A-Model's 1/72 scale
Sukhoi T-4

by Ricardo Cornejo

The T-4 was part of the prolific series of strange Soviet bombers designed during the cold war. This was traditionally considered to be the Soviet response to the supersonic bomber XB-70 North American.

The T-4 flew for the first time in August 1972 in the center of tests Zukhovsky. The first flight was at the expense of the pilot Vladimir Ilyushin and the navigator Nicolay Alferov. It had one of the first systems of flight as cable (Fly by Ware) made in the URSS. During the flights of test 1.28 reached a speed Mach, nevertheless it did not come at the speed programmed of Mach 3 due to the fact that the finished project was cancelled in 1974. The T-4 accumulated in his record of flight only 10 hours.

Nevertheless the design of this impressive plane was following an extensive and complex program of engineering, aerodynamic and metallurgical. The T-4 was constructed in steel and titanium. Its weight when fully loaded exceeded 100 tons!. It was considered to equip it with two missiles of great size Kh-45 but this armament never managed to establish oneself.

Another two airfranes were in process of manufacture when the works of production were suspended. The sole surviving model ended its days in the museum Monino, close to Moscow.

 

Construction

A-Model's 1/72 scale T-4 kit is of type short run and it is of mixed manufacture, resin fiberglass and injected plastic. The wedge is not perfect but here it enters game the patience of the modelist. The sections of resin are the fuselage and great part of the wings made of two halves (top and low) those who come assembled from factory. Part of the tail fin also is of the same material. The rest of the pieces is in injected plastic. The glue that it is necessary to use is of type cyanocrilato CA or super glue.

I used putty Marson (for cars) with an catalyst. It is easier to refill unions and on having dried, modelling does not contract as the traditional putties of the category. The putty Tamiya was used for the final finishing touch before the painting.

Cockpit:

It is basic and with a minimum of details in the lateral consoles, panels of instruments and seats. I replaced the consoles of kit by others more detailed of another kit, I believe that they were of a F-105 I am not sure much. I replaced the seats by copies in resin of two K-36 with some modifications. Actually I eliminated the cylinders side by side of the head pilot and replaced them by square badges, very similar to the seat that was used in the family of the Yak-28. I do not know what was the type of seats that the T-4 was using. I realized an identical work to which Mr Phil Brandt did in the rims of the accesses to the cabins of his T-4 that he published in the past in Internet. I added a badge of plasticard inside the cabin to give him more depth. I replaced three original frontal windows by new made pieces of plate of acetate, equal method for two lateral windows and the two that are in the lids of revenue to the cockpit, the final score is much better!

Wings and tail fin:

On having been joined to the fuselage only, it is necessary to add to them the rim of attack (2 pieces), I carry to extremes of the wing (1 piece) and flaps of the rim of escape (1 piece). I preferred joining the flaps to the rest of the wings in position below.

The leeway is completed joining the rim of attack and the mobile panels.

Front fuselage and nose:

After assembling and painting the interior of the cockpit and two halves of the front fuselage, I placed an internal piece of plasticard to reinforce the union to the rest of the pre-assembled fuselage. In this stage it is necessary to align correctly both sections of the fuselage and to apply enough putty in the union. The nose is composed of two halves each one with an internal axis. I preferred the option above or below doing a groove it curls to the sides of the cabin.

Air duct:

On having assembled this section, it is necessary to put attention in the aligned correct one and adjustment in the union to the rest of the fuselage.

Here also putty is applied enough. I did not consider to use protective lids for the air captures.

Nozzles:

Every nozzle comes in two halves and one joins the burners in his base. It is necessary to do a slow but necessary work of cleanliness of excess of plastic in these 4 pieces.

To give him more depth to the burners I did 4 orifices in the later face of the fuselage.

Undercarriage:

Every principal train has eight wheels and two arms hydraulic, the train of nose is more conventional only it has two wheels but I added two horizontal cylinders that go to the sides of the axis or vertical arm and that were not included in kit. In contrast to the unit of nose the adjustment of the axes of the wheels of the principal train is defective, this problem can be solved ... but I did not do it. The wells have little depth but the front lids cover this area.



 

Painting and Markings

I used acrylic lacquer of cars applied with airbrush. The aluminium is called ‘Opalescente‘ and I did the differences of tonalities mixing the aluminium with black, blue, red, white and yellow. Then I retouched with airbrush you stain of black diluted enough color applied in the rims of the panels of the fuselage and wings.

The bands or strips of the darkest color of the air captures be re-produced by me with a rigid mask of plasticard. Before placing, you trace them I applied a layer to all kit of transparent lacquer. You trace Amodel they are transparent because of it I painted first the stars of tail and wings directly on the surface in white color. This way you trace them of the tail they would not have a translucent aspect. Identical procedure I did with the code yellow 101 in both sides of the front fuselage but making the numbers with role he traces Testors printed on an inject previous I design in FreeHand 9. Finally I applied to all kit a final surrounding layer of brilliant lacquer mixed with matt lacquer.

Note: the image of the real plane was published in the book Soviet Xplane, Jefim Gordon and Bill Gunstom.



 

Conclusion

:

I must say that this kit does not have the level of details that a kit Hasegawa, Tamiya, Fujimi or Accurate Miniatures, but AModel's is the only kit available of this type in 2005.

The type of material used in the manufacture of the pieces of resin fiberglass means you will have to use special adheisves such as super glue or one of the two-part epoxy glues.

Many modellers will know that Trumpeter announced for 2005 the Tu-160 injected into 1/72, so I believe that it will not be any surprise that the the Chinese mark and T-4 may also be released in the future.

Here's hoping!

 

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Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2005 by Ricardo Cornejo
Page Created 18 May, 2005
Last Updated 17 May, 2005

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