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A-Model 1/72 Yak-25M


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Hello again gentlemen and any ladies of course.  With the Sea Hawk and MiG-15 done, and my Attacker stalled for the moment, it was time to open another box.

 

This is for you, Serge!

 

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The parts look tasty...

 

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I think some nice detail there, the wing fences were considerably finer than those of the Eduard MiG-15 and inspired me to shave them down for the MiG build.

Of course, A-Model kits do not fall together, but I've built a couple of them and they are far from impossible with a bit of extra patience and some sanding sticks.

 

The Yak-25 was an all-weather interceptor, perhaps loosely analogous to the Gloster Meteor in that being a little larger, it lent itself to development for alternative roles in a way the smaller jets did not.  It had straight-wing and swept-wing incarnations, and A-Model have boxed most of them.  It later became the Yak-28, a heavier, swept-wing beast reminiscent of the de Havilland Vixen.  I would have built one of those but I couldn't verify their use in the 1950s.

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Nice to see another Warsaw Pact subject joining the fray and something different to suplant the popular MiG-15. Excellent choice Peter.

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On 3/12/2019 at 8:33 AM, Peter Lloyd said:

The Yak-25 was an all-weather interceptor, perhaps loosely analogous to the Gloster Meteor

Not agree. As analogue Gloster Meteor close Alekseev I-211/I-215 for single seat and  Alekseev I-212 for bi-place. But it's was a prototype. Probably analogue Yak-25 maybe was swept wing Meteor NF, but I don't know any project.

On 3/12/2019 at 8:33 AM, Peter Lloyd said:

It had straight-wing

Ha! Fresh issue Russian aircraft magazine "Krilya Rodiny" (Wing Motherland) published article about project balloon interceptor on base straight-wing Yak-25RV. But straight-wing Yak-25RV it's mysterious aircraft....maybe this was unsuccessful balloon interceptor, maybe recognized aircraft as Lockheed U-2 ..... about service no information. 

On 3/12/2019 at 8:33 AM, Peter Lloyd said:

It later became the Yak-28, a heavier, 

And again I don't agree.

Next was Yakovlev Yak-27:

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which had time to release a small series as much as 5 examples.

Here is his close analogue, perhaps called Sud-Ouest SO.4050 Vautour 

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This can be considered a miracle, but out of 5 Yak-27 of this certainly ultra-rare aircraft, one survived to our days on a pedestal:

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At least he was alive as of 2012.

But given the fact that this unique

monument is located in a village in western ukraine, where anti-Soviet hysteria in the form of de-communization is very strong, there is a great danger that this rare aircraft will pass for scrap for money.....😣😣😣

 

About model.

1.Cockpit interior was green, shadow closest with British interior green, but more greenish.

2. Ejection seat in model is good, but KK-2 from NeOmega or Pavla is best.

 

 

 B.R.

Serge

 

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On 3/13/2019 at 11:07 PM, Aardvark said:

published article about project balloon interceptor on base straight-wing Yak-25RV.

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Project was Yak-25PA ( perechvatchik aerostatov - balloon interceptor) , but intrigue did not allow to implement this project. But the threat to the USSR from the side of the ballon's did not disappear, so,  had to do the interceptor- balloons Myasishchev M-17. Yes, M-17 it's interceptor, not spy, if anyone knows.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

P.S.

As I promised, the same Yak-25M with  fuselage drop-tank

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is type like that of Meteor.

I don't  know about this modification and about the time from which the Yak-25M was equipped with this drop-tank.

Recourse this photo I don't remember, probably Russian social network VK or OK, I don't know. When photos are stored on three computers and two external HD, it is difficult to remember what was taken and where.🤗

 

 

Edited by Aardvark
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There has been progress.

 

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This is the engine pod and landing gear bay parts.  I painted these the same green as the cockpit, not sure whether they might have been light grey or in aluminium paint.  I misinterpreted the instructions and glued the intake and exhaust cones together, had to separate them later.

