Jon's Eduard Limited Edition 1/48 Yak-1b

[jbellos1]

Here's a newer release from Eduard using an original Accurate Miniature kit and upgraded it with PE and masks.



INTRO (Taken from the instruction's front page)

The Yak-1 has its roots in the I-26 design. Formal specifications were issued on July 29, 1939, calling for two prototypes. The first had to fulfill requirements such as a top speed of 620 km/hr at 6,000 m, a combat range of 600 km, and a climb rate to 10,000 m of under 11 minutes. The armament was to consist of two 7.612 mm ShKAS machine guns and one 12.7 mm Berezin BS heavy machine gun. The second prototype was to be powered by a turbocharged M-106 engine and was to reach a top speed of 650 km/hr at 10,000 m, and the armament was to be reduced to two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns.

The development of the M-106 engine was not finished in time and Yakovlev's design bureau decided to use the Klimov M-105P engine, with a 20 mm ShKAS cannon mounted in the engine block.

The first prototype I-26-I made its maiden flight on January 13, 1940. It suffered from oil overheating problems which were never completely resolved. On April 27, 1940, this prototype crashed, killing its test pilot.

The oil overheating was a problem for the second prototype as well and many defects caused the second prototype to fail government testing in 1940. Its competitors, the I-200 (the future Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3) and the I-301 (which became the LaGG-3) also failed testing. The testing procedures generated a list of requested improvements. These were incorporated into the third I-26 which was ready for testing on October 13, 1940.

Despite all the troubles, the Soviet officials ordered the production of the I-26 on February 19, 1940. The new fighter aircraft was manufactured under the designation Yak-1. The Soviet official leadership chose this non-standard designation method to reduce the time necessary to set up serial production a new aircraft. As a backup, series production of both the I-200 and the I-301 were ordered. Despite the fact that the I-200 was faster and the I-301 was more heavily armed, the Yak-1 was still the favored design. The good relationship between Stalin and Yakovlev likely played significant role.

As mentioned already, series production was launched prior to a full evaluation of the prototypes being completed. This precipitated almost 8,000 changes that had to be made to the aircraft's design by 1941, with an additional 7,000 implemented the following year and another 5,000 coming 1943. Production was affected by shortages of various sub-assemblies including engines, propellers, radiators, wheels, and cannons. Moreover, on June 23, 1943, German bombers heavily damaged Factory No. 292 which delivered the majority of Yak-1s. Six days later the assembly line was running again.

More difficulties were met during combat deployment. Low level of material quality resulted in plywood being torn off wings.

Production of the Yak-1 ended in July 1944 with a total of roughly 8,700 examples built.

The subvariant that was unofficially designated the Yak-1b had a new bubble canopy with a cut down rear fuselage. Armor was increased and the fuselage ShKAS machine guns were replaced with a single 12.7 mm Berezin UBS machine gun. The new variant was powered by a Klimov M-105PF engine with better low-altitude performance and an improved cooling system. The first flight took place in June 1942 and a series production was launched in August. A total of 4,188 Yak-1b aircraft were built.



I decided to go crazy and add the recently released upgrade PE set that means eventual surgery on the wings....you'll see, it will all work out.

Really nice, these Eduard Limited Edition kits. They take a regular good kit, add color PE and masks, sometimes resin, and make it a great kit.



Decent detail, crisp molding, little to no flash.







The etched part - painted zoom etch that is, plus the masks.



Plenty of choices here too.



Had to get some World War II Soviet aircraft colors of course. I chose AKAN.



Remember the surgery I spoke about earlier? Well, here goes. In order for the PE open flaps to be displayed and fit properly, some plastic needed to be removed per the instructions.



That is some fancy cutting...if I do say so myself.





The flaps have two parts - the part within the wing and the part that extends downward for take off and landing primarily.

This is the part that fits into the surgically removed areas within the wing.



This 1/48 scale PE is insanely small in places....Crazy!



There, maybe you can even see it now. Lol



Rudder pedal foot stirrups. Yikes that is small.





Test fitting...omg, lots of test fitting.





Not without its share of issues. PE will break if handled too roughly. Doh!



Looking pretty good I think.





And then there was the second part of the flaps. Did I tell you this 1/48 scale PE is nuts?





Yep - those things will be flaps.





One folded, one not.



Oh yea...there are these things called stringers (I think) within each of the flaps.



Fun fun fun



A little better contrast on the black background.
The one on the left is 100% completed. The one on the right with all its parts - to be done.



For now - I will leave this string at this point. I have to complete the cockpit -- very nice details indeed, install the wings, as well as more PE, of course. So until next time, thanks for looking and happy modeling!

[Scaleman]

Take out tse papers and tse traaaash or you wont get no spending cash YaketiYak YaketiYak Cool build I will be following this closley, Is that CA or solder I cant tell, super clean build jon, nic.

[shortCummins]

top job so far, keep up the good work

rgds
John(shortCummins)

[Lego]

Lol at all that pe.

Looking good mate.

[MikeyKb]

lovin it!
Love the play by play, I can see myself freaking out at that PE, too hahaha
doing a great job, buddy!

[jbellos1]

Thanks guys.

Here is some more progress on her. Cockpit? You're up!

Starts out innocently enough. Couple bits of PE...how bad can it be? By the way, take a look at the end opposite the tweezers, the end with that tiny PE T-handle looking thing. If you look closely, you can just see a v-notch located on the bottom side, just before the next big step...this is to assist in bending the plastic part at that point - yes bend, the plastic.



Then...it gets a bit more intense.

Seat belts and some other color PE supplied with the kit...really looks the part to my eyes.

The instrument panel and other dials and levers...again, all the color PE was supplied with the kit...really makes a huge difference.





That 90° section on the right, that was bent plastic. First for me - bending plastic per the instructions.





What do you think of that 1/48 scale PE now? Oh yea...makes all the difference to this kit.



An interesting thing about this kit's fuselage, is you put it together first, then insert the cockpit. Made for a very simple assembly and gluing session, with outstanding results, I think.

Here, the fuselage is glued and curing. There is only a seam along the bottom, the top getting a top section that covers the seam and blends into the airframe structure, Very nice touch.



Here she is, fully cured and the cockpit installed.



Note the lack of a seam on that fuselage! Lovely kit.





Fit was perfect.





So, there you have it. I think this is a fine kit and recommend it to all aircraft enthusiasts.

Coming up next - I wrestle with installing those PE flaps.

Thanks for taking the time to take a look. Happy modeling!

[Avgas]

That's looking like a fine kit. I do like Eduard stuff. I have a few in the stash with PE but I daren't start them as I've never tackled PE before. Go on, inspire me!

[SteveW]

Great work Jon

[heel]

Very nice Jon. Looking forward to more.

[Homerlovesbeer]

Lolololol pe....I'm having the same experience with my build at the moment! A Bf-109G 1/48 Eduard kit. It's nuts isn't it!

Looks like you are doing a great job so far......yep!

[jbellos1]

OK, a bit more on the Yak...had to fiddle with the flaps that go into the upper wings - the stationary portion of the contraption.

Let this be some inspiration for Avgas and others wanting to jump into PE sets. Take your time, make sure of the fold, and expect breakage and fiddly fits. Lucky for me this one has been ok so far. Come on in, the water's fine.

This is what the finished drop flap looks like...I think they came out really nice.



The outside has great detail too.



But then, enough of just looking at parts. It was time to get the upper portion of the PE flaps stuck down to the wings. Like this...





Of course, PE is not easy to work with and will break apart occasionally. I real pain in the backside to fix sometimes. This fix was not too bad.



Wing fits were not too bad as this test fit will atest.



Really nice detail on the Accurate Miniature kit.



Once I got the upper flaps properly placed, in order to get the best possible fit for the fuselage/wing, it was time to join them together.



Just a bit of tape and some good clamps and waalaa...



It was then that I took the opportunity to place the fuselage access panel hinges...adds just that much more to the little kit.





Looks pretty good with the drop portions simply placed where they would sit if in the closed or up position.
I'd say 100% improvement from the kit part.







And that's caught you up. Thanks!

[Nige201980]

Fantastic detail mate and cracking work getting it all in there.

[patrickroos]

Great build so far and nice metal work!

[Timmie]

Great job on the pe. This kit is high on my wishlist.

Grtz Arjan

[MarkVerploeg]

Oooohhhh shiny goodness
Great work so far

[whiskytangofoxtrot]

Amazing work! Love the PE.

