Zvezda's 1/48 Yak-3 completed

[Seawinder]

Here's my rendition of Rogovoy's White 15. Thanks, Konstantin and otheres, for the posted photos that helped with the prop spinner and stars. Aside from Vector prop/spinner and AML photo-etch seat belts, the build is OOB, although I did drill out the exhausts and added landing gear indicators and the antenna mount on the rear canopy. I wanted to use this project to test AKAN's late war grays, AMT-11 and 12, from their acrylic lacquer line (as well as their AMT-7 and A-14). I'm very happy with the colors, which, while quite dark out of the bottle, look good to my eye under a coat of clear flat. Markings are from the kit and Authentic Decals, with silver outlined stars from Eagle Strike.

Cheers,
Pip

[learstang]

Excellent build, Pip! You should post it on Britmodeller (if you haven't already), to show them how attractive VVS aeroplanes can be. Those colours look good to me - not too dark, as AKAN colours can sometimes be (at least to my tired, old eyes).

Regards,

Jason

[Seawinder]

Thanks for the comment, Jason. I've already posted it to HyperScale; maybe Britmodeller would be overkill.
Pip

[learstang]

Oh, I don't think it's overkill, Pip. Show those Britons ("Who are the Britons?"*) how nice-looking VVS aircraft are. That's one reason why I joined Britmodeller - to witness for the faith, so to speak (that and I do love British aeroplanes).

Regards,

Jason

*With apologies to Monty Python.

[66misos]

Hi Pip
Very nice build. Overal appearance of the plane is very convincing to me.
Happy modeling.
Regards,
     66misos

[Spitfire]

Looks good to me, post it on Britmodeller and educate them !

Cheers

Den

[learstang]

I saw the post on Britmodeller; good for you, Pip!

Regards,

Jason

[xan]

Nice yak-3, in sovietwarplanes style!
congratulations!
Xan

[bbrought]

That is just beautiful. I really like the AKAN colours also!

[Pascal]

I like it ! Very much.

Pascal

[otto]

Nice Yak, Seawinder!
Do you have any comments or suggestions about the kit's decals? In my kit they have unpromising flat finish and slightly yellow carrier film, but on your model they seem well applied.
Are you sure that Rogovoy's Yak had silver outlined stars?

[Seawinder]

Nice Yak, Seawinder!
Do you have any comments or suggestions about the kit's decals? In my kit they have unpromising flat finish and slightly yellow carrier film, but on your model they seem well applied.
Are you sure that Rogovoy's Yak had silver outlined stars?

Thanks, Otto.
I agree, the kit decals don't look great on the paper, but they behaved very well indeed, and the carrier film disappeared nicely with very little silvering to deal with.

I'm certainly not sure about the silver outlined stars, but Konstantin posted a starboard side photo to another thread --

http://sovietwarplanes.com/board/index.php?topic=1642.0 and scroll down to KL's first post --

-- in which the star definitely looks different from the white 15 beside it. If it's good enough for Konstantin, it's good enough for me!

Cheers,
Pip

[KL]

Hi Pip,
Really nice model - clean, elegant and historically accurate.  I especially like those red stars outlined in silver!!!  

I would have probably placed number "15" decal on AMT-12 patch to show that factory applied fuselage number had been overpainted (in analogy to other 64 giap Yak-3s), but that is definitively optional.  Also, I am not sure if propeller stencils were so close to the spinner?

Are you sure that Rogovoy's Yak had silver outlined stars?

Since the outline wasn't white, the only other option would be yellow (as seen on so many old profiles and decal sheets!!!).  In my view, yellow outlined stars are a myth which should be uprooted.  There is absolutely no evidence that yellow has ever been used to outline red stars on VVS airplanes; all those profiles were based purely on b/w photos!
On the other hand, there is material evidence that silver has been used for this:  le Bourget Yak-3.

Silver was actually used by VVS as a substitute for white winter camouflage.  It looks that silver and white had a similar treatment in markings...

HTH,
KL  

[Seawinder]

Thanks so much for the comments, Konstantin. I take that as high praise coming from you! I've got another Zvezda Yak-3 in the stash and will adjust the position of the prop markings when I build it. Do you by any chance have any photos that show it clearly? Both the kit and the Authentic Decal instructions showed them about where I put them, and the markings are pretty much invisible in the photos I've seen.

Cheers,
Pip

[66misos]

PHi Pip,
I found this:
N-N Yak-3, no stencils on the propeller blades:


Yak-3 (?)


Yak-9P


Yak-9 (UT)


Yak-7


Regards,
   66misos