Yakovlev Yak-1 & Yak-1b profiles

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
I've uploaded  the pages at:

http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/yak1/Misos/yak1b-unknown/yak1b-unknown.htm

http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/yak9/misos/stepanenko9T/stepanenko9T.htm

I have added (related to Pokrovskij) in the too anonymous title because even if it wasn't his plane, the photo created the legend that it was.

A surprising thing of this plane is that its tail is fully of victory stars. So if it wasn't his plane, it could have been of another ace... or a complete propaganda fake.
 
Best regards
Massimo

[66misos]

Hi Massimo,

thank you for posting. Adding "(related to Pokrovskij)" was a good idea. We will see if any new info arise. As one said - the truth is out there.

Regards,
    66misos

[66misos]

Hi,
I have started work on another Yak-1b. Now it is plane from the 1st Fighting Regiment "City of Warshaw" (1 PLM "Warszawa") from autumn 1943.



This plane already wore standard grey-grey camouflage with the combination of the old and new red stars.
- July 3, 1943 - directive no.2389/0133 - the upper and side surfaces of all fighter aircraft have to be painted in greyish blue and dark grey colors.
- September 3, 1943 - No.267 issued - red stars have to have outline with white line 5cm wide edged with red line 1cm wide.

Here is my work in progress:


Regards,
   66misos

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
this will be welcome. I wait to see its evolution up to the definitive version.
Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
a thing that this photo of Yak, and some other ones, seem to show is that the lower part of the rear of the fuselage seems painted with AMT-11, while the wings and metallic parts seem painted in light blue. I wonder if it was a matter of availabilty of paints.
Regards
Massimo

[66misos]

Hi Massimo,
exactly, the lower part of the rear fuselage confuses me, it is quite dark, almost zero contrast against AMT-11.
At britmodeller forum is an article Yakovlev Yak-1b 1st Fighter Regiment "City of Warsaw" with several photos, here showing Yak-1b from 1945:


Repainting with paints of the color not exactly matching original camouflage was not unusual.

Photo of White II from Arma Hobby blog in a bit better photo:


And the photo of the same plane from Як-1 с двигателем М-105ПФ


So if original camouflage of White II looked similar to White 12 (light blue AMt-7 going high at the rear fuselage), then it could be overpainted with some darker "local mixture", may be mix of light blue and black or AMT-11 of the different shade, to make sides of the fuselage darker.

Regards,
   66misos

[66misos]

Hi,
so far basic camouflage and some smoke stains.



Regards,
   66misos

[John Thompson]

The carburetor air intake in the wing root appears much larger than on standard Yak-1Bs. The photo of "White 12" (shown Photoshopped into "White 13" in the Britmodeller thread) shows this; there's another photo of this aircraft published on the back cover of Skrzydla w Miniaturze 2/91 showing the intake from the front quarter which confirms the larger size. Was this a common modification on Polish Yaks? Was it just one aircraft?

John

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
from the photo, I see that the AMT-11 (or what is) look extended to the lower part of the rear fuselage, including the tail wheel doors and the cooling fairing. I remember a similar photo that I  wasn't able to find in my hard disk with the rear surfaces dark and light blue under the wing and nose. I suppose that it was a matter of stocks of paint, that is that the factory was short of AMT-7 and used the closest shades available.
Best regards
Massimo

[66misos]

Hi Massimo,
you are right. I made some corrections, plus I added "weathering" and "dirting", so here is the final result:

EDIT Septt 11, 2021 - old picture replaced by this corrected one:


Regards,
   66misos

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
the conformation of the exhaust stacks should be different, they have plates up and down. I would make the mast a bit bended forward.
Regards
Massimo

[Graham Boak]

Darker paint or just stains from the airflow out of the radiator?

[Massimo Tessitori]

I don't think, it shouldn't have been so uniform on the sides.

[66misos]

Hi,
I replaced original picture with corrected one:
- antenna mast in vertical position,
- added plates above and below exhaust stacks,
- hole at the front fuselage deleted.

Regards,
  66misos