 

I was initially happy with the seats, but after a Pavla KK2 ejection seat arrived (for another project), I was less enthusiastic. But, A-Model give you a good base for further work.  To the right, the radar operator's instrument panel.

 

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This is just gizmology, I had only a partial image of a Yak cockpit. But if there's one thing I've picked up from this group build, it's that 50s cockpits were messy!  This was straightened out, quite hard to work on without making parts wonky.  Through the fairly thick canopy, it should look a bit better than stock.  I'm wondering whether to add a gyroscopic gunsight, surely no plane like the Yak would have had only the radar sight?

 

 

 

 

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The wings are in two halves, one an insert for the other. I suspect this makes the leading and trailing edges easier to prepare and more accurate, but it does leave a seam to be eliminated. But, the insert does fit well, and its surface is close to flush with the other half.  The sprue gates in A-Model kits tend to need careful tidy up, but the parts are pretty good.  This reflects my previous experience with A-Model: in the box they look pretty crude, but there's a very nice model not to far away (I hope!!).

 

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One thing about the Yak is the potential for test-fitting everything is not great: many parts have to be trapped between halves, either the engine nacelles or the fuselage. So you can't really tell if the parts inside will fit, without gluing them.  So you prepare the parts as best you can, then bite the bullet and stick it all together.

 

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This is the inlet, it should tidy up quite well with the Dremel.

 

As I write this I've gone about as far as I can preparing the parts, and it's time to glue the nacelle halves and fuselage together, which will make this plane at least appear almost finished. Sadly I have two weeks of interruptions impending.

 

 

 

 

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15 hours ago, Peter Lloyd said:

I was initially happy with the seats, but after a Pavla KK2 ejection seat arrived (for another project), I was less enthusiastic. But, A-Model give you a good base for further work.  

u75CKyS.jpg

I warned:

On 3/13/2019 at 11:07 PM, Aardvark said:

2. Ejection seat in model is good, but KK-2 from NeOmega or Pavla is best.

😉😎

In general, modern plastic inject technologies allow you to create parts no worse than resin, but it is only time for them to model Modelsvit, as MiG-21F, Ye-2A e.t.c:

 

Important! Many KK-2 have warning stencil table on the left side headrest.

I did it with the decal from Mike Grant ,but this is not exactly because the table was not square but of pentagonal shape. Pentagonal, it was because of an arrow inside which allegedly indicated a safety check that needs to be checked before the flight.

14 hours ago, Peter Lloyd said:

The sprue gates in A-Model kits tend to need careful tidy up, but the parts are pretty good.  This reflects my previous experience with A-Model: in the box they look pretty crude, but there's a very nice model not to far away (I hope!!).

 

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The Yak-25 air intake is not the best for the modeller, because the entrance to it was closed inside with a special cone made of wire so that garbage  from the airfield  would not get inside in jet engine blades.

 

B.R.

Serge

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I take your advice with gratitude Serge, a specific reason I am building this kit now is because you will guide me!

 

But I will not take all your advice, your standards are high and mine are much less.  It is interesting that Soviet/Russian aircraft are always designed for 'real life' airfields.

 

Coincidentally, I recently acquired the Modelsvit MiG-21 F, after agony about whether to buy the Eduard kit. But, I prefer the earlier model for the Arab air forces of the 1960s and Modelsvit deserve support for their efforts.

 

For my Yak-25, all sources indicate a blue radome, so I suppose 'Radome Green' is a later colour?

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On 4/3/2019 at 1:52 PM, Peter Lloyd said:

I take your advice with gratitude Serge, a specific reason I am building this kit now is because you will guide me!

😶

(embarrassed smiley)

On 4/3/2019 at 1:52 PM, Peter Lloyd said:

But I will not take all your advice, your standards are high and mine are much less. 

