Part 1 - Soviet Heavy Metal - Tupolev Tu-128M Heavy Interceptor WIP
Let's do this.
The new Trumpy kit is the starting point. It is fair to say the overall shape is recognizable as a Tu-128. There are though, who would have thought, some size and shape issues....more on that later.
The new Trumpy kit is the starting point. It is fair to say the overall shape is recognizable as a Tu-128. There are though, who would have thought, some size and shape issues....more on that later.
Sorting parts at first as always
The surface detail is quite nice and crisp, expectable for a 2018 kit. The R-4 missiles are surprizingly "usable"
I started with the nose gear. The overall shape is recognizable....from a distance. If you compare it with original pics though there are some distinctive parts and struts simply ignored, some are pure fantasy, some are incorrectly attached.
Hypodermic needle for shock absorber, better than any silver paint or foil
Old scrap parts are a wonderful source for detailing stuff
Operation table
As an example for scrap part recycling, the middle part of this MG resembled a nose gear part very well
so it was cut out and modified
MG42 on a Tu-128, why not!
Wiring
It all ended in a one day detailing frenzy
All fueled by unfortunately very good walkaround pictures 😄
Nosegear doors. Eduard PE does is a hell of an improvement over the kit parts! Btw these are two separate doors which were molded as one.
edge of inner flaps needs to be sharper
Outer flaps and inner aileron were molded in one piece...no no
Let's move on to the size issues...
Overall the kit is a bit oversized
Quite a bit..
I measured and corrected the plans to be exactly 1:72 (checked with the printed on scale to comparison and also the airplane dimensions)
Nosecone is too long
counterchecked with a different drawing, same story
There is not really much you can do about the overall size issues, might as well build a new model from scratch. Some parts are quite easily correctable. I intend to correct features and details of the airplane which are more noticeable and do determine the overall shape of it
Shortening the nose is a little surgery which also makes placing some noseweight easier
OK after further studying the material about this plane I found two another issues of the kit definitely worthy of improving
First construction site, and the major one...the intakes
The intakes have movable intake spikes...
...which are resting on these "backing plates"
This is what Trumpy provides. The outer shape of the intake is quite good, the inner walls though are too straight, the original have a slight bend to them
The greater issue is the cone. What Trumpeter tried to achieve is depict the cone in the outermost position.
Which is plausible, yet most "parked" aircraft had their cones retracted.
Here comes the catch, instead of moving just the cone forward, they did it with the entire "backing plate"
...which is WRONG, as comrade instructor is showing us.
not to mention the fact, that the cone is wrong in it's size and shape and "glued" to the inner walls of the intake.
I started with making the new cones, starting point were kit leftovers in the appropriate shape and appearance.
"turning" the front of the spike
and the other half of it
Second part of the operation was forming the "backing plate" to the right shape. The marked areas have to be removed somehow.
But first reinforcing the inner side with some 1mm styrene sheet an super glue
Risky thing to do, tried to minimize the damage by masking off adjacent areas with thick dymo tape
but eventually...
the white part is the reinforcemend sheet from behind
the white part is the reinforcemend sheet from behind
Second "construction site". The front part of the aerodynamic main carriage "pods" at the wings is too short at the lower side
I noticed that the inner pylons looked a little different in the kit that at the original.
Top one is from the kit, bottom is modified
Top one is from the kit, bottom is modified
Further comparison suggested the wrong shape of the pods and hence the pylons
So modus operandi was glueing an "extension" from scrap parts at the front. Also apllied some "fences" from polystyrene as support and guidance for applying putty.
The tape makes clean working and result a relatively easy task
Putty material is my own mix of automotive polyester putty and polyester resin.
Nail sanding sticks, great stuff for modeling 👍
The result. With the strategic usage of tape all the surroundings remained almost untouched and undamaged. All the panel lines are still there
Not really a "necessary" improvement but i wanted to do it anyway, just for fun I guess. Which I had and I am really happy with the result!
before
after
As I said earlier, the model is a bit oversized in general
Glueing the fuselage parts together was quite a bit tricky because of the concave surface. Also some rescribing will be needed as you can see
Fin is really good from the kit, except the oversized part. Only added the little actuator for the trim.
But let's get to something more challenging...Original.....aaand drum roll...
kit part....*sad trumpet sounds*
to their credit, they provided the nozzle also in the opened position
The actuator ring lacks any depth whatsoever and there is no detail on the nozzle segments
I laid some hope on Eduard's PE solution
A bit better for sure but still no detail on the segments
and something needed to be done about the actuator ring.
I cut out a strip fom PE scraps, wrapped it around and with some soldering..
..cleaning and sanding afterwards
that was the result
quite a lot better, but there was still detail missing on the individual flaps "flaps"
...which was made from styrene strips
cut to shape
not perfect but helluva lot better 👍
She's coming together!
Found another way to make my own life a misery...
This "step", indicated by the arrow isn't supposed to be there. The hull of the model is curved inside at the bottom, as indicated by the red marking. It should however go down more in a straight fashion.
This "step", indicated by the arrow isn't supposed to be there. The hull of the model is curved inside at the bottom, as indicated by the red marking. It should however go down more in a straight fashion.
As you can see here, the hull is "vertical" above the wing, the inner flap is directly perpendicular to it, without any "step"
even better seen here
So this area above the wing needs to be filled.
Masking off the surroundlings is really imortant otherwise it will be a huge mess
Like this you can keep the damage to the surrounding areas in check
The step at the bottom however is present but it does not end at the edge of the flap, so it needs to be a bit longer.
So, more putty...
and the result after sanding.
Some panel lines were lost in the battle but as I said with the help of masking tape you substantually minimize the damage
Pretty happy with the result but the final picture will emerge after application of some filler...
"Nosejob" shortening finished. Hat to sand off ~5mm at the base. A little putty an it'll look like new
Wing-fuselage transition looking good
Other side too
Almost forgot the front wheelbay when glueing the front to the rest of the body...
Also notice the total lack of any airducts.
Also notice the total lack of any airducts.
