ICM 1:72 YAKOVLEV YAK-9
Reviewer: Myself (braithy@bigpond.com)
The Yak-9 is the most produced version of the Yakovlev wartime fighter family, with the original Yak-9 derived from the Yak-7DI prototype in 1942. The Yak-9 was soon brought into service incorporating metal wing spars (instead of wooden), increased fuel capacity and cut down rear fuselage decking with all round vision cockpit canopy. It entered service in time to participate in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 where it proved its superority over the bf-109. The ICM kit allows you to produce one of at least five versions including the Yak-9 fighter, Yak-9B fighter bomber, Yak-9DD bomber escort, Yak-9K close support and Yak-9T anti-shipping version. Operators of the Yak-9 during the Second World War were the Soviet Union, Poland and France.
Inside the box the parts are packaged in a plastic bag and are nicely injection molds in light grey with lovely engraved rivets and panel line detail - plenty of it. Only a very small amount of flash is evident and nothing that will be a problem in cleaning off. Two canopy sets depending on the version you want to build are also included along with two sets of fuselages. This therefore is a complete problem - which version does one want to choose to build? I found that my sprues and parts were very sticky after extracting them from the cellophane packing. Even a quick wash with a mild detergent solution didn't take it out but I got used to it after a while.
The instruction booklet is quite comprehensive with a short history on the front cover, sprue diagram with individual parts actually named, comparison sideview sketches of five Yak-9 variants, fairly clear assembly steps with individual parts nominated appropriate colour call outs, reasonable notification about the choice of components for the different versions and a dozen different examples of camouflage patterns and decal placements. Colours are noted from the Humbrol range with appropriate names given and FS numbers where possible.
Construction starts with a basic but adequate cockpit that provides a 'tub' shaped seat and choice of control sticks depending on the version you wish to build. A panel behind the seat, small raised detail scribed on the sidewalls and instrument panel (decal provided) are the only other detail for the interior, save for a gunsight later. I actually glued the decal sheet on with a dab of super glue and painted the backing around it. This is where you need to be careful about how you go about constructing your Yak-9, because the cockpit goes into one of two pairs of fuselage halves supplied in the kit. Thankfully the instruction sheet includes side-on sketches for all the Yak-9 variants and it's reasonably clear which fuselage set goes with each version. As with most of the optional components in the kit the assembly sketch generally alerts you that a choice needs to be considered but unless you are building the Yak-9 or Yak-9DD version it is not always clear what component should be used for any of the other versions. In the first instance have a look at the sideview sketches and what is written in the list naming the individual parts. In most cases parts listed for the Yak-9 version will also be used for the Yak-9B while parts listed for the Yak-9DD will suit Yak-9K and Yak-9T. But it's imperative you keep your wits about you when you come across these stages and check reference material if unsure.
The exhaust stubs were fitted from inside the fuselage and unlike recent projects were quite easily placed. The cockpit, however, was a real bugger when trying to encase it inside the fuselage halves and I spent a fair bit of time trimming it around the base to make it smaller, as well as the instrument panel. Once done the halves went together nicely with only a very small amount of filler required around the nose join lines.
Next to attach were the wings. I attached the two upper wing halves to the fuselage before I fitted the one-piece lower wing section - this worked and eliminated any gaps at the wing/fuselage join. Although the lower piece was slightly out of alignment and needed to be trimmed off at the trailing edges on port wing, and a gap revealed itself between upper and lower wing join - both were only minor problems. The tailplanes were not so forgiving, their alignment pins to slot into the aft section of the fuselage were way too big for the allocated holes. I tried to thin them by slicing slabs of carefully with the trusty old #11 blade but in the end opted to take the pins off completely and butt join them to the back of the plane. The problem this caused was having them sit correctly but with some well placed playing cards they were able to stay in place while they dried overnight. Forcing them into the holes would have snapped the groove.
