Print Page - Hobby Boss 1/72 Yak-3 and P-40B/C

Here?s a look at the Hobby Boss Yak-3 and P-40B/C kits. The P-40 is easier, so here it is first; the VVS used a few of these in the GPW, and there are decals available, although not included with this kit.

The P-40 is very good. Compared to the drawings in the MBI P-40 monograph, complaints are:

-Wing machine guns are too far out from the fuselage by about 2 mm. This would be easy to correct, except that there are some related panel lines which also would have to be relocated. Probably better just to leave it alone.
-Rib detail on all control surfaces is much too deep, but could be improved with a few coats of liquid filler, such as Mister Surfacer.
-Two canopies are provided ? one open, one closed. Both have the same odd error ? the windscreen is a rounded shape with no framing visible. The windscreen should consist of three separate flat panels with frames.

Otherwise, I like this kit. The panel lines look quite good, and all the outline shapes generally agree with the MBI drawings.

The Yak-3, unfortunately, is a whole different matter. Here I used the drawings from Skrzydla 15, by Zbigniew Luranc, published in 1997, as a basis for judging accuracy:

Fuselage:
-Accurate in side view outline, except leading edge of fin is too vertical.
-In plan view, the fuselage shape behind the cockpit is much too narrow.
-The rib detail on the rudder shows the ribs angled upwards, as if intended to parallel the ground line on a parked aircraft, not parallel to the thrust line, as they should be. Very odd.
-The cowling lower panel is a separate part. While its outline shape matches the drawings, the joint line to the fuselage is not even close to where the panel line would be on the real aircraft.
-The cannon bulges on the upper cowling are very wrongly shaped.
-The cannon troughs on the upper cowling are too short, too narrow, and too shallow.
-The rear underside of the fuselage (molded as part of the wings) is much too sharply squared off ? while the fuselage underside was indeed flat, the corners had a noticeable radius to them on the real aircraft.
-The radiator housing bottom surface is too flat in profile view.

Prop:
-Blades too narrow, too pointed.
-Spinner is slightly too pointed, but better than existing kits.

Wings:
-Tips are too pointed.
-Aileron chord width too wide on top ? same width as underside. Should be narrower on top.
-Panel lines should all be eliminated, top and bottom, except for large panels immediately behind wheel wells on underside.
-Air intake faces on leading edge of wing roots are flat, not tapered or rounded, and lack a slight ?sweepback angle? shown in the drawings.
-The pitot tube is on the wrong wing, and is very large, like some kind of a spear. Perhaps for ?taran? attacks?
-The wheel wells are satisfactorily deep, but lack any detail.

Landing Gear:
-The main gear legs look acceptable, but the retraction mechanisms (molded in one piece with each leg) are much too big, and are flat in cross-section shape, not tubular like a real Yak.
-Main gear doors ? the internal structure detail looks too deep, but better too deep than too shallow, I guess.
-Outer doors ? too small, remind me of fingernail clippings.

Horizontal Tailplanes:
-Good!

Canopy:
-Good shape, but only one option (closed) ? no open canopy option like P-40 and MiG-3.

So, there you have it. Is it better than existing 1/72 Yak-3 kits? Overall, no. A few parts (the spinner, the canopy, and maybe the prop ? at least it?s no worse than existing ones) could be used to improve the VES Yak-3, which seems to be the best of the previously-existing kits by a small margin. But the Hobby Boss Yak-3 is NOT the ultimate 1/72 Yak-3 which we have been waiting for.

I hope I can be forgiven for cross-posting this to Matt and Erik?s forum as well ? my apologies in advance if anyone is offended!

John Thompson

Sovietwarplanes

Modeling Soviet Warplanes => Model Kits => Topic started by: John Thompson on October 25, 2006, 10:22:40 PM