Slavo Hazucha Russkie colors tones are peculiar slippery eels, quite like the man leading the country for some time now...

It may be close to the eggplant tone, hard to tell on splinter camo pics, but I think the prototype camo color has a more genuine blue touch...

There is also something fundamentally wrong with the eggplant color's material quality, just drop "Su-34 Syria" into Google and browse the pics - after a week in the sun, the Fullbacks look worst than the old Su-24's standing next to them...

Michael Phillips Indeed Slavo, and I agree the prototype is definitely a bit bluer, but has a similar L* value hence the reason I even mentioned it.

An interesting thread on ARC Forums discussed this color. Although not really pertinent to this build, it is worth checking out if one ever does want to use that color for an Su-30SM, Su-34, or Su-35 build.

arcforums.com/forums/air/ind..4-and-the-winner-is/page/12/

Sorry to derail your thread a bit Donald!

Slavo Hazucha Since it´s derailed allready, let´s ponder on it a bit, I think the topic is quite interesting...

Michael I checked the thread and it´s a good discussion I think - I actually want to do one "eggplant" Sukhoi in the mid-future (maybe another 34, one of the checking the Kitty hawk kit, or a 30SM, so I follow your works closely - will see...).

My very personal conclusion is that the color:

A: has very strongly changing "blue/violet" component depending on light conditions
B: fades rapidly and loses most of the "A" component in the process, ultimately turning to "simple grey" within time

I think all planes in this color are affected, the more UV they get, the paler/grey the color (which must be of really low quality, since the paling quickly occurs "wildly" irregular on one plane in harder conditions...). The MRP tone IMHO is correct for "brand new few hours out of the paint shop" - older planes already have some fading in them, although unless in "accelerated conditions" as the Syria Su-34, this may happen evenly on the entire plane and do not appear as "weathering".

I really think the RAL 7015 color comparison is taken on a plane that already suffered some paling, so my humble conclusion is that it is a legitimate color choice, depicting a realistic state of this color on a plane of certain age in certain light conditions

My personal approach in painting therefore is to take one particular photo I really like and try to capture the "spirit" of that picture/machine as well as I can, +/- reasonably freely diverting from exact color numbers and adding drops of black/white/blue/yellow to grey tones to get what pleases my eye

Donald Dickson II Michael, no problem at all my friend! These discussions help everyone who reads them. Plus I havent really done anything on it the last couple days anyway. LOL

As I said, were this one for me, I would be doing the plum color. I have Academy's SU-27(which needs a correction nose I believe???) in the stash. I may do that one plum if its appropriate.

Slavo Hazucha Well, while many things are possible in post-Soviet Russia, a Russian Su-27 in eggplant grey - while not entirely unimaginable as some pro-active DIY-repaint - would be quite an oddity...

According to my best knowledge only 30, 34 and 35's in the late 2000's and through 2010's got the color and it got discontinued after unceasing criticism of being "Too NATO-like" and now it's back to camouflages...

Maciej Bellos Joining in late, in what appears to be an interesting conversation. Definately a source of info for my 72nd Su-35S build.

Donald Dickson II Slavo, I was hoping you would say you knew of an exception damn it. LOL I guess, when I get to it, it will be the 3 blue pattern.

Maciej, this is exactly why I love these conversations. Always learning from the masters.

Donald Dickson II Between jumping from this to the Yellow Submarine and back and having bench time restricted to how long the puppy can remain downstairs with me before getting into hazmats, progress has been slow. BUT, the cockpit is done! I made "straps" to hold the folded belts out of lead and used blue marker. Better than just having straps magically remaining folded against gravity. LOL

Donald Dickson II Welcome sir! I am pretty sure this one is gonna take a while. But truly a labor of love.

Holger Kranich Is modeling and love not always connected? I am looking forward!

Donald Dickson II So, I was going through the kits to see what I might need when I get to this build. I hadnt really perused the Valom kits yet. WOW! Resin seamless intakes, resin nose with all the camera windows, PE, seemingly well molded. I am REALLY itching to get at these now!

Nathan Dempsey Wow, this is going to be awesome.

Łukasz Gliński Very cool topic, will follow. Wondering how the Jolly Green Giant will turn out as I'm still afraid to re-rivet mine, hence it's still waiting in the stash.
Just in case - I have set of spare Dakota flaps from Eduard than I don't need

Donald Dickson II Lukas, I dont mess with rescribing and the like(unless I destroy stuff sanding). They actually got it pretty much right even back in 70. They are rivet monsters as you can see in the pic.

Donald Dickson II I have about 80% of what I will need. I believe I will be starting at least the AC here soon.

