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Golovachev's Bubbletop - a "9T" or "9M"?
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Author Topic: Golovachev's Bubbletop - a "9T" or "9M"?  (Read 9862 times)
warhawk
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« on: July 22, 2017, 09:08:19 AM »

Hello,

I have been musing with starting a Yak-9, namely this cool-looking machine, used by Double HSU Pavel Yakovlyevich Golovachev.
I have some questions regarding this particular bird:

Firstly - which variant is it?
These pages claim it to be a Yak-9T
http://airfield.narod.ru/yak/yak-9/yak-9_color4.html
http://airfighters.ru/golovach.php



While this one depict it as a "-9M"
http://soviet-aces-1936-53.ru/abc/g/golovachv.htm



Or maybe he flew both of them?
If I remember correctly, only thing that differentiates an "-9M" from "-9T" externally are the slightly more bulbous spinner and less-protruding gun barrel.
So, I would like Your help in determining which of these two it really was.
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Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2017, 11:14:06 PM »

Hi,
I wonder if this is the only available photo of this plane.
http://airfield.narod.ru/yak/yak-9/color4/photo_yak-9t_12.jpg
From this photo only, the types are undistinguishable, so I suspect that the spinner was drawn in fantasious way. If so,  I don't know any way to distinguish Yak-9M and T.
I can see some errors in details of the painting of both profiles, I hope that the decals don't reproduce them.
For what I know, Yak-9M entered service at the beginning of 1945. This would fit a new plane for a new commander of 900 IAP. Anyway I think that the Yak-9T  was still into production, so we can't exclude this type.
About the painting of the spinner, I wonder if there are photos of other Yak-9s of 900 IAP in the same time frame.
My guess is that one could make the model with a 'minimalist' grey spinner and gun for a Yak-9M, but glued weakly so that it could be modified into a Yak-9T, just in case new documents should emerge.
Regards
Massimo
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warhawk
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« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2017, 12:16:43 PM »

Thanks for the photo. Indeed, no way to tell the exact version, since the rear fuselage was the same in both.

I can see some errors in details of the painting of both profiles, I hope that the decals don't reproduce them.

I am making the decals myself. Or masks... or maybe a decal/mask combo, so there's still room for adjustment.
What got me interested is the "upside-down-pik-as-in-a-white-circle-with-a-lightning-piercing-it-but-also-white-triangle-and-kill-marks" fuselage art. So over the top.
Might it have something to do with JG53 (e.g. being their long-time arch-nemesis)?
« Last Edit: July 23, 2017, 12:47:06 PM by warhawk » Logged
Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2017, 07:42:19 PM »

Hi,
Quote
Might it have something to do with JG53 (e.g. being their long-time arch-nemesis)?
well, it can be, the reversed pik is pierced by a sort of lightning and seems to allude just this.
Regards
Massimo
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Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2017, 11:41:16 AM »

Hi,
I've asked Alex that sent this image.


The image is sharper that the other ones, strangely it looks flipped.I wonder if this is the good side.

The type of plane is still unidentified, both M and T are possible.
Someone is researching about documents on the calibre of the shells loaded on his plane, that could give a definitive answer.

Regards
Massimo
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66misos
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Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.


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« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2017, 05:27:41 PM »

Hi Massimo,
note the watches on his left hand, e.g. picture could be oriented correctly.

I have found this picture:

If it is his plane on the left photo, then note the spinner and nose.

Regards,
  66misos
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Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2017, 09:44:48 PM »

Hi Misos,
thank you, beautiful drawing.
The photo of the nose looks of a Yak-1, the angulation of the intake is different.
I think that Golovachev flew Yak-1s before P-39s, so in another unit; so, the painting of the spinner had no relation to that of the Yak-9M of 900 iap.
Regards
Massimo
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warhawk
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« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2017, 07:58:32 AM »

Thank You both for the photos and information.
The scoreboard makes more sense on the port side.