I absolutely do not aim to impose any of my standards or worldviews on either Britmodeller, Scalemodels or anywhere else. I just have certain information and I do not consider it necessary to keep it inside my head under lock and key. Using or not using my information is a personal matter for everyone.

 

Specifically, according to my information about the Yak-25 air intake. This is a very difficult part for the manufacture of a modeler. Theoretically, it can be made by soldering or photoetched.

But neither by soldering  or photoetched at home, I can not, like most Britmodeller users. 🤗

On 4/3/2019 at 1:52 PM, Peter Lloyd said:

It is interesting that Soviet/Russian aircraft are always designed for 'real life' airfields.

Airfields? In Russia? What are they needed for?

(Do not repeat at home on your plane! 😁 Is it dangerous! Everything shown in the film is done by specially trained people!)

How they joke in Russia: “There are no roads in Russia - there are directions”

😁😁😁

On 4/3/2019 at 1:52 PM, Peter Lloyd said:

Coincidentally, I recently acquired the Modelsvit MiG-21 F, after agony about whether to buy the Eduard kit. But, I prefer the earlier model for the Arab air forces of the 1960s and Modelsvit deserve support for their efforts.

For the Arab air forces You had better wait for them to make the MiG-21F-13 and buy it. Yes, very early models MiG-21F-13 have thin fin, KK-2 ejection seat as MiG-21F, but one gun as a difference from MiG-21F. But I don't know was early model MiG-21F-13 at Arab air force or not. 🤗

On 4/3/2019 at 1:52 PM, Peter Lloyd said:

For my Yak-25, all sources indicate a blue radome, so I suppose 'Radome Green' is a later colour?

Yes, it's was later colour. But blue it's colour which is characteristic only for the Yak-25. Early interceptors with radar La-200 had a gray color radome cone. What is characteristic  radome cone La-200 was polystyrene ... yes it is from polystyrene that is similar to that of which models are made. Probably the next radome cone material was something like textolite, something that was wound like a fabric on a punch, and then soaked in epoxy.

This type nose radome  cone may was Radome Green or differences shadow Gray.

Which is interesting fact, material nose cone radome R-33 long range missile for MiG-31 it's....it's glass!😲

 

About La-200. This experimental radar interceptor was characteristics close  to Yak-25, but they appeared

for three years

earlier than the Yak-25.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

A bit more progress.

 

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Cementing the fuselage a bit at a time.  To build this model, you will need clamps.

 

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This was the worst gap, filled with plastic strip and putty. The other pod was not nearly as bad.

 

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I'm not sure about this little taper on the leading edge.  Might have to use some plastic card to straighten everything out.

 

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The wings before a coat of Mr Surfacer.

 

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Can you spot the fuselage in all this?  With persuasion, the fuselage actually comes together quite well.  It's necessary to squeeze things in the correct direction to avoid a step.

 

I spent a long, long time getting the cockpit and wheel bay to fit in such a way they'd let the halves close up.  It seems close at first, but I actually spent two evening sessions just grinding and testing.  The fuse ended up translucent-thin just either side of the instrument panel coaming.  But, all standard short-run stuff.

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Wow, running out of time and two to finish for this GB!

 

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The wing root shape does not even vaguely match the fuselage sides, so I added pins to hold the wing.  After fettling, I got a good fit on the upper surface and a large gap on the lower.

 

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This image shows the packing to close the gap at the front of the wing, and the remnant of the seam on the spine. This was filled with super glue.  All that work with the clamps paid off: the fuselage halves go together pretty well.

 

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I had to open the slot for the tail plane, the existing space does not well match the part that inserts into it. It's not too far off, but I did have to open this up, carefully re-fitting the stabiliser.  The rear part of the stabliser comes back past the trailing edge of the fin/rudder, so there's no loss in doing this.

