December 31, 2025
Description
The Sukhoi Su-27 is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supersonic and supermaneuverable fighter. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation jet fighters such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The Su-27 was designed for air superiority missions, and subsequent variants are able to perform almost all aerial warfare operations. It was designed with the Mikoyan MiG-29 as its complement.
The Su-27 entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1985. The primary role was long range air defence against American SAC Rockwell B-1B Lancer and Boeing B-52G and H Stratofortress bombers, protecting the Soviet coast from aircraft carriers and flying long range fighter escort for Soviet heavy bombers such as the Tupolev Tu-95, Tupolev Tu-22M and Tupolev Tu-160.
The Su-27 was developed into a family of aircraft; these include the Su-30, a two-seat, dual-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions, and the Su-33, a naval fleet defense interceptor for use from aircraft carriers. Further versions include the side-by-side two-seat Su-34 strike/fighter-bomber variant, and the Su-35 improved air superiority and multi-role fighter. A thrust-vectoring version was created, called the Su-37 Terminator .
You can find hundreds of fighter models on the Internet.
Some of them are, however, a faithful reproduction of the machine itself, but such a model is not great to 3D print (because of the thin wings, complicated engines and landing gear, it needs tons of supports etc.).
On the other side there are simple models of aircraft that are easy to print, but no longer represent the original plane.
I tried my best to create something in between, a model that is both easy to print and looks like the real aircraft. I spent a lot of time to adjust the wing thickness, the acceptable landing gear design and the optimal way to get rid of default supports and to make the plane look so reliable that even a person not interested in aviation could tell the difference between several models.
High quality settings, 0.12mm-0.15mm layer height (I am using 0.12mm)
0.4mm nozzle
NO supports (unless you choose a version without them)
100% infill
I reccomend to use raft to ensure that the model will not peel off mid-printing.
Printing (on my 3D printer) takes from 1h to 1h 40minutes depending on settings, printer efficiency and the size of a jet.
I recommend NOT to scale down the model, because some parts (air intakes, engines, nose) might be deformed, or not even printed, because they will become too thin for the slicer and printer. I also do not guarantee good results when scaling up.
Here's a small instruction how to remove the unnecessary parts after printing.
The photos show a MIG-29, but the instructions apply to all models.
First, remove the raft with side cutters.
Then find the gaps in the wings (marked with red arrows). Don't forget about the engines and stabilizers.
CAREFULLY break the supports with pliers, I do not reccomend to use hands, because the wing may break along the layers, not where it should be.
Remember, that even if that happen, there is no need to print the model again. Sometimes it is enough to glue the wing with superglue.
You can also smooth the wings with a small file or sandpaper and burn the strings with a lighter.
Six hardpoints on the wings instead of four and two additional ones between the engines.
Slimmer landing gear (especially the front wheel) makes the plane more sleek and cleaner.
Different vertical bottom fins (in the wersion with landing gear) better represent their original form.
Reworked canopy and nose, the canopy was a little bit too wide at the end, an nose had some issues with the mesh.
Main wing got some minor changes (I got rid of the tilted surface on top , near the vertical stabilizers.
After re-modelling the tail section, the belly got slimmer and flatter (this way I also made place for those two hardpoints)
The front bottom surface of the main wings is now tilted towards the engines, so they lay on it like in the real Sukhoi.
If you enjoy my micro jets please leave a nice comment. I am working on some new arcrafts I will be uploading soon. I would be grateful if you would share with me your ideas for new fighters or something completely different. I am open to your suggestions.
I would just like to point out that I am not a professional and I treat creating models for 3D printing as a hobby. Therefore, I am asking for your understanding towards my work.
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — NoDerivatives
Szymon Adamczyk