Dashboard from Eduard's PE set looks pretty sharp. Navigator cockpit
Pilot's dashboard
Side panels with some 3D effect. There are virtually no pictures of the Tu-128 cockpit online, just a couple b/w in very bad quality so you have to trust Eduard on this one. But it looks rather nice....with levers 'n $hit
Neomega seats also arrived. Here compared to the kit part. No contest, although the casting quality isn't terribly great
Let's get back to the intake modification...
As I mentioned the inner walls need to be made new from scratch because the old ones were the wrong shape.
0,3mm Styrene sheet was used
Looks really messy pre-cleanup but here you already recognize the little bend in the inner walls which was absent in the kit part
Left before cleanup, right after. The edge has to be thinned down considerably
Not perfect, but a great improvement over the kit
After all this panel line destruction and putty orgy I wanted to do something relaxing, something simple, like....attaching the ailerons. Because what could go wrong, right?
I did notice these offset pins before but did not give them a second glance. Turns out Trumpeter in their infinite wisdom decided to mold the two outer aileron hinges in an offset position at top and bottom. I believe it was done in order to prevent the stupid and careless modeler to mix up the left and the right part.
I did notice these offset pins before but did not give them a second glance. Turns out Trumpeter in their infinite wisdom decided to mold the two outer aileron hinges in an offset position at top and bottom. I believe it was done in order to prevent the stupid and careless modeler to mix up the left and the right part.
sighh....here we go again
While I was at it I further modified the ailerons. Added some missing detail. The trim was cut out and the aileron itself shortened in depth. The actuator casing for the trim was added, it was missing completely.
Just another day of work, no problem...
Let's talk about the inner flaps...
While on top they seem to be reasonably ok
The lower part is a whole different story. They should be longer on the lower side constructionwise.
Trumpeter again oversimplified things, designed the part as a single homogenic unit at top and bottom to be attached to the assembled wing with some half-assed engraving to "simulate" the rest of the flap and called it a day.
At this point I honestly just wanted to scream into my pillow, but instead I took out my Dremel, saw blades and milling heads and started working.
This is how the working table looks mid-battle. Updates following soon..
The elongated flaps shaped with 2k polyester putty, surfacer 500 on top. Looking good...
Added missing details, hinges and stuff, rescribed. Looks even better 👍
The "updated" lower wing in all its glory
Here is another thing I am not happy about with the kit. The transition between wing fence and weapons pylon.
The transition is smooth, there is no gap whatsoever. The pylon btw appears to be "split", there is a disctinctive offset between the upper and lower part
So I split the pylon in two, the white strip is to compensate the lost material due to sawing
The gap is filled with a PS strip
The pylon tip shaped pointy
Just a little example to sum up Trumpeter's research "efforts" when designing this kit...
The Tu-128 has a two man flight crew, pilot in the front, navigator in the back. The pilot in the front has a YOKE type of steering, the navigator in the back has NO control stick WHATSOEVER
The Tu-128 has a two man flight crew, pilot in the front, navigator in the back. The pilot in the front has a YOKE type of steering, the navigator in the back has NO control stick WHATSOEVER
Trumpeter however provided a STICK type steering for BOTH cockpits! 👍
Let's make our own from scrap parts, shall we? Not that we get bored with this kit or anything....
kit and scratch
For some unknown reason Trumpeter decided to ignore this strut on the front canopy
Evergreen to the help!
Unfortunately it is not looking better for Trumpy as the build progresses, let's get to the rear end...
The real thing has all kinds of detail back at the horizontal stabilizer attachement point
First of all, there are quite noticeable intakes in front of the stabilizers
There are also noticable openings in the fuselage. The rusty "screw" sticking out appears to be part of a linear actuator which moves the stabilizer a couple of degrees up or down.
The elevator is very noticeably separated.
Let's see what Trumpeter is offering us, shall we?
.....
..........
Thanks Trumpeter!
First of all, the "bulges" need to be wider at the bottom, therefore i apply a strip of styrene. The little tube is basis for the intake
The transition at the top has to be aligned with putty
This is looking promising...
cut the round tube diagonally, drilled and sanded carefully to come close to the original look
All of it is still too "smooth". Marking for the cuts.
Some risky dremel work later, left the hinge, right the actuator screw is sticking out
The elevator needs to be sepatated
Careful surgery with a CMK saw
and cleanup. Notches for the hinges cut out
Added some detail, hinges and stuff.
Looking definitely more like the original, should look even better when painted
close-up of the actuator part
The "bulges" were made with a UV glue pen, a criminally underrated tool in modelling
After this whole correction ordeal finally found some peace painting the Neomega KT-1M ejection seats...
The transition between the vertical stabilizer and the fuselage should be very smooth, almost round. The model had an ugly gap there. I used UV glue as putty and it works terriffic!
20 seconds drying time, just went over it with some fine sanding cloth and it's perfect..
Adding last details like this little intake, which was ignored in the kit
The inside of the windshield has some noticeable detail I wanted to recreate
Additionally there is a very peculiar looking "double barrel shotgun" air intake at the front. The kit provides just a plastic hump at this spot.
Hypodermic needles come in quite handy
Rescribing and riveting time!
After laying down a base coat with AKs Primer and Microfiller it emerged - a HUGE amount of panel lines were lost during the construction process and improving the flaws of the kit.
The belly suffered a lot, partucularly because of the seamline that was running down the concave fuselage part in the back area
The positions of the construction lines, sheets and hatches were pre-drawn with a pencil...
...and engraved with a scribing tool
Templates in the right size were a big help to recreate the various little hatches
A sturdy, but flexible tape is a good guidance for the scribing tool
Same tape was used as guidance for riveting
pre-drawn rivet lines
If you look closely, the Tu-128 is simply a sea of rivets, like you see on this heavily corroded prototype. Recreating all of them would require: A. Much more detailed construction drawings with all the rivet data B. Several weeks of extra work. It just wouldn't be feasible
There are though some prominent and clearly visible rivet rows which you see from a "1:72" distance, which ones I intend to recreate.
this is some finicky work...
..bu I think it adds to the character of this airplane
For this task I used the crappy Trumpeter (of course) riveting tool, but also built my own. The one to the right was crafted from an old pair of compasses and a watch gear wheel, the both to the left are corner tool "redesigned" from the Trumpeter set
There are hardly any photos of the inside of the canopy, but what was visible was a frame structure and some kind of insulation padding, often seen in Soviet cockpits. The framework is from Evergreen strips, the padding is made from Miliput.
There is a variety of big and small in- and outlets at the lower back end of the Tu-128, these were entirely ignored in the kit
The teeny back ones I made from scratch..
The big ones were looted from various Quickboost aftermarket intake sets
The early "M" version still had this "handrail" antenna on the starboard in the front. You guessed it, Trumpeter completely ignored it as well.
The Eduard PE set does provide a solution, but the designers probably caught the Trumpeter virus as well, while working in it. It is way too short, wrongly shaped and the number of struts is one too much.
The Eduard PE set does provide a solution, but the designers probably caught the Trumpeter virus as well, while working in it. It is way too short, wrongly shaped and the number of struts is one too much.
Let's make one from scratch then, eh?
Final fitting of the stabilizers
And we officially are at the painting stage...
The few existing top and bottom photos of this beast show large dark areas on top and bottom of the wings.
These as well as other panels which are distinctively dark in appearance i want to recreate using this peculiar preshading method. Some panels were masked off with tape, some pre sprayed with black and masked off with the pre cut panel masks by New Ware before spraying grey around the corners to make them sharp.
Before applying any metal tones I sprayed several layers of Mr. Metal Primer (which is essentially a gloss coat). This gets rid of (almost) all the micro scratches and irregularities on the surface and gives the following metal paint a great basis.
First of many layers applied
I use AK Xtreme Metal, first shade was Aluminium
To breathe some life into the almost uniform metallic surface we need to work on individual panels. Here one is being masked off.
Alternatively the "Post-It" method xomes in handy. You make quick progress and the sticky surface is exactly right not to damage the sensitive metal paint
I work with very little paint and pressure, just accentuating individual panels, the trick is not to overdo it.
Like this we create some "life" on the monotone metal surface.
I used several metal tones from AK Xtreme Metal like Aluminium, Dark Aluminium, Duraluminium, Steel
It is hard to tell from the few coloured photos of this plane what shade of green was used exactly for the beaker. I went with a mixture of Tamiya XF-5 and X-28 and it seems reasonable to me.
The tail antenna covers were painted as well instead of using the decals. Photoetched scribing templates were used as masks.
Glare shield was taped off
Shiny!
I intend to build this particular machine which I found a couple of good photos of. Some research later confirmed the fuselage number "17" to be blue.
A different era where the far north and east borders of the huge country where the installation and maintaining of stationary Air defence complexes was impractical these beasts were controlling the skies 24/7 agains the constant presense of US bombers and recon planes
Custom made decals
The stars from the kit are quite passable in size, so I use them. Cut them out to avoid any risk of silvering.
The metal surface looks shiny, pretty and all but that is not how the machines looked like in service! We need a wash.
The wheel bays were natural metal, but coated with some transparent yellowish protective paint. Vallejo's dark yellow wash seems to be perfect for this job.
For the wash I use in this case only water based stuff to avoid any possibility of damaging the sensitive metal paint. Even if there are a couple coats of protective sealer on.
A droplet of dish detergent breaks the surface tension and makes the brown broth cover the whole area effortlessly. So this is quite literally a wash!
Is some sophisticated modeling circles this "bathing" method is frowned upon, but this is how I do it! 😄
When the stuff is dry the surface is wiped carefully with an almost dry cloth
This is not even a panel line wash, it is more of a filter to give the complete surface a slightly dirty, oily look with faint streaks.
That is the greasy heavy metal look I was looking for!
Wash part 2. Here comes the actual panel line wash. Some seams and rivet rows are more prominent than others on this beast. To recreate this I apply undiluted dark grey, again Vallejo water based wash, with a brush to the according areas. This time working as subtle as possible and not covering the whole surface.
After a quick dry the surface is wiped clean with a dry cloth.
This emphasizes some of the rivets and panel lines even more and creates a really nice postshading effect as seen on the actual aircraft.
The masks came surprisingly easily off without any residue considering the fact they were a couple of months on. I used the New Ware set.
Canopies received some detail from the inside. Green thermal insulation made from Miliput, a cockpit lamp for nightly missions, rolled up sunshades on each side...
And a conveniently placed handle
A little outside touch was the little "rearview mirror" at the top
New intake cones fitting. Looks good!
Almost forgot a little detail, some elements of the flap mechanism on the lower side of the wing were painted in green
A nice little touch to the almost uniform metal surface
Inbetween fuselage painting steps I was working on the main gear. It also required some considerable reworking and detailing.
Brake lines applied
Combined with the beautiful Res/Kit wheel set and the irresistible Soviet wheel hub green
Some mild force (gravity) was required to align all 10 wheels with the surface
Nozzle actuator rings. I dipped them into burnishing fluid which resulted in a nice dark brownish patina which really suits the overall nozzle coloration. The outer rim was treated with polishable True Metal paint by AK.
The actuator pushrods were recreated with 0,5mm Styrene
The exhaust area with the slightly oversized rings in all its glory.
Let's talk about the armament. These are not just any missilies the Tu-128 was carrying. During their development they were "tailored" to fit the Tu-128 exclusively. In fact in Soviet nomenclature the carrier plane Tu-128 and the R-4 rockets formed together the "Tu-128S-4 complex".
The "standard equipment" consisted of 2 heat seeking R-4T missiles with a round nose and IR seeker head (protective cap off and on in the picture)...
...and a pointy nosed radar guided R-4R (here with protective cap)
Trumpy provides us with this. Overall shape and size are acceptable, but there is naturally some detail missing and there are subtle, but noticable differences between the two versions that were neglected. The kit rockets are equal except the shape of the nose.
The IR version received a proper seeking head with the proven UV glue method
The cast-on fins were cut off and repositioned with 0,3 mm wire.
Details were added...
...and removed to match each version.
The individual fins ready for the paintjob. Luckily there are enough tweezers!
Aaand disaster struck. Either I was too hasty and did not let the primer dry properly, or applied the paint too thick or both...something went wrong
Nothing a little paint remover can't solve! (No pun intended). So, rinse and repeat (again!)
