1/48 Eduard YAK-3 WIP

This is coming along beautifully!!!!   I'm diggin it!!

FastEagle I really like your painting style, really does make the detail pop, it's a little bit "Spanish style" which I like .

Cant wait for more.

Cheers.... 

I'm very impressed with your weathering techniques, as well as your attention to detail. They really compliment each other nicely. You got me anxious for more progress pics. Keep us posted.

We ushered in the first weekend of Spring with a dusting of snow here in North Texas, so rather than pull weeds in the freezing, windy outdoors, I dedicated my time to a more important cause - the modeling desk.  On the agenda this weekend is the landing gear and related structures:

Here is the group of parts to be painted (As I pointed out earlier, Eduard has done a great job keeping mold lines to an absolute minimum).

A close-up of the right-side main landing gear with added details.  The brake line is thin copper wire and the retaining straps are made using the foil from a bottle of wine, cut int thin strips and wrapped around the strut. 

Close up of the right-side main gear doors and retraction leg prior to painting. 

And here are the finished products:

Finally, the last few cockpit details ready for installation:

Stay warm and thanks for stopping by.

Thank you Rick,

I appreciate the comment!

Great, clean, crisp cockpit.  Shading looks great.  You're right.  Eduard does have it going on.  But the craftsman still brings it out.  Rick.

Good day everyone,

Another update from the yard...the weeds are back.  Meanwhile on the bench, progress continues apace on the Yak:

Things are starting to come together in the front office.  The seat harness was fashioned from 3M blue masking tape and painted with Vallejo acrylics.

A view of the finished instrument panel from the pilot's left side:

The instrument panel once again:

Finally, a view of the aft deck.  The raised details on the radio are made with Evergreen rod and strip and painted with Vallejo acrylics.

We'll button-up the fuselage and attach the wings over the next week or so.  

That's it for today.  Thanks once again for stopping by.  

Cheers!

Gentlemen,

I am grateful for the kind words.  Credit must go to this kit, which is so well engineered and molded.  There really is very little clean-up involved and this lets me focus on assembly and painting.  

Nachtflieger -  Great avatar.  Eddie looks good in a cockpit for sure.

RadMax8 - I agree with you regarding just how green the XF-22 looks.  This is more a function of my lousy lighting than it is the paint.  When I compare the photo's to the pieces sitting on my desk, they look more gray than green.  I'm a complete greenhorn when it comes to photography and am still learning the trade.  

Next up, I'll fashion the harness out of masking tape and button-up the fuselage.  More to follow.

Many thanks again for the feedback.

Excellent progress,  I like the enhanced detail.

Darwin, O.F. 

That XF-22 looks so green!

That's the difference between your builds and mine: This one looks so fantastic on the inside! The shading looks super sharp!

I like your builds, you do some good work, FastEagle!

I really like your method of bringing out the details in the office.  Shading, highlighting, etc look VERY good indeed!

Wow! That's some really impressive stuff! Nice weathering techniques, too. Really makes the detail pop! I'm going to have to keep my eyes on this one. 

Happy Friday everyone,

Another update from the hanger.. and we are lovin' Eduard!  Progress continues on the good ol' Yak; the front office has been painted and is ready for assembly.  

A few details added to the radio deck.  I've elected to use the PE sparingly and will pick out more of the molded-in details with paint.

Next up is the cockpit interior - airbrushed with Tamiya XF-22 per the instructions (and I thought RLM colors were a subject of debate.  Info on the exact colors of this particular vintage is quite scarce.):

And with the details painted:

The instrument panel and completed radio deck:

Lounge chair and matching ottoman:

Control column and side panels:

And finally, a few of the finished components dry fitted:

As stated above, I used Tamiya XF-22 straight up and with various tints and tones to pick out the highlights and reliefs.  Vallejo acrylics were used for all hand brushing and dry brushing.  

Thanks for checking us out!  

The test fit looks like things will go fairly well.  Keep us posted on your progress.

Darwin, O.F. 

You picked a great kit and are off to a great start. Keep the WIP pics coming.

I'll be watching this one with interest.

Nate

You picked a very nice Eduard kit.  Keep us posted as you progress.

Regards,  Rick