1/48 Academy Su-30MKM

Gallery Article by Erid Meds on July 24 2017

 

      

This is another Su-30MKM initially built from 1/48 Academy Su-27UB kit. Midway building it, I realized that I needed to bash it with another Academy kit, which is the Su-30MK kit. However, the kitbashing did not end there. As the 1/48 Hobby Boss Su-30MKK arrived in town, I took some of it to enhance the details peculiar to my MKM such as the twin-wheel rubber tires and bits of parts.

To make it happen, I also bought aftermarket resin from Naza Model Art (NMA) 1/48 Su-30MKM Exterior Conversion Set for the TVC nozzles, canards and the Saab Avitronics MWS fairings. The ladders, it was from Dreammodel for Su-27UB/30. The pitot tube is from Master's Su-27/Su-30 Pitot Tube. The IFF antennas were from KASL Hobby's F-16 MLU IFF (tried to modify it to be Thales IFF antenna, but I am not good at scratchbuilding of that small size - so it doesn't appear as good as it is).

The decals were rounded up from the Academy's Su-30MK, Unikmodels 1/48 RMAF Sukhoi Su-30MKM decals and some from Hi-Decal Line's F-18 A/B/C/D stencil data for some NATO-standard decals, which also acted as my spares for my upcoming F/A-18D kit. I also have the Airscale's Modern Cockpit Instruments aftermarket decals for the MKM cockpit. 

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To get the wide array of arsenal for my Su-30MKM, I used weapons from the Trumpeter's Su-24M kit as I favoured to arm the MKM with MBD-3 pylon with OFAB 270-250 bombs and Kh-29T/AS-14 missiles. The Kh-31Ps were from Academy Su-30MK while for the R-77 missile, I used Eduard Brassin's R-77/AA-12 Adder. I loved the Eduard Brassin's better as it includes decals not only for the missiles but for the pylons as well. Peculiar to the Su-30MKM, the Damocles Laser Designator Pod is from L'Arsenal's 1/48 Damocles Pod with FLIR NAMAR pylon.

In addition to the weapons, I chose to arm the MKM with SAP-518 ECM pods. As the exact pod is not readily available at the time of my build, I modified the Sorbtsiya-S pod from the Hobby Boss Su-30MKK box to make it appear as close as the SAP-518.

Erid Meds

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Photos and text © by Erid Meds