SET OF PLUGS AND PADS FOR YAK-130 1/72

Blanking plugs and wheel chocks for the Yak-130 in 1:72

An add-on set from the Russian manufacturer Temp Models in 1:72 scale. It is the counterpart of its sets for combat aircraft: covers that are pushed into the intakes and the nozzles of a parked aircraft so that no dirt gets inside, and chocks with which the aircraft is secured against moving on the apron. An aircraft model is not included in the package.

What the plugs are for

The Yak-130 is a two-seat jet trainer and light attack aircraft with a pair of engines in the lower part of the fuselage. Because it serves for training, it spends a lot of time on the apron between flights, and both its intakes and its nozzles sit low, close to the runway. Plugging a parked aircraft is therefore as much a matter of routine on this type as on combat aircraft.

Building and painting tips

Cut the print supports away with a scalpel and sand the pad. Glue the parts with cyanoacrylate glue, that is with super glue. In practice the plugs were painted in conspicuous warning shades, most often red, and often carried ribbons with lettering, so on an otherwise gray model they catch the eye at once. The chocks under the wheels used to be wooden or rubber. Sanding is best done wet and with respiratory protection.

Who the set is for

• modelers who build the Yak-130 as a parked aircraft
• airfield dioramas and scenes with ground crew
• builds where the model should look as if it were being readied for flight
• more experienced modelers used to small printed parts

The set is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and the base model are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.