1:48 Yak-3

An aircraft that was made lighter

While most design teams in 1944 were adding engine power, the Yakovlev bureau went the opposite way and systematically took weight out of the airframe. A reduced wing, a relocated radiator, lighter armament and a thinner skin produced a type that below four thousand meters turned more sharply than anything the Luftwaffe put up against it. The Yak-3 entered combat in the summer of 1944 and its reputation spread so quickly that German units were advised to avoid dogfights at low levels with any Soviet fighter without a radiator under the engine.

Why the star got a white border

The red star appeared on Soviet aircraft right after the revolution and for a long time remained a plain solid area without any outline. On green and gray camouflage paint, however, it lost contrast and merged with the background from a distance. In 1943 a regulation therefore came in that introduced a white border around the star, and soon a thin red outline along the outer edge was added to it. It is exactly this three-layer form that machines from the end of the war carry, and the masking sheet allows for it: every layer is sprayed separately, from the lightest to the darkest, with the masks moved between the steps.

Contents and use

The set carries a pair of insignia sheets, which is more than the usual package of the series, and cockpit masks for both sides of the glazing. There are no decals in this version, so count on all the markings being produced by spraying. The vinyl masks can be carefully lifted and stuck down again if you do not get them right the first time.