Yakimenko's Yak: 1/48th Eduard Yak-3

The original Eduard release of this kit dates back to 1998, however my kit build is the later 2008 1/48th Eduard Yak-3 Weekend Edition. These kit editions feature just the plastic parts for a relatively simple build, with no photo-etch or resin components.

Notable Kit Features:

• Basic instruction sheet (but sufficient for this build) with a separate colour paint & decal reference sheet

• Simple straight-forward build from 3-trees (about 50 parts total)

• Cockpit floor molded into upper wing

• Decent cockpit detail in the Weekend Edition (No PE provided)

• Instrument decal provided to go over raised detail plastic panel (or you could dry-brush the provided panel details to good effect, as I chose to do)

• Nice fine surface detail (the actual aircraft was mostly wooden, so not a lot of panel lines)

• Well fitting parts

• Very clear cockpit glass with one piece or 3-piece separate canopies provided

• Nice thin decals that adhere well to the surface (decal harness straps included)

Build Inspiration:

The Yak-3 was reportedly a nimble. forgiving fighter that could hold its own or best many of the types it would battle against. You typically don't hear much about these VVS aircraft during WWII despite their production numbers and effectiveness. This 1/48th Eduard Yak-3 boxing featured the Commander of the151 GIAP's aircraft, based in Czechoslovakia 1945, Col. Anton D. Yakimenko. I came across this one in a local model shop... it was on sale... it was an aircraft I didn't have in my collection and I hadn't built an Eduard Weekend kit as yet. Everything stacked up into another kit purchase for the stash. ;)

Heads-Up Report:

• This relatively early Eduard kit has their softer plastic (but no sink or flash on my example)

• Clean up the sprue cutoff areas prior to gluing

• Minor seam cleanups and you should be on your way to the paint shop

• The VVS paint colours at that time were still under a lot of discussion and this 1/48th Eduard Yak-3 Weekend Edition kit's colour profile suggests a Light Blue underside and relatively light AMT11 / AMT12 finish. (My kit represents the colour callouts at that earlier time which may not be accurate). From what I have seen these VVS colours were later revised to darker tones Then again we shall see if the later VVS colour revisions stand the test of time. (If you've built Japanese aircraft of WWII era, it is a similar discussion to the true colour of a A6M2 series fighter.)

Kit Additions / Modifications:

I kept my Yak-3 build a simple "Out of the Box" construction.

Finishing:

As I mentioned, the Eduard colour print profile paint scheme for this aircraft of AMT-7 / AMT-11 / AMT-12) now maybe translates better into the Mr. Hobby Mr. Colour Light Blue / FS36231 / Dark Sea Gray, however I was missing my decoder ring at the time of the build and went from the Eduard colour profile as a base (I know, "What was I thinking?!). I did question the underside colour and, after a bout of research, switched this tone to a WWII Russian Underside Blue colour (custom mix). I originally sprayed the red nose and later felt it turned out too bright, so I re-masked it to paint on the slightly darker version you see here. Doubtful if I have this correct to today's standard however, it fit the bill at the time. You can find some good VVS information at the Red Banner Aviation website (I used its predecessor website at the time of my research).

The After-Build Report:

This 1/48th Eduard Yak-3 represents a different generation of detail compared to some of their more recent aircraft releases. It is a good kit choice if you are just looking for a basic build of the Yak-3 as it looks the part when done. The detail is sufficient enough for most and the parts fit won't frustrate you too much. If super-detail is what you want in your Yak-3, then hunt down the Zvezda version. The Zvezda Yak-3 features full engine bay components that can be optionally displayed open due to its separate cowling parts.

Completed build #121 - June 2010 using the 1/48th scale Eduard "Weekend Edition" #8456 kit.

Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is suppose to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers