1/48 Yak 9, Yugoslavian AF - Your Favorite Aircraft of All Time GB

[Rogi]

Username:Rogi
First Name: Igor
Category:3
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: No idea its a Russian Kit not sure if its plastic or resin
Model Type: Yak-9 (I think its a M model)



So I know I shouldn't enter another model :S but I can't resist doing this Yak-9 restore. I grabed the kit for 6 bucks at my local hobby shop and I thought it'd be a nice practice in vacu form, when I opened it, the kit is either resin or plastic I can't make out which (I'll post some pics tomorrow) Its a kit from at least the 70s-80s since the detail on it is non existant. The writing on the box is in Cyrillic.

I'll do a Yugoslavian Yak-9M I think the kits a M model.

I'll get to practice some working with plastics to spruce up the cockpit and most likely wings (initial testing of the wings don't have any of the parts lining up). So I'll probobly sand everything then cut thin strips to replace the raised detail and scrib the rest. Cockpit overhaul is needed. Plus some Wheel bay work and most likely a replacement of the kit wheels with aftermarket ones if I can find some to match. The canopy is too thick so I'll have to order some ebay Yak 9 canopy and use a vacuform one.

It cuts out like a resin kit but it has the consistancy of plastic (not resin plastic reg. run plastic) So I'm not sure what it is, but its got me interested

I'll most likely use some spare decals from British and Russian star stocks. Yugoslavian Yak-9s were used in the laster parts of the war and later on as trainers in the Yugoslavian Air Force
If I can find more info. and more variants I might switch a more colorful design but so far I'll do this one from 1946. Time to bug Imalko again

[brucejscott]

Interesting, a mystery kit. I like it. Good choice Igor.

[Vic Balshaw]

Looks to be a interesting build Igor and your okay with a third entry. So go for it for it old chap.

[Wurger]

If you need some of help with the Russian language drop me a line. I'm at your disposal. Also the identification of the kind of the material the kit was moulded has a basic meaning. For assembling of a plastic kit you can use either a glue for polistyrene or a CA ( cyanoacrylate adhesives) ones. But for those rasin kits you have to use the CA glues only. So please send a few pictures with the box and main model parts.

Anyway a very nice choice.

[Airframes]

Should be interesting.

[meatloaf109]

Wow, that sounds like a real challenge!

[Rogi]

Here it is:

Front Shot:

Zoom in on company logo:

Back:

Side:

Wings:

Fuselage:

The rest:


The Fuselage and Wings and some other minor items, I had to trim out of a thin plastic (similar to when you trim vacu kits, I've left some around the wheels before finishing them up) It wasn't as thick and it trimed much easier than vac. When you touch it its a tad lighter than a reguler plastic kit yet not as light as a vacu, I'd say round 70% the weight of a reguler 1/48 fighter in plastic)

I'll most likely use some epoxy to glue everything not to risk it being a resin kit or something similar and damaging it with reg. glue.

[Wurger]

It appears an early kit of Zvezda. Judging by the mould sprue it is a short run type kit. I think it is a polistyrene model because there are stamp traces on the inner surfaces of these fuselage halves.. rasin parts don't have a such ones. To make it sure you can apply a very small drop of a styrene glue at the rear area of one fuselage and wing half. If it melts its surface the material will be a plastic. Also the kit was made for the Russian domestic market methinks.

Anyway it is a very basic kit. So a few of aftermarket sets would be welcome. Unless you are going to make them form scratch.

[Crimea_River]

That sure is different.

[imalko]

Nice choice Igor. Looks like you're more into Yugo-birds then I am...
Word or two about Yaks in Yugoslavian service. Our Air Force operated the fallowing subtypes of Yak fighter family: wartime deliveries (second hand from Soviet units mostly) of Yak-1b, Yak-3 and Yak-9T, then additional numbers of Yak-3 from Soviet Union in 1945, second hand Yak-9Ms from Bulgaria in 1947 and finally some 40 brand new Yak-9Ps from Soviet union in 1947. Aircraft received during the war kept Soviet national and unit insignia and two-tone camouflage colors. Only after the war Yugoslav national insignia was gradually applied, while camouflage was changed to solid grey upper surfaces on some aircraft mostly after the repairs and such. It wasn't unusual to see our Yaks in original Soviet camouflage colors well after the war end.
Here are some pics and profiles of Yugoslav Yak-9...

[Wurger]

Nice stuff here Igor. THX for posting.

[Airframes]

Yep, some good stuff there Igor. The last three pics I think are 'duo tones', a method of giving better contrast and detail in monochrome photos, and not seen much, due to the expense of production, compared to normal Bromide prints. The quality shows! The original prints would be even more detailed, but even in these examples, the 'almost 3D' effect is evident.

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

This will be interesting, way to go Igor.

[A4K]

Good stuff guys, nice choice Igor!

[imalko]

Kinda came across to this profiles on another forum, so I thought to post theme here. It's not bad to have multiple options to choose from when deciding upon color scheme for your model. Hope it'll be useful to you Igor.