Amodel 1/72 Yakovlev Yak-55M
By Will Perry
History
The Yak-55 is a contemporary aerobatic plane that can trace its lineage back to an aerobatic version of the Yak-18, way back to the early post-WW II era. The plane was designed in 1980, with structural problems delaying its production for a couple of years. Once sorted out, the plane was a contender, - adopted by the Russian aerobatic team in 1984, the women's team flew it to Gold that year. The "M" version has a noticeably shorter wing, lopped off in the interest of a faster roll rate. The plane is a conventional metal design, with a 360 hp Vedeneyev M14P radial providing the power.
Though the diminutive plane is no longer on the cutting edge of aerobatic performance, it remains a popular mount for a number of teams. Its popularity stems from its affordability, reliability and low operating cost. The cutting edge, all composite Sukhoi-31 is said to cost 2 1/2 times more than the Yak. Production of the little Yak tapered off the early 90's; at least 106 of the short winged ‘M's have been produced.
The Internet is a rich source of reference material on the plane. A search for "Yak-55" on Airliners.net will produce many nice photos, including cockpit shots and the subject depicted in this kit. A YouTube search will produce video. Other useful sites -
Wikipedia Potted history
You can buy one here - Nice Xmas gift!
Video
Pilot impression
Specs & 3-view Drawing
The Kit
The kit consists of 4 small sprues of light blue plastic. The plastic quality seems acceptable, though a bit greasy and a bath with dishwashing liquid is probably a good idea. The molding quality is acceptable by short-run standards, though some quality time with surfacer, sandpaper and files will reward the modeler with easier assembly and a crisper final appearance. Typical for short-run kits, there are no locating pins. Recessed panel lines are sparse, as befitting the subject, and are reasonably straight, but the depth of the lines is inconsistent - some fade out completely. Rescribing should be a brief chore. The sprue connectors are reasonably petite.
The small detail parts will require some clean-up, but most appear useable. The small auxiliary controls suspended from the ailerons are much too gross, though it won't take long to fabricate a properly petite set from wire and thin plastic. The plane's huge ailerons are molded separately, with inset hinges. This area looks like it'll take some finicky attention to produce a neat final appearance. The thick wing looks right, but the vertical stabilizer looks much too thick - files and sanding sticks to the rescue.
The canopy is clear, a bit thick, and nicely molded on the outside surface. The mold makers should have spent more time cleaning up the inside, though - there are visible scratches and striations that will distort views of the cockpit. Perhaps fine sanding and polishing will help - perhaps heat smashing a replacement would be just as quick and look nicer. The cockpit is a simplified affair with just 5 parts total. Since the canopy allows (hopefully) a good view of the cockpit, modelers will want to add seat belts and some control panel detail.
The decal sheet provides markings for a single aircraft from Fortis Flight Team / Yakitalia - the sheet in the review example was crisply printed with dense colors. The extensive red trim is printed as a dark, dull carmine, which looks too drab compared to the planes captured on YouTube videos. Amodel has used the one dull shade for all of the red on the plane, though some of the logos should have bright red elements - some deft repainting with a fine brush will be required to correct this. The overall color of the plane I described as "silver." In photos available on the web, the skin of the plane doesn't have a bright polished metal appearance. I'd guess anodized aluminum, though it could be paint. Overall, it's not a particularly exciting finish for a modern aerobatic subject.
Conclusion
Amodel seems to be in its groove these days, kitting a large number of exotic subjects that seem to be selling, at least around the Seattle modeling community. Modelers around here like to bitch and joke, and there's no denying that Amodel's short-run approach requires extra skill and time, but "those crappy Amodel kits" can be turned into nice models.
The Yak 55M follows the formula, and should be popular with modelers looking for modern subjects. Considering the size of the subject, 1/48 might have been a better choice of scale, but those details that are barely acceptable in this kit might be pretty ugly if they were 50% larger. This boxing suffers from a somewhat drab color scheme, though Amodel offers the 55 in more colorful liveries, including the "M" in a faux WW II Russian fighter scheme. It's a simple, attractive subject and modelers that don't flinch at putty and sandpaper should find it a simple pleasure.
Thanks to Scale Model Kits for the review sample.