REVELL (DRAGON) 1:72 SUKHOI SU-24M FENCER
'INBOX Review'

 

Reviewer: Johan De Wolf (rec.models.scale)   
- A Built up review of the Dragon and other boxings exist on this site - see the respective fully built kit review index to locate reviews

Kit Details

History

For NATO, the Su-24 Fencer was the most feared Soviet aircraft for a long time. This rugged, fast and low flying bomber would be hard to intercept. Originally it was designed to replace the obsolescent Il-28’s and aging Yak-28’s. The first prototype designated T-6-1 was a fixed wing aircraft with, apart from the side-by-side cockpit and square intakes, a passing resemblance to the TSR-2. It had its maiden flight on the 2nd July 1967. 

Although the design was basically sound, the highly swept wings resulted in a rather high landing speed and thus the need for long runways. Tsagi’s research into swing wings, and no doubt the emergence of the F-111 led to a rethink. A second prototype was built and the fixed wings were replaced by a pair of swing wings. This new prototype was designated T-6-2i. It was first flown on 17 Januari 1970, and it showed a dramatic improvement of flight characteristics. After the usual pre-series and state acceptance trials the first production machines started entering service in ’74. 

The Su-24 was built in several series each with new upgrades. It is very difficult to tell these series apart because a lot of the older series aircraft got upgraded after mayor overhaul. The most notable differences are the nose antenna fit, rear fuselage and fin leading edge. In 1984 a new version designated Su-24M started entering service. This version had a new radar, new engines, an IFR probe and several new electronic systems. This version was also the base for the dedicated ECM (Su-24MP and reconnaissance (Su-24MR) variants. For the first time the Fencer was now offered for export as the Su-24MK with less advanced electronics. 

In Soviet/Russian service the aircraft was used in the Afghanistan and Chechnya conflicts. After the break up of the Soviet Union, Fencers found their way into the new airforces of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tadzjikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The MK was exported to Algeria, Angola, Libya, Iran, Iraq and Syria. In total more than 1200 Fencers have been produced. The Su-24 has proven itself to be a rugged, reliable machine, and it is well liked by its crews. Russia is looking to replace its fleet of Fencers by the more modern Su-32FN(Su-34), but the other airforces will no doubt be using their aircraft for quite a few years more. 

The kit

Those hoping for a new kit will be disappointed. In the box you will find the Zvezda/Bilek/Italeri/Dragon kit. On the plus side; there are two new sprues with weapons (ex Zvezda). This makes for a total of 10 light grey and one clear sprue. The parts are crisply molded without flash or sink marks. The larger parts had a slight warpage though. The clear parts, packed separately in a zip lock bag, are very clear, reasonably thin and scratch free. The large decal sheet is of good quality. It is sharply printed without any colour offsets. The green of the Iraki roundels is rather too bright though. The sheet also includes a large amount of stenciling, not only for the aircraft but also for the weapons. The instructions come as a 12 page A4-size multi language booklet. It includes a short history, a parts location diagram, 35 easy to understand construction diagrams (including a weapons/station guide), three 4-view camouflage schemes and a painting/decaling guide for all the weapons. 

Accuracy

If you are not particularly interested in accuracy, and will be happy with something that looks a lot like a Su-24, skip this part. Otherwise read on and uhmmm… weep? 

Let’s start with the general dimensions; length is about 3mm over what it should be, span is spot on, so far nothing much to worry about. But then things start to go wrong…. The span of the elevators is 6mm too large and they are placed 2 mm too far aft. The span of the wing gloves is 5mm too large. The kink in the leading edge of the tail is not pronounced enough and the angle of the trailing edge is wrong making the fin too wide at the base. However these are things that are relatively easy to correct. 

Now for the hard part…. When comparing the kit with photographs i immediately noticed something was wrong. Somehow the kit looks too massive.  On closer inspection I found that the fuselage is too high by about 2mm. More over the bottom of the forward fuselage starts sagging from about the air intakes. On the kit the bottom profile is completely straight. On the real thing the back of the fuselage slopes up ever so slightly towards the cockpit but on the kit this is quite pronounced. Because of this the canopy has become too high, which in turn led to a profile that is too curved. 

