Arctic Ambush Duel

Nathan Dempsey
Wow that is SO awesome how you used the camo pattern as the base! What a beauty!!

Slavo Hazucha
Finished 50% of the "Aggressor vs Role model" couple! 🙂

The Kinetic kit was a great starting point, among other things it had so many "variant-parts" it made some experimentation & the making of the LG easier. Good kit.

I really advice to re-think using Aires stuff not meant for the specific kit, like in this case (was for 48-scale HOBBY BOSS...). Not impossible, but work-work-work. I do not regret the LG wells & the engines, the Pit was more trouble than use... should have only used the section behind the pilot, realized that too late. Nothing to see from seat-level to front & fitting was a nightmare...

Added a "Splinter" Base for proper measure.

So this little bro will now wait a couple of months until the Big-Brother Flanker joins him! 🙂

Palo M
Looks fantastic!

Bernhard Schrock
Congratulations: not only an excellent Hornet but a very stylish presentation. 🙂

Jos Jansen
Gorgeous Slavo, you set the bar very high for us here on scm ... man, what an exceptionally cool build and display ... I can't wait for this bug to be reunited with the Flanker!

Konrad -
Awesome just awesome! I love the idea with that stand 🙂! Said I awesome before...
So cool Slavo🙂!

Eelco Gregoire
Very cool Slavo!

bughunter
That jet looks like the real one 👍 F_A_N_T_A_S_T_I_C !

Kim Branders
Impressive, very nice.

Maciej Bellos
Elegant base. Simply gorgeous result!

Pierre
Cool take-off 👍

Lode Schildermans
Absolutely masterclass, my dear friend. You keep improving from outstanding to...

Peter Hardy
Love the base too Slavo. Very artistic.

Jim J
Wow! Absolutely fabulous. The camo schemes are brilliantly executed. Top shelf. Congrats. And like the others have said - cool and creative base.

Clifford Keesler
Just totally outstanding work sir. I don't know what elese to say.

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Nathan, Palo, Bernhard, Jos, Konrad, Roland, Eelco, bughunter, Kim, Maciej, Pierre, Lode, Peter, Jim & Clifford! - for patiently following & making me most happy that you like the result of model/pose/base!

As I said in the build thread, working on models while "borrowing" ideas, inspirations & techniques from you is better than any competition or prize... 👍

I'm not sure it's 100% realistic procedure to start the roll & hard turn while the gear is still going up, but I wanted to add some drama & action to the situation and the "Aggressor ambush" spirit 🙂 Glad you like it!

I like to think about it that while the scheduled training is taking place, the Aggressors got under pressure so an additional one is scrambling up to turn the game around... more Hollywood than real life I know... 😄

Jos Jansen
I totally agree on that Slavo...it's about your own imagination to present your models ... how beautiful is this hobby!

Maciej Bellos
I am still trying to find what you "borrowed" from my builds, master!

Daniel
Hey this one was fast through the finish line, wasnt even done admiring the stunning landing gear action 🙂 Absolutely love the result, I am impressed by all your builds, but this one is my favourite by far - after all representing my favourite aricraft😉. Will be hard for the flanker to flip the game I guess, but I m sure it will fight hard 👍 Always a pleasure to watch what you do and how you do, looking forward to part II 👍

And since the blue angels are known for the dirty roll, I guess he's free to do it as long as he watches the speedo 😄

Sergej I
Beautiful 👍

Slavo Hazucha
@ Jos - I really can't complain being back to this after almost 20 years... 🙂 And I have a proper stash to build yet! I planned to "stick to Flankers" for a time, but then "someone" builds "something" I really like & my plans just keep shifting... 😄

@ Maciej - your Saudi F-15 which just looks correct in relation to the original, among other things prompted the idea to go without pre-shading on the Hornet and weather the camo as a whole - while well done shading always looks god as such it's really realistic far less often, or so I think😉

@ Daniel - this is just a humble side-step into NAVY territory... I suspect you have a salt-water aquarium and leave your kits to "mature" in that environment by the super-real looks you're getting...😉 Very happy to hear that roll & gear-up are approved, now my little "story" has an even better touch! 👍

Maciej Bellos
Slavo, thank you! I am humbled by your comment! Didn't think my Saudi Eagle looked that good. Too bad the Eagle had an accident caused by a third party and I am too dissappointed to fix the small things that are missing.