Final assembly! Gear bay doors attached.
The front of the airplane is a sea of different sensors, antennaes, bits and bobs sticking out. I counted 13
The kit provided some of them but just 1 or 2 were usable. Most of them were reworked or made from scratch or scrap plastic and photoetch parts
like these little bastards
Mid battle scenery
Most prominent part of the sensory equipment is of course the "handrail" antenna on the starboard side
Trumpy didn't even bother to include one in the kit and Eduard's photoetch solution was all wonky and wrong in shape, appearance and dimensions. Since we are on a scratchbuilding marathon anyway....
The struts were made from 0,3 mm styrene sheet, the handrail itself from 0,5mm steel rod
A special treat were these position lights, one is on the top of the fuselage and one at the bottom of the nose. Not a hint of them whatsoever in the kit.
I cut out a "baseplate" from styrene card in the right shape, put a droplet of the trusty UV glue on it and let it cure.
After 10 seconds the stuff is dry as a rock. We can drill a cavity from behind, put some red paint in and we got ourselves some nice position lights with red bulbs 👍
Static dischargers, there are no less than 4 on each horizontal stabilizer! "Master" provides some beautiful turned ones.
The wingtips luckily were content with just a pair on each side.
Every time you already see the finishing line someone decides to throw a stick between your legs...
...like these little bastards
These are part of the missile pylon assembly
Which turned out to be completely mismatched and too wide so the missiles would not fit. I was so angry I forgot to make a picture of it 😄
Anyway, it was a mess and smeared with super glue so the only feasible solution was to repaint them completely. Upon further inspection of walkaround pictures I have noticed additional rails from U-profiles on the underside that I missed the first time. Came in quite handy because they provided additional space for the missiles to fit properly.
So some further working and rebending of the PE parts and glueing them on BEFORE painting that was the result.
Much better
Almost there...
KT-1M ejection seats installed
The pilot still needs something to keep a cool head during long and tense interception missions...
One last part...
Done.
Link to diorama base WIP:
Part 2 - Soviet Heavy Metal - Tu-128 Diorama Base | Album by Alex G. (1:72)
Part 2 - Soviet Heavy Metal - Tu-128 Diorama Base | Album by Alex G. (1:72)
Just to get an idea how huge this bird is.
Both airplanes are categorised as "interceptors"!
The Su-27 is a huge airplane, but even it is dwarfed by the mighty "Tushka"
Hozzászólások
92 22 June 2020, 11:14
Alexander GrivonevHey Łukasz, glad you remembered me! I'm back for quite a while now, just not that productive😄
22 June 2020, 16:03
Slavo HazuchaVery cool, great scratch detailing - one just has to love the grime-covered, oily mechanical assemblies of Russian planes... 🙂
Following with much interest! 👍
23 June 2020, 15:01
Alexander Grivonev"one just has to love the grime-covered, oily mechanical assemblies of Russian planes"
Finally, a soul-mate😄
23 June 2020, 15:55
Slavo HazuchaQuite a captivating story indeed! 👍 New cones definitely looking much more like the real deal! Should I ever stray into 72-scale territory, it would be along some of these (Tu-128, Tu-22M, Tu-160...) Very good to know what to expect in this foreign & hostile environment... 😄
Very much looking forward to the next episodes of the hammering & sickling here!😉
26 June 2020, 11:06
Alexander Grivonev"Should I ever stray into 72-scale territory"
ooor you wait till someone brings them out in 1:48 😄. Hammering and sickling, quite literally!
26 June 2020, 14:06
Thomas KolbWow, that is some impressing model building going on! Definitely not an average shake'n'bake kit!
29 June 2020, 16:02
Alexander GrivonevThanks Thomas,
The kit itself is actually pretty simple and not terribly detailed, I would say almost "underengineered", but that is the problem. It is too simple and you need to get your hands dirty to make a proper representationof the real thing. There are some shape issues and many details are missing.
29 June 2020, 16:22
Slavo HazuchaI guess pic 91 would make even a well established private dentist rather proud 👍 😄
30 June 2020, 13:38
Andy Ballwhat do you use for close up work?, (I have incredible short sight, so I do most of my detail work without my contact lenses in), but still couldn't do those petals!
30 June 2020, 17:04
Alexander GrivonevAm too short sighted but my "normal" glasses do the trick. Didn't need assistance of magnifying glass yet...or electron microscope
30 June 2020, 17:14
Thomas KolbAndy & Alexander, that is pretty much the only perk of being short sighted, so let's use it! Me, when I take out my contacts, I get instant electron-microscope vision, no need for magnifiers! Of course I wouldn't recognize my sweet wife from ten feet away and would walk into walls and fall down stairs, but hey, something's gotta give.
30 June 2020, 20:18
Rui SI'm finding so dificult to believe in this kind and level of detail on 1/72 scale? His this realy possiblel??? Amazing
3 July 2020, 00:17
Slavo HazuchaHey, the hammer was falling with some force here, the comrades fulfilling the norm for 105% and the order of Lenin will be due shortly for all the valiant efforts!!
Stuff looks really great - particularly the details in the CCKPT! 👍 The Neomega seats also represent a mild improvement over the stock material😉 Pleasure to follow, as always when someone is taking on all the pain to compare and convert to proper scale instead of using the "Ferrari method" (in case you do not exactly match the rules, lie...) 😄 I was quite surprised how much the fuselage-wing transition actually helps for the true-to-original impression.
Keep up the good work, looking forward for the next updates! 👍
3 July 2020, 09:58
Andy Ballyou've nailed it in 119, (I suspected the same lack of realism from my build from the photo no.1 in my slide set). "Bravo" to your redesign....also, what's going on in no.120?....is this a special "for ladies-only" calendar shot of "hunky Soviet servicemen"?....the mind boggles!
3 July 2020, 11:22
Alexander GrivonevThanks Rui, Treehugger and Cuajete!
@Slavo: I believe comrade Lenin was long deceased when these things were rolling from the production lines but comrade Brezhnev would have been pleased with the fulfilling of the five year plan!
