Sovietwarplanes

Now we will have two new 1/72 Yak-1b kits to choose from - the still-unreleased Brengun kit (which was on sale in limited numbers at the ModellBrno show a couple of weeks ago, so general availability must be close), and now one from Arma Hobby:
http://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2019/07/27/announcement-of-the-yak-1b-model-kit/

Apparently there will be two boxings, the "Expert" version promised for September, and the basic version for October.

Excellent news for anyone who had to struggle with the old ZTS Mikro72 kit!

John

Excellent news indeed! You must be in Heaven now, John - not just one new-mould Yak-1B in 1/72nd scale, but two! What's the saying - you wait around for an hour for a bus, then two show up at the same time.

Regards,

Jason

Pricing for the Yak-1b is now up on Arma's e-shop, although the kits are still not available for ordering - the Expert set (September release) is priced at 14.50 Euros; the regular kit (October) is 9.50.
 
The latest from Arma is that the Expert version will be available by late September; there will be a one-week window sometime soon during which preorders will be eligible for some unspecified bonuses.
 
John

Hi John,
I'm one of those that had to deal with the ZTS kit. I was helped with some scans by Alex Ruchkovsky. I remember that there were differences in the spinner, exhaust area, oil cooler and elevators between early and late production planes. It can be that some of the decals choices will require some small corrections to the plastic.
I'm impressed by the details shown in the cad, I hope that the model will mantain the promises.
Regards
Massimo

From today's Arma e-mail:
"In the following week, 24-31 August we are taking preorders on forthcoming Yak-1b Expert Set. The model will be released at the end of September.
Preorder now and benefit from one free overtrees included in each preordered Yak kit. Decals included in the set contains six marking options: 2 Polish, 2 Soviet, 1 German and 1 French.  Two sets of control panels, seatbelts and stencils are included in the decals."

John

Hi John,
I don't understand what is meant for 'one free overtrees'. Could you explain it by other words, please?
Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo! The term "overtrees" seems to have been started by Eduard, or at least they were the first ones I ever saw using that word. Overtrees are simply the full kit without decals, instructions, or (usually) the box. In other words, you get all the plastic parts including the canopy, but nothing else. In the case of the Arma Yak-1b, this works well because the Expert kit includes 6 decal options, so you get two kits in one box for the price of one kit, and you can build both kits without having to find spare decals.

Why are the stripped-down kits called overtrees? All I can think of is that originally Eduard might have had more plastic parts than boxes, etc., and so decided to sell the extra ("over-produced") sprues (or "trees") at a reduced price. Or I could just be thinking too hard...

John

Hi John,
thank you for your explanation.
I think that one plastic sprue costs to the producer a lot less than a whole kit, and is an attractive bonus because one thinks 'two kits for the price of one'. Beside it doesn't decrease successive sales by much, because very few modellers would have bought two or more identical kits separately and renounce having already a double kit.
Besides, it avoids that someone could be discouraged from buying the kit by eventual negative reviews.
Interesting offer anyway, two Yak-1b would be good.
This firm has already released a PZL-11 kit. do you know how good are the reviews of it?
Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo,

I'm not familiar with Arma PZL but I have their Hurricane Mk I and it is an excellent kit! So good, that I have been seriously thinking to convert it to Mk II...

Cheers,

AaCee

Hi John and AC,
I've preordered their Yak-1. It's 21 Euros including mailing, looks good for 2 models (apart for the photoetched fret, only 1 is included in the kit). I'll keep you informed.
Regards
Massimo

I definitely plan on buying this kit. It will fill a gap in my by now large collection of Yak GPW fighters. I too have bought their Hurricane kit, and found it to be an excellent kit, although I haven't built it yet.

Regards,

Jason

so then the only question is what is the difference in cost?
if it isn't too much I would like the canopy and wheel masks from the expert version
(I'm not big on photo-etch , I might dump it)

I have some nice Serbian decals for ex-soviet machines in Yugoslavian service

The difference is 5 Euros (14.50 Euros versus 9.50). The "Expert" version is supposed to be available to order by the end of September; the regular version, a month later.

