SU-27 "Flanker"
This thing is really good.
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| Courtesy: Wikipedia. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sukhoi_Su-27SKM_at_MAKS-2005_airshow.jpg |
Hold that thought, however.
I've recently witnessed two of these toys sneaking past in a short-listed BIN auction that went for a song at $100 and about twenty dollars for shipping in the CONUS. In a proper week long auction it would probably have earned the seller TRIPLE what he received. I'm actually beating myself over my head that I didn't see this, or else it would have been mine. I'll go ahead and link to the listing for however long Ebay keeps these things posted.
BBI Peacekeepers Power Team Elite Jet Vehicle HORNET GI Joe Figure Lot 1/18
Eat your heart out as I've almost digested mine. For posterity's sake I'll post the image if only to reopen wounds and dwell on what might have been. Minus the figures and a few minor things like traffic cones that come with these sets, these very well may be complete [IE, ordinance and ladders] and they even have unapplied sticker sheets.
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| Front: Two "True Heroes" F-22 Fighters. Middle: Power Team Elite F/A-18 Hornet, both of which we will feature in upcoming reviews. The rarest of the three types (by far) are the SU-27s positioned in back flanks. |
This is the only successful auction I've seen for the SU-27 in a few years, and this one slipped through on the sly. No mention of the true prizes of this lot (the SU27) are in the title or description. Add that to the fact that lots tend to go more ignored and whoever won this auction received them at an absolute steal.
But enough of me sharing my angst with you. I'm sorry about that, I really am.
Moving along, I was fortunate enough to grab an SU-27 from BigBadToyStore.com awhile back while they still had a few of these in stock. I always meant to buy another, but wasn't able to in time before the stock ran out. A pity. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of it still in box by itself, only along with the entire shipment I received:
It's cut off at the bottom by an assortment of figures in their packages, but it pretty much shows everything: pilot, missiles, tail fins, a few boxes, ladder, and fuel can. To the right of it is the PTE J-10, which we'll also review at some point. The packaging is same theme as we've seen before from Power Team Elite toys, which I rate as pretty decent at showing you what you're getting.
A little about the SU-27:
The "Flanker" is an advanced Fourth Generation design, often referred as a "Generation 4.5" fighter aircraft. What does this mean? For starters, it means it's a modern design (it first went into service in the mid-1980s. Yes! that is relatively modern in aeronautical terms). Unlike the previous jets of the third generation, fourth generation fighters were built to be true multi-role aircraft that could excel in a number of missions and environments. Previous generations saw specific aircraft that would be dedicated interceptors, or escort fighters, or close-air-support craft. Modern fighters are intended to be any and all of those things, sometimes on the same mission.
Fourth gen jets also sought to restore close-combat capabilities in contrast to the ideas that long range missiles would be the most influential aspect of air-to-air warfare. There was in increased concentration on maneuverability and acceleration, even as advances in electronics made beyond visual range (BVR) combat more viable. Other jets built under fourth-generation philosophy include the F-16, F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, F-15, and the F-14 (which I equate perfectly with the Sky Striker). The "Advanced" fourth generation jets, or gen 4.5 expand on gen 4 principals by adding things like data link, advanced radars, thrust vectoring, super cruise, super-maneuverability, etc.
Where does this put the SU-27?
As far as I understand it, the Flanker ranks quite highly amongst the advanced generation four designs. The real questions seem to exist around how well the soviets are able to support it, maintain it, and keep it's electronics current. It's quite maneuverable at most speeds, is fast, accelerates well, carries lots of fuel, and has a big radar. In addition, it's rumored to be able to be able to detect other aircraft thermally from miles way with a special Infra-red search and track system. It seems to be more or less on par with the F-15 'C' or 'E' Eagle, with some feeling that it's superior in a number of respects.
While I do plan on going over various aircraft on this blog in some depth in the future, you can always read up a little more on Wikipedia.
