Andrews's 1/48 Eduard ProfiPACK Yak-3

[kyledehart5]

This one is coming together beautifully. That primer is beautifully laid down. The cockpit is lovely too. Great work.

[brandonk]

Wow, nice work. I really like the Yak-3. It's a good looking airframe. VVS birds don't get built up enough in the forums. Keep it coming.

[Joe Rix]

Stellar work so far Andrew. That cockpit looks really sharp.

[adt70hk]

Nov 26, 2023 12:16:26 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Thanks buddy! Another solid reason why I am always a big fan of Eduard kits...

You're welcome Andy!  No problem.

Nov 27, 2023 10:45:03 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Stellar work so far Andrew. That cockpit looks really sharp.

Nov 27, 2023 10:35:26 GMT -5 brandonk said:

Wow, nice work. I really like the Yak-3. It's a good looking airframe. VVS birds don't get built up enough in the forums. Keep it coming.

Nov 27, 2023 7:22:25 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

This one is coming together beautifully. That primer is beautifully laid down. The cockpit is lovely too. Great work.

Nov 26, 2023 13:16:07 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Great to see how this one is shaping up. The cockpit and looks great, and now that it's all together and black primed, it's looking ready for warpaint.

Thanks guys for the support.  I really am miffed** about the PE instrument panel.  The only thing I can think is that I did not put sharp enough bends in it.  It's a shame as it looked so good!

As for warpaint.....post to follow shortly!

[adt70hk]

OK chaps...so the base paint blotches are on.

As it a blue and grey paint scheme I simply used the underside AMT-7 Light blue for them.

Although this is only the 6th plane I have done using the black basing technique, I love it.

Given that you can vary the size and density of the blotches and then how much paint you lay down over the top, they is a huge range of effects you can achieve.

Although it wasn't my intention, I seem to have done tighter, denser blotches on the underside and larger ones with less definition on the top.  It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

This was also my first time using AK 3rd Gen and although I still need to have a play around, I was quite pleased with how it worked.

ACW as usual.

Andrew

[Green KreationZ]

I agree, the cockpit looks fantastic. I’m excited to see this one complete!

[adt70hk]

Dec 1, 2023 19:25:21 GMT -5 Green KreationZ said:

I agree, the cockpit looks fantastic. I’m excited to see this one complete!

Thanks TS!  Glad to have you on board!

[handiabled]

Some color over this pre-weathering should look excellent!

[stikpusher]

Man, I swear that the Soviets went with the same basic wing design on their WWII fighters. The Mig, Yak, and LaGG/La family all are so similar in planform.

Andrew, the marbling over the black base looks good! Can't wait to see the next few steps when it really takes on color.

[deafpanzer]

Excellent pre-shading work... can't wait to see how it comes out!

[Joe Rix]

Nicely done marbling. I look forward to see how it turns out. I suppose some day I will need to try out this technique on something.

[moparmadness]

Those Profipac kits can become addicting since they come with the etch and mask. I’ve always liked the grey camo liveries on these birds.

[adt70hk]

Dec 2, 2023 4:18:55 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Some color over this pre-weathering should look excellent!

Dec 3, 2023 12:33:50 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Excellent pre-shading work... can't wait to see how it comes out!

Dec 3, 2023 16:19:08 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Nicely done marbling. I look forward to see how it turns out. I suppose some day I will need to try out this technique on something.

Dec 3, 2023 23:03:16 GMT -5 moparmadness said:

Those Profipac kits can become addicting since they come with the etch and mask. I’ve always liked the grey camo liveries on these birds.

Dec 2, 2023 12:25:35 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Man, I swear that the Soviets went with the same basic wing design on their WWII fighters. The Mig, Yak, and LaGG/La family all are so similar in planform.

Andrew, the marbling over the black base looks good! Can't wait to see the next few steps when it really takes on color.

Firstly apologies for the delay in coming back to you all....and glad you're liking it.


Carlos - I think you might be right.  I've not made a great study but they do have a similarity.

Joe - Black basing.......go on......you know you want to!!


Thanks again chaps...as you will see there has been some mor work!!


ATB

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Hi all

So Monday evening, I manage to get the blue underside down.  As before, I've kept the mottling fairly subtle.

Apologies but it was taken in a rush, so is not the best shot.

I've actually just finished applying the top side camo but it is drying at the moment.

ACW as usual!

ATB

Andrew

[Green KreationZ]

The bottom turned out nicely. Great job!

[kyledehart5]

I like the mottling and color on the bottom as well. And the photo is just fine.

[adt70hk]

Dec 9, 2023 23:13:52 GMT -5 Green KreationZ said:

The bottom turned out nicely. Great job!

Dec 10, 2023 0:00:10 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

I like the mottling and color on the bottom as well. And the photo is just fine.

Thanks chaps glad you liked it.....top side cam now applied, as below!

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Good morning all

So as my wife was out for the day with friends in London yesterday, I managed to get the top side camo done.

I forgot to say that I'm experimenting with AK's newer 3rd Gen paints as I'd heard good things about them.  I therefore bought their 'Special Set - Soviet Fighter Colors 1943-1945' AK 11742.  This contains:

• AK11916 - AMT-7 Light Blue
• AK11917 - AMT-11 Blue-Grey
• AK11918 - AMT-12 Dark Grey

So far I've had not issues with spraying them, albeit the mixing ratios are slightly different from what I'm used to with Vallejo Model Air.  They are not only much thicker and take more thinning than Model Air, they are also thicker and need more thinning than even Model Colour.

