Andrzej Rygiel Author
I got this kit as a Christmas gift when I came back to the modelling hobby. At first, I felt enthusiasm and nostalgia, the original Su-25K 1/48 kit from OEZ was one the best ones I had the pleasure to build as a teenager loooong time ago. But then the reality hit - the SMER release is nowhere near as good as I remember the original OEZ kit, it looks like they changed the original moulding a bit and definitely weren't keeping it maintained properly. The amount of flash is astounding and on some of the elements it was almost indistinguishable where the actual part ends and what is the flash you need to remove. The white plastic feels "weird", it's very soft, you can shape it easily but I have some doubts if the Tamiya extra thin cement wouldn't have some longer-term effect on it... The general fit is not great, feels a lot like a short run kit. It's definitely not for the heart fainted...

Anyway, I didn't want to let my original gift-giver down and took the challenge head-on! The Eduard's PE sets add a lot of details that are otherwise poorly represented or missing completely. I'm not going to open the canopy so the original equipment + the interior PE set will do just fine here. I am also going to purchase the FOD covers and RBF sets from Quickboost, as it would take an inadequate time for me (not mentioning my lack of the skill required to do that 😄) to model the engines and other details, they will be covered.

I'm pretty sure once (and IF) I finish this fella I'll be so happy to come back to my Eduard or Tamiya stash items (someone called models like that one very good for keeping your "Tamiya appreciation factor" high, I cannot agree more 🙂 ).

Cristian A
Great progress so far. Coming back to the hobby feels really good, taking a seat on the Frogfoot build 👍

Kalle Kindel
In my mind, a model received as a gift always carries greater significance. Especially if it was gifted by someone who is not involved in the hobby themselves. The fact that someone has taken the trouble to research the background of model making to find a suitable model demonstrates great dedication and gives the model a special value in my eyes. Good luck with the build!

Nathan Dempsey
As old as this kit is I have fond memories every time I've built one. It will be nice to see yours finished as well. Nice work so far.

Andrzej Rygiel Author
Kalle, I fully agree and share the same view. Although I wouldn't probably buy this kit myself, I highly appreciate the gift giver going the extra mile to find out what I like to do and took the effort to get one for me - this alone is a highly effective driver for me to finish it, despite all the challenges it presents.

Andrzej Rygiel Author
Nathan, I have highlighted it already in my previous comment that the original Su-25K kit was the one I vividly remember to be something really extra in its original days and I had a blast building it many, many years ago. I hope to put in some extra care and love to transform this one into something I won't be ashamed to display in my models display case 🙂.