No. 6 DONE +++ Yak-138 (NATO code: Flitchbeam) VTOL tactical fighter

[Dizzyfugu]

The GB is coming to a close, but I think there's (still) time for another one - major kitbash again. It's inspired by a CG rendition of a Yak-38/AV-8B fuzzy bunny I came across several months ago. And while the depicted concept is a bit fishy, I think that it bears potential for a hardware build, with some "improvements". Basic idea is/will be: what if the Yakovlew built an inproved, subsonic VTOL attack aircraft for the land forces - outfitted with only a single engine like the Harrier, but still based on the Forger's experience? A kind of Harreirski... Should be interesting! No NATO code settled, yet, though, and I'd call the object tentatively Yak-138. 

Stay tuned... 

[PR19_Kit]

The GB is coming to a close, but I think there's (still) time for another one - major kitbash again.

Only one? 

[Dizzyfugu]

Patience, please... There's still so much time left! 

BTW, I found (another one, not the original CG artwork I came upon) some visual reference:



My interpretation will look different, though. No AV-8B parts, but the tail section (with OOB twin nozzles) from a Kangnam/Revell Yak-38, mid-fuselage with air intakes and bypass vectored nozzles from an old Matchbox Harrier, and a new nose/cockpit grafted to it, probably from an Academy MiG-27. Wings will remain shoulder-mounted, but I prefer Yak-38 parts.
Landing gear is scheduled to be a tricycle arrangement, no outriggers/tandem landing gear. Not certain if this will work - we will see when I apply the chain saw. 

[sandiego89]

Excited about this one- I have a V/STOL problem....

[Dizzyfugu]

Hmmm, I cannot find the Harrier wreck - specifically the fuselage - earmarked for this build anymore!? Already had put it aside, very strange... Might have to dig through the piles, I might have another NIB (yet incomplete) Matchbox Harrier somewhere, IIRC...

@sandiego89 - V/STOL problem in which way?

[Dizzyfugu]

The Harrier fuselage turned up again - I had forgotten it in the paint strip bath (with oven cleaner foam). Anyway, upon closer inspection I eventually settled for the OOB Harrier - better some clean parts for this triple-bashing (*insert insane laughter here*):

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Things already got moving. The benchmark is clear, as well as what I want to achieve, but the most entertaining part is IMHO this early stage when you try to combine things that were NEVER meant to be. Like the fuselages of a Yak-38 and a Harrier - plus the MiG-27 cockpit:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The latter receives some side consoles and a bulkhead at the rear of the cockpit is added.

Chainsaw masscre next - how to create one new fuselage? After some trials and guesstimates, I came up with this solution:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

I want to retain the front vectored nozzles from the Harrier, but combine it with the bifurcated exhaust of the Yak-38. Since the Forger's fuselage is considerably longer than the Harrier's, work started on the lower half of the Yak's fuselage, from which I took the klanding gear wells, the tail, and cut out a plug between them:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


From the Harrier, the nozzle mounts and the spine with the wing roots were retained, and the cockpit cut off:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The upper Yak-38 fuselage half was a good pattern for the combination of the leftover lower parts. With that length settled, I now could measure those sections which I'd need from the upper Forger fuselage half, so that it fills the remaining "gaps":

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And this here is the result - most amazing to me, bot fuselages have relatively similar diameters and shapes, this should actually work well!

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Further detail work was also already done the Harrier's vectored thurst nozzles. I could have taken them OOB, but I want a different look, so I scratch new exhauts from styrene profile:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

At the moment, the cockpit interior has been painted (Soviet cockpit teal, of course), some lead was added and now the Flogger's nose section is drying.

Stay tuned, comrades! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Things keep moving. For the action pics later I decided to add a mechanism to the rear vectored nozzles so that they can be mounted in vertical and horizontal position (the Harrier nozzles will remain loose, too). O.K., it's just a styrene plug and two holes in the hull, but it works. 

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Then we have a first impression of the overall lines of the Yak-138; the rear fuselage has been "combined", and now I try to fit the MiG-27 cockpit; the fin is just dry-fitted.

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Looks better than expected! But the nose is relatively long (compared with the stubby Harrier, so I took away 2-3mm from the fuselage front end. I also switched plans: initially I just wanted to use the Harrier intakes, since they look like a larger version of the Yak-'38's, and they come with open auxilliary intakes. But the more I looked at the "edgy" nose section, the more I felt that I needed something different. So I tried the boxy MiG-27 intakes, and I think that they will be a good alternative - also for a less Harrier-esque look?

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In the meantime, the rear fuselage receives an initial, rough PSR treatment:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The profile does not look bad at all! 

Back to the front end: well, the round Harrier shape and the square MiG-27 front end do not really match up well, even though size.-wise the parts are O.K. So there will be more and massive body work necessary in order to combine both design worlds:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Initial work is done with 2C putty, filling the gaps and blending the shapes roughly:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

More challenges ahead, though. I feel that the plan to use the OOB Yak-38 wings and stabilizers won't work, either - they are already pretty small for the original aircraft, and the Yak-138 has a much more massive fuselage. I think that bigger surfaces will be necessary - either with a stretched wing span (wing root plug, maybe 5mm per side will be enough) or complete donor wings.

Stay tuned...

[Captain Canada]

Great work so far ! Love how easy you make it look ! Now stop it ! I mean, keep going ! lol Love the mix of a/c what a great mix it's like a whif within a whif 

[DogfighterZen]

Yup, kit-bashing at it's best!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. I need some encouragement, since things run a bit amok. Settled for the new wings option (pics to follow), again not the simple approach, and I guess that the Yak-138 will need new stabilizers, too. But I like the look of this thing. Reminds me alot of the SEPECAT Jaguar, and there's still some Yak-38 heritage left. Messy, though...

[Gondor]

SEPECAT Jaguar wings, sounds like a plan to me 

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

I actually have a pair in the stash - but these are already earmarked for another conversion project... 

Anyway, I have found another donor solution - and it even comes with wing fences, so we keep in the intended Sovier style!

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, the wing alternative consists of drastically clipped double delta wings from a PM Model Su-15:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Pretty radical move, because the (very shallow) landing gear wells have to be filled, the tips get clipped in order to accept the Yak-38 tips with puffer jet nozzles, the leading edge re-constructed and the trailing edge also needs some treatment (kinked trailing edge like the Yak-38, and the rear end needs to be trimmed/slimmed down). But the result does not look bad, the wing fences are a welcome bonus:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In the meantime: body work on the intakes and the front fuselage interscetion continues:

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


...and during another PSR/drying phase, the wings could be mounted - looks like an aircraft now! 

1:72 Yakovlev Yak-138 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Stay tuned...

[Dizzyfugu]

In the meantime, a solution