Yak-135 "Frogspawn"

Weaver · January 17, 2009, 03:18:57 PM

This will be a RoG "Matchbox" Mystere IV converted into an "unknown" Yak prototype that represents an evolutionary step between the Yak-30 (MiG-15 rival) and the Yak-140 (MiG-21 rival).

Pointy intake cone made from Smer Me-262 exhaust cone, de-spined, wing fences, projecting gun barrels and two inaccurate 1/144th scale AA-7s (from RoG/Matchbox MiG-23) presented as experimental AAMs.

Weaver · February 02, 2009, 01:42:39 AM

Apologies to Tophe and Archie, but I just thought of the perfect ASCC reporting name for this one......

Weaver · March 22, 2009, 03:21:09 PM

Okay, I goofed. For some reason, I thought this one finished a month after the first three, so there was no need to rush on it. WRONG - May 1st is NOT one month after April 30th.....

So, one quick'n'dirty build coming up, the main casualty being the cockpit, which is being done on the black hole principle:

Plan's still the same as the first post, except the inaccurate 1/144th AA-7s looked too weedy, so they've been replaced by two inaccurate AS-30s from a Matchbox Jaguar, whose unfeasible pointyness makes them look very much like an AA-1 Alkali's big brothers....

What a nasty little kit this is! No pins to hold the fuselage halves together (and they don't match anyway), no positive location for the wings or tailplanes, Matchbox trencher in full effect and what engraved panel lines arn't a scale foot wide are so shakey that they look like I could have done them.

chrisonord · March 22, 2009, 03:34:55 PM

Hya Weaver,
Do you want a couple of AA-1's??
I have a couple going spare if you want to use them.
Cheers,
Chris.

Weaver · March 22, 2009, 03:40:40 PM

Quote from: chrisonord on March 22, 2009, 03:34:55 PM
Hya Weaver,
Do you want a couple of AA-1's??
I have a couple going spare if you want to use them.
Cheers,
Chris.

Nah, that's okay thanks: the "adapted" AS-30s are kind of appropriate really.

What kit are the AA-1s off, as a matter of interest?

chrisonord · March 22, 2009, 04:19:53 PM

Quote from: Weaver on March 22, 2009, 03:40:40 PM
Quote from: chrisonord on March 22, 2009, 03:34:55 PM
Hya Weaver,
Do you want a couple of AA-1's??
I have a couple going spare if you want to use them.
Cheers,
Chris.

Nah, that's okay thanks: the "adapted" AS-30s are kind of appropriate really.

What kit are the AA-1s off, as a matter of interest?

I got them as part of a Soviet aircraft weapons set made by ICM. It took me a long time to track the set down I tell you, but I don't think I will use the alkali's.
Chris.

Weaver · March 22, 2009, 05:13:23 PM

Well I'd hang onto them if I were you: there's a lot of ropey Alkalis in kits. The ones in the Heller MiG-19 are only vaguely like the real thing....

Weaver · March 29, 2009, 03:40:00 AM

What a pig - I'm now on my third attempt to get the wings on and my second attempt at getting the spine smoothed in, after the first one cracked......

I initially put the wings on with Revell Contacta Special (the gloopy stuff in the little jar) because I thought it would fill the gap better - 3 days later and it still hadn't set hard, allowing the wings to slowly flex up or down. WTF is that stuff for anyway?

I've now had to run regular "watery" Contacta into the joints to try and get some rigidity into them - fingers crossed.

If I ever build this kit again (and don't hold your breath), then I WILL cut the tabs right off the wing and make a proper spar.....

Aircav · March 29, 2009, 03:57:11 AM

Quote from: Weaver on March 29, 2009, 03:40:00 AM
I initially put the wings on with Revell Contacta Special (the gloopy stuff in the little jar) because I thought it would fill the gap better - 3 days later and it still hadn't set hard, allowing the wings to slowly flex up or down. WTF is that stuff for anyway? I've now had to run regular "watery" Contacta into the joints to try and get some rigidity into them - fingers crossed.

I think its for chrome parts

Weaver · May 13, 2009, 04:28:50 AM

Just for the record, this one is dead, at least for the forseeable future.

I tried spraying it with some silver rattle-can car paint that I would've sworn was a decent alloy shade - wrong, it was sparkly silver and looked bloody awful in daylight. Then I tried sanding it to get a flatter finish, and that looked WORSE

With it being Matchbox, you could spray another half-dozen coats on it without losing the engraved detail, but I'm now out of time, out of options, and out of love with it.......