However, colour wise and to my highly untrained eye, they are quite a bit darker than the colour callouts would have and indeed most other builds I have seen (including reviews by very experienced modellers)....whilst the black basing may be part of that reason, I don't think it's the whole reason but I'll live with it.

Maintaining the mottling under the darker grey was obviously tricky but at least in real life there is a hint of it there.

Next up are the undercarriage bays and undercarriage and then I can get the clear coats on!

ACW as usual.

Andrew


--------------------------------------------


So I applied the AMT-11 Blue-Grey freehand and then masked over the top, with AK Plastic Putty before applying the AMT-12 Dark Grey....for those that have not used it, it feels really weird to the touch but works very well.










Top camo applied....

[handiabled]

Your camo work looks excellent! Just enough for the pre weathering you did to show

[kyledehart5]

I must agree. Very nicely done.

[stikpusher]

Very nice! The AK colors look like they work great.

[Green KreationZ]

I’ve never used AK paint. Looks pretty high quality! I like the shades of blue you went with.

[Medicman71]

Wow! The painting turned out great!

As for the issues you had with the PE instrument panel, I've found that Eduard's PE panels never quite fit right. They always seem to be a but too big.

[TJ]

Painting looks fantastic. Why is it every time I see that AK putty are start with "We are venom"

[adt70hk]

Dec 10, 2023 9:57:26 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Your camo work looks excellent! Just enough for the pre weathering you did to show

Dec 10, 2023 15:31:31 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

I must agree. Very nicely done.

Dec 10, 2023 22:45:09 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Very nice! The AK colors look like they work great.

Dec 11, 2023 8:59:59 GMT -5 Green KreationZ said:

I’ve never used AK paint. Looks pretty high quality! I like the shades of blue you went with.

Dec 11, 2023 9:17:44 GMT -5 Medicman71 said:

Wow! The painting turned out great!

As for the issues you had with the PE instrument panel, I've found that Eduard's PE panels never quite fit right. They always seem to be a but too big.

Dec 11, 2023 20:21:33 GMT -5 TJ said:

Painting looks fantastic. Why is it every time I see that AK putty are start with "We are venom"

Thanks chaps, glad you're liking it.

As you know I was worried about the topside greys being too dark compared to every other build I had ever seen.

Well......the reference site I found when researching the cockpit colours also has a section on the general colour schemes.  Their colour chips for AMT 11 & 12 both look very close to the AK 3rd Gen colours but carry the following notes/warning:

• AMT 7, 11 and 12: Very prone to fading to a lighter shade.
  
• Note: from photographic records, it seems that AMT-11 and 12 were subject to quick fading, and repaintings appear much darker than the original camo.
• Note: according to some sources, in case of lack of AMT-11 and 12 paints, they could have been replaced with a mix of 60% AMT-7 and 40% AMT-6 for AMT-11, and 40% AMT-7 and 60% AMT-6 for AMT-12.
  massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/colors/color-table.html
  

So in short my plane will represent one that has either been repainted or more likely not long been out of the factory.

Thanks again and another update to follow.

ATB

Andrew
 

[adt70hk]

Good morning all

So I am nearing the finish line on this.  Good job too because the Soviet Wingy Thing GB I am running that this is for, ends in two weeks!.

Latest progress is as follows:

• Yellow tail stripes painted on rather than use the decals.  Coverage was very hard to achieve over such a dark background and so if I do something similar again I might spray them on first over a light primer, mask them over and then to the whole paint job over the top.....certainly a lot less masking to do that way around!
• Prop and spinner done.....slightly complicated by the fact that the base had to be kept light camo grey.
• Exhausts painted using my specially patented metal and rust technique and fitted...sorry, hard to get a decent shot with the all the light reflecting off the gloss varnish.
• A nice and shiny clear coat.  Interestingly, this has accentuated the mottling effect a bit!

Next up the decals!!

ACW as usual.

Andrew

[handiabled]

Wonderful looking paint work! Looks smooth as silk for your decals

[Green KreationZ]

This is turning out really nice. I’m excited for the final product! The Yak was always one of my favorite planes from WWII. What did you use for your gloss varnish?

[kyledehart5]

Wonderful Andrew. Sharp looking plane you're building here.

[adt70hk]

Dec 16, 2023 7:34:15 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Wonderful looking paint work! Looks smooth as silk for your decals

Dec 16, 2023 8:50:53 GMT -5 Green KreationZ said:

This is turning out really nice. I’m excited for the final product! The Yak was always one of my favorite planes from WWII. What did you use for your gloss varnish?

Dec 16, 2023 11:28:04 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Wonderful Andrew. Sharp looking plane you're building here.

Thanks chaps.  Glad you're liking it!!

Oh and another update is to follow!




TS - in terms of the gloss varnish I use Pledge Future/Klear/Revive It or whatever it is now/was called.  Here in the UK I bought it as 'Revive it' just over three years ago.  I had seen references to many people using Future/Klear and so I thought I would give it a whirl.

I have been using Vallejo's Resin Gloss Varnish 70.510, which sprays vey nicely indeed but the price difference is bonkers....at the time I bought it, Vallejo varnish cost 14.12p/ml, whereas the Revive it cost 1.75p/ml.

The floor varnish sprays beautifully out of the bottle and because it's self levelling dries super smooth.

However, it seems to have been discontinued....although I did just stumble across a possible replacement....not that I've used it.....jonbius.com/2023/02/01/a-replacement-for-pledge-here-it-is/

HTH

Andrew