ICM 1/48 Yak-V- COMPLETED

[jonbius]

Finished the Yak-7V. Interesting kit... not a shake and bake by any stretch, but not terribly difficult either. Paints are Akan. I'd hoped this one would turn out better. I should've gotten a vacform canopy... the kit canopy was not very good.

[learstang]

Looks very nice to me, Jon!  I don't see a problem with the canopy.  That AMT-7 looks rather greyish - is it greyish in person?  I ask not because I think it's wrong, I'm just curious about the AKAN paints.  I suppose I really need to get some, but I just don't trust acrylics, not for airbrushing.

Regards,

Jason

[Seawinder]

Looks very nice to me, Jon!  I don't see a problem with the canopy.  That AMT-7 looks rather greyish - is it greyish in person?  I ask not because I think it's wrong, I'm just curious about the AKAN paints.  I suppose I really need to get some, but I just don't trust acrylics, not for airbrushing.

Regards,

Jason

Hi Jason.
The canopy problem is that the windscreen frames are far too wide. As for the Akan paints, I highly recommend the new acrylic lacquer line, the only disadvantage being that you have to buy them in sets of 6 bottles. I've finished the paint job on one of the two Yak-1s I'm building, using the Akan AMT-6 and 4BO from the 1941-43 set (mislabeled as "Yak-3"). It was some of the most pleasant airbrushing I can recall. I don't want to hijack this thread any further, but I'll post a couple of workbench shots to the South Front Yak-1 thread. I think you already saw the picture I posted of the other Yak-1 with the Akan AMT-7 on the bottom. It's definitely blue.

Pip

[Seawinder]

Hey Jon, nice work on the 7V. I agree with everything you said about the kit. At some point I invested in the Gremlin correction kit, which is a mixed bag quality-wise. It does provide a better shaped spinner and prop blades. The replacement fuselage is probably more accurate, but the vacuform canopy looks lika a PITA. I've got another Yak-7 in my future, but I'll probably stick with the kit fuselage and a Squadron vac canopy. I also see that Vector has a replacement prop/spinner (available at Ultracast). Anyway, thanks for sharing your work.

Best,
Pip

[B_Realistic]

Good weathering.

[jonbius]

Thanks everyone.

That AMT-7 looks rather greyish - is it greyish in person?

My photography is the blame there. It does have some gray to it, but not near as much as the photo shows. In person it is definitely a much bluer color. It's the Akan AMT-7 out of the bottle, though there is obviously some weathering layered on after that.

[B_Realistic]

Thanks everyone.

That AMT-7 looks rather greyish - is it greyish in person?

My photography is the blame there. It does have some gray to it, but not near as much as the photo shows. In person it is definitely a much bluer color. It's the Akan AMT-7 out of the bottle, though there is obviously some weathering layered on after that.

@Jonbius
Are you already busy with the Tu-2?

[66misos]

Hi Jonbius,
very nice kit. Weathering itself again impressive.
However, when doing weathering on VVS planes, this picture could help to estimate a level of it:



Regards,
     66misos

[jonbius]

Are you already busy with the Tu-2?

I've had to put it aside for several commission builds, and the Eduard Spitfire Mk. IX. I'll get back on it within a few months, hopefully. Of course, if more commission builds come in, I'll keep working on those!

Hi Jonbius,
very nice kit. Weathering itself again impressive.
However, when doing weathering on VVS planes, this picture could help to estimate a level of it:

Thanks Misos! That is a great photo- thanks for sharing that with me. Part of the reason I do the weathering like I do is stylistic- I just like the way it looks. And I've found that buyers tend to like the more weathered appearance, even if it's not as realistic. (I sell my models to help pay for some family medical bills we are facing.)

But that is good to know that I can turn it down a notch and have that be realistic. Is that photo a more typical example of maintenance on an aircraft? I've seen a few that show much heavier weathering, but I've never known which was more typical? I would suppose a lot of an aircraft's maintenance might have to do with the pace of operations, too?

Do you think the "highlighting" of the internal ribs on the fuselage side is a reflection of the light, or is it actually lighter in color? Interesting photo!

[66misos]

Hi Jonbius,

I personally also prefer more weathered planes, that is why I like so much how you weather your planes.
My first VVS planes (I-16,La-5FN) were also more weathered than my last ones.

I do not think that cleaning planes in VVS was something exceptional, see another photo:


Plus note how glossy is Yak in my previous post although it has AMT11+AMT12 camouflage. And these paints were originally more matt than semigloss.
Now I understand motto from your page - Modelling with purpose. Let me wish you a good luck.