Donald Dickson II OK, so once the SU-35 is done, this will be on the bench. Got most everything I need aside from a frame and the like for the base. But I need the planes together so I know what size to make it.

Donald Dickson II OK, for a change of pace. I am a good father and have taught my children well. My youngest son is a big Beatles fan. So when this came up on the FB model auction site, Scale Model Graveyard, I snagged it. I have not been feeling it lately with modeling, so something simple build wise will be refreshing I think. The painting wont be quite so simple, but I enjoy painting the most out of the steps in a build.

Zach Wilson fascinated by this idea

Łukasz Gliński Hang on, is there a scale kit of the Yellow Sub?

Donald Dickson II My apologies, I failed to add the kit. I have corrected that now. There certainly is a kit of it Lukasz.

Mike Sleger Great, now I'll be humming that song for the rest of today.

Łukasz Gliński Incredible

Donald Dickson II https://bing.com/videos/sear..;view=detail&FORM=VRAASM

Donald Dickson II OK, I was wrong abut an easy build. This was clearly meant to be nothing but a toy. Wind up crank to cause the propeller (should be two, but will stick with the single) to spin. Wheels on the bottom to push it across the floor. Side doors never meant to close flush. Gaps and holes that have no discernible purpose. Just wow.

Bob Hall [img1]

Donald Dickson II If this looks even remotely OK I will be surprised.

Donald Dickson II Thank you Paul. I greatly appreciate that insight!

Donald Dickson II This one is packed back up and on indefinite hold.

Holger Kranich Why?

Donald Dickson II Not feeling it Holger. Just blah. Its a great kit, but I need to leave it be until I am ready to put the effort in.

Holger Kranich Understandable!

Palo M Oh, wow. Missed this one. Definitely following.

Donald Dickson II Palo, not sure when I will get back into it.

Palo M That's ok, I have the same problem with mine. You'll still be most likely finished before I even start

Daniel Very nice this livery is sure to draw attention

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen.

Slavo, yeah, you can not see the FOD covers from the angles I took the pics. I took them out of my Revell E kit I havent built yet. I checked all my other 15 kits. NOt a single one aside from the Revell comes with FOD covers. So much for the "high end" guys being so much better. *eye roll* A couple ounces of lead in the intakes and poof!

Slavo Hazucha So the screaming eagle swallowed a bowl of lead? Glad the LG did not break down with all that new weight!

Donald Dickson II LOL I was careful about setting it down, trust me.

Clifford Keesler I agree it really turned out nice. Well done. Did you use Light and Dark Ghost gray?

Martin Oostrom Lead gives you a severe tummy ache. Eagles are a protected species, not nice to feed them lead
Bird looks great Donald

Donald Dickson II Martin, we will keep that our secret.

Clifford, light ghost and regular dark gray.

Clifford Keesler Got it, thanks.

Donald Dickson II I think I may dig into this after the F-15 build for a change of pace.

Tim Heimer Me too Don! WYF! They don't hit????

Jeff Flint Because Charlie Kaman ordered them not to hit. At least that's what my dad told me.

Tom ... Wow, I never knew such a hello existed. Looks totally terrifying! Sorry to hear about Lexi. So sad.

Donald Dickson II LOL Seriously, its ingenious in its simplicity. How they are angled in relation to each other and poof, they dont hit.

Anyway, she is finished. In the two reference pics, you can see they do not have the rear clamshell doors on. Simply a cargo net. I imagine that was because it was a tad warm in Nam and I doubt Huskies had AC. Thats my theory anyway. So, as there are no after market cargo nets out there that I know of, I made my own. I cut strips of lead sheet at a semi uniform width. Using a ruler, I laid them out in relatively even intervals. This is all guesswork on my part as to whether its the right size and dimensions for scale. Looks right to me, so thats it. At this point, I glued them all together then cut the excess and sprayed it dark green. Then cut it fit the back of the copter and wallah!

After that, I attached the landing gears and doors and winch. Painted the exhaust with Alclad and went over it with pastel to dull it down, dropped the props on and done. Considering the age of the kit, this was not a bad build at all. I dropped the ball on the interior though. Didnt think about it, but as there is nothing in there, I could have detailed it a lot better. Perhaps another one down the line.

Tim Heimer Still looks good for such an odd bird! Nicely done Don!

Donald Dickson II Thank you Tim. ???? I like the oddballs.

Nathan Dempsey Nice work Donald. You really brought that old kit to life!

Donald Dickson II Thank you sir.

