Sukhoi Su-7

Subject:
Sukhoi
Su-7 "Fitter"
Kit Used: OEZ - 1/48

Review & model by:
Paul Romans
Pictures: R. Forys

I picked this kit up years ago after seeing one in a display case somewhere. I was impressed with the size and look of the plane, and I like Russian designs anyway. Opening the kit, you see some pretty clunky plastic. The fuselage halves are quite thick, as are the wings, but the surface detail is actually pretty good, if a little overdone. You get lots of ordinance options, a complete cockpit, a boarding ladder, 4 different marking options, and open or closed canopies. Test fitting some of the big pieces together showed a reasonable fit, but the edges were rather soft. You'll need to sand most mating surfaces on a flat piece of sandpaper to remove the rounded edges and improve the fit.

[The fuselage halves are quite thick, as are the wings, but the surface detail is actually pretty good.]

Instructions? Well, it has them. Large and confusing exploded drawings are provided, with only Czech text. The decal sheet is all one layer of film without any break between the decals and was yellowed, but usable.

[Instructions? Large and confusing exploded drawings are provided, with only Czech text.]

Intended as Russia's answer to the F-86 Sabre, Sukhoi's Su-7 was designed in the mid '50's as a fighter, but found far more success in the ground attack role. A big, rugged aircraft, it was a rock-steady weapons platform, especially at low levels. Built with almost legendary strength, it operated at trans-sonic speeds down on the deck, shrugging off turbulence that would damage most other aircraft. Its powerful Lyulka AL7-F engine could produce 22,000 lbs. of thrust in afterburner, pushing the plane to Mach .94 at sea level, and over 1300 mph at altitude. Experienced pilots could haul the Su-7 around the sky with surprising agility, and it has often been compared favorably with the Hawker Hunter.

First entering limited service in 1959 and given the NATO codename "Fitter", improved versions were built through the '60's and saw widespread service with frontal Soviet units, along with most Warsaw-Pact air forces. India and Egypt were big users, and the type saw service in the 6-Day War in 1967, and several India / Pakistan conflicts in the '70's. Very few remain in service today.

The BKL model was perhaps the best of the early Su-7's, being designed in 1965 for rough-field service. Larger wheels, unique flotation "skids" added to the main gear, dual braking parachutes and JATO rockets were all features of the BKL, along with a strengthened airframe. There wasn't a single "no-step" stencil anywhere on the plane, and ground crew would often do chin-ups on the sensor boom to demonstrate the design's toughness. Stories are told of Su-7's running off runways, being jacked up, hauled back the flight-line and returned to service after a cursory inspection.

The Fitter did have its drawbacks; the sharply swept wing that gave it superb high-speed performance also made for very high landing and take-off speeds, and this coupled with its poor forward visibility might explain why they ran off runways in the first place. The plane had 6 weapons pylons, but the powerful turbojet also had a powerful thirst, and horrendous fuel consumption meant that the two centerline pylons almost always had to carry extra fuel. It was said that the Fitter could carry weapons or fuel, but not both. Nevertheless, the plane did the job it was designed for, and provided an accurate, rugged, reliable and cost-effective warplane for many air forces for many years. It is also noteworthy that the Su-7 design led directly to the very successful Su-17/20/22 family, which has seen service with dozens of countries over the last four decades.

[The directions give suggestions, but mostly you're on your own to figure it out.]

Cockpit: There are separate parts for the floor, sidewalls and front / rear bulkheads, but no locating pins. Nothing fits. The directions give suggestions, but mostly you're on your own to figure it out. I finally tried locating the intake nose-cone in the front at the correct position (according to my references) then basing the location of the cockpit from that. Lots of test fitting and fooling around was needed to get everything in place. The clear kit instrument panel looks and fits better than the P.E. one supplied by Eduard, so I used it. Oh, and you need to add around 40 grams of weight to the nose to keep it down. I usually use BB's for this, and I had to pack them in everywhere, even in the nosecone before gluing it on.

[The fit of the vertical and horizontal tailpieces to the fuselage were poor, and required a lot of re-shaping.]