Neuling
Top build and presentation. Your modelling skills are breathtaking. It´s a joy to watch your subtle and careful work (and to read your wise and encouraging comments).

Spanjaard
a masterpiece form any angle.

Michael Phillips
This is truly a masterpiece. Every detail just pops, and that base is pure brilliance. Slavo, your builds are the benchmark in which I gauge my own and aspire to achieve. I think I speak for the majority here, but your work is inspirational, even if most of us know it is beyond what we will ever likely attain. So, I for one, am just happy to sit back and watch the magic happen. 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Neuling, Spanjaard & Michael! Honored to have you on board!

Maciej, sad to hear that the "Eagle has landed"... But I can imagine that with repair vs doing something new, the new venture almost always wins...

Neuling I am trying to experiment with making the best out of outside light😉 Still a lot to learn & maybe some day equipment to buy, but it is fun to look for the best weather & conditions... A good light balance is worth at least as much as one shading or weathering layer 🙂

Michael thanks a lot, you are a 48-scale expert by any man's measure & willing to follow ideas to full top result (that Raptor canopy & metallic sheen 👍😢 - the inspirations definitely go both ways!

Donald Dickson II
Damn, you are a flipping genius sir. Incredible!

Schnemat
Again Slavo, just awesome! I really like the just taken off state, very cool! Lately, I'm also thinking about how to present the models in-flight. I thought about having the airplane attached with a transparent acryl rod to a picture frame with a clouds background, so that it could be hanged at a wall... these things are meant to fly!😉

ZHOU Kun
Great pose and so dynamic! Love this!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Donald, Schnemat & ZHOU!

Donald I´m just a simple man locked up at home with wife & 2 kids and an IT/3D-Art company in my back who needs some serious compensation to keep his sanity... 😄

Schnemat - I´ve seen this done in 72-scale... 48-scale, I´d be afraid about the "meant to fly" bit... Thing has it´s weight and while fixed on one solid 5mm metal bar on the stand, it is what my daughter calls "boingy" - hit the base a bit harder or even stomp on the ground next to the display and it starts to "rock" - maybe not like the Elvis-figure in a car, but you definitely see it move😉

Daniel Klink
Just completely flashed...👍

Schnemat
haha, you made my day, didn't think about the "meant to fly" in that way 🙂

Es-haq Khosravi
Very nice!

Pero Susinger
Boy, this is really good.

Harry Eder
Very dynamic presentation 👍

Erik Leijdens
Very nice Slavo!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Daniel, Schnemat, John, Es-haq, Pero, Harry & Erik!

I really need to find a way from the procrastination the partial finish of my Aggressor duo has brought over me and get back to finish the partner-look Flanker 😄

Peter Hardy
Hurry up Slavo, we are dying out here! Can't wait to see it done!

Bart Goesaert
Very stunning and dynamic pose.... Excellently built and finished...

Shawn Carrigan
I love the in action retracting gear and the base plate. Very cool way to display!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Peter, Bart & Shawn

Peter, sorry to not reply - but activity was resumed in the build thread in the meantime 🙂

Once the Flanker is done, I´ll probably re-shoot this with the two together with a better camera...

Daniel Klink
A+++++++++++++++++++. 👍

Przemek Przybulewski
Really cool idea

Treehugger
What a fun model to look at. 🙂 And nice photos. Fascinating combination of gray colors.

Spanjaard
beautiful in every way.

John
awesome

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Daniel, Przemek, Treehugger, Spanjaard and John!

Daniel, it´s only an A+ Hornet...😉 maybe ++ due to the really cool camo, I liked it when I was painting it and I still like it now... soon to be joined by the Big Brother Flanker, same pattern, but slightly different colors coming...

Chris Parsons
Very imaginative base as well, nicely done!

Slavo Hazucha
So dear friends, thank you all for your patience and finally the Hornet is united with it´s role-model, the Su-35 902-black splinter-camo prototype 🙂

The Sukhoi is also my first attempt at using a photobox - still with a cell-phone camera, but for now very happy with the results!

A honorable mention - things would have looked much more grim without the help of Michael Phillips who parted with a canopy set from a limited edition GWH kit to replace the one I cracked while polishing 👍

As for the kit, the GWH Super-Flanker is a dream - easily the best kit I built in my life until now. Complex, but manageable and the detail-level is unmatched...

Nathan Dempsey
I wish I had more words to convey how beautiful this build is Slavo. Such wonderful work 🙂 Glad to have you on Scalemates to show us such inspiring builds.

