1:72 Scale Metal Diecast Sukhoi Su-35 Super Flanker Length: 12″ Wingspan: 8.25

This Su-35 Super Flanker (upgraded Su-27) model is a single seat plane. The landing gear can be posed as extended or retracted. A metal stand where the model can be attached for display is included. The stand is made entirely of metal, it is very sturdy and it is held together by a nut/screw assembly. The wheels can roll freely and are quite smooth (so be careful where you put this thing, or it could roll downhill). The fuselage is all metal and really quite heavy.

Some interesting features of this particular model are that the elevators are movable. Also, like in the real deal, theexhaustnozzlescan be rotated/moved around to represent thrust vectoring. The cockpit can open. There is no pilot figure included.

The model comes with 9 missiles attached (of 2 different types). The missiles need to be attached to the wings.

The maker of the model, Air Force 1, really did a good job with the model, the panel lines and details are very crisp and one can see the little dots that represent the rivets holding down the panels.

This is really a “no-play” model or a “display-only” model. It is mostly metal and very heavy. It also has a number of antennas which look great but are very fragile. If you have small kids that like to play with your models, save yourself some frustration (and money) and wait till later to get a model like this one. The box is labeled as not suitable for children under 14.

The box is HUGE at 14 inches by 10 inches by 4 inches. It is a window box.

TheSukhoi Su-35(Russian: -35;NATO reporting name:Flanker-E[N 1]) is a designation for two separate, heavily upgraded derivatives of theSu-27 ‘Flanker’. They are single-seat,twin-engine,supermaneuverablemultirole fighters, designed bySukhoiand built byKomsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association(KnAAPO). The Su-35 is also known asSuper Flanker.

The first variant was designed during the 1980s, when Sukhoi was seeking to upgrade its high-performance Su-27, and was initially known as theSu-27M. Later re-designated Su-35, this derivative incorporated aerodynamic refinements to increase manoeuvrability, enhancedavionics, longer range, and more powerful engines. The first Su-35 prototype, converted from a Su-27, made itsmaiden flightin June 1988. More than a dozen of these were built, some of which were used by theRussian Knightsaerobatic demonstration team. The first Su-35 design was later modified into theSu-37, which possessedthrust vectoringengines and was used as atechnology demonstrator. A sole Su-35UB two-seat trainer was built in the late 1990s that strongly resembled the Su-30MK family.

In 2003, Sukhoi embarked on a second modernization of the Su-27 to produce what the company calls a 4++ generation fighter that would bridge the gap between legacy fighters and the upcoming fifth generationSukhoi PAK FA. This derivative, while omitting the canards andair brake, incorporates a reinforced airframe, improved avionics and radar, thrust-vectoring engines, and a reduced frontalradar signature. In 2008 the revamped variant, erroneously named theSu-35BMin the media, began its flight test programme that would involve four prototypes, one of which was lost in 2009.

TheRussian Air Forcehas ordered 48 production units, designatedSu-35S, of the newly revamped Su-35. Both Su-35 models marketed to many countries, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Korea, but so far have not attracted any export orders. Sukhoi originally projected that it would export more than 160 units of the second modernized Su-35 worldwide.