Łukasz Gliński Sad to read it Don, looked very promising. But we can all learn thanks to your experience Once I'll go for their decals, I'm going to seal them with GX varnish before using. It usually helps to keep the old decals together and prevents too much folding. I have to admit Print Scale has some really unique sets.

Patrick Hagelstein Oh man.... Hadn't I known about the missing decals, the bird/banana looks awesome!

Erik De Smet Just an advice, Donald, for your future builds: Scan the special decals before using them, in case of trouble you can print a replacement on white of clear decal sheet.

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen!
Erik, I have tried that before. My printer wont print them clearly. Not sure why, but they just dont come out well.

Clifford Keesler It still looks nice the way it is. Sorry to hear about the decals. I do not think I have ever used any print scale decals. After your experience, I sure hope I don't have any in the stash.

Clifford Keesler OH crap, I do. A 1/32 set for my Mig-17 NVA Air Force.

Donald Dickson II LOL Forwarned is for armed my friend. Just be prepared for anything that's long and narrow to curl on the edges at the very least. Make sure you have the micro Sol on hand

Clifford Keesler Will do sir. LOL.

Greg Baker You did a superb job with it though. Well done!

Patrick Hagelstein I agree! Well done!

Stephan Ryll very nice build Donald

Daniel Maybe not the best kit the f5 market has to offer, but thats a nice little aggressor you built out of it

Slavo Hazucha Nice little angry Sand Snake!

Laurent "HELLER-forever" great !

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen!

Clifford Keesler Nice one Donald.

Martin Oostrom *shuffles out the backdoor, whistling softly*
I hope to find some decals at SMC veldhoven, the 19th. It will be another F-16

Łukasz Gliński Don, I picked my Heller's boxing for the same reasons you took your HB - does it sound like a support?

Andy Ball Like-y, like-y!

Martin Oostrom I just ordered this one Camouflage Paint Masks for F..(DN Models 72/827-035, 1:72)
Are you happy now?

Donald Dickson II Yes, much better now. LOL

Patrick Hagelstein Yep! You're good now Martin! Welcome to the GB!

Martin Oostrom Actually, these are only masks. Now to find some decals or just use the kit's. Nobody will know

Donald Dickson II OK, so finally started on this. This is a REALLY basic kit and the main parts went together quickly. Fit is meh. Next I will will be filling the gaps at the wing roots.

Kerry COX All in all Donald, they are still something most unusual and worth keeping.

Bryn Crandell Look good to me. If you are happy with them then they are good. I like the difference in the teeth.

Stephan Ryll Very nice couple of Sluf's Donald

Nathan Dempsey I like 'em both. Got me spying Slufs on Evilbay

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen!

Nathan, get the Man Eater SLUFs decal set listed in the project inventory. Its got enough to do two of just about any plane one would want to do.

Martin Oostrom Why would anyone awake think that design would look scary/decent?
Lovely job Donald. What's next?

Donald Dickson II Martin, I have no idea why that guy thought it was a good design. LOL I wish we had his side of it.

Next is the 1/72 F-5 for the aggressor build.

Clifford Keesler Very nice pair of Sluf's Donald.

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen.

Stephan Ryll Very nice collection Donald

Spanjaard sweet

Donald Dickson II So I moved the cabinet that was on its own in the living room to the computer room/den area with the rest of the cabinets. Had them all out on a table and liked how it looked.

Donald Dickson II And the next iteration. I finally got 2 more shelves for the glass cabinet and moved some out of the white cabinet so I will have room for the A-6 whenever I get back to that.

Chris Greathouse I like the plane that looks like a remote control, very realistic. and sweet Goodwill grab!

Donald Dickson II Chris, a very secret and not well known project involving a reverse engineered chameleon circuit.

Chris Greathouse Ha!

Greg Baker Looks like those decals worked well enough. Great job on the masking.

Donald Dickson II They did indeed sir!

Julian Herrero aka Yuri Very good retro-modelling ,,, like it , congratulations

Derek Huggett Lovely old 717 - nice job Donald.

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen.

Stephan Ryll Nice looking bird Donald

Neuling Good presentation of this beautiful silver bird.

Donald Dickson II I am flattered by all of your comments. Thank you gents.

Donald Dickson II Every year the Air and Space museum has a Halloween event called Air and Scare. They invite our IPMS chapter to display our models. This is most of what showed up. More folks came later on and I failed to get more pics. The tables were PACKED.

Its a fun event and the 501st comes as do droid clubs and hundreds of families with their kids. A lot of great costumes. Its always a blast and we end up educating a lot of people on model building and the planes we display. More pics once my computer stops choking.