@ Andy: LOL, I believe the photo was taken for the August 1971 issue of the highly secretive soviet "РLАУGIЯL" magazine, avalable only for the wives of members of the highest ranks in the classless communist society!
4 July 2020, 13:25
Alexander Grivonev@Skywalker and all:
My primary source for drawings is this russian "aviation catalogue" website: www.airwar.ru
It is as the name, a catalogue for aircraft and flying objects of any kind. Many of the topics have drawings attached to them.
Here is the link to the directory: airwar.ru/main.html
At the bottom there are two alphabets listed, one in latin and one in cyrillic (it's double listed, take the first one). These are links to airplane manufacturers. So if you are looking for "Grumman" you klick on "G" but if you are looking for "Tupolev" you have to klick on the cyrillic "T". Just browse a little, you will get accustomed pretty quickly.
On the websites of the individual aircraft you can find links to drawings near the bottom of the page, directly above the pictures. Look for this writing: "чертеж".
As I mentioned not all aircraft have drawings attached to them, but many do and you can find real gems there. Another tip is, if you are looking for the drawing of a particular version of an aircraft, e.g. F-14D Tomcat and you don't find any drawings in the F-14D section, there might be some in other F-14 versions links.
4 July 2020, 13:49
Alexander GrivonevHere is the link for the drawing of the Tu-128:
airwar.ru/other/draw/tu128-2.html
I took it to a print/copyshop and they made me some quality prints on DIN A2 paper.
4 July 2020, 13:54
Spanjaardit needs Russian language skills....or extensive use of google translate. But those pages can be pure gold! thanks Alexander!
4 July 2020, 20:02
Andy Ball@Alexander: It was one rule for the party chicks, and one rule for the tractor factory babes...
4 July 2020, 21:03
Slavo HazuchaIt´s the Soviet airmen trying to become "one" with their aircraft... The best pilots always say their fighting jets are like an extension of the body...😉
7 July 2020, 10:14
Alexander Grivonev@Spanjaard: You do not "need" to translate the whole page, all what is written is some generic info about the aircraft, albeit very detailed and well researched. If you want to just download the drawings look for this word: чертеж😉
7 July 2020, 17:22
Spanjaardwell, since you can navigate and get it automatically translated, it makes it easier 🙂
but thanks for the word 🙂
7 July 2020, 21:04
Alexander GrivonevYeah, or just google the "word" + any aircraft type and you'll get some nice results 👍
8 July 2020, 08:37
Andy Ballgreat progress Alexander...I will share with you my current issue with Humbrol's Clear varnish....it's gone milky in places over my NMF and decals....grrrrr
13 July 2020, 11:52
TreehuggerAndy, I would think that if you just leave it to dry, the white stuff willl clear up. I find the gloss becoming white if moist with water when applying decals. But, I never had any issue with the Humbrol Clear gloss ever being white, anywhere at all after it all dries up. I do make sure to not drench the model with water so I try to soak up excess water with tissue paper when applying decals.
I too would like to see some photos.
13 July 2020, 20:30
Andy Ball@Alexander G @Treehugger: I don't want to hijack this thread for my own: however I have loaded the offensive pictures on my thread "Fiddler-interceptor-take2", any help would be appreciated. Alexander's build is sublime.....thanks for sharing your labours of Hercules....
14 July 2020, 09:21
Slavo HazuchaAs the US in the Cold War with the (perceived) Missile Gap, you discovered the Pylon Gap and prudently closed it, leaving no doubts whatsoever where this journey is headed! 😄 Wherever exactly that may be, it´s pretty far from the original Trumpeter kit! 👍 Looking really good & getting better & better...
14 July 2020, 09:43
Alexander GrivonevHey Slavo, you can't even imagine. The best is yet to come, wait for the updates 🙂
Trumpeter was known for their "inaccuracy" issues and I sincerely hoped a new 2018 tooling would do this airplane justice. But the further the build progresses the more inexplicable errors I encounter. It is a fairly simple kit, but 80% of the construction time was spent to correct Trumpeter's f*ckups and it got really frustrating at times...
14 July 2020, 09:54
Alexander GrivonevAndy, i would rather label it as Sisyphos work, every time I correct something with the hope to start painting soon I find another surprise and start all over again 😄
14 July 2020, 09:55
Andy Ball"carve away your stone....then I can get working on my own"!!, I think the PRC and Trumpeter should award you with some sort of civilian honour!....
14 July 2020, 10:00
TreehuggerNice landing gear. One thing though, I would say, never, ever trust even fancy looking scale drawings. The only way imo you can be sure that stuff is accurate, is if you talk to the one making the drawings, or at least know who drew the drawings, and then getting a good idea if the drawings have been properly copied/reproduced to proper scale and without distortions.
14 July 2020, 10:07
Alexander GrivonevThe drawings I used are from a very well known russian aviation magazine, normally they know what they are doing and during my research I found several sources confirming they are indeed the best ones. The inaccuracy issues I find originate mostly from walkaround pics where you see at the first glance that something is off, additional comparison with the drawing and some "sanity check"confirm the problem.
Generally you are absolutely right, you always have to take the drawing with a pinch of salt and never trust them 100%. The truth is always somewhere in the middle
14 July 2020, 10:25
Pierre Pierrethat s .... just amazing of details and rework. definitively watching
14 July 2020, 21:45
Thomas KolbAlexander, a question, where did you get your APU conversion set? I ordered mine from hobby.dn in Ukraine, but since I have been waiting for over two months now, I guess it got "archived" by Ukrposhta (stolen, contaminated at Chernobyl, ran over by a rocket hauler, eaten by zombies or something like that).
14 July 2020, 23:11
Alexander GrivonevYou are welcome Pierre, watch out for updates in the next days 👍
14 July 2020, 23:21
Alexander GrivonevThomas, I ordered mine in.....wait for it....Ukraine!😄
Ordered it through eBay though, almost 4 weeks ago. Of course not arrived yet. Contacted the seller who said there was a problem at the post office or alike. When I search for my tracking number "Ukrposhta" is telling me it is not found in the system 👍
Luckily I paid with PayPal so I can get my money back in case...
