The Little World

Encouraged by the silver paint coat on the Yak-3 I went ahead and added the decal stripes and stars. The decals were good – they released quickly but were not fragile and I surprised myself with how well the red side stripes went.

The fact that the pre-decal clear coat was Mr. Hobby Superclear UV cut encouraged me to try this spray can as the finals coating. There was a little movement in the decals, but not enough to spoil the job. I am aware of this, however, and will not do it again.

Is it a handsome fighter prototype? Yes it is. The Russians seem to have been guided by comic book drawings to some extent when they designed things but as long as it worked, and Stalin approved, who could say them nay? I am still a little dismayed at the tail sitting skew-whiff, but that was out of the mould and I have considered it to be out of my hands. With a little effort it can be out of my mind as well. The original tail on the thing was a little odd, to say the least, as was that on the Lavotchkin. Of course, the Russians can say that about some of the contours on British aircraft – the Avro Anson being the one that comes to mind – but I shall leave this for bar-room discussion.

I am pleased with the way the landing gear cemented into the wings – the Amodel people are prepared to give you positive tabs into positive slots and I am grateful. Some of the Czech makers please take note.