The rear jet pipe assembly goes together ok and there are locating tabs for this, so it went in with little trouble. I'd sanded the fuselage edges flat already, so this was all buttoned up. Now you have a long thin tube, as even the tail is a separate piece. Clean up the seams and re-scribe the damaged access panels and you are ready to move on. The tailfin halves were glued together and I found the mating surface had a very different profile then the rear fuselage. Oh well, more filing and filling here. A lot more. The tailplanes had the same problem, as the mounting boss on the fuselage simply could not be used. There was no way to fit the pieces together. I used a razor saw to modify the tailplanes to fit more or less correctly, and glued them on.

[Around 40 grams of weight needs to be added to the nose to keep it down.]

The wings by contrast needed only minor cleanup, and sanding of the mating surfaces to improve the joint. One problem is the very thick wing fences, which I sanded down rather than make new thin ones, protecting the wing surface with masking tape. This was tedious but not difficult. Ailerons are supplied separately but had bad sink marks, so these were puttied and sanded smooth. Off to the paint booth.

[I applied Pactra acrylics for the camouflage colors using a Pasche-H airbrush.]

PAINT: With the primary assembly done, I pondered the finish. I liked the NMF used by the Soviets, but wound up going with the obscure Algerian 4-color scheme. I wanted to simulate worn paint over metal, so I painted everything with Floquil Platinum Mist, then sealed this with several coats of Future. I applied acrylics for the camouflage colors. The underside was painted light blue and masked once dry, and then the top was painted a light tan. There were no F.S. numbers that I could find anywhere, and the instructions sheet uses Revell paint numbers, so I used some very nice Pactra acrylics I had on the shelf. Once the tan was dry, I free-handed the dark green and dark red with my trusty Pasche-H airbrush. I had to do a lot of touch up, but finally got the paintjob to look the way I wanted. To expose the "metal" under the paint, I tried removing some with alcohol and a Q-tip, but the Pactra acrylics didn't respond. Next I tried using a worn sanding stick to wear away the camo paint in high-abrasion areas; leading edges, nose, access hatches, etc. I carefully sanded the camo until I could see the silver below and then stopped. Everything was over coated with another layer of the Future to seal and even-out the finish, as well as provide a gloss base for the decals.

[To expose the metal under the paint I used a worn sanding stick until I could see the silver below and then stopped. ]

[A shot of the unique flotation skids added to the main gear.]

DETAILS: The landing gear was painted and installed, with the obtuse instructions giving very little help. Reference material is essential here. Lots of little parts were glued on and painted, and everything was touched up. The decals were trimmed closely and applied. The Algerian scheme didn't have many decals anyway, and they were all on nice flat surfaces, so this went quickly. Once done, I hit everything with clear flat to give a final finish.

[The kit supplies a complete cockpit and a boarding ladder.]

The only aftermarket details I used were a True-Details resin ejection seat, and a small Eduard P.E. set from which I only took the louver vents on the fuselage sides. I installed all the final bits and pieces, added the two centerline tanks and a pair of rocket pods on the wing pylons. I wanted to tack on the JATO pods, but again, there are no positive locators, so they're glued on where I think they go.

[One problem is the very thick wing fences, which I sanded down rather than make new thin ones.]

CONCLUSION: Actually a very nice kit, considering the time and place it was molded. I don't know much about OEZ, but this compares to the best stuff I've seen KoPro produce. It reminded me of a good limited-run kit, with nice detail but heavy molding, and little in the way of locators. It benefits from the resin ejection seat, and the P.E. side louvers are a definite improvement, but there's little else you need to replace. It will take more work than your standard Tami-gawa kit, but I consider it worth it.

FOOTNOTES: As the real plane was known for its toughness, so too the kit; I knocked over a bottle of lacquer thinner while fitting the final details, and this splashed over the left of the nose. The paint bubbled up and the plastic began to dissolve around the nose gear, and there was little I could do. My wife said the howl I raised made her hair stand up. Anyway, I let everything dry, and I only needed some sanding and touch up paint to repair the damage. One tough bird!

[It benefits from the resin ejection seat, and the P.E. side louvers are a definite improvement.]