[Paul]

Nice work Jon, wish i could have built this along with you but.....well.....you know lol

[jbellos1]

Thanks y'all. So, back at this one after getting my jadgpanzer IV finished.

I recommend getting the PE upgrade for this kit. The basic kit - Accurate Miniatures - is very nice in the detail department and the fits are very good, with little putty/filler of any kind needed, but the PE adds the pop, inside and out.

Most of the PE is now attached, with just a few left, some for after it's all painted, like the color PE fuel caps on each wing.

The PE on the canopy presented a conundrum in regards to CA glue fogging clear canopy parts. You'll see below, I found the perfect tool to attach PE to clear parts, that need to remain clear parts. UV glue.

Check it out...




Really adds to the detail on these canopy parts - and no fogging.

I think I found the real purpose of this UV glue stuff at last!




This is the stuff I used. I ordered through HobbyLink Japan.

Cool story...went searching for UV glue stuff reviewed by ISM some time ago. HLJ.com had it listed, but as out of stock. I thought I was out of luck, as "Backordered" would be better. On a whim, I emailed the contact provided asking how I was to get the stuff if it's always out of stock. The reply came back - order it, and they get it, and they send it to you. That's right...that's exactly what happened and about a month, maybe 6 weeks, I got first the light. Then about 6 weeks later (10 - 12 total) the glue arrived.

Anyhoo...

This stuff is great to have in the tool box.





Now for the rest of the PE update...



















And the landing gear is next to get going.




And this is where it stands right now.

There is still a bunch to get done, and it's all coming together quickly now.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Your model will probably be better built than the real plane was!!
Plywood falling off the wings, stuff overheating. Wow
I am liking these Eduard kits though and you have the mother load for PE

Take out tse papers and tse traaaash or you wont get no spending cash YaketiYak YaketiYak Cool build I will be following this closley, Is that CA or solder I cant tell, super clean build jon, nic.

This totally cracked me

[Kingdan]

It's coming on a treat Jon top work with the pe it always sends me up the wall

[Avgas]

Looking like a top job Jon. Well I ordered this very beasty today, couldn't resist it. Didn't get any extra PE as the stuff in the kit will probably be a brain fryer on it's own for someone with fingers like pig's tits like what I have.

[usetherudders]

Looking good I picked this one up the other month,the PE scares the hell out of me. Where did you get your Akan paints from?

[jbellos1]

Looking like a top job Jon. Well I ordered this very beasty today, couldn't resist it. Didn't get any extra PE as the stuff in the kit will probably be a brain fryer on it's own for someone with fingers like pig's tits like what I have.

Dave - Glad to hear you have the kit, I highly recommend it. It ain't perfect, but it is a cute little thing. Rather plain without the PE for my taste, but one must suit one's self, and besides, PE at this scale is fine point tweezer territory anyway, I just use my fat fingers as working surfaces!

[jbellos1]

Looking good I picked this one up the other month,the PE scares the hell out of me. Where did you get your Akan paints from?

Thanks - and welcome to the forum! Where are you from? Have you introduced yourself yet?

Do not let the PE scare you. Take your time, use magnifiers! Use glue sparingly. Let it cure sufficiently. You'll need fine point tweezers too. Oh, and a gentle touch, otherwise those little suckers will go flying and vanish right before your eyes. I picked up the paint sets on eBay. You can also get them from Linden Hill Imports online.

[jbellos1]

OK - final update before the final reveal.

I have done much - paint, decals, washes, weathering, detailing...almost all over and it's been a good ride.

So, here we are -

Primed in flat black enamel - the relatively cheap stuff from the home DIY store - I used AKAN paints for the camo, underside blue, and that front end red...from the box art.









I think it came out very nice. Free-handed the camo. The white strips were the most difficult, and all that was, was careful masking.















The it was on the decals. Unlike any aircraft I have done, this one had very few markings. A good coating of Walthers Solvaset and the decals were done.



Ultimate washes were used after a good couple coats of AllClad Aqua-gloss.

A bit of Light Dirt on top



And the new Dark Dirt on the underside



Once all the buts and bobs were on and all the stuff done on the gloss coat, a dullcote was completed. Masks could be removed.

















And there we have it...very close. So close in fact, My next post will be it's final reveal.

[Kingdan]

Nice work Jon looks super awesome:-)


Dan

[MikeyKb]

beauty!