14 July 2020, 23:28
Steven Van DyckYou have to give it some time, guys. I just ordered some North Star (Ukrainian) figures and it took 2 months for them to arrive. Some customers waited for 4 months and got their delivery. Everything is getting here by train. They announced the problems on their site: northstarmodels.com/. The tracking only started after some time, like you said it was not found at first, and then stalled until one day the package was delivered.
15 July 2020, 11:18
Bernhard SchrockI'm stunned what you have done and corrected already. Great job Alexander alias very brave modeler 🙂!
I'm looking for next steps and hope that you will finish this model.
By the way: Picture 162, this is the reason why I will NO MORE build a Trumpeter kit.
15 July 2020, 11:25
Slavo HazuchaLet´s not be all too negative here... It´s all improvements on the original design... Doubled-up cockpit controls... Increased upper-angles visibility for the pilot... Streamlined stabilizer & rear section!!!
Trumpeter is trying to be pro-active and interpret the true intentions of Tupolev OKB instead of brainlessly reproducing the good, but here & there mildly compromised final product... 😄
For those who - ignorantly - reject these improvements, options remain open... surely you can use the redundant second stick to model the yoke type controls for the pilot! And do the rest... kind of yourself... 😄
15 July 2020, 12:37
Alexander GrivonevBernhard is "stunned", right 😄. Mr. "No part is left unmodified" himself. If I reach half of your level one day, I will be happy!
Btw ordered Trumpeters newly molded Tu-22 and what do you know, even without drawings you see it is the same half-assed approach. Just awful. I'd rather go with the old Esci kit. The Trumpy "thing" goes back to the seller.
Lol Slavo, nothing to add there 👍 👍
15 July 2020, 17:24
Bernhard SchrockEben die sehr elegante Lösung für Aileron Ansatz gesehen. Chapeau! Was für einen Füller/Spachtel hast du benutzt? P.S. wollte etwas Gescheites als dank für Dein Lob schreiben, bin aber so platt, dass mir einfach nix Angemessenes einfallen will ????
15 July 2020, 18:59
Alexander GrivonevFür solche Arbeiten benutze ich grundsätzlich 2K-Polyesterspachtel aus dem Automobilbereich. Je nach Bedarf gebe ich auch etwas Polyesterharz hinzu, um die Konsistenz zu verändern (mehr Harz=flüssigere Konsistenz). Stellt meiner Meinung nach sämtliche 1K Modellbauspachtel meilenweit in den Schatten, Plasto und co. benutze ich schon seit Jahren nicht mehr. Verarbeitung ist etwas "tricky", da der Spachtel je nach Härterzugabe maximal 10 Minuten verarbeitbar ist, trocknet aber dafür sehr schnell.
15 July 2020, 19:09
Bernhard SchrockSlavo: you are absolutely right! We should actually be grateful to Trumpeter because like this we can all be really creative 🙂
15 July 2020, 19:12
Bernhard Schrock2K. Ok. Wie haftet er an der Oberfläche? Bröckelt nicht ab insbesondere beim Gravieren? Vor vielen Jahren benutzte ich sehr gerne den 2K von Tamiya. Weiße Basis und eine kleine Grüne Tube mit Härter. Leider wurde es ausm Programm genommen 🙁
15 July 2020, 19:38
Andy BallHey guys, If you want to see the "control-group" - that is how Trumpeter wanted it to look,straight from the box- have a look at mine! (Now feeling inadequate ????????)
15 July 2020, 20:19
Alexander GrivonevAndy, I honestly hope some guys from Trumpeter will see this WIP and feel inadequate or at least take notice. Kits like these are an insult to their customers. I am dead serious.
Bernhard, der Spachtel haftet sehr gut an der Oberfläche, schließlich wird er normalerweise beim Ausbessern von Karosserieschäden verwendet, u.a. an Türen, die dauernd zugeknallt werden. Alle Spachtelmassen sind von Natur aus etwas bröckelig, wenn die durchgetrocknet sind, dieser ist keine Ausnahme. Wobei dieser hier ebenfalls allen herkömmlichen Spachtelmassen den Schneid abkauft. Ein paar Lagen Grundierung oder Mr. Surfacer drauf und es lässt sich wunderbar gravieren 👍 Den 2K Spachtel von Tamiya kenne ich nicht, aber dieser kommt auch mit einer kleinen Härtertube. Meiner ist der Polyester-Feinspachtel von Presto, gibt es fast in jedem Baumarkt. Harz ist auch von dieser Marke.
15 July 2020, 21:18
Andy BallSo Alexander: what's a UV glue pen?, and thell me more about the Dremel in terms of its abilities?
16 July 2020, 21:55
Alexander GrivonevHey Andy,
Well it's a "pen" filled with the glue itself and a UV LED attached to it. You apply the glue, irradiate it with the UV light for 10-20 seconds and it is dry, solid and clear. It sucks as glue imho, but it is awesome for other applications in modeling like making clear lights (I will refer to it later in this WIP) or even as putty. I sealed the gap between the aileron and the fuselage on my Tu and it worked terriffic! You can sand or carve the material and, like I said, it is dry after 10-20 seconds.
Just google "UV glue pen", you'll find the right thing
[img1]
17 July 2020, 10:28
Thomas KolbAlexander, i once tried it as glue, but it was completely useless so I ended up tossing it into the trash. What a pity, I never thought of using it for modelling stuff!
17 July 2020, 10:37
Alexander GrivonevThey are pretty cheap, you can order one at Ebay from China for 2€ incl. shipping.
17 July 2020, 10:52
Alexander GrivonevLol, I believe shipping from China is faster by now. But you should find it in any good hardware store or on Amazon, it will just cost a couple of Euros more.
17 July 2020, 12:30
Łukasz GlińskiJust a hint: in case your spouse got an UV nail box, that you can just buy the glue itself and borrow the lightbox. Same stuff😉
17 July 2020, 13:12
Derek HuggettA small UV torch or a good sunny window sill will cure the stuff as well (it is actually a resin). Its also useful for casting small parts from home produced moulds or impressions. Just don't try to use it for anything too deep - the UV light has to reach it to set it! 🙂
17 July 2020, 13:24
Thomas KolbNo, it's Ukraine. Here is a recent picture of the Ukranian mail service (I think I can just see my resin kit in the postman's left saddle-bag).
[img1]?resize=509%2C432
17 July 2020, 13:25
Slavo HazuchaYep, that's the picture showing the obligatory return to the depo after "confirming" the recipient cannot be reached... 😄
17 July 2020, 16:09
Andy BallOh my!, Alexander...I'm going (a) to steal your idea in slide 215, (b) praise your attention-to-detail on the rail having one too many slides 219/220...Mine, (once finished), will a teeny bit better for the attention to your detail...
23 July 2020, 17:02
Alexander GrivonevYou may treat yourself, m8!
BTW no updates until end of next week, I am on vacation now, biking across Europe👍
23 July 2020, 19:38
Slavo HazuchaAny hopes for updates in SEP? You have quite a project going on here - looking forward to some progress!😉
1 September 2020, 10:09
Andy BallC'mon Alex...get those a/burners ON!!.....I've finished [my] the 'control group' (the subject Trumpeter wanted you to build ootb)
1 September 2020, 20:30
AlexanderWow, just wow! 😮 Your dedication to to correct all those numerous mistakes is truly remarkable! I hope I can achieve the same quality of scratch-building and such one day.
And going through your album was a joy as well. 😄
2 September 2020, 18:04
Alexander GrivonevHello guys, thanks for your replies and concerns!😄
I took a longer vacation to travel with my bike across Europe, after approx 2000 km I have definitely enough of the saddle, it is time to trade it for the cozy workshop chair! Updates following soon!
10 September 2020, 14:05
Alexander GrivonevGentlemen, I know it's been a while and I really wanted to finish this beast last year but life kinda got in the way. Nevertheless, we are back in business. Buckle up!
3 March 2021, 17:21
Peppy I'm sitting here all slack jaw.
Unreal attention to the details.
Master builder techniques.
WOW.
3 March 2021, 19:10
AlexanderMetal paint job looks awesome! Looks better and better on its road to coming to life. 👍
5 March 2021, 18:03
Ben MThanks for showing how you wash the metal surfaces; I'll try this technique
6 March 2021, 17:39
Andy BallGreat job Alexander! Glad you got your "sweet 17" over the line. Despite your reservations with the kit's accuracy I think it builds into one mean Soviet Mothertrucker.????
7 March 2021, 09:07
Alexander GrivonevThx mates
Just a little disclaimer, Ben: use only at your own risk!! Especially when working with metal paints, make sure to seal the surface before washing.
Hey Andy, sup mate. It does build into something presentable indeed. The hours of dirty work and cursing seem to pay off after all!
7 March 2021, 10:08
Slavo HazuchaPhenomenal work on the metal - obviously you know what you´re doing here 👍 Love the way you achieve such a great result with -so far- fairly subtle differences - top realism in real-time!
Also the "waffle pattern padding" in the cockpit turned out to really "sweet"😉
8 March 2021, 09:42
Alexander GrivonevThx mates.
@Slavo: "obviously you know what you´re doing here" lol, I wish. That was my first proper NMF paintjob, I was sweating bullets to not mess it up and all the hard work before! Even snuck a little MiG-21 project inbetween to "practice"😄 Just glanced over your Japanese Starfi project, terriffic work and fantastic metal job as well👍 Gotta try out that oil paint weathering technique.
8 March 2021, 13:10
Konrad -Now what should I say... everything is said so far. The documentation is just terrific👍! Step by step a lot of details etc. I love it!
Looking really forward to the final steps!
8 March 2021, 13:40
Łukasz GlińskiInteresting, the sludge wash I saw was wiped using wet cloth, not a dry one 😮
I should try it one day too, maybe on my vintage GDR Fitter 😄
8 March 2021, 14:06
Martin Oostrom268 pictures take a while to browse. Worth every second. Great tutorial and performance 👍
8 March 2021, 16:18
Slavo Hazucha@Alex if this was your first proper NMF, then I am really looking forward to the 2nd and 3rd!😉 fortunately, the range of options is quite extensive... & thx for the Starfi mention, that was great fun indeed - and also my first larger-scale NMF apart from jobs on engines & co (not counting some childhood builds of East-German kits which provided "silver" color in a small metal tube 😄)...
8 March 2021, 18:09
Alexander GrivonevThanks guys!
Konrad, I like to document each of my builds extensively. You would be shocked to know this is just the tip of the iceberg😄 But I choose the best pics for you guys.
Łukasz, for the first "full body" wash the cloth is just a tad moist. But really minimal, you don't want to smear the soapy sludge around, you want to get most of it off. Since it is a water based wash it goes off rather easily. Here and there I "moist" the surface with my breath (like when you are cleaning your glasses) or put a couple of droplets of water on the cloth but that's it.
Slavo, I built a MiG-15 a couple of years ago in a NM finish (which was okay-ish) and except a couple of "youth sins" from 20 years ago there is nothing much to report. That was the first one where I gave a little more "effort"
8 March 2021, 20:09
Rui SI agree with Martin and all above. Excellent detailling/paint work and documentation 👍
8 March 2021, 20:56
Gary VictoryTrully inspirational work. Fantastic attention to detail. Thank you for sharing your work
Alexander.
9 March 2021, 07:51
Palo MEngines are looking great! Will the laid back comrade dude with fashionable ear muffs be present in the diorama?
10 March 2021, 09:22
Alexander GrivonevHey Palo, I did not plan to implement human figures into my diorama, but that would be actually a great idea! Just for the size comparison because it eludes sometimes how frickin huge this bird actually is. The hardest part would probably be finding a fitting figurine.
10 March 2021, 11:10
AlexanderThese are a lot of tweezers, lol. Can't wait to see the finished missiles. 👍
10 March 2021, 18:18
Alexander Grivonev@Alexander: I bought them in bulk for a good price, just in case...and what do you know, the case occured!
Thx Gordon!
12 March 2021, 13:01
Bernhard SchrockAre you surgeon Alexander? You patience especially with the rails is very remarkable!