Regards,
     66misos

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Jon, hi all,

it's a very nice work of painting and weathering. Only, the kit shows some issues. The prop blades, in particular,  look not fully satisfactory. I have a Yak-7b still to build, but I fear that some aftermarket pieces will be needed.
Regards
Massimo

[B_Realistic]

@Jonbius
Let me say that I find your weathered models better and more stylish than more clean aircraft. Even when the clean aircraft are more realistic which I doubt. Thing is that all the pictures doesn't show all the detail enough to determin if or how the aircraft can be weathered. I know that many doesn't agree with that last statement and they will try to prove this. But let me tell you that I've personaly seen very clear, sharp and upclose pictures from Bf-109's and they where very weathered. The difference in color fluctuations are very well seen. I can't state this for VVS aircraft that flew in the GPW but those aircraft weather also. It doesn't mean that the paint itself weather or becomes lighter but dust, footmarks, oil, gunstripes, exhaust stains are very commen. Ok there are some pictures where people try to clean there aircraft and it looks neat. But consider the fact that there where thousands of aircraft. Do you think that they kept there aircraft as clean as possible? Even when aircraft where used daily? This statement will also be discarded. But I think that's typical for aircraft modelers.
I like the way you weather and your models are very good. And let's face it.
If you make it non weathered it looks like a toy. But that's my opinion. That doesn't mean that everyone must weather there models. It's up to them. It's a hobby and when you enjoyed it that's the best part.

[Seawinder]

@Jonbius
Let me say that I find your weathered models better and more stylish than more clean aircraft. Even when the clean aircraft are more realistic which I doubt. Thing is that all the pictures doesn't show all the detail enough to determin if or how the aircraft can be weathered. I know that many doesn't agree with that last statement and they will try to prove this. But let me tell you that I've personaly seen very clear, sharp and upclose pictures from Bf-109's and they where very weathered. The difference in color fluctuations are very well seen. I can't state this for VVS aircraft that flew in the GPW but those aircraft weather also. It doesn't mean that the paint itself weather or becomes lighter but dust, footmarks, oil, gunstripes, exhaust stains are very commen. Ok there are some pictures where people try to clean there aircraft and it looks neat. But consider the fact that there where thousands of aircraft. Do you think that they kept there aircraft as clean as possible? Even when aircraft where used daily? This statement will also be discarded. But I think that's typical for aircraft modelers.
I like the way you weather and your models are very good. And let's face it.
If you make it non weathered it looks like a toy. But that's my opinion. That doesn't mean that everyone must weather there models. It's up to them. It's a hobby and when you enjoyed it that's the best part.

I think it's largely a matter of style and personal preference. I appreciate the work done to produce a highly weathered model, and I don't object to the result. I personally prefer to keep my weathering subtle, confined to gently accentuated panel lines, exhaust stains and the like. Perhaps my models look like toys. I don't know, but I like the way they look nevertheless. Again, that's taking nothing away from Jon's approach, and more power to him for his rate of production! I'm lucky if I can complete a model a month (and they generally take several months to build).

Best,
Pip

[Seawinder]

Hi Jon, hi all,

it's a very nice work of painting and weathering. Only, the kit shows some issues. The prop blades, in particular,  look not fully satisfactory. I have a Yak-7b still to build, but I fear that some aftermarket pieces will be needed.
Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo. I agree, the ICM propeller is quite poor (and the spinner is not very well shaped either). Vector makes a resin replacement for both. Also, it appears (from drawings in the two Aircraft Monograph books from AJ Press by Robert Bock) that the Yak-7B used the same propeller -- VISh-61P -- as the Yak-1. The spinners also look the same in the drawings, so it might be possible to pirate one of the Accurate Miniatures kits for the spinner/prop and fit them to the ICM kit (assuming, like me, that you don't intend to build the AM kit).

Pip

[B_Realistic]

I think it's largely a matter of style and personal preference. I appreciate the work done to produce a highly weathered model, and I don't object to the result. I personally prefer to keep my weathering subtle, confined to gently accentuated panel lines, exhaust stains and the like. Perhaps my models look like toys. I don't know, but I like the way they look nevertheless. Again, that's taking nothing away from Jon's approach, and more power to him for his rate of production! I'm lucky if I can complete a model a month (and they generally take several months to build).

Best,
Pip

Pip,

That's indeed what I meant. Every modeler has it's own preference.
Yes I never met a modeler like John who has the skills to build a model per week and with that quality.

Michel