Construction report - Trumpeter SU-27 DigiCamo Ukraine

Exactly on time...but for what? For the Scale & Paint Vienna 2026! My masterpiece was nominated for the competition, but there will be a separate blog post about that. :)

Some models have simply been on the wish list for a long time, the Su-27 Flanker by Trumpeter in 1:32 scale is one of them. A huge jet, impressive lines, and simply an aircraft that immediately shows presence on the workbench.

However, I didn't just want to build it straight out of the box. I had long envisioned a Ukrainian aircraft in modern digital camouflage – and with that, it was clear that this project would require a bit more work.

And that's exactly what happened.

Cockpit and first modifications

Even in the cockpit, I started to change a few things. Instead of an empty seat, I installed a 3D-printed pilot, which immediately gives the model significantly more life.

A small detail that I particularly like is the Ukrainian paper flag in the cockpit. This is actually only a minor detail, but it's precisely these kinds of things that make a model more personal for me. I also installed the 3D decals from Kelik.

I also experimented a bit with the landing gear. The goal was to modify the model so that the landing gear could optionally be displayed retracted or extended. That sounds simple, but it required quite a bit of adjustment and dry-fitting.

The Challenge: Digital Camouflage

The most exciting – and honestly, most nerve-wracking – part was the painting.

The Ukrainian digital camo looks fantastic, but it's anything but easy to implement. Here, masks from Foxbot were used, which are specifically made for this camouflage. Nevertheless, it remains quite a patient task.

Masking, painting, re-masking, next color, hoping nothing bleeds underneath – you know the drill. Fine details were then touched up by hand.

But it's precisely such paint jobs that truly make a model special in the end.

Colors and Markings

For the painting, I used MRP paints, which are very well matched in color to the Ukrainian Flankers. The paints can be sprayed extremely finely and are truly ideal for such camouflages.

I also got the decals for the Ukrainian version from Foxbot to be able to represent exactly the aircraft I had in mind.

In addition, there were a few nice detail upgrades:

• Antennas from Master as fine photo-etched parts
• R-73 and R-27ER & R-27ET air-to-air missiles from ResKit

The ResKit missiles in particular are small works of art in themselves and significantly enhance the overall appearance.

Conclusion on the project

The Su-27 from Trumpeter in 1:32 is definitely not a small weekend project. With the modifications, the complex camouflage, and the additional details, the build was sometimes quite challenging and took almost three months, of course with a few interruptions,

But that's exactly what made it so appealing.

In the end, there is now a large Flanker in Ukrainian digital camo that immediately catches the eye in the display case – and every time I see it, I remember how much work, patience, and a little improvisation went into it.

That's exactly why I love this hobby. ✈️

Model: Su-27 Flanker
Manufacturer: Trumpeter
Scale: 1:32
Paints: MRP & Revell Aqua
Accessories: Reskit, Master, Kelik & Foxbot

Regards, Stefan