 Begemot
1/72 Su-27/Su-33 Decal Sheets
Begemot is a wonderful little decal company out of Russia that really
caters to those wanting markings for Soviet and Russian subjects. Their
latest sheets tackle one of the most impressive pieces of Russian aviation,
the Sukhoi Su-27/33 family. Three decal sheets are reviewed here, but
Begemot has a few more in the works, making their Flanker lineup absolutely
amazing.
Starting with sheet 72-025, Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker Family (1), this decal
set provides no less than 25 options from eight nations. With that many
options, there is sure to be something everyone will find interesting.
Here's a short description of the options:
1. Su-27P, 2nd Aerial Squadron, 941st Fighter Regiment, Kilp-Yavr AB,
Kola Peninsula, 1987. This aircraft is the one that backed into the propeller
of a Norwegian P-3B in September of 1987.
2. Su-27S, 611th Fighter Regiment, Dorokhovo AB, T'ver region, 2002.
3. Su-27SK, 1st Fighter Squadron, 1st Mixed Aviation Regiment, Ethiopian
AF, Debre-Zeit AB, Adis-Abeba, Ethiopia, 2000. In 1998, Ethiopia ordered
six Su-27SK and two Su-27UBK, all of which were delivered in 1999.
4. Su-27S, Hamah AB, Syria, 2000. Syria was interested in ordering up
to 14 Su-27SK and two Su-27S Flankers, to be taken from existing Russian
stocks. This aircraft went to Syria to try and cinch the deal, but Syria
decided on the MiG-29 instead. Although a Russian aircraft, it did wear
Syrian national markings.
5. Su-27UB, 3rd Guards Fighter Regiment, Krymsk AB, early 2000.
6. Su-27S, 1st Mixed Aerial Brigade, Uzbekistan AF, Karshi AB, 2004.
7. Su-27P, 177th Fighter Regiment, Lodeynoe Pole AB, Saint Petersburg
region, 2006.
8. Su-27P, 62nd Fighter Regiment, Belbek AB, Crimea, Ukraine, 1995.
9. Su-30MK-1, 24th Aerial Squadron, Indian AF, Bareilly AB, 1998.
10. Su-30MK-1, 24th Aerial Squadron, Indian AF, Delhi, January 2000.
This aircraft is a special scheme, painted up in the colors of the national
flag.
11. Su-30MK-1, 20th Aerial Squadron, Indian AF, Lohegaon AB, India,
2003. This aircraft has canards and is painted in an overall dark blue
gray scheme.
12. Su-30K, 24th Aerial Squadron, Indian AF, Bareilly AB, India, 1999.
This aircraft was originally destined for Indonesia, but went to India
when the former deal fell through.
13. Su-27P, 159th Guards Fighter Regiment, Besovets AB, Karelia, 2005.
14. Su-27SK, 55th Fighter Regiment, 19th Fighter Division, PLAAF, Djengzou
AB, Jinan Military District, summer 2005.
15. J-11A (Su-27SK made in China from Russian parts), 1st Fighter Regiment,
1st Fighter Division, PLAAF, Anshan AB, Shenjang Military District, 2003.
16. Su-27UBK, 6th Fighter Regiment, 2nd Fighter Division, Suihi AB,
Guandjou Military District, 2001.
17. Su-30MKK-2, 10th Fighter Regiment, 4th Fighter Division, PLA Naval
Aviation, Luqiao AB, East Group PLA Naval Aviation, 2005.
18. Su-27P, 177th Fighter Regiment, Lodeynoe Pole AB, 2005.
19. Su-27P, 689th Guards Fighter Regiment, Baltic Fleet Aviation, Chkalovsk
AB, 2003.
20. Su-27P, 831st Fighter Regiment, Ukrainian AF. This aircraft is was
a commonly seen one at air shows, and has the Ukrainian splinter camouflage.
21. Su-27SK, 6th Fighter Squadron, Eritrean AF, Asmara AB, 2003. Another
African Flanker, this aircraft is in a splinter camouflage of light gray,
grayish green, and dark sea gray.
22. Su-27P, 177th Fighter Regiment, Lodeynoe Pole AB, 2005. This aircraft
was lost in 2005 when it ran out of fuel after a navigational system failure.
The pilot ejected safely.
23. Su-30, 54th Guards Fighter Regiment, 148th Combat Employment and
Personnel Retraining Center, Savosleyka AB.
24. Su-27UB, 54th Guards Fighter Regiment, 148th Combat Employment and
Personnel Retraining Center, Savosleyka AB, 1998. The above two aircraft
have large badges on the tail, surrounded by white/blue/red stripes.
25. Su-30, 54th Guards Fighter Regiment, 148th Combat Employment and
Personnel Retraining Center, Savosleyka AB, 1998.
 Moving
on to sheet 72-026, Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker Family (2), we have another 21
aircraft from five nations. Like the above sheet, the majority of these
options are either Russian or Ukrainian, but there are some great small
air forces included as well.
1. Su-27P, 2nd Aerial Squadron, 941st Fighter Regiment, Kilp-Yavr AB,
Kola Peninsula, mid-1990s. This aircraft carries the name "Rus'"
on the nose.
