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Yak-25 'Flashlight-A' long range interceptor


reini

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Soviet long range interceptor, from the mid-50's. Not really a well known type I suppose - but a cool looking plane nevertheless. There were also reconnaissance variants derived from this type.

 

The kit is A Model Yak-25K/S:

 

50582276161_6940bb53ac_o.jpg

 

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The box is quite full and doesn't look to be original.

 

 

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Plenty of stuff to work with.

 

 

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The plastic is soft, almost rubbery. Very dirty and has lot's of cleaning to do...

 

 

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Details are soft at best.

 

 

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Panel lines look like they have been rescribed by... me, really. And that's not a compliment :D

 

 

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The scheme I will be doing, same as in the box art.

 

So this is not going to be easy kit, I can see that already. Kinda dreaded how this will work out but we will see :D Wish me luck!

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Hi Reini,

 

Now that us an interesting choice. I guess most of us are more familiar with the later Yak 28P (Firebar), but the Yak 25 was I gather the first genuine all weather fighter to enter service in the former Soviet Union and therefore an excellent candidate for this GB. I believe the official classification was "Patrol Interceptor".

 

I will watch with interest - good luck.

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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The model matches the drawings quite well:

http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw/yak25-27.html

http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw/yak25sm.html

http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw/yak25_kr.html

http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw2/yak25-2.html

the only problem is that some of the drawings (with rivets http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw/yak25sm.html ) have a length error, as I remember, but the model was made according to others.  There is also information here:

http://walkarounds.scalemodels.ru/v/walkarounds/avia/after_1950/Yak-25+Borovaya/

 

http://scalemodels.ru/modules/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33203&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/yak25.html

 

Build models here:

 

http://scalemodels.ru/articles/5949-a-model-1-72-k-25m.html

 

http://scalemodels.ru/articles/13452-Amodel-1-72-k-25m-my-klepali-my-klepali---.html

 

but the shades of their radar color seem questionable to me, in addition, on one of the models, the air brake is mistakenly painted in the color of the radar.

 

B.w. Yak-25K/S it's very little series interceptor or maybe testbed, don't remember.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

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13 minutes ago, reini said:

@Aardvark Do you have any insight on the correct radar color? 

I don't have a recipe for a ready-made paint for modelers, some aspects of painting radome Soviet fighters (including Yak-25) were discussed here:

Some colour photo not work in topic because of the problem http - https but this photos live, just  open them in a new tab in Your browser.

Why don't I like the colors on the models from the links I provided?  Too bright and too blue for me, I think that the color should be more gray with a bluish tint, but this is my subjective opinion.

Again, this is all guesswork from color photos where the result may not correspond to reality at all, as an example, see my today posting  about the problem of USAF stencil  in the chat of this GB. Just a poor study by the manufacturer of official US documents regulating the color of these stencil and the problems with the color rendering of Kodak films, led to the fact that most of these inscriptions are in the wrong color ...

 

B.R.

Serge

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On 11/12/2020 at 8:20 AM, Aardvark said:

 

 

B.w. Yak-25K/S it's very little series interceptor or maybe testbed, don't remember.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

Hi Reini,

 

Serge is right. AFAIK, the main production version was the Yak-25M armed with 3x30mm cannon and for what it is worth my books say about 400 were built. The Yak-25K(sometimes called K-5 after the missile) had the cannon deleted though I believe the mountings were still there), and carried 4x RS-1-U missiles aka K-5 or Nato AA-1 Alkali,  as did the late versions of the Mig-17, Mig-19 and Su-9. Only a small number were built and as Serge thought most seem to have been used as test beds for a variety of modfications such as the K-8 missile aka AA-3 Anab, I believe that when testing this later and larger  missile it was sometimes known as the Yak 25K-8 or perhaps Yak-25S, which seems to be the machine shown on the box art with 2 of the missiles mounted inboard. Does the kit include the earlier K-5 missiles as shown in my Heller GB Mig-19 build thread? The instructions seem to suggest that the K-8 and S were different types so I may be wrong.

 

It should be an interesting build to watch. 

 Good Luck!

 

Pete

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@PeterB Thank you for the info - very much appreciated! 

 

According to the instruction sheet, only 480 planes were made, all Yak-25 variants included. Which is of course a lot in a way, but given that time and the scale of aviation industry, not that many. There is an option to build three different versions from the kit:

 

50629438748_f5e336e7b9_o.jpg

 

Yak-25K-75, Yak-25S or Yak-25K-8. All the versions share the same parts, apart from the weapons. K-75 has four of the smaller missiles (K-5/AA-1 missiles I presume, as with the MiG-19?), and the S- & K-8-versions have the bigger missiles. And the difference between S and K-8 seems to be just the missile pylons.

 

50630283142_e8e9088f7f_o.jpg

 

Here are the weapon options more closely.

 

Still hesitant on the actual version I will build, but given the fact that the three schemes are basically all the same and so are the planes (apart from the weapons), I can delay the choice and choose when I am at a bit later stage of the build. I already said I will make the box art option but the four small AA-1's look kinda cool too :) 

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41 minutes ago, reini said:

...already said I will make the box art option but the four small AA-1's look kinda cool too :) 

Go with a set of the FBMs man! When modelling subjects from an era of aviation excess F Big Missiles are always the correct choice ;) 

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12 minutes ago, Col. said:

Go with a set of the FBMs man! When modelling subjects from an era of aviation excess F Big Missiles are always the correct choice ;) 

 

Hahah, you might be right. :D I have bit similar choice with the F-106 build - but when the kit comes with nuclear rockets, I don't think there's a any other option :bomb:

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 Hi Reini,

AFAIK the versions with the large AA-3 were purely testbeds and never served operationally. However those with the 4xK5 aka AA-1 did, albeit in small numbers. Incidentally. there appears to be some confusion with this kit. The version with the K-5 missiles was the Yak-25K-5, with the K-8 it was the Yak-25K-8 perhaps aka 25S and with the experimental K-75 missiles it was the Yak-25K-75. The K-75 missile was similar in appearance to the K-5 in some respects according to my Aerofax book -

k75

It lost out to the better K-5 and never entered series production. However, looking at the kit illustrations it seems highly likely that the missiles provided are K-5 not K-75 

RS

This is a late model K-5. The early ones used on your plane were almost the same. At the end of the day it is your kit so entirely your choice.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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@PeterB Thanks for the pics -  it does look like the missiles are indeed K-5 and and not K-75. Which is weird because the instructions mention the type being Yak-25K-75.

 

If I understood correctly (and Wikipedia is correct), there were only two Yak-25S made, which were modified testbed aircraft from Yak-25M to test the K-8 (AA-3) missiles. And likewise only two Yak-25K-8 which was made for same purpose, just that the original plane was Yak-25M.

 

So I think my choice will remain Yak-25S - ie. the box art version. I might prefer in service planes over testbed aircraft but I guess there's nothing wrong with that either. And it has the big missiles, let's not forget those :D I think it will go nicely next to my Su-15. And I think I need to add Yak-28 to the stash also... (Su-128 I already have).

 

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  • 2 months later...

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This is how much I've gotten done since the last time :D Better get started...

 

 

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Parts fit is vague at best. You have to do some educated guessing where everything should go and just shave off excess plastic. Like in the bottom pic, panels should align at the top in order to fit the end cap. Well, the plastic is soft and things like this are easily fixed.

 

 

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Cockpit and landing gear bays in place. This plane had a rather peculiar four point landing gear. Or rather - two landing gears and little balancing wheels at the wingtips.

 

 

 

 

 

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