1:32 Su27UB Flanker C Cockpit set (Trumpeter)

The tandem cockpit of the Flanker trainer

The Su-27UB is the combat-capable two-seat version of the Soviet heavy fighter aircraft, carried under the NATO reporting name Flanker-C. The instructor sits behind and higher up, so that on landing he can see over the pupil's head, which is why the airframe received a taller spine and an enlarged vertical tail. Inside there are two separate stations with instrument panels of their own.

What you get

The set replaces the interior of both compartments with parts carrying rendered relief of the instruments, the side panels, the levers and the seats. In 1:32 the cockpit, once the canopy is opened, is effectively the shop window of the whole model, so everyone who picks the model up will look into it. It is exactly here that an investment in detail pays back fastest.

Procedure

The original tubs are cut or sanded out of the kit and the new parts are dry-fitted for as long as it takes until the canopy closes without pressure. Bond the resin with cyanoacrylate and preferably reinforce the surrounding plastic walls. It pays to paint it in sections before closing up the fuselage, because afterwards there is no way to get inside.

Painting the interior

Soviet cockpits of that generation have a characteristic turquoise green shade, which is sold in the usual paint ranges under a name of its own. The instruments are brought out with a dark wash and a drop of gloss varnish on the dial, which imitates glass. The side panels will take wear around frequently used switches, because it is exactly there that the finish rubs away fastest.

What it is for

The shapes follow the kit from the brand Trumpeter in the same scale. The airframe of the aircraft has to be obtained; the content of the package is the cockpit equipment.