Hi,
let me add some notes:
1. there is written on the drawing, that only port side view of the plane no. 04 was drawn by mechanic of the plane M.P. Borisovec. Top side view and starboard view are only speculations,
2. Stepanenko flew original Yak-9 "White 17" since June 1943 until he received new Yak-9T,
3. emblem of the Order of the Red Banner appeared on the nose after November 5, 1944, when the 4 iap received this award,
4. photo of Yak-9T no. 04 is retouched, hard to say what is original and what is result of retouch - at this photo shade of digit "0" is much closer to the red star than to light blue cap on the tail,
5. Yak-9T "04" is mentioned for period from autumn/winter 1943 until winter 1944,
6. there known examples of red star without thin red-white outline on the grey-grey Yaks and Lavochkins.
7. dark camouflage color at the first and second photo pretty well fit to official NKAP 1943 grey-grey-scheme for fighter:
8. his score painted on the starboard side behind cockpit shows 16 starlets (at least at that retouched photo). According to
http://airaces.narod.ru/all1/stepanen.htm Stepanenko achieved 16 victories (included group ones) in may 1943, or pure individual victories in September 1943.
9. on that drawing is a list of victories achieved on Yak-9T "04" (not all, only examples) - it starts with the date of January 12, 1944.
So for me Stepanenko's Yak-9T looks like plane with:
- NKAP 1943 grey-grey camouflage,
- red stars without red-white outline,
- light blue cap on the tail,
- red number 04 (or dirty white like quite often seen on other planes?),
- eagle on the light blue background/sky,
- red propeller spinner, w/wo light (yellow?, white?, light blue?) ring according to your personal preferences,
- no Red Banner emblem before November 4, 1944.
- Red Banner emblem on the nose starboard side only for plane after November 5, 1944, that time Stepanenko already had 35 individual+group victories.
Regards,
66misos