2. Su-27P, 641st Guards Fighter Regiment, Rogachevo AB, Novaya Zemlya
Island, mid-1990s. This aircraft has a polar bear on the fin, denoting
its far north service area.
3. Su-27P, 9th Guards Fighter Regiment, Kilp-Yavr AB, 2005. Like the
above aircraft, this one also has a polar bear on the fin.
4. P-42. This was the record-setting aircraft, built from the T10-15.
This aircraft established over 30 time-to-height records, with most of
them still standing today.
5. Su-27UBK, 370th Fighter Division, Vietnamese Air Force, Phan Rang
AB, late 1990s.
6. Su-27SK, 370th Fighter Division, Vietnamese Air Force, Phan Rang
AB, late 1990s.
7. Su-27P, 1st Aerial Squadron, 529th Fighter Regiment, Bombora AB,
Abkhazia, 1993. This aircraft took part in missions over Georgia, where
it was lost in March of 1993.
8. Su-27S, 62nd Fighter Regiment, Ukrainian AF, Belbek AB, Crimea, 1993.
9. Su-27UB, 968th Research & Instructors Mixed Aerial Regiment,
4th Combat Employment and Personnel Retraining Center, Lipetsk AB, early
2000s. This was one of the Su-27UBs that visited Langley AFB in August
1992. In aerial demonstration flights, these two aircraft dominated their
F-15D opponents.
10. Su-27P, 61st Fighter Regiment, Belarus Air Force, Baranovitchi AB,
Belorus, late 1990s.
11. Su-27UB, 47th Guards Fighter Regiment, Golden Valley AB, Far East
Military District, mid-1990s.
12. Su-27M (serial designation of Su-35). This aircraft, along with
the other two Su-27M aircraft, was donated to the Russian Knights aerobatic
team in July 2003.
13. Su-27P, 177th Fighter Regiment, Lodeynoe Pole AB, Saint Petersburg
region, 2004.
14. Su-27P, 831st Fighter Regiment, Ukrainian Air Force, Fairford "Air
Tattoo" airshow, July 1997. This aircraft is painted in a splinter
camouflage.
15. Su-30MK, 11th Aerial Squadron, Indonesian Air Force, Surabaya, 2003.
16. Su-27SK, 11th Aerial Squadron, Indonesian Air Force, August 2003.
17. Su-27SM, 23rd Fighter Regiment, Dzemgi AB, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 2003.
This aircraft, along with several others, was donated from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur
aviation factory.
18. Su-27S, 604th Aviation Base, Kazakhstan Air Self-Defense Forces,
Taldy-Kurgan, 2006. This aircraft was part of an exchange between Kazakhstan
and Russia, where Kazakhstani Tu-95MS aircraft were exchanged for Su-27s,
MiG-29s, MiG-31s, and Su-25s. Rent on the Baikonur cosmodrome also figured
into the deal.
19. Su-27UB, 61st Aviation Base, Belarus AF, Baranovich AB, 2006.
20. Su-27S, 61st Aviation Base, Belarus AF, Baranovich AB, 2006.
21. Su-27P, 81st Fighter Regiment, Ukrainian Air Force, SIAD 2002 Airshow,
Bratislava, June 2002.
 Moving
on to the third sheet, 72-028, this one is devoted entirely to the Su-33
Sea Flanker. There are twenty options here, all of them Russian. For the
most part, all of these aircraft are finished similarly, and all the operational
ones are from the 279th Carrier Aviation Fighter Regiment. In addition
to production Su-33 aircraft, this sheet also includes decals for the
prototypes, the T10-24, T10-25, T10U-2, T10K-1, T10K-2, T10K-4, T10K-5,
T10K-6 and T10K-9. Some of the interesting variations are below.
T10U-2, built in 1986, was used for aerial refueling tests in addition
to testing the carrier instrument landing system. In March of 1988, it
set a distance record, flying non-stop from Moscow to Komsomolsk-on-Amur
and back to Moscow. This aircraft has photo calibration markings painted
on the nose and tail.
T10K-9, the last pre-production aircraft. This aircraft was one of thirteen
used for the Admiral Kuznetsov long-range cruise from December 1995 to
March 1996. During this cruise, the ship went from the Barents Sea to
the Mediterranean. All the Sea Flankers had their entire rudders painted
in the Russian national colors of white, blue and red.
Su-33, Red 70, from the 1st Aerial Squadron, 279th Carrier Aviation
Fighter Regiment. This aircraft, during a aerobatic demonstration over
Ostrov airfield in the Pskov region, crashed, killing the pilot. The flight
was in celebration of the 85th anniversary of Russian naval aviation,
and the pilot, Major General Timur Apakidze, was the first military pilot
to land on the Admiral Kuznetsov in both day and night. In addition to
the Russian Navy flag on the nose, this aircraft also had a diving eagle
on the tail.
Su-33, 2nd Aerial Squadron, 279th Carrier Aviation Fighter Regiment,
summer 2005. This aircraft, like many in the 2nd AS, carries the squadron
emblem of a tiger's head on the tail fin. On this aircraft, both tiger's
heads face forward, but on some from the 2nd AS, the starboard tiger will
be facing aft.
All of these decals are nicely printed, with excellent register. If
you are a Flanker nut, there is absolutely no reason not to pick these
sheets up. My thanks to Begemot
for the review samples. |
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