1:72 Yak-7A/Yak-7B early vacuumed clear canopy (all kits)

From a two-seat trainer to a fighter

The Yak-7 has an unusual pedigree: it did not come about as a combat aircraft but out of a two-seat training machine which was to prepare pilots for the Yak-1. When things were at their worst in 1941, it turned out that the front cockpit could be blanked off, the machine fitted out with armament and sent into combat. The resulting fighter was somewhat heavier than the original single-seat version, but sturdier and with more pleasant behavior on landing. The early version still kept the high fuselage spine behind the cockpit, which took the view to the rear away from the pilot; only the later batches received a cut-down spine and a bubble canopy.

Why change the original part

An injection-molded canopy always has a certain thickness, and optical distortion comes with it. Under the clear part it is then apparent that the inside of the cockpit looks as if misted over, and with canopies that have heavy framing it is moreover harder to get a sharp boundary of paint. A vacuum-formed part is an order of magnitude thinner, markedly cleaner and above all allows one thing that the original part as a rule cannot: splitting the canopy and displaying the model with the sliding section pushed back, so that the work done inside can be seen.

What to watch out for

Thin film forgives fewer mistakes. It is cut out with a small overlap, which is then sanded on fine paper down to the marked line, and it is checked as you go by offering it up to the fuselage. It is glued exclusively with an adhesive that does not attack the clear material; ordinary modeling solvent would dull the surface at once. The package is intended for kits from various makers, so it is in order to reckon with fine-tuning the outline to the particular fuselage.