Build 3: Yakkety Yak, drop bombs from the back.

[proditor]

Yak-6 in 1/72.  The kit is unique.  I can say that in good faith. 

Plan is to add some gunners and maybe a real bomb bay.  I'm going to take a whack at one of those crazy dustbin gunner positions, but unless I do in flight, not sure how to display it...

In interim, the kit sucks.  Here is what they gave me for a cockpit.



I bashed this together in a few minutes with some styrene.

[proditor]

No, I did not forget this one.  Over the last few weeks, I made a few...changes.  I swapped out the tail for something twinned.  I built an interior for the cockpit, and then decided to add a bomb rack to the bottom.  Then I realized that the little 30 cal poking out of the hatch on the roof was NOT going to cut it.  So, I grabbed a Ma Deuce from an ancient Memphis Belle donor and the turret from a mystery kit that just may become build number 4 for this GB.    After adding the turret, I also decided I did not need two windows into the cabin, just the one for the door itself.  So I blanked out the other window.

In order, the general layout, the cockpit with the new panel (Unfortunately you can't see the cool wheel on the yoke, though you can a bit in the last pic) and pre-primer, post wet-sanding.  My apologies for the bluriness on the last one, the autofocus would NOT cooperate and I was way too tired to finesse it.

[frank2056]

I have that kit. It is "unique" and not in a good way. I started with the cockpit & interior and put it away. I'm surprised at how little putty you used! The twin tail looks good - almost like a Russian version of the Ventura.

[Tophe]

So unusual, so nice! Congratulations!

[sequoiaranger]

..."The ''roid rage" of Amelia Earhart!!

[proditor]

Ya know, it does sort of look like a pi$$ed off Electra...

[proditor]

In their continuing quest to secure airpower, the Republicans sought help from their sometimes hindering allies, the Russians.  Working to obtain a light bomber, the Russians led them in circles for several years as they pawned off aircraft of lesser capability.  Having lost the desire to see their latest machines in conflict with their new allies the Germans, he Soviet state now passed along the dregs and test planes that would never see proper service with the Motherland.

One such plane was the Yakolev 6 light bomber.  converted even further from the original design for a light transport, the Yak had been given a twin tail for greater authority in the air, a large external bomb rack for up to 2000 pounds of bombs, and a powered defensive turret armed with a .50 caliber machine gun.

Outdated and obsolete on the day it entered service, the Republicans still tried to make due with what they had.  But cut from the skies in staggeringly high numbers, the plane saw only a year of service before the turrets were removed and the remaining airframes were converted back to light transports.

[proditor]

[Weaver]

An excellent project, and very much the sort of thing which was done. The Republicans even had some of those Vultee single-engined airliners converted into bombers, complete with dorsal turrets. Nice one!