13 March 2021, 16:17
Bernhard PetheIt's gigantic, what has come about here. 👍 On the other hand, I can throw mine in the garbage can.
ffmc.de/modelle/flug..128/flugi_tu128.html
13 March 2021, 16:21
Alexander GrivonevThanks both Bernhards!
Mr. Schrock, what a shameless flattering attempt😄 never expected something like this from YOU
Danke Flugi, mit Deinen Werken bin ich vertraut und bitte bitte lass Deine Maschine heil! Freut mich, dass Dir meine Arbeit gefällt👍
13 March 2021, 23:22
Slavo HazuchaYou really picked up some pace 👍 Pro-job on the sensors, the long antenna & all the little ones, static dischargers & co... It will end up more true to Original than the Monino exhibit... 🙂
Since it´s all storming towards a big finale here, I hope you stay on the wave and carry on to something new soon - since your skill-set would obviously be wasted on something like a GWH or AMK kit, I´d love to see you wrestle a Blinder or Bison to full submission & beautiful result!😉
15 March 2021, 10:10
Alexander GrivonevPalo🙂 Just a small last minute idea to mark this mess of a kit as "Complete"
Hey Slavo, a pace it was indeed. Was surprized myself how quickly things moved after the whole remodeling process. Concerning GWH or AMK, a Su-34 in 1:48 is a hot candidate in the nearer future, or do you like to see me suffer ?😄
If I build a Tu-22 it will be NOT the Trumpy kit. Got one, it is a disaster. Simply awful. I understand why there is no review of it. It will be degraded to be a spare parts donor for the Modelsvit kit if I won't manage to sell it beforehand.
I don't know if I'll ever muster enough nerves to tackle one of the Amodel monster kits but if it will be a Bison it's gonna be the VM-T version with the huge fricking d*ldo on the back because why tf not.
15 March 2021, 19:57
Slavo HazuchaMotivating words about the Trumpy´22 - I was thinking about opening a line of Soviet jet bombers in the mid-late 2020´s, will better wait for the 30´s 😄
I am not aware of a 48-scale Su-34 apart from the HB & KH kits - I built the HB one, was my first project after 15+ years break in the hobby & my first proper scalemantes album 🙂, I got a bit over-zealous with the weathering in some parts...
If you consider doing one, the HB is a good start, prominently the nose is prototype, not series, but an easy fix (no need to actually buy a new one...), the Eduart PE are neat and in places actually correct... The kit is a loose blend of prototype-series, but nothing un-fixable, I did some basics, you´d probably explore corners I left aside untouched... Would not want to miss your take on this beauty! 👍
15 March 2021, 20:51
Alexander GrivonevGot the KH in my Stash, gonna go with this one. The HB seems to have quite some accuracy issues according to the reviews. Anyway, can't promise it will be this year. But the Su-34 being one of my favourite military planes for over 20 years and having no model of it is a no-no!
15 March 2021, 21:39
Alexander GrivonevThanks guys for all your comments and likes, the airplane itself is finished, pictures are following soon! Working on a little diorama for it too, working on the airfield service vehicle r/n. WIP will be in a separate album.
15 March 2021, 21:41
Alexander GrivonevRoll Out!
First batch of proper pictures ready, many more to follow including a diorama base. Stay tuned!
Link to WIP Part 2:
WIP *Soviet Heavy Metal* Part 2 - Diorama Base | Album by Alex G. (1:72)
16 March 2021, 20:31
AlexanderAbsolutely astonishing result! 👍 👍 👍 Very lifelike appearance and great weathering, not even including all the effort for correcting the kit which evidently paid off - looking very much forward to the diorama.
16 March 2021, 20:38
Alexander GrivonevThx for all the comments👍. Decided to retake some pictures because I was not happy with the ones from yesterday. Added new ones, some aerial shots and something for size comparizon.
17 March 2021, 18:26
Alexander GrivonevThx again for you lovely comments mates. This bird is indeed inoficially titled the "Biggest interceptor in the world". Rightly so!
20 March 2021, 21:54
Slavo HazuchaThis was a fantastic project to follow, and with a crowning result for all the efforts invested! 👍 Great show, top pics - I am a big fan of Soviet & later Russian aviation and this is one fine specimen, ticking the boxes in all departments! The tour of detailing and modifications was quite unique 👍
Great to put it against other models for size comparison - the lavishly sized Flanker is actually a downsizing effort in the Air Force - as would be the more relatable MiG-31 as well.
Looking forward to see it compared to a bomber some time soon😉
21 March 2021, 12:58
Reaper_leadAbsolutely stunning! I feel like this project warrants an OOB build just to show how much better it looks. One question, is the wash/panel lining covered with a clear coat? If so, how did you get the metal paint to keep its shine?
26 March 2023, 13:37
Alexander Grivonev@Reaper_lead: Thanks, there are some really good OOB builds on this site. All in all the corrections are subtle but necessary to depict this airplane accurately. Especially the wrong intakes stick out like a sore thumb.
Clear coat: yes, I used the fantastic product which is called "Sealer for Metalizer" by Model Master/Testors. Sadly it is not produced anymore and you can hardly get any even if you are willing to pay much money for it. I myself have just half a bottle of it left and just reluctantly used it on this large model. What it does is to protect the metallic surface without ruining the metal effect, it is great.
27 March 2023, 07:07
John BallmanVery impressive. I should take up basket weaving so I can get my self-esteem back in check. Outstanding.
JB
27 March 2023, 08:05
Maciej BellosAlexander, I had that Sealer thing... it just slowly evaporated from the bottle and I never got to use it...
27 March 2023, 08:14
Reaper_lead@alexander thanks for that tip, I just ordered myself a couple of bottles of the stuff. There's still a few hobby shops in America that are selling the stuff online
27 March 2023, 10:31
CarloYou are a fortunate man to be able to build a 1/72 version, I only managed a 1/144 Bonus Anigrand kit which was a nice size of this good looking jet.
27 March 2023, 12:48
Album info
Work in progress of the Tu-128M Heavy Interceptor
Trumpeter kit
Part of my snowy diorama: Part 2 - Soviet Heavy Metal - Tu-128 Diorama Base | Album by Alex G. (1:72)
