Begemot 1/48 Su-33 Sea Flanker Decal First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Begemot Decals is an interesting decal company from Rostov-on-Don, Russia that offers a nice array of markings for Russian-built aircraft. In this release, they've provided markings for 20 different aircraft ranging from the early Su-27 concept test airframes to a number of in-service Su-33s. These include:

1. Su-27 (T10-25), Blue 25, early Su-27K test aircraft
2. Su-27 (T10-24), Blue 24, early Su-27K test aircraft
3. Su-27UB (T10U-2), Blue 02, used for carrier approach landing tests
4. Su-27K (T10K-1), Blue 37, first pre-production carrier variant
5. Su-27K (T10K-2), Blue 39, second pre-production carrier variant
6. Su-27K (T10K-4), Blue 59, second series-production aircraft
7. Su-27K (T10K-5), Blue 69, third series-production aircraft
8. Su-27K (T10K-5), Blue 69, third series-production aircraft, revised paint scheme
9. Su-27K (T10K-5), Blue 69, third series-production aircraft, MAKS 2003 paint scheme
10. Su-27K (T10K-6), Blue 79, fourth series-production aircraft, MAKS 1997
11. Su-27K (T10K-9), Blue 109, seventh series-production aircraft, sea trials aboard the Kuznetsov
12. Su-33, Red 65, 1st AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, April 1995
13. Su-33, Red 65, 1st AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, December 1995
14. Su-33, Red 67, 1st AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, Summer 1997
15. Su-33, Red 70, 1st AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, Summer 2001
16. Su-33, Red 72, 1st AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, Summer 2003
17. Su-33, Red 86, 2nd AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, Spring 1999
18. Su-33, Red 88, 2nd AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, 2003
19. Su-33, Red 82, 2nd AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, Summer 2005
20. Su-33, Red 80, 2nd AS/279 CFAR, Severomorsk Airfield, Summer 2005

With each aircraft profile, there is a brief summary about the aircraft presented including some tragic details of pilots lost as these pilots learned how to conduct conventional take-off and landing operations from a pitching carrier deck. While the Soviets have been operating the Yak-38 Forger at sea for decades, the Russians carried forward the initiative to create their first conventional aircraft carrier.

The decal printing is perfectly in register. The instructions are printed on two sheets that provide decal placement for each aircraft type and external stores placement. If you're wondering if these tiny stencils are even readable, the image to the right is a blow-up of the Cyrillic text.

For more information about this set and the other releases from Begemot Decals, visit their website at http://www.begemotdecals.ru.

My sincere thanks to Begemot Decals for this review sample!