Zvezda 1/72 Yak-130 x 2 - A pair of Mittens!

[Dave Ward]

After the MiniArt Hoplite, I decided to clear the bench ( and lay down my new cutting mat ), and try something I don't think I have ever tried before - a dual build - essentially the same kit ( albeit different boxing ), that I will build simultaneously.
Here's the boxes.....................


I ended up with two, because I got the trainer at a good discount, and then saw the display aircraft at an even better offer!
The Yak-130 ( Nato name: Mitten - hence the title ) was originally a joint development between Yak & Aermacchi, but a split occurred in 2000. The Aermacchi M-346 Master has sold to Israel, Italy, Poland & Singapore, and naturally looks very similar. The Yak-130 is the basic jet trainer for Russia, and has sold to several smaller countries - like Bangladesh & Myanmar, not only as a trainer, but a light strike aircraft.
The Kits: Both come in the normal Zvezda box-in-a-box, which do the best job of protecting the sprues ( Revell, please note ).
They both have the same basic sprues, the trainer has additional sprues for the wing pylons ans armament - the big difference is that the display aircraft is moulded in bright red! - really horrible, and seeing that the aircraft is red on top & white on the lower fuselage could be a nightmare to cover, I might swap the parts over, and use the grey parts as a more friendly base for red/white. The trainer version has several colour variants, most of which are general overall colours, so hopefully easier to cover that red plastic.
Tomorrow, I will put up some sprue shots, and I think you will see that see that the detail & engineering of the model are well up to any other manufacturer

Dave

[yak face]

Looking forward to these Dave . Zvezdas recent output is superbly tooled stuff . The red plastic reminds me of the old matchbox multicoloured kits , as a kid I had the Alpha jet , which came in red and white plastic ! Can’t see why Zvezda have done this in red though , it’s hardly as if it’s aimed at youngsters who aren’t going to paint it .

[Dave Ward]

It's an odd thing - I was sitting comparing the sprues, and even though they are physically identical ( apart from the colour!), the grey plastic shows the detail better - some sort of optical illusion - or maybe my eyes?
Looking at the decal sheets, I think that a lot of them will not be used - far too fiddly - it's a pretty small aircraft..................
Dave

[Dave Ward]

General Sprue shots:



These are common, there are two sets of bottom wings, one without pylons, the other with.


Two on the left common, the other four specific to the trainer.


Decals & canopy - Display aircraft at the top - some of those stencils are too small!


Instructions - normal Zvezda - 3 variants for the trainer version, just black & white callouts

Seeing Red!!

Note the full colour scheme for red/white - for the trainer 4 - colour version only shades of grey!
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Some detail shots:
Ivan & his seat


Jet nozzles & compressor discs


Undercarriage bits


Cockpit tub

Top wing/airbrake housing

Lower wing for the display aircraft - no pylons


Armament details for the trainer:

The mouldings are pretty crisp & flash free - some of the ingates are large & the smaller parts will need careful removal, but otherwise all looks good.
Dave

[Steven000]

Interesting project Dave, I'll be following this one :thumb2:
Steven

[colin m]

This looks nice Dave. I've never built a Zvezda.

[Dave Ward]

Colin,
the models that Zvezda have produced over the past few years have just about equaled any of the Far Eastern Makers, they do miss having PE included, but the detail is good enough not to need it. You can generally find them at good discounts, as well!!!
I stress over the past few years - before then they were just putting out clunky blocks of plastic that may have looked like the subject!
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Construction begins - with the engines - the only difference between the display aircraft & the trainer assembly is the lower wings - up to that stage, both the same.

The engines have compressor discs & nozzles & inlet trunking - not a lot will be seen after assembly!


The engines fit into their respective tail parts - this model has no single fuselage part, it's built up, so the fit will have to be good. Some of the parts are delicate, so I've left off trimming them, until after assembly, when they're easier to handle & stronger.

This is how they (dry ) fit together - there is a single piece trunking, which fits over this, then the upper wing fits over all.
It seems a rather complicated way of doing this, and I suspect this model is literally their 1/48 model, scaled down to 1/72, but things have fitted together very well ( so far ). Zvezda would have you fit the main undercarriage legs at this point, but I think I'll leave them off, if possible, so painting & masking will be easier.
Dave

[Dave Ward]

This is one of those models where you lose all track of time, and assembling two of them just makes it worse!
It isn't until you dry fit the parts that you can actually see how all the bits come together, and given the tightness of all the joints, so far it looks very good.
I've just had a look at the instructions for the Zvezda 1/48 Yak - - the 1/72 model is a scaled down version, the parts breakdown, the assembly sequence are the same - some parts are simplified, like the ejector seats - the 1/48 model has auxiliary intake doors over the trunking ( so no garbage ingested from rough airfields, like other Russian jets ), but the 1/72 misses these out, even though there are slots in the trunking for them!
With all the lousy news, I'm even less inclined to meet the general public, and may even cut down my visits to the pub! It looks like the modelling bench is going to be occupied for longer periods!
Dave

[Dave Ward]

More assembly - I find that 90% of the work done will be totally invisible!

Dry fitting the wing.............................





This would be a real pig of a model, if the fit wasn't so good! 26 parts in each aircraft so far...................
The red plastic doesn't do the model any favours - it makes things look cheap & nasty - I'll be happy to get some primer on, to cover it up. The next stage is where the assemblies differ slightly - the lower wings - one for pylons, the other without
Dave

[yak face]

Looks like a complicated assembly dave , the first pic looks like a pair of sci fi ships ! Good to hear the fit is excellent , looking forward to the next stage

[Dave Ward]

I was expecting the cockpit to be the emerald green of other Russian jets. The instructions say 'aircraft blue' , so a few pictures from the internet
Humbrol 65 - that seems to be similar to RLM 78 Hellblau - which I have in the paintbox...............
The cockpits look a little bare - The multi-function screens have replaced all those dials & gauges
Dave

[colin m]

Nice work Dave. They do seem quite complicated for 1:72 You might be correct about the scaling down of 1:48.

[Dave Ward]

Curious - part A6 fits on the front of the cockpit tub. It doesn't support anything & when the nose section & front seat coaming are added, is totally invisible - it looks like a electronics rack was planned, but dropped, and this is a legacy.



There is no mention of noseweights anywhere, but I think this will be a tail sitter, unless I add some ballast. Missing out part A6 may give me enough room for that.
By dry fitting, I find that you can leave the cockpit tub out until later stages - which will help the painting sequence, and make the cockpit tub much easier to detail paint.
If you don't use the pilots, you add the ejection pull handle at the front of the seat squab. I'm just about ready to prime some parts.......................
Dave