**** DONE: 1/48 Yak-3 - Allied Advance and Defense of the Reich WWII.

[Crimea_River]

Moving along quickly.

 

[JKim]

Great progress! Interesting engineering on this kit with cockpit floor being molded integral with the wings.

 

[T Bolt]

Good start on it Don

 

[Donivanp]

This is the sweetest thing I have ever seen, well maybe not EVER, but, this makes most Tamiya kits look sloppy, and I love Tamiya's kits. I had a little trouble getting the Fuselage on the wings because the build calls for putting the gun charging handle inside the fuselage (up front and set under the instrument panel and aft shelf of the cockpit also has to be fitted in the fuselage. Then after the two fuselage halves are assembled you mount it on the wing. After doing it, if I did it again, I would set the right half of the fuselage on the wing in the correct area, and then mate the left half to it. As it was I had to lower the gun charging handle under the instrument panel and jimmy the fuselage back over the set till the aft section fell into place. It wasn't bad but a little awkward and I had to take it off because I pushed the seat back down under the shelf. The fit is incredible on this kit, I can't say that enough.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

I built a Zvezda 109 and thought it was one of the best kits I ever bought. Glad to see the Yak maintains the standard.

 

[T Bolt]

I'll have to try a Zvezda kit one of these days

 

[Wayne Little]

like the look of it!

 

[Donivanp]

ONE SWEET LITTLE KIT. I did not do half the kit. You can build it with the engine displayed, or with the cowls on. The engine looks to be a true work of are and a kit by it's self. If you build the engine, then you also have the engine mount and framing around it. There are 12 to 13 steps for the engine and mounting. 14 if you count the gun mounts. I just did the cowling.

 

[Wayne Little]

A good time saving decision...

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

Good stuff Don.

 

[Airframes]

Nice work Don, and it does look like a neat little kit.

 

[Gnomey]

Nicely done so far!

 

[JKim]

Great insight on a non-mainstream kit. This will probably perk a lot of interest in Zvezda kits. I know I'm interested.

 

[Crimea_River]

Get one of their 109F's John. Outstanding little kit.

 

[fubar57]

Beauty Don

Great insight on a non-mainstream kit. This will probably perk a lot of interest in Zvezda kits. I know I'm interested.

That it did John. Just did a quick shufti on eBay and saw some careful shopping is required. The 109F2/4 is listed from 24.50 to 83.00.

Geo

 

[Donivanp]

It can depend on what you are looking at also, but look at what is being said.

Zvezda Kit No. 4809 - Petlyakov Pe-2 Review by Brett Green

ZVEZDA 4809 SOVIET DIVE BOMBER PETLYAKOV PE-2 SCALE MODEL KIT 1/48 NEW WWII

Zvezda 1/48 Sukhoi Su-2, previewed by Scott Van Aken

Zvezda 4805 1/48 Su-2 Soviet Light Bomber

 

[JKim]

I definitely have Zvezda on my list of manufacturer's to try!

 

[Donivanp]

That it did John. Just did a quick shufti on eBay and saw some careful shopping is required. The 109F2/4 is listed from 24.50 to 83.00.

I set my search for 1/48 Zvezda and lowest price including shipping. I picked up the BF-109F2, La-5FN, and the Pe-2. I bought the first two from the same seller at $9.99 and 6.99 but the killer was the 8.00 and 10.00 s&h, I got them to kick back a couple of bucks ($2.16). The Pe-2 was listed at $28.88 with a buy now or make an offer, I threw in a $25 offer, they responded with a $26 and I bought it, total +s&h, $33.77.

Still both the kits were under $20 each and we think little of dropping double that on a good kit. Well I do but, you know. A Tamiya P-47 will hit you for triple that plus s&h.