 

Also, although not photographed, the wings needed a fair bit of tinkering to make them symmetrical.  The Yak has a bit of adhedral, and the wing root profiles do not at all match the fuselage where they abut.  I went for a decent finish on the top side, and symmetry looking head on, in the part of the wing between the fuselage and engine.  This left a very large gap underneath at the wing root, and the outer section of the wings was quite asymmetrical.  I used boiling water poured over the wing, followed by judicious bending, to bring it up (the port wing curled upwards before the fix).  The good thing is, this curling produced near-exact symmetry rather quickly, without the need for epic adjusting and re-adjusting.  The gap was filled with Tamiya putty, smoothed back using Gunze Levelling Thinner on a cotton bud.

Edited by Peter Lloyd
Last paragraph added.
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This one is making you work for it but glad to see you're still making good progress Peter :thumbsup:

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This odd bit of flash on the gun pod is the sort of thing you deal with in a short run kit.

 

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I'm getting there, perhaps rushing too much now.  The seams, like the seams on all my models, are endlessly filled and sanded, without ever looking smooth and flawless.  It's also bee rather difficult to restore the panel lines because of the complex curves, lying a straight edge in any direction required four or five hands.  I made my own air intakes for the pods near the wing leading edge, and perhaps should have for the one near the inlet.

 

But despite the photographs being quite unflattering, I'm happy with how the Yak is looking.

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Alclad magnesium. I sprayed this straight over a primer layer of Mr Surfacer, so it looks a bit 'furry'. This prompted me to give the model a light wet sand with extremely fine abrasive cloth, with heavier work on some blemishes I didn't notice.  I'll have to be more careful than that in future, the Alclad pumps through the airbrush rather quickly and it costs a lot, so each coat costs me about $10!  Worth it, though, a finish that looks like metal rather than metallic paint, and the finish is durable.

 

The magnesium colour is a little dark, a good shade for heatproof panels and such, too dark for the aluminium skin.  I won't be doing any panel differentiation as there's not much time, it's my first session with Alclad, and anyway Yak-25s in service look to have a quite uniform finish.

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From what I can see you've blended all those various and nefarious bits together well as Alclad takes no prisoners. Good work Peter.

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Wheels by Armoury. The originals are quite presentable but these are amazing, with accurate directional tread.

 

The decals were typical of A-Model: thin, a bit delicate, but they behave well. The black lines for demarcation of the blue-painted nose section fell apart and I'd say are impossible, but everything else was okay. They don't respond to Micro Set or Mr Mark Softer, so might benefit from rolling with a Q-tip dampened with hot water, to snuggle them into panel lines.  They also don't have much 'glue', so they adhere only weakly and need to be put in place as soon as possible after they loosen from the backing paper. But, good colours and register, lots of stencils and small markings. It was a common sheet for all the A-Model Yak-25 family so I have a few spare Soviet numbers for the stash.

 

There are some compromises associated with rushing and my own low standards, but I have a pretty good replica of an unusual aircraft.  I coimpliment A-Model... this is the third A-Model kit I've made and they have all been consistent: they look a bit scary and crude at first opening of the box, but the parts themselves are lovely and the model does build up successfully... just be prepared to use some filler.  The extremely faint rendition of the panel lines is really good: on a NMF 50s jet, deep panel lines look really out of place, then these are better than any mainstream kit for depth, and they are acceptably consistent.

 

I'm no expert on anything, but the shape of the model looked good to me, except a minor issue with the wing tip fairings which I think should taper not to a point, but should be flattened on top. The landing gear doors are quite thick, though they were box sections so this might not be so bad.

 

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Here it is 'finished', obviously needing some touch ups (where did that top point of the star on the fin go? It was there last I looked!).  This completes my four for the group build.  I massive thank you to the moderators, to all who looked, and to those who also built for this one: I didn't get to comment on everyone's thread but I have followed them as best I could and there is much to inspire here, and it's such an interesting time in aviation.

 

 

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Excellent result Peter. Goes to show what a great model you can build from an Amodel kit. They make you work for it but they aren’t anywhere near as bad as their reputation suggests.

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