Other more or less related problems are the shape of the exhaust section and the air intakes (should slope forward a bit more). The cross section of the nose section of the kit is way too square and it spoils the sleek looks of the Su-24M’s radome completely. The landing gear is a bit crude and too long, making the kit look too stalky. Then there are there are numerous smaller detail problems. 

One last thing… I am lucky enough to have seen an operational Su-24M up close and personal. It is an awesome aircraft and it’s built like a ship. It looks like it could fly through a brick wall without any problems. The kit doesn’t capture this look; its surface simply looks too smooth.

Construction 

Supposing you build the kit as it is, the first step is the cockpit. Except for some hugely overscale raised detail on the instrument panel, there is no further detail in the cockpit. The instrument panel can best be sanded smooth as there is a decal that accurately portrays the Su-24M’s panel (MK’s have a slightly different set up). Side wall detail is also dealt with through decals, but there is nothing for the side and mid consoles. The K-36 ejection seats are extremely simplified and are best replaced by resin items. In fact you might want to consider replacing the whole cockpit with the excellent Neomega resin set. 

Next the nose cone and wings are glued together. The wings are trapped between upper and lower mid fuselage and are pivotable.  The nose and exhaust sections are then added to the mid fuselage, as are the intakes, tail and elevators. If you want to improve the sit of the model you need to shorten the nose gear by about 2 mm and the main gear by 3mm. Also the main gear wheels should be 1mm smaller in diameter. An unloaded Su-24 has a slight nose up attitude. This gets more pronounced as the aircraft gets loaded with weapons. After the main construction is done, external details like the ventral fins, laser designator, gun bulges, weapons pylons, cooling intakes and other details are added. Note that the wing fences are incorrect for an MK (should be more square and wider as they incorporate chaff/flare dispensers). Also note that Su-24’s are never seen without wing pylons. 

Finally the weapons are constructed. The original Dragon release of this kit only included two bombs (supposedly FAB-500M-62) which are incorrect and best discarded, and two acceptable R-60M’s. A later dragon release supplied more weapons but these are of questionable accuracy. This Revell kit includes two sprues of Zvezda origin and includes 2xCh-25MP, 2xCh-25ML, 2x Ch-23, 2xCh-29L, 2xCh-58U, 6xS-25OFM, 2xKMGU-2 dispensers, 2xSPPU-22 gun pods and 2 UPK-23 gun pods (not carried by Su-24M). Each item comes with its own specific pylon/launch rail. Most of these are pretty accurate but the Ch-23’s need work to be accurate. Sadly the UPA-3 IFR pod, the PK-9 and Phantasmagoriya pods are not included.

Painting and Decals

Painting and decaling details are given throughout construction. Colours are listed in general terms and Revell paint numbers (with mixing rates where necessary). I wouldn’t rely too much on the quoted colours and have a good look at pictures instead. Decals are given for:

-          A Su-24MK of 239. TsPAT (training unit for foreign pilots) based at Kubinka, camouflaged in light brown/dark brown over light green??? (Should be bright light blue).

-          A Su-24MK of the Iraqi airforce in the same colours as the first machine(some photographs of Iraqi/Iranian machines seem to suggest a 3rd top colour (dark green?).

-          A Su-24M of the 455. BAP, 105. BAD based ad Voronesh in 2002. This machine is light grey over white (the grey colour is actually almost identical to FS 36375). 

Conclusion

Of the kits with the original Dragon molding, this Revell boxing is the best one as far as value for money is concerned. The sprues with weapons are a welcome addition and the decals are the most accurate and complete of any of the previous kits. However if you want an accurate kit of the Su-24 you have only one option, and that is the hard to find STrim kit reviewed elsewhere on this site. Or you could wait and hope Amodel or ICM will produce an accurate kit of the Fencer.

References

 

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