The Cobra "Buzzard"
You may be inclined to give this to your Joes, but in to my mind Cobra truly lacks an air superiority/multi-role fighter. Most of the classic cartoon episodes feature either the Rattler or the Night Raven, one based off of a dedicated tank buster and close-support aircraft and the other an unarmed reconnaissance jet who's only defense was it's ability to cruise high and fast to out-pace enemy interceptors and anti-aircraft missiles. Both aircraft are more adaptions of the aircraft that inspired them rather than pure homages, and so in my estimate share neither their greatest strengths nor their combat limitations. Never-the-less, I don't count the Rattler as at all fast nor the Night Raven as particularly agile. Also, like many thing Joe that resemble real-life military hardware, this toy needs it's 'Joe name'. I think the Cobra "Buzzard" is appropriate and it's what I use.
The set comes with ten missiles listed starting from the middle to the outside:
AS-17 Krypton Air to Surface Missiles (x2 - inner most missiles)
KH-29 Air to surface Missiles (x2)
Vympel R-27 Medium Range Passive Radar missile (x2)
Vympel R-73 Short range IR missile (x4 - outer most missiles)
Note that there are ten missiles included in this set, yet there are a total of twelve hard-points for them to be fitted to. There are four hard-points on the wings, two in tandem between the engine nacelles, and two (unoccupied) mounted under the intakes. This set comes with a lot of accessories, but still it would have been nice to have received two fuel tanks to mount on the last two hard-points.
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| Left to right: Vympel R-73, Vympel R-27, KH-29, AS-17 |
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| Missiles to the right are from the XP-21F SkyStriker for comparison. Above is the included ladder and some accessories typical of those included in the set, though not necessarily those included with this set. |
Here is a shot of the hard-points themselves. Unlike actual GI Joe product from Hasbro, PTE missiles slide on and off their mounts. Some of the missiles fit these rails loosely and will slide off quite easily.
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| Empty rail hard-point |
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| Missile mounts to the toy by sliding on or off the rail. |
The airbrake right behind the cockpit opens for some realistic play-value. Out of the box, the tail fins require attachment to the rear of the body.
The profile looks fantastic, complete with the iconic arched-downward front. Molded in a weathered blue, it has plenty of detail showing various control surfaces and panels. Joe scaled-vehicles of this size are typically 1:32, and in this scale the toy possesses the unmistakeable and beautiful symmetry of the aircraft it's based off of.
Like the rest of the plane, there is plenty of detail in the cockpit. A joe-sized figure (see pic below) with molded helm seems to fit well without any real clearance to spare. Unlike the Sky Striker, the seat is positioned well in the center of the cockpit. Inside there is a molded seat, a control stick, and control details.
The plastic the plane is made from is kind of thin, but is reasonably robust enough for handling by young adults. These sets are advertised as being appropriate for ages 3+, but I don't see it standing up to the rigors of being handled so roughly as younger children can put toys through. I'm not saying they aren't safe for younger children, I just don't think they'll survive all that long. Plus, this toy is now pretty much a collector's item with it being such a rare find.
The landing gears work reasonably well. They lock in place reliably and fold up inside the fuselage.
There is an arrester hook mounted to the back end between the engine, which technically may indicate this is the naval variant for service aboard an aircraft carrier, the SU-33. You could play it either way, even though the package indicates it is the basic SU-27.
I haven't applied the stickers yet for a couple of reasons. Number one, I was waiting to take pictures for this review, and second, since I'm assigning this to Cobra, I'm contemplating customization options. Here is the sticker sheet and instructions included below. Honestly, there's not a whole lot of documentation with these toys.
Synopsis/Conclusion:
I hoped I got your attention with this review calling to attention the absolute awesomeness that the Power Team Elite/World Peacekeepers line has in store. This is the first of several jets that I will publish reviews for. At some point I'll try to make a detailed comparison of them along with their Hasbro counterparts but that will take some work and thought. I am very happy to have this example in my personal collection. I really pine for Hasbro to produce something like this because like I've stated before, Cobra doesn't have what I would consider a true air-superiority fighter. I'd like to see Hasbro release a Cobra jet plane inspired by either the Eurofighter or Rafale in a traditional Cobra color.Quality: B
Plastic is a little thin, feels a bit brittle but not overly so. Canopy doesn't stay shut, missiles slip off. seems more appropriate for older adolescent children.
Appearance: A
Unmistakable SU-27 symmetry integrated very well with Joe-Scale. Great detail.
Play Value/Accessories: B+
Yes the figure is lackluster, but I typically am very forgiving towards PTE for this. Lots of play value and other accessories
Overall Grade: A-
