Austria's Forgotten Fighter - The Yak-1

[nönöbär]

Somehow, I managed to get the first coat of paint on it without anything breaking—I'll take that as a win!



As for the Mistercraft/MasterCraft/whatever-they're-calling-themselves-this-week kits, I still have a few in the stash. Not because I enjoy building them, but because they're a cheap source of decals. The more recent releases actually seem to come with fairly decent decal sheets, and buying the whole kit is often cheaper than purchasing aftermarket decals on their own.

[Charlie_c67]

Seems to have gone down quite nicely.

If you have one of their Harriers, run for the hills...

[nönöbär]

Seems to have gone down quite nicely.

If you have one of their Harriers, run for the hills...

Well, a lot of sanding was required. And some brute force to put everything in the place where it should be. I am still a bit afraid whan I find when I remove the masking.

[nönöbär]

Progress update:

I've added the second camouflage color but on the lower side, so its not visible here. I also removed the masking for the Austrian flag on the rudder. So far, everything has gone according to plan.



My engineer also came up with a new set of tools to help with the build. Probably her best contribution to the project so far... 😄



In the meantime, I'm also trying to carve the landing gear legs out of the rather crude plastic mouldings... let's just say it's not my favourite part of this kit. 😅

[nönöbär]

The Yak-1 is finally standing on its own wheels... or at least on whatever the kit manufacturer considered to be wheels. 😄

The decals also arrived just in time. Without them, finishing this project would have been nearly impossible. Ironically, the decal sheet ended up costing more than the entire kit!

[Joe CalPo]

Will the pilot be a Von Trapp?

[Andrew Gorman]

Von Trapp was a WWI submarine captain.

[nönöbär]

Will the pilot be a Von Trapp?

I can only say so much, Leutnant Franz Hofer  will be one of the pilots of it

[nönöbär]

The propeller is finally on. In theory, it was even designed to spin. In practice... this is still the same kit, so I wasn't exactly expecting miracles.

To make things even more entertaining, the hole for the propeller shaft was drilled nicely off-center. My engineer responded with the traditional high-tech solution: bigger tools, more force, and a healthy disregard for the instruction sheet.

Somehow, it all worked out in the end.

[NARSES2]

My engineer responded with the traditional high-tech solution: bigger tools, more force, and a healthy disregard for the instruction sheet.

Obviously served the same apprenticeship as I did   

[Old Wombat]

If at first you don't succeed - Get a bigger hammer!   

[nönöbär]

Closing in on the finish line, and the first decals are finally on. Which means there are only... all the other decals left.

After that it's just the final clear coat, weathering, removing the masking, and trying not to ruin everything in the last five minutes. What could possibly go wrong?

Then it's only a quick photo session, writing a nice backstory, and pretending the whole build went exactly according to plan. Easy.



My engineer has already informed me she'll be taking next week off. Her plans include sitting on the terrace, enjoying the sunshine, relaxing by the fountain (sadly, no pool), and staying at least ten meters away from any model kit.

After surviving this one, she's earned it. This kit was... an experience.

[Charlie_c67]

I also suspect that if you ever suggest another Master/Mistercraft kit to her, she'll start slapping you round the face with a love wet fish... 

[scooter]

I also suspect that if you ever suggest another Master/Mistercraft kit to her, she'll start slapping you round the face with a love wet fish...