Arma e-shop page:
http://www.armahobby.com/category/aircraft-models-jakowlew?utm_source=armahobbynews&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=Jak-1b&utm_term=zapowiedz-jak&utm_content=en

John

HMMM PART PE sets would do the trick

Test build from Arma Hobby's Facebook page,
https://www.facebook.com/ArmaHobby/posts/2681662348530772

(https://i.postimg.cc/h4XPQLbV/Arma-Yak-1b-2.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/qqKTbGjY/Arma-Yak-1b-3.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/m2Q478c1/Arma-Yak-1b-4.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

Looks very, very nice - now that testing of the mold has been completed, the actual release should be very close!
(I'm sorry for the size of the images, but on the other hand, they really show the fine detail!)

John

That looks very nice, John! Just yesterday I received the Brengun Yak-1B - it looks quite nice also, although I have not started even test-fitting the parts. I notice both of these Yak-1Bs have the late-style tail wheels with the side doors (as on the Yak-3 and the Yak-9) instead of the small door attached to the front of the strut. By the way, I believe the use of the lower-case 'b' in these kits is a mis-transliteration from the Cyrillic. In Cyrillic what looks like a lower-case 'b' is actually the English/Latin 'B'. The 'B' in Cyrillic represents the 'V' sound (I realise you probably already know this, but this is for those who don't know some of the intricacies of Russian Cyrillic).

Regards,

Jason

Seems fine. I hope to receive my double box soon.
Regards
Massimo

Apparently production has started; shipping estimated to begin next week.

Interesting article about the development and test-build of the Yak-1B kit:

http://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2019/10/10/yak-made-a-huge-difference/


John

The Arma site is now showing "Add to basket" instead of "Preorder" for both the Expert kit and the overtrees, so shipment of existing preorders must be imminent.

John

Woo hoo - per the latest email from Arma titled "It happened today":
"It was an hour ago when we pushed over one hundred parcels to Polish Post Van. First orders of Yak kits are on the way. Our personnel also works on Saturday to prepare as many parcels as possible for delivery. The third part of preorders is already sent today. When all of them is dispatched, we will start supplying shops and distributors."

John, I believe mine is in the mail. It will be interesting comparing it to Brengun's offering. What's the old saying about you wait around for a bus for an hour, and then two show up at the same time?

Best Regards,

Jason

Hi, it often happens. Marketing researches find something that is needed on the market and more than one firm chooses to make this thing, hoping to be the only one.
There is the recent case of Sheridan tanks issued contemporarily by Tamiya and RFM after twenty years of lack of a good model, to say nothing of three kits of the unknown Objekt 279, only a prototype in the museum of Kubinka, issued more or less contemporarily by three different brands.
Regards
Massimo

And besides the case of the Yak-1B with Arma Hobby and Brengun, we have both Revell and Airfix issuing kits of the Shackleton MR.2/AEW.2 within a year of each other. Now I wish at least one company would issue a new-mould kit of the Il-4. That's an aeroplane that's been neglected in 1/72nd scale for too long.

Regards,

Jason

Hi,
my kit is on mailing too.
I think that the Shackleton of Revell is still the old Frog moulding. Am I wrong?
I hope that someone hears the thing of the Il-4 and maybe of DB-3.
Regards
Massimo

Revell reissued FROG Shack, Blenheim Mk I and Gannet waaaay back (90's i belive). Their current kits of Shack and Gannet are all new moulds. That means check before you buy which one is in the box

Revell now have three mouldings of the Shackleton; the old Frog moulding, a new moulding of the AEW.2, and a new moulding of the MR.3. I know the moulding of the MR.3 is new as I have the kit. It has nothing in common with the old Frog kit, but is instead similar to (and uses some of the parts of) their AEW.2 kit. As TISO says, if you buy a Revell MR.3, you should check what's in the box.

