1:48 Su-35 Flanker-E Arctic Splinter Camouflage Paint Masks

An arctic mosaic on the back of a Flanker

The Su-35 is the most fully developed branch of the Su-27 family. Against the original machine it received more powerful engines with thrust vectoring, a reworked airframe with no airbrake and a radar able to track targets at a great distance. It is the vectoring that makes this type one of the few production aircraft able to turn their nose practically anywhere at low speed. The arctic version carries a winter scheme put together from sharp polygons in cold gray and blue tones.

Why reach for masks instead of decals

Splinter camouflage has straight edges with no misted transition, and it is exactly that which cannot be imitated convincingly with a brush or freehand. Cut films hold the edges for you, you spray the individual areas one after another and the result stays painted, not stuck over. The silvering under large areas of decals falls away as well.

Recommended procedure

• First lay the lightest tone over the whole airframe and let it cure well.
• Lay the films down part by part and keep checking that the pattern carries over across the panel lines.
• Spray the darker shades in thin coats, so that no step forms at the edges.
• Remove any adhesive residue after removal with a soft cloth slightly moistened with water.

Winter patterns appear on Russian equipment rather exceptionally and they draw attention precisely because they depart from the usual combination of blue and gray areas. In a display cabinet a single airframe colored this way thus easily outshines a whole row of aircraft in ordinary finishes. Anyone building several machines of the Su-27 family side by side will gain a pleasant relief for the whole group thanks to the different coat.

Obtain the model itself and the varnishes separately, as what you are buying here is only cut masks.