Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker-B – Red 98, Russian Navy, 2020s

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA6019: Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker-B Red 98 of Russian Navy, 2020s. Production run of 800 models.

Length 12 inches Wingspan 8 inches

Designed by the Soviet Union to challenge the superiority of fourth generation US fighters such as the F-15 Eagle, the Su-27 was first flown on May 20, 1977. This one seat Mach-2 fighter had the Soviet Union’s first operational fly-by-wire system. The aircraft is very large compared to the MiG-29, its closest Soviet counterpart, but it is built with a high percentage of titanium, which helps minimize its weight. It is exceptionally agile and is perhaps most famous for its “Cobra” manoeuvre, which is a short, sustained level flight at a 120 degree angle of attack, often performed at air shows.