1:48 Su-27 exhaust & air intakes covers and decals

The real subject

The Su-27 has enormous air intakes under the fuselage and nozzles of the same size at the rear. As soon as the machine stops on the flight line, the ground crew cover them so that water, sand or a forgotten tool cannot get inside. The covers are made in a conspicuous color and often with streamers, because a cover left in an air intake means a wrecked engine. On a model it is one of the few details that show at a glance that the machine is standing still and in the hands of the ground crew.

What the set contains

Air intake and nozzle covers for the Su-27 in 1:48 scale and a decal sheet to go with them. No target kit is given in the name, so try the fit of the parts dry; the shape of the intakes differs between individual Su-27 kits. The parts are photo-etched, so expect a flat fret from which they are snapped out and formed.

Building and painting tips

• cut with a sharp blade on a hard surface; pliers would ripple the edge of the fret
• make the bends over a ruler or in a bending tool and fine-tune the shape dry on the model
• glue the joints with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) and degrease the faces first
• apply a primer before painting, as the paint will not otherwise hold on the smooth surface
• fit the finished covers only once the cockpit and the surface are done, or they get in the way of the work

The decal and who the set is for

With ordinary sheets the decal is applied the wet way: cut out the panel, soak it briefly, let it rest and slide it onto a smooth gloss surface. Before you soak the sheet, check the instructions for whether it is a self-adhesive version, because a soaked self-adhesive film is ruined for good. The set is for builders of the Su-27 in 1:48 scale who are building the model as a parked machine or placing it in an airfield scene. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.