INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Su-34 FULLBACKINTERMEDIATE BUILD
Su-34 FULLBACK34 Airfi x Model WorldINTERMEDIATE BUILD
Su-34 FULLBACKthe head-up display was fitted.
Attention then turned to the
nosewheel bay, which must be
assembled and then added to the
rear of the cockpit, before it was
attached to the lower fuselage half,
along with the inner linings for the
mainwheel bays.
Innards and intakes
Once the glue had dried
thoroughly, the undercarriage bays
were airbrushed with Mr.Hobby
H57 Aircraft Grey, and a wash
applied subsequently to highlight
detail. In a deviation from the
instructions, the full-length intakes
were attached next, to avoid any
awkward clamping caused by these
being added after the fuselage
halves were joined. First, any
ejector pin marks were removed
(note, the intakes were handed, so
it was best to label each to avoid
confusion), before the inner faces
received several coats of M r Paint
MRP-202 Light Blue Su-32/Su-34.
Once joined, they fitted fairly easily
to the fuselage, with Mr.Surfacer
500 employed to eliminate any
minor seam blemishes. The
beauty of this filler was it could
be cleaned with a thinner-soaked
cotton swab, avoiding the loss of
detail due to sanding.
Before the two wing fences
could be attached to the upper
mainplanes, their location holes
needed to be widened slightly,
which enabled them to conform
better to the wing’s contours.Tip to tail
Although no mention was made in
the instructions, it was decided to
add 20g of weight to the nose with
cyanoacrylate (CA), just forward of
the cockpit, to pre-empt possible
tail-sitting. The Fullback’s rear
stinger fairing required surgeryto remove a panel and allow
representation of the auxiliary
power unit exhaust to be fitted.
Note, according to references, most
Su-34s with three-tone camouflage
have this feature, but those in
the latest ‘eggplant’ scheme
do not. Unfortunately, it wasn’t The main undercarriage bays, intakes and compressor faces were all painted prior to
being added to the lower fuselage half.
All seams were treated with a bead of Mr.Surfacer 500, to ensure smooth joins. This was
neatened with a cotton bud soaked in Mr.Color thinners to avoid any sanding.