John

As a little break from all that FROG plastic, I've opened my Revell Yak-3 for a bit of respite. This is, of course, a reboxing of the Zvezda Snap-Fit kit from a few years ago. I'll be gluing this one together 😀 No box photos because the kit was "dehydrated" for storage a few years ago, but it's this boxing: Yakovlev Yak-3, Revell 03894 (2018) (scalemates.com) There's a starter set version of this kit available as well. My history with Yak-3 kits is not stellar. I entered the Emhar release of the FROG/Red Star kit into the first FROG Squad GB 5(!) years ago but didn't finish it as I couldn't get a satisfactory wing join, but it certainly piqued my interest in the type. That, and in the middle of the GB, walking through the local park when a high-powered piston engine roared overhead. It was unmistakably a Yak-3, of all things. Checking FlightRadar24 confirmed that it was G-OLEG, departing Cumbernauld for the air show at East Fortune. What are the chances? More photos soon. John

Does it still have the transparent propeller disc? John

Not a kit I have any experience of at all, so I'm following along with interest. And adulation 😀 John

I've been working on this in the background. I think a well worn JG5 example from the far north is in order: John

I've had a rake in my spares and have uncovered these, from the last ever boxing of the original Airfix Gladiator: The 3-bladed prop was reinstated and the decal sheet was epic - it was worth buying 2 or 3 of these kits just for the prop and decals 😀 John

WEM Light Slate Grey, nor Precision: It's on the lower wings and the nose here: Gloss White 22 and Coal Black 85 for the recognition markings, 40 Light Grey for the Sky Grey and Humbrol 224 for the Dark Slate Grey. Still a lot to do. I found a stand 😀 John

I'm not going to put any more time into this, there's only so far you can go 😀 So, in summary: Donetsk remould of FROG original, out of the box (packet) Paints: Humbrol 108 RFC Green, Colourcoats ACRN43 DuPont Dark Earth and ACRN36 DuPont Sky Type S Grey. Prop Humbrol 85 and 69. Exhausts Humbrol 171. Decals from Eurodecals sheet 108. I like the P-39/P-400 as a modelling subject, particularly the earlier models. If this kit had seen a general release in the mid-1970s I would have been delighted with it. This was a nice enough moulding but, having seen some much rougher versions out there, I'm not sure it's one I would want to revisit. I'm glad I had the chance to build it though. John

Definitely 😀 I've got Precision Paints Light Slate Grey squirrelled away just for an occasion like this... I did shadow shaded Temperate Land on my Airfix Gladiator a few years back and it will be interesting to see how this compares. 4 colours for the upper surfaces and 3 for the bottom 😱 John

I was right to worry about the wing inserts: The ones in the upper wing weren't too bad but the lower ones needed a lot of work with sanding, superglue and pressure from my trusty extraction forceps and a Tim Horton's wooden spoon 😀 The fuselage has had a couple of thin coats of Humbrol Gloss 40, which will do for Sky Grey: John

Very nice pilot figure in the driving seat. I think he's the only 1/72 pilot I've seen with his left hand moulded with a throttle handle. Unfortunately there's no more detail at all in there... My camera isn't picking up the olive component of the Humbrol 108 at all: Eurodecal markings: John

F404 Lavochkin La-7. FROG original release. John

Calling this completed. FROG original boxing. Paints Humbrol enamels. Decals Propagtem, spares and kit. John

Some thoughts and observations. Looks like a nice kit, a typical product of the early 1970s. 1973, according to Scalemates, so a direct contemporary of the Matchbox kit. I don't get the inserts into the wings. Fit is going to have to be spot on or there could be a lot of work involved. No decals in this one, and the stand is gone as well. I like the Norwegian example, innovative. I'm still tending towards a Malta example using the decals from the last Hornby run of the original Airfix mould. Ironic that the Airfix kit had the market to itself for years then 2 worthy successors arrived at the same time. I think this kit will be slightly more complex than the Matchbox, but not that much. John

OK, since I'm getting nagged 😀 John

Pretty much finished, just needs some final tidying up: Last few photos and Gallery entry tomorrow. John

Just to belatedly pick up on Mike Starmer's comment above, Light Orange is still in BS381 and is probably most familiar in the UK as the superstructure colour of RNLI lifeboats. It isn't particularly light but it is a strong and distinct orange. John

A glue capsule! Won't be using that. At least this one's not moulded in black like my last one, a FROG original: John

The Propagteam decals are OK but thin: Numbers are from that but the stars are mostly from spares. I'm going to mask and paint the red triangles on the cowling. A nice enought wee kit. John

OK, real life has dented my bench time but I've finally been able to get some work done on my builds. I'm going for AH621 in its pre-delivery scheme - quite distinctive and highly non-standard: I've used Sovereign Hobbies Sky Type S Grey for the bottom anf Sovereign Hobbies US Equivalent Dark Earth and Humbrol 108 RFC Green for the uppers. Markings will be from the Eurodecals P-39 sheet. John

Nope. But watch this space. John

I recall the original Airfix Blenhiem had a rather neat retracting undercarriage. I think this is the first time I've seen a build of the B-25. It looks very nice indeed. John

Oh all right then 😀 It's going to need a bit of a touch up. I've also sarted working on the exhaust areas. John

I live in what could well be the biggest town in the UK that doesn't have a W H Smith, leaving out the small branch in the local hospital. All I can get locally is Airfix Magazine in our bigger Tescos, and I'm not in there that often. I can get Flypast in our local ASDA. I haven't left printed magazines, they've left me. John

It's been a very busy few weeks with not too much time at the bench, but I have managed to get some work done: I've used Humbrol 5 and 67 for the upper camouflage and 89 for the underside. Tail flash is Humbrol 69 and the cowling is 153. Much still to do. John

I was going to do a 601 Squadron aircraft but - totally against type 🙄- I've changed my mind. That's why it has yellow wing leading edges: I've decided to do the original delivery scheme, so the fuselage has had a couple of coats of Sovereign Hobbies ACRN36, the legendary Sky Type S Grey. Somebody really misunderstood the drawings when the first few RAF Airacobras were painted: https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/media/bell-p-39-airacobra-ah621-raf-2.32706/ John