Hobby Boss 1/72 Yak-3, by Brian Baker

The Yakovlev series of fighters were the mainstay of the Soviet VVS during World War II, and were produced in a number of versions. The Yak-1 and Yak 7 were general purpose fighters, powered by a 1,100 hp. Klimov twelve cylinder liquid cooled engine. The Yak-9 was a development of this series, with improved airframe and armament, and was an excellent low altitude fighter. Developed in parallel with the Yak-9, the Yak-3 was intended for low altitude combat and ground attack. The Yak-3 had a shorter wingspan, and minor differences, including a slightly more powerful engine. Yak-3’s were used by the Soviet Air Force throughout the latter stages of the war, and a more powerful variant was developed in 1944, but this was too late to see action in the war. Many served after the war until being replaced by jet fighters.

THE KIT

The kit consists of 22 major parts molded in light grey plastic, and one clear cockpit transparency. Following typical Hobby Boss practice, and fuselage is mainly one piece, as is the wing, and there is actually a cockpit interior that is to be inserted into receptacles on the wing center section. Assembly is very simple, and all parts fit very well. With the casting done the way it is, it is almost impossible to not have the airframe in alignment with the proper wing dihedral. In addition, once the kit is assembled, it is virtually indestructible, another plus for young, inexperienced modelers.

The Hobby Boss kit comes with a small but adequate instruction sheet. Consisting of a sheet of 8 ½ by 11” paper, this is folded over to include four color pages. Page 1 is a title sheet, page 2 had a useful sprue diagram and a fuselage assembly drawing, page 3 has final assembly drawings, along with detailed information on the propeller and landing gear, and the back page shows a pair of four view drawings illustrating the color schemes of the two aircraft for which decals are provided. One area missing in the instruction sheet is the interior color information.

There is plenty of information available on these aircraft, Squadron’s In-Action series is very good. There are numerous reference books on World War II fighters, and probably some after-market decals with more information.

This is a kit designed for beginning modelers, and can be completed in just a few hours. Actually, glue is not absolutely required, but I used it for my model.

CONSTRUCTION

The kit goes together with no problems. The fuselage, after installing the cockpit floor, seat, and stick, can be glue directly onto the wing assembly. After the horizontal control surfaces are attached, the nose section can be installed, along with the propeller. I would suggest major painting at this stage. After major painting, the landing gear can be installed, and the cockpit canopy can be snapped into place. Final assembly should be completed in just a few minutes, and before long, you’ll have a very nice little model of a Russian fighter.

COLORS & MARKINGS

Both aircraft, according to the instructions, are to be painted a pattern of light grey and medium green over light blue undersides. The decals are colorful on both aircraft, and these go on easily. I attached the canopy and masked it off, making painting much easier.

CONCLUSIONS

There are certainly more detailed kits of this aircraft, but that is not the point. The Hobby Boss series of kits provides a group of simplified models that an inexperienced modeler can build and be proud of. If you don’t get one for yourself, at least get one for the young modelers in your family. Highly recommended.

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KIT #:	80255
PRICE:	$9.99 SRP
DECALS:	Two options
REVIEWER:	Brian Baker
NOTES:	Basic, quick assemby kit