Yak-3 Yakimenko

[ChristianK]

Gentlemen,

thanks to a great link provided by John Thompson I found this photograph of a Yak-3, labeled as 150 GIAP, pilot Yakimenko:



Any idea where and when this image might have been taken? Any hint or other info is welcome, too!

Cheers,
Christian

[Dark Green Man]

according to Eduard kit 1119 (Yak-3 dual combo) it was taken in Czechoslovakia in 1945.
however, that could be just as inaccurate as most of their camoflage patterns and color suggestions.
I think independent confirmation from an official source would be preferred.
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[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
great image. The nose looks black to my eye. How is it drawn on Eduard's instruction sheet?
Massimo

[ChristianK]

According to the Eduard sheet (discovered just now that they made this scheme) the nose is red, also the spinner. The same feature appears on other profiles of 150 GIAP aircraft, so it seems to have been a common feature for this unit (the spinner from the Yak in the background of this photo seems to be red, too). I wonder if this colorful marking really was used during wartime or if it was applied in or after May 1945 only..

Cheers,
Christian

[marluc]

Hello:

It?s an interesting paint scheme.At least to me,the cowling looks like was painted in black and the spinner in red.What?s that stain and little dots in the back of the red star on the tail?

I wonder if this colorful marking really was used during wartime or if it was applied in or after May 1945 only..

I agree Christian,but a confirmation from a good source would be needed.
Greetings.

Martin

[ChristianK]

What?s that stain and little dots in the back of the red star on the tail?

Martin,

according to a color profile on Wing's Palette it is a red flag with the writing "To motherland with victory" on it:

http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/268/1/3/15

Cheers,
Christian

[marluc]

Thanks Christian for your reply.It would look great in a model,is it one of the decal options in the Eduard kit?
Greetings.

Martin

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
black nose with red or grey spinner looks much more credible than the red one drawn on the profiles.
Massimo

[John Thompson]

It's too bad the fuselage star isn't more visible. Comparing the nose colour with the star on the tail, the nose looks darker than the star, suggesting that the nose is black, but it could also be because the tail is comparatively farther away from the camera, making the red in the star look lighter (more washed-out) than the red on the nose (if it really is red). The nose *is* very dark, though, even when compared to the AMT-12 areas in the camouflage. That still doesn't prove it's black (you can tell I want it to be red, can't you? ). It could be helpful to take a hard look at photos of other aircraft to see whether red in the stars appears darker or lighter than AMT-12 in each individual photo, I suppose. In my non-"expert" opinion, determining colours from black-and-white photos is almost hopeless, but I think it is possible to learn something by comparing the appearance of different parts of of the aircraft in the *same* photo. I don't think you can compare one photo to another, but if you looked at 10 different images and found that in all of them, red was lighter than AMT-12, then that could be a helpful conclusion.

Regardless, the Yak-3 really was a beautiful aircraft, wasn't it!

John

[Dark Green Man]

although I would agree that red makes more sense from a Bolshevik point-of-view , the photo gives one the impression of black.
it looks darker then the red stars and the AMT-12 in the photo.[/color]
 

[ChristianK]

But when you compare the color of the nose with the (most likely red) fuselage star and the flag on the tailfin you will notice a very close resemblance between those colors...Would they really have used a black flag? Maybe the photographer just used orthochromatic film (which darkens red) and the red of the star on the fin was unusually light, i.e. it had more white than red in it.

Just my thoughts,
Christian

[Dark Green Man]

...Would they really have used a black flag?

I think that is a little thing called a shadow...
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Maybe the photographer just used orthochromatic film (which darkens red)Christian

did the Soviets have orthochromatic film?
I have read that British Orthochromatic film darkened Yellow, is this a different kind?
in all likelihood it is merely a green filter being used.
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[ChristianK]

I think that is a little thing called a shadow...

What do you mean? I was talking about the flag painted under the red star on the tailfin. I just doubt they would have used black as a color for this flag..You know, the Bolshevik point of view..

did the Soviets have orthochromatic film?
I have read that British Orthochromatic film darkened Yellow, is this a different kind?

I am not a photo expert, but what I know is that orthochromatic film renders those colors darker which have some portion of red in it. The more red, the darker the appearance in orthochromatic photos. That's true for red (surprise!) and also for all yellows with a red/orange tinge. Of course, filters could create a completely different situation (which would render all color discussions even more fruitless than they already are), and the exposure of the motif to sunlight is also important, as it reduces the intensity of red to a strong degree:
Just compare the color gradient in the spinner/cowling area. I am convinced that spinner and cowling are painted in the same color, only that the spinner with its much more accentuated curvature appears lighter in direct sunlight. There should be a more noticeable hard-edged color border between the spinner and the cowling if they weren't of the same color.

I might be totally wrong, of course; just my two cents!

Cheers,
Christian

[marluc]

Hello Christian:

I am convinced that spinner and cowling are painted in the same color, only that the spinner with its much more accentuated curvature appears lighter in direct sunlight. There should be a more noticeable hard-edged color border between the spinner and the cowling if they weren't of the same color.

I agree with you.I enlarged the image and after looking closely at the photo,I think that the cowling is painted in red.One of the points of the fuselage star is visible under the wing;and the red in it is as dark as the colour of the nose.The red flag at the back of the tail star is pretty dark too.Greetings.

Martin

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
I have had a further look to this image.
There is not a color demarcation line between spinner and cowling, but there are oblique demarcation lines within the cowling that can't be explained, imho, with shadows or reflection. They distinguish the rear part, darker, from the front, lighter.
The only similar thing already seen on Soviet planes on the spinner is a red star.
So, let's have a look to the stars on fuselage and tail. It looks that the tail star appears with an usual shade of grey for a red star. So, the fuselage star that appears much darker should be painted with a much darker shade of red (excluding other colors as black or blue). If this is the same color of the cowling, this could be dark red, so dark to resemble black on the image.

The plane shows other interesting points. The oblique trace on the cowling was ignored on profiles because considered as a photo defect. But are we sure? It has the shape of anexclamation mark, and is perpendicular to the flight axis. It could be really painted there. Other photos would be needed.

The profile http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/268/1/3/15 shows characteristics (the tail in particular) that can't be deducted by this photo, so it's likely that much better versions, or other images of this plane, are in circulation.

Massimo