens for the green) and “Sky” undersides (a mix of Testors 1162 Flat Blue and Model Master FS36375 Light Ghost Gray).

To me, AFV Modeller is one of THE finest armor model magazines on the planet. Issue 54 continues their great tradition of providing the reader with well written articles of superbly built models and dioramas, beautifully photographed and printed on high quality paper, along with a nice sprinkling of informative reviews covering the latest books, kits and model accessories.

This month’s cover article is by Bruno Carsuzaa, detailing the construction and weathering of a Trumpeter 1/16^th scale T-34/76 Soviet tank. The kit is built as a knocked out example, one side having burned so that the rubber is missing from the road wheels. The back of the turret has been blown out, and the entire vehicle is beautifully weathered in rust, as part of a diorama depicting a German slit trench. Completing the scene are two German soldiers, by Verlinden and Stormtroopers.

Background

The Sukhoi Su-27, known to many in the west as the Flanker, is one of the Soviet forth generation fighters. It was designed to equal or surpass western fighters such as the F-14, F-15, F-16 and F-18. The Su-27 is larger and heavier then the similar appearing MiG-27 and provides excellent performance, easy handling and easy maintenance. It is a favorite at air shows due to its size and the stunning maneuvers that it can perform, including the “Cobra”.

The Kit

This kit of the Su-27 features the markings of the “Russian Knights” aerobatic team and is produced by ICM Models. ICM Models is located in the Ukraine and produce aircraft, armor, vehicle and figure models in various scales. I am familiar with some of their WW II subjects and I feel that they make one of the best models of the Polikarpov I-16. Their Zvena kit is also pretty good.