Łukasz Gliński Wow, the Disco pic is terrific Been there in the summer, but it must be a completely different impression during such an event

Stephan Ryll What a nice event - would have loved to be there Donald

Donald Dickson II It was and always is a blast. If you can make it, I highly encourage it next year

Alec K Looks like a great event

Bob Hall Looked like a blast ! Awesome !

Donald Dickson II Slavo, thats what I am trying to clear room for. LOL

Stephan, thank you.

Peter Hardy I take it Donny you are not lining up to buy the 1/24 scale Hawker Typhoon? ????

Donald Dickson II LOL Not at all

Donald Dickson II OK, so an update with info for my friends.

I always say that it will never fail that some pilot or nav or crew chief will turn up to tell you what you did wrong. Well, it turns out one of the mmebers of my IPMS chapter is a 111 pilot with over 1000 hours on them. And he was at the Halloween event we participated in at the Air and Space museum. Gonna put up a different thread for that.

Anyway, it turns out I screwed up and put the tail on upside down. LOL That aside, it seems that the E and F did not ever carry the fuel tanks on the inboards pylons. And that they only carried them on nuke missions. The inboards would be occupied by the nukes. Conventional missions they did not use the fuel tanks. Nor did they use TERs or MERs. He called it something else and I will be damned if I can remember what it was. He said they tried the TERs initially, but by the time they got into Nam they had ditched them.

And the last really big thing we were all talking about. He said they didnt use the third pylon. Like it wasnt even on the plane. And the mythical fourth pylon was just tested. It was never an in service thing.

Patrick Hagelstein Hah! Waddayaknow... Good info though! Always that ironical thing that you learn this kind of stuff AFTER a build is finished....

Stephan Ryll The MER should be the BRU-3A/As
„mounted on the outboard pylons, with single Mk 82 AIRs on the inboard

Donald Dickson II And that would be it Stephen!

Donald Dickson II Roland, then hang a couple nukes with the tanks.

Stephan Ryll Very nice finish Donald

Donald Dickson II Thank you gentlemen for your kind words.

Nathan Dempsey Ahh nice! You fixed the pics.

Donald Dickson II Nathan, yep! LOL Thanks for the heads up.

Nathan Dempsey Just getting some inspiration for my HC-97G.

Donald Dickson II Ooooo, the SARs version. Doing the 1/72?

Nathan Dempsey 1:144 scale using the KC-97L as a base. I also have a Stratocruiser airliner I'll probably build at the same time.

Donald Dickson II Thats appropriate since they really were modified KCs. I look forward to seeing those builds!

Martin Oostrom I can't find an album on the C-97. Do you have pictures? Please?

Bryn Crandell If I see a C-5 for a decent price I'll let you know. I have the Yodel kit which is in a long line of same molds. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/170522-yodel-ysp-2-lockheed-c-5a-galaxy

Jozef Goos good job wel done

Stephan Ryll Very nice build Donald

Greg Baker Martin - I was wondering about that C-97 as well, so I second the request for pictures. I've got one in the stash that I don't really know what I want to do with it.

Donald Dickson II Martin, thank you sir. I like them as well. I was a Load Master on C-141s, so I have a special place in my heart for cargo planes. Without them, EVERY service would suffer. Thats why I always snicker when they sat Chair Force. My response has always been, Want your mail???? Want parts for your little Cobra or Hornet there??? Hmmmmm???? Want a free ride home from Rota???? (THAT one usually gets them. LOL)

Bryn, I would snag the Roden kit, BUT, it is no different than the 141 kit, and with the horrid decals they have, and the issues a brand new mold should NOT have, NO WAY I pay the 100.00+ price tag they put on it. You automatically have to add the cost of a set of the Caracal decals, or there is just no sense building it.

Jozef, Stephen, Greg thanks!

And I will have an album up momentarily for the C-97...

Donald Dickson II And here it is gents. C-97 | Album by smokeriderdon (1:144)

Donald Dickson II For some reason the images got broken. Had to re upload them.

Donald Dickson II This was just a quick build I started right before I got sucked into the 111 build. LOL Wasnt much left to do so I wrapped it up tonight. I totally screwed the pooch on lining the pilot side wing stripes up. Kind of hard to tell in the pics.

Martin Oostrom She looks great DD. 1/72?

Donald Dickson II Yeppers. Hasegawa. It's a kit I won in a raffle.

Stephan Ryll Very nice Donald

Slavo Hazucha Nice quick run!

I do not get which is the "pilot side" wing in a center-fuselage, single seater fighter Tried to check what stripe looks odd, did not bring me any further too

Donald Dickson II The left side. Like the drivers side. LOL

Martin Oostrom Peter will disagree on that one