Soviet/Russian colors Su-7/17 “Fitter” from “Cold War” to 90’s

From the Su-7 to the late variable-geometry aircraft

The supersonic Su-7 was a simple and rough fighter-bomber with a fixed swept wing that lacked both range and the ability to operate from short strips. That is precisely why a version arose with the outer wing panels pivoting in flight, and from it grew a numerous family of aircraft delivered to many export users. The Czechoslovak army had them in its inventory as well, first the early versions and later the modernized aircraft with a variable geometry wing.

Eight shades in the set: a golden brown, a medium camouflage brown, a pale blue-gray, a sand beige, a yellow-brown, a faded blue for the undersides, a green-gray and the dark green of the Russian Air Force. The range is deliberately broad, because the aircraft flew in European green and brown schemes as well as in the desert finishes of Middle Eastern operators.

What to watch out for: the undersides of these aircraft never stayed clean. Exhaust deposits built up around the nozzle and on the belly, the panel joints were pronounced and the finish on the leading edges wore through to bare metal. The faded blue in the set is mixed to allow for the age of the finish already, so there is no need to lighten it further.

The palette also suits aircraft of related types from the same period, on which the same color family was used.

To add: the transitions between the patches on these aircraft were soft, because they were sprayed without masks. A sharp edge therefore looks out of place on a model, even when the shades are mixed perfectly correctly.