Soviet Stealth - SU-40 Flatliner

[Weaver]

As I understand it, the 'formula' for 'Soviet interior green' was issued to the factories in written form, without shade cards to help, so each factory had a somewhat different variation. On 1960/70s aircraft (the Su-15 was the one I researched in depth) Sukhoi had a notably blue shade while MiG's version was much greener.

[PR19_Kit]

When the first Tu-95 'Bear' came to the UK at RIAT '93 the green on its wheel hubs were much brighter than the corresponding hubs on its Il-76 'Midas' support aircraft, which looked more like mud than paint.

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks for the knowledge on Soviet aircraft colors, guys.   Provides a good excuse for the lack of tone accuracy of my paint mixes...
So, after a few days of just being too beat from work or having more important things to do, i got to fiddle with this build a bit more and advanced work on the nozzle area a bit more.
It's becoming quite an issue in this build, i still haven't figured out just exactly how i'm gonna do it, but it's gonna take some scratch-built bits to get there...

[63cpe]

There was a article in the IPMS Netherlands magazine a couple of years ago about the colours used by the soviets....still looking for it...once i got, i'll scan it and share it with you. Anyway, i still remember the big OKB's use their own colours for the cockpits and the mix varies from OKB to OKB. The only colour used in common is what in the article is described as "datsja green" ( the very green colour,  I use Humbrol 101 for it). Then there are field applied "touch ups". these are frequently done by datsja green, as it's the only paint available, or a home made mix usually based on datsja green.

To show you the effects: Look at the MiG-25 cockpit below. Ejectionseat is a different colour than the cockpit. The cockpit is painted in MiG OKB blue-green (frequently referred at Russian cockpit green, which doesn't really exist), while parts behind the ejection seats are touched up by a totally different colour...Just saying, anything goes.....

mig25 cockpit1 by David Dunnebier, on Flickr

David

[zenrat]

That upholstery could do with a scrub.

The Datsja Green looks close to what i've been playing with which is (both Vallejo) Golden Olive with a top coat of Green Chromate.

[DogfighterZen]

There was a article in the IPMS Netherlands magazine a couple of years ago about the colours used by the soviets....still looking for it...once i got, i'll scan it and share it with you. Anyway, i still remember the big OKB's use their own colours for the cockpits and the mix varies from OKB to OKB. The only colour used in common is what in the article is described as "datsja green" ( the very green colour,  I use Humbrol 101 for it). Then there are field applied "touch ups". these are frequently done by datsja green, as it's the only paint available, or a home made mix usually based on datsja green.

To show you the effects: Look at the MiG-25 cockpit below. Ejectionseat is a different colour than the cockpit. The cockpit is painted in MiG OKB blue-green (frequently referred at Russian cockpit green, which doesn't really exist), while parts behind the ejection seats are touched up by a totally different colour...Just saying, anything goes.....

David

Thanks for the info, David. Never hurts to know more.
I realize i should've started with the blue instead of the green as a base for the mix, would've been easier to get the right tone...
But like you said, anything goes, i found so many different tones in the pics i googled of soviet era aircraft that i didn't really care about accuracy.

Well, it's a stormy day today, here in the south of Portugal, lots of rain(which is very welcome) and thunder, so that means i have time for myself to work on this a bit more, see if i can find a way to get the nozzle setup done.

That upholstery could do with a scrub.

Read with Russian accent:
"Comrades did not have time for such feminine details during cold war, that is western capitalist type of procedure, just look at our runways..." 

[Weaver]

"In Soviet Russia, seat scrubs you..."

[zenrat]

Maybe comrade who chose light coloured fabric instead of dark colour should be made to scrub seats?

None of my 1/72 bang seats seem to have diamond pattern upholstery.

[DogfighterZen]

Maybe comrade who chose light coloured fabric instead of dark colour should be made to scrub seats?

None of my 1/72 bang seats seem to have diamond pattern upholstery.

Every seat in the Soviet inventory... that would've been quite a chore...

Check out the seat used in this build: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68844-mig-25pd-foxbat/

[PR19_Kit]

The cockpit is painted in MiG OKB blue-green (frequently referred at Russian cockpit green, which doesn't really exist)

Some years ago I managed to con my way aboard the Tu-134 support aircraft for the Russian Test Pilots Su-27 aerobatic team, and its cockpit was almost all over that same  blue-green colour. The guy in charge said it was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew, but the look on his face at the time said the exact opposite. 