Strange that the tail star has the red outline, while fuselage star lacks it.
Might this suggest an earlier variant, i. e. Yak-9T?
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Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2017, 09:26:43 AM »

Unless the photo is retouched, the thin outline of the star on the tail looks black to my eye.
The idea that it could be indicative of the age of the plane is interesting, it would require a further comparison to photos of both Yak-9T and M.
Regards
Massimo
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John Thompson
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« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2017, 06:34:48 AM »

Hi,
I've asked Alex that sent this image.


The image is sharper that the other ones, strangely it looks flipped.I wonder if this is the good side.

The type of plane is still unidentified, both M and T are possible.
Someone is researching about documents on the calibre of the shells loaded on his plane, that could give a definitive answer.

Regards
Massimo


These two images show the correct (port) side of the aircraft - the other images are flipped, as you suggest. Yak-9's, including the -9T and -9M, had a trapezoidal access panel on the port side which was not present on the starboard side. Part of the edge of this panel is faintly visible at about the 5:00 o'clock position in the white area surrounding the "ace of spades" marking, proving that the photo shows the port side. This does not answer the question of whether it's a Yak-9T or a Yak-9M, though.

The colour of the lightning flash through the ace of spades is also arguable - I've seen it shown as blue (the Yak-9M profile above), black (the Yak-9T profile and the Print Scale 1/72 decal sheet), and red (Foxbot 1/72 decal sheet). Red seems unlikely - the lightning flash is much darker than the red stars - but black or a very dark blue are both possible.

John
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warhawk
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« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2017, 09:14:40 AM »

The colour of the lightning flash through the ace of spades is also arguable - I've seen it shown as blue (the Yak-9M profile above), black (the Yak-9T profile and the Print Scale 1/72 decal sheet), and red (Foxbot 1/72 decal sheet).
Red seems unlikely - the lightning flash is much darker than the red stars - but black or a very dark blue are both possible.

Indeed, the more I look at the photo, the more it seems it is not black, nor red.
So, a very dark blue it is!

Would it be a "reasonable enough guess" to repeat everything, except kill marks, on the starboard side?
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Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2017, 10:56:56 PM »

Hi John,
Quote
Yak-9's, including the -9T and -9M, had a trapezoidal access panel on the port side which was not present on the starboard side. Part of the edge of this panel is faintly visible at about the 5:00 o'clock position in the white area surrounding the "ace of spades" marking, proving that the photo shows the port side.

you have resolved at least one of the little misteries of this photo.

Quote
Would it be a "reasonable enough guess" to repeat everything, except kill marks, on the starboard side?
I think yes. The marks seem made by a stencil, so it wouldn't be a big work to replicate them on the other side.

Quote
The colour of the lightning flash through the ace of spades is also arguable - I've seen it shown as blue (the Yak-9M profile above), black (the Yak-9T profile and the Print Scale 1/72 decal sheet), and red (Foxbot 1/72 decal sheet). Red seems unlikely - the lightning flash is much darker than the red stars - but black or a very dark blue are both possible.

Indeed, the more I look at the photo, the more it seems it is not black, nor red.
So, a very dark blue it is!

My guess would be for dark red.

Regards
Massimo
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John Thompson
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« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2017, 03:48:37 AM »


My guess would be for dark red.

Regards
Massimo


That's interesting - if I was building a model of this aircraft, I really would like to use the Foxbot decals, which provide the marking in red. The designer of these decals (Aleksandar Pavlygin, "foxbot" on scalemodels.ru forum) occasionally posts an explanation of his research. I looked for something like that on the Russian forum, but in this case I found nothing.

John
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Massimo Tessitori
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« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2017, 07:18:47 AM »

Hi John,
it should be much darker than the color of the stars. I am trying to imagine some trick to darken a red decal without affecting the white outline or the clean film, but it's not easy.
Regards
Massimo
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warhawk
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« Reply #14 on: October 11, 2017, 11:40:33 AM »

The designer of these decals (Aleksandar Pavlygin, "foxbot" on scalemodels.ru forum) occasionally posts an explanation of his research. I looked for something like that on the Russian forum, but in this case I found nothing.

I did. He claims it to be a "-9M"

WIP discussion
finished 1/48th set discussion
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