Amodel kits are often stash
dwellers but there was this "Wings and Things of the Red Star"
group build on Britmodeller's forum and I thought I could enter with a
Yak-28PP kit. Unfortunately the build took too long and I didn't meet the
deadline. Even worse: the Ukrainian roundels grew on me and I gave up making a
Soviet aircraft.
It's the first
Amodel kit that I've actually finished. Amodel jet kit masters are likely to be
made by the same person because they look alike: no riveting, hashed engraving
areas telling where to glue the little parts (air scoops, antenna
blisters), cockpit and wheel wells properly closed (no bottomless black holes)
but not detailed. These kits are definitely buildable, but a lot of time is
necessary to clean up, dry fit and sand the parts before gluing
anything. The model will always look a little cockeyed (look at the front
view) so it's unlikely that it will be a contest winner.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The kit was basically built out of the box: no aftermarket
exists for this kit and I was more preoccupied by simply building the kit
than detailing it. I've just added avionic boxes by gluing some blocks of
pencil eraser inside the navigator's office. It wasn't necessary: one hardly
sees anything if the navigator's hatch is closed. The camouflage was done
using UHU Tak masking.
Difficulties encountered:
1) the radius of curvature of the navigator's hatch window doesn't match
the one of the hatch itself; I tried to bend the kit's window part but it broke
so I made a new one
2) the fin base isn't left-right symmetrical and one wing didn't
fit right
2) Amodel gives (surprisingly troublefree) decals for four
birds including three that are camouflaged; Amodel states that the camouflage
scheme is the same for all when it isn't: the scheme they give is only good for
an Ukrainian plane. Please refer to the Avia-Retro Yak-28PP monography written
by V. Roman for the correct camouflage schemes.
What should have been done:
-
Amodel doesn't provide engine nozzles so you'll have to
raid the spares box
-
Amodel didn't represent the landing light visible on the
engine nacelles
-
some panel lines are missing
I'm glad I've finished the model anyway and it doesn't look too
bad. I hope you like it.
Laurent Stern
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images below to see larger images
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