1:48 Su-34 Fullback Camouflage Paint Masks Russian Fighter-Bomber

A wide cockpit and a flat nose

The Su-34 is derived from the heavy Sukhoi, but its nose is completely different: the crew sit side by side in an armored tub that is entered from below through the nose landing gear bay, and the nose is flattened into the characteristic shape that has earned it a nickname taken from a waterbird. Behind the cockpit the fuselage continues into a strengthened spine and ends in a lengthened sting between the engines. The machine is built for long flights with a heavy load and its finish consists of irregular patches in several cold tones.

Breaks in shape are a test for film

The transition between the flat nose and the cylindrical nacelles is a place where a flat piece of film will never lie without gathering. Either the piece is cut at one spot and the edges are overlapped, or it is warmed slightly and stretched into shape. Both work, but the cut is made strictly where the pattern already ends, so that the cut does not run into a future color border.

The temperature of the workshop matters more than expected

In the cold the film stiffens, adapts less willingly and cracks when lifted. In an overheated room, by contrast, the tack grows so much that the edges stick to each other during transfer. Room temperature is markedly more pleasant for working with this material than the extremes on either side.

The exposed pattern then has no carrier layer and lies in the paint, so the model will take further treatment regardless of where the border between the shades runs. Even after several days on the model no mark is left along the edge that would have to be sanded back.