The detailing bits came next which included the gunsight and armourglass rear screen in the cockpit, both were difficult and oversized and required trimming, aerial mast and for the Yak-9/9B the machine gun (spelt mashine!) cowling in front of the cockpit. The canopy was placed on with two supplied in the kit depending on which version you are building, again check the sideon sketches reference for best match as the actual choice is a little vague in the instructions layout. The other problem is that while the canopies are labelled in the instructions to tell them apart they are not labeeled on the sprue themselves making identification a little difficult. Luckily if you compare the two you can see that one is decidedly larger than the other, this one is the Yak-9DD canopy known as part C2. Applying this to my model left a bit of a gap that had to be very carefully filled underneath - it helps to have masking tape or masksol over the canopy while filling and sanding to protect it. The effort is worth it because the canopy looks like a sheen of glass on the finished product.
Dry fit testing the undercarriage revealed no problems in attaching them to the wing undersides, but if you are building a wheels up model - like I did - you will be in for a rude shock. The gear doors are dramatically oversized to cover up the wells as well as being incorrectly shaped. A lot of trimming and filling was necessary to get this task completed - a portion of the cover is missing from the top of it and this needs to be puttied. This is also the case for the rear wheel well covers.
The last stage of construction includes attaching the radiator cowling on the belly of the aircraft. The exact placement according to the instructions is somewhat uncertain and therefore cross checking with the sideview sketches is recommended. The propellor shaft is not cemented to the rest of the propellor construction according to the instructions but I could not see how to make it moveable in this last step. I ended up glueing it in so that it is fixed in one position, which isn't really a bad thing, because positioned correctly it looks fine. Be sure to select the correct gun that is placed in the point of the spinner according to the version you are building.
I am not sure exactly how many example aircraft you can choose from to finish your model off in - obviously at least five, given that you could produce any of the aforementioned variants but the collection of 10+ sideview paint schemes set out in the instructions suggest a few more - mainly Yak-9's are quoted with one reference for Yak-9D & Yak-9K. Most of these are "Medium Grey" and "Sea Grey" upper side camouflage. I don't have much reference material available on Yak-9's but I haven't been able to pinpoint one in this finish (or Yak-7 or Yak-3) so perhaps this should read Dark Green and Sea Grey? But I should point out that I have seen this mentioned in other kits etc so it must be common. It's just interesting that nothing I have even has this type of scheme for any aircraft of this era! The standard camouflage scheme quoted for other examples is Russian Green and Black upper sides with light blue undersides. I chose to do a Yak-9T version in Dark Green/Earth Brown camouflage scheme and pale blue undersides and a scarlet spinner. This matches the reference material I have on this particular aircraft.
Decals include a number of Russian stars in different sizes and varieties - red star only, red star with black outline and the more renowned with white outline and red border (as seen in the box art above). The register is excellent and the decals go on the model very well with the expected care and attention. A small selection of red stencilling is also provided (which is hard to see against the green and earth background but shows up well underneath the aircraft). A couple of different large numbers are given and a couple of regiment insignia also provided - yes only a couple of each. One of the serial numbers in 930 and I cut off the nine so that the number read 30 to match the photo I had on hand. The only thing to quibble about was that one point on each star was a tiny bit longer than the other so watch out for this when you position them on the model. Other than that excellent decals and great to have some left over russian stars as spares.
This kit produces a little gem of an aircraft and is nicely detailed. Unlike the variety that often emanate from the asian sector (Tamigawa etc) this kit allows so much choice in what version you want to ultimately produce. Perhaps, however, they could have included a few more regiment badges and serial numbers on the decal sheet to really go to town! The detailed scribed onto the aircraft is very nice and accuracy measures up very well on comparing it with reference material. There is plenty of choice also in the example you churn out as the end result with the wide arrange of red stars to plaster over your model. Fit of the major components was generally good, however, there were several obstacles to get over during construction stages that put a cloud over this kit - nothing that wasn't fixed with relative ease, but enough to cause any inexperienced modeller a few hassles. Very nice kit overall that would be highly recommended for the more experienced intermediate modeller up.
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