Best Regards,

Jason

Hi, I didn't know about all these new Shackleton. Contemporarily to Airfix...another case of contemporarily discovery!
Regards
Massimo

the photos at their website look good.
finally , a decent and correct Yak-1b in 72 scale!

Expert kit instruction sheet posted here:
http://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2019/10/22/yak-1b-expert-set-kit-instruction/

John

Looks impressive!
Looking at the single sprue, one hasn't the impression of a so sophisticated model.
If one wants to show all the inside details, a vacuform canopy would be good.
Pity that they didn't include it as an option, a canopy from an older source could not fit properly.
Regards
Massimo

Translation of a very good build review whose link to its original source (KFS Miniatures) was posted on Britmodeller and 72nd Aircraft Forum by "caughtinthemiddle":
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kfs-miniatures.com%2F1-72-yakovlev-yak-1b-arma-hobby-budowa%2F

Translation of in-box review:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kfs-miniatures.com%2F1-72-yakovlev-yak-1b-expert-set-arma-hobby%2F

He has a connection with Exito Decals; he hinted a few weeks ago that some Yak-1B decals were in the works, so let's see what happens.

John

Hi John,
it looks an excellent review, only criticized a bit the rendering of the tubular frame covered by fabric on the lower surface of the fuselage.
Regards
Massimo

Hi all,

When I first saw photos of this model I had feeling, that the wing looks too narrow from the tip. Now I have the kit and had some time to browse my references I found a book of Yak-7 with original drawing of the Yak-7 wing with measurements. If the later model wing had similar basic shape then the Arma kit's wing start to taper two aileron ribs too early.

There is a book about the Yak-1 too but unfortunately I don't have it.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

AaCee

Hi,
compared to photos, the kit really gives the idea to have too pointed wings.
Regards
Massimo

I checked the Arma wingtips against the drawings in the two Yak-1 books by Z. Luranc and S. Kuznetsov. Both drawings show the kit's wingtips to be very slightly too pointed. This can be corrected by a small bit of sanding, although it means you will lose the wingtip formation lights. Here's Luranc's drawing; you may have to resize it a bit to get it to 1/72 scale:

(https://i.postimg.cc/TYP32b7f/Yak-1-B-Luranc.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/pygHqmM6)

(Every time I look at this drawing, I think what a beautiful aircraft the Yak-1B was!)

John

Hi,

If it would be that easy... But the tapering starts too early so both leading and trailing edges are too narrow...
(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n8amXFxULZlRcI-VSGE-yxQmtGqJGP0S?usp=sharing) (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n8amXFxULZlRcI-VSGE-yxQmtGqJGP0S?usp=sharing/)

Beautiful.. Definately yes!

Cheers,

AaCee

PS. I'm feeling quite hamfisted as I was not able to get the measured wing drawing inserted here... :C

Thanks, AaCee! Whatever Google Drive is, it doesn't seem to want anyone saving images posted there. You can click on this thing, click again on the thumbnail that comes up, and then at least look at the drawing, but how to save it?

John

Thanks AaCee for the drawing.
   I have double clicked on the post thumbnail, and then double clicked on the name Yak-7 wing.jpg, the image popped up, and then I downloaded it through the button high on the right side of the screen, so it works.
   If you still have problems, you could try uploading in Flickr: I am very dumb, but Flickr works for me.
Regards
Daniele

Arrrgh - dummy me - I was trying to download it just by right-clicking. I didn't even see the little "download" icon in the top right corner - thank you, Daniele!

John

Hi all,

Let see if Flickr works for me or am I the most dummiest of all ;)


(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49264109701_8a186b5d95_m.jpg)

Thanks for the tip, Daniele!

Season greetings for everyone!

Cheers,

AaCee

Try this:

(https://i.postimg.cc/4NGQPD8Z/Yak-7-wing.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mhd925f6)

Here's another one, drawn by German technical analysts from a wrecked Yak-1 in 1942:

(https://i.postimg.cc/Hn4VZP6P/Yak-1-wing-dwg2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Fkzr1G5j)

John