Konrad -
Yep I'm absolutely with Nathan! That is amazing! Congrats Slavo for this wonderful builds!
Maybe you can show us the final place of both planes in the cabinet😉!

Lode Schildermans
Slavo, magnificent. Indeed, the photo box brings the details even more to live and reveal even more your craftsmanship. It is indeed a wonderful build

Christian Ristits
Wow, what a build! Love those colours and the metal-surfaces are fantastic! Bravo!

Spanjaard
amazing!

James C
Simply a fantastic display of skill and craftmanship Slavo. Outstanding looking build👍👍👍

Bart Goesaert
truly a new level of finishing a model.... a stunner in every aspect, building, painting, weathering, explaining to us mere mortals... If I may nitpick... is it still possible to tone down the gloss on the Su-35 tyres a bit?

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Nathan, Konrad, Lode, Christian, Spanjaard, James & Bart - I found a great home here with inspiration & the right amount of positive challenge & push 👍!

It was a real pleasure to develop this camo scheme, the GWH Flanker is a great big canvas to work with with absolutely beautiful lines, rivers & details...

Bart you are right, I will matt the tires & do a few minor touch-ups (setting-up the pics, I noticed I forgot a few minor decals), maybe even add the pairs of R-73's and R-77's later. But I really felt an itch to push it across the line and formally finish the build, so here we are - well spotted mate! 🙂

Dominik Weitzer
Wow - what bart said, i agree in all points.

Pierre
Amazing finish Slavo. A pleasure to look at while I'm away from my bench, and surely an inspiration for many Su-35 models to come !

Michael Phillips
What a spectacular bird! While the model as a whole is incredible, the metalwork here is simply divine. I am going to have to borrow your techniques used here in the future for sure.

I am glad I could be a part of this epic build by contributing a replacement canopy. Helping each other out when in need here is what makes us all scale"Mates".

Take a bow Slavo, you are an inspiration for all of us mere mortals.

Daniel
Well, I hate to say that - but the hornet performing a spectacular high-g pullup right after takeoff gets beaten by a fat flanker sitting around chilling 😮
That hurt my little hornet fanboy feelings...must be the new photo background...unfair advantage, flanker disqualified, hornet wins-thanks for coming. Better. 😄
Spectacular build slavo, a beauty from every angle, another masterpiece! And as the Flanker is your Tomcat I am already looking forward to more of that 🙂 👍

Dieter Bihlmaier
Great Display!

bughunter
The pictures taken in the light tent leave one speechless! 👍

Spanjaard
great duo. but my hart goes for the flanker 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Dominik, Pierre Michael, Roland, Daniel, Dieter, Frank & Spanjaard - many of you being in, or fresh from the Tomcat GB, sporting some of the most formidable paint- and weathering jobs of the year I am the more happy that you like this postcard from the other side of the curtain!

@Michael - the metal job was a really pleasant open-ended experiment with masking, freehand, drybrush & oil techniques, layer after layer of guesswork what will work well with/next to what to achieve an agreeable result.

@Daniel - I sort of expected it coming - While I have the Flanker measured from front to back & every angle & crevice in almost every version in my sub-concious mind, the Hornet - while a well-known sight - was a new territory to explore and work out the important areas & angles of view... 🙂
But truly, I realised that I seem to have a certain "momentum" for every build - like a battery full of motivation & energy at the start which dissipates in the process as I start to think more about the next build vs the ongoing one... Once this is spent, I find it hard to really put more "esprit" into it and just want to finish & go on... On the Hornet, this energy went in a large portion into the LG assembly and into fitting the Aires Parts into the Kinetic kit somehow... not leaving all too much for the rest. The GWH Flanker was so good a kit that I arrived at the paint-job practically at the peak of my enthusiasm gauge... But yeah, the photobox does the trick, really😉

Schnemat
Slavo, you are a true master of this hobby, the flanker looks amazing and the pictures are just fantastic! ever thought of doing workshops? i would be great to learn from you ????

Clifford Keesler
Well done sir. My hat is off to you. You truly are a craftsman.

brianireland
Very impressive, love the stand for the hornet and the aircraft both look superb!

Sergej I
Speachless. Slavo, you are master of details and convincingly-realistic surfaces. Please do a Tomcat 😄 👍

Pero Susinger
Superb!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Schnemat, Clifford, brianireland, Sergej & Pero!