[DogfighterZen]

Some years ago I managed to con my way aboard the Tu-134 support aircraft for the Russian Test Pilots Su-27 aerobatic team, and its cockpit was almost all over that same  blue-green colour. The guy in charge said it was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew, but the look on his face at the time said the exact opposite. 

  Doesn't really surprise me, i don't think i'd like it either.

Finally got the nozzle area in progress, modified a part that was supposed to go on aft of the nozzles themselves, to turn it into the top TVC nozzle petal and had to scratch-build the lower one from Evergreen styrene strip, sheet and rod.

Sandwiched a few strips and covered them with sheet, then cut some bits of rod, using the kit's part as template...







Not perfect but will do the job, also painted the inside of the burner chambers, closed the fuselage and glued the complete painted engine section in it's place.





So now, just have to glue on the TVC nozzle petals on, before work starts on the elevators and respective fairings/attachment points.

[zenrat]

Maybe comrade who chose light coloured fabric instead of dark colour should be made to scrub seats?

None of my 1/72 bang seats seem to have diamond pattern upholstery.

Every seat in the Soviet inventory... that would've been quite a chore...

Check out the seat used in this build: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68844-mig-25pd-foxbat/

That's amazing work going on there but I consider life is too short to worry about the colour of the inside canopy frames.
The bang seat is very detailed and looks great although the same argument applies.
I have a resin bang seat for a MiG 21 somewhere.  I'll have to check it for upholstery pattern.

The cockpit is painted in MiG OKB blue-green (frequently referred at Russian cockpit green, which doesn't really exist)

Some years ago I managed to con my way aboard the Tu-134 support aircraft for the Russian Test Pilots Su-27 aerobatic team, and its cockpit was almost all over that same  blue-green colour. The guy in charge said it was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew, but the look on his face at the time said the exact opposite. 

As a callow youth I painted my bedroom a similar shade.  You get used to it.

Good work on the exhausts DFZ.

[PR19_Kit]

As a callow youth I painted my bedroom a similar shade.  You get used to it.

While married to the first Mrs_PR19 I painted our lounge in Japanese orange/green bomber camouflage and the dining room in the US Navy two blues/ and white scheme, where the colours faded into each other.

She was NOT impressed............. 

[Gondor]

Some years ago I managed to con my way aboard the Tu-134 support aircraft for the Russian Test Pilots Su-27 aerobatic team, and its cockpit was almost all over that same  blue-green colour. The guy in charge said it was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew, but the look on his face at the time said the exact opposite. 

Obviously the physiologists that came up with the colour forgot to mention that the colour was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew forgot to add when leaving the aircraft 

Gondor

[DogfighterZen]

As a callow youth I painted my bedroom a similar shade.  You get used to it.

While married to the first Mrs_PR19 I painted our lounge in Japanese orange/green bomber camouflage and the dining room in the US Navy two blues/ and white scheme, where the colours faded into each other.

She was NOT impressed............. 

You should've gone for a total PR blue finish...
Your stories are always interesting, guys... 
Back when i was 7 or 8 and was very much into aircraft and modelling, my dad painted my room in a sky blue tone to make it easier for me to imagine i was flying when i was playing with my models... good memories...

Some years ago I managed to con my way aboard the Tu-134 support aircraft for the Russian Test Pilots Su-27 aerobatic team, and its cockpit was almost all over that same  blue-green colour. The guy in charge said it was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew, but the look on his face at the time said the exact opposite. 

Obviously the physiologists that came up with the colour forgot to mention that the colour was supposed to be relaxing and calming for the crew forgot to add when leaving the aircraft 

Gondor

 

This morning i got the nozzle TVC petals in place, with the top one being very simple...



...but the bottom one was a bit more tricky cause it left a big gap from the bottom fuselage...



So, to close the gap, another strip of plastic and it's done.



After some sanding to get everything straight on the edges of the petals, it was time to figure out how the fins would be placed and as it was easy, i glued them in place.



Now it's time for the elevators...