Schnemat it's really flattering to read that - a lot of my work is done in a rather "organic way", following a general idea & mental picture for the outcome, setting up a rough plan of action and taking it layer after layer... In my job I work with computer graphics since around the year 2000 (not as an CG-artist, more in boring management roles...) and I learned a lot there to understand layers, rendering, light/shadow & co-relation of colors into a final whole - maybe that helps a bit here... will try to document & describe what, how & why I did in my projects when I think it's worth mentioning...

Sergej - It's currently between place 5-10 on my ToDo list...😉

Andy Ball
We open our pan-European Modelling-Museum with this in the reception hall! (Be careful: the Russians may mistake it for a 'Honey I Shrunk the Sukhoi')...that's my way of saying "magnificent"!

Clifford Keesler
When are we going to see a Tomcat from you Slavo? LOL.

Erik Leijdens
All is already said! Magnificent work all the way. 👍

Jos Jansen
What can I add more what is not have been said... this is truly a masterclass build! What a great ride you take us with you...it is extremely high standard modeling, I have once again enjoyed your build report. Maybe your skills in your job helps you to see things such as the right incidence of light... 🤔 ! You should share this build to reach a wider audience, have you consider to publish your builds?

Sven Schönyan
Excellent results in all aspects!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Andy, Clifford, Erik, Jos & Sven!

Andy - don´t shy away from Soviet/Russian metal - it´s one big playground for experimentation & combination!

Cilfford - I would, but I "fear the bones" too much... 😄

Jos - thanks a lot mate, praise from your side means a lot, since I am a big fan of your witchcraft how you pull out the essence of a jet-fighter look & feel in top scale appearance 👍. Watching your six...!😉

Eelco Gregoire
Very cool work Slavo!

Augie
Utterly superb!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Eelco & Augie! Happy you like it!

Guy Rump
Beautiful work 🙂

Donald Dickson II
Again, making the rest of us look ham handed. Incredible work.

arne vd burg
Awesome

Christian Bruer
Excellent work and finish 👍

Roland
You nailed it, very impressive!!

Daniel Klink
Most impressive Result and simply a joy to look at Slavo...👍

Stephan H.
The surface details on the SU-35 are stunning. Outstanding paintjob 👍

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Guy, Donald, Arne, Christian, Roland, Daniel & Stephan!! I am humbled by so much positive feedback, but I guess the Sukhoi bureau really made a show-stopper with the splinter camo applied on the huge but sleek & streamlined Flanker airframe...

This project really was a line-up of highs - I liked the kit, the cockpit, the opportunity to do some metal experiments and the investigation to find the right color shades and balances to replicate the prototype´s colors as they appear on the pictures!

ZHOU Kun
The flanker looks great! Thank you for sharing!

Björn Svedberg
Looking great! I love your choice to display the hornet with retracting gears. 👍

Mateusz Wisniewski
I admire the finish on the exhaust! The 3 gray splinter camo looks so nice.

Clifford Keesler
You sure did hit a home run with this one. OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!

Giuseppe Castiglia
stunning

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks ZHOU Kun, Björn, Mateusz, Clifford and Giuseppe!

Björn the Kinetic F-18 kit, with a lot of version-based & double parts is a great base for such works - it featured 2 set of main gear legs, making the retracting position easier to set-up with sawing & re-connecting the legs.

Mateusz - I spent a lot of time brooding over photos in different lights & angles to get the dark color right. Make it too grey or too blue and it just kills the appearance - suggestions from instructions were obviously wrong, I mixed various combinations of greys & blues and checked them in various light conditions before arriving at a tone I liked 🙂

Jasper Breur
That is absolutely fantastic! Photo 20, what a stunning job on that metal work! Congratulations on this perfect result!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Jasper! The GWH Flanker was probably the best OOB material I got my hands on so far, leaves you all the creative energy for your own ideas & improvements 🙂

I can really recommend MRP metals - on smaller areas as engines, they IMHO perform as good as Alclads, dry faster & stink less... + they really go well with oils, providing an excellent base for experimentation!

Paul Moore
Ok …. You SERIOUSLY need to do a video and show the rest of us how to do engines! Fantastic job!

John
I agree with Paul. I have a couple of MiG-25s in the stash that are begging for a tutorial on this!!!

Clifford Keesler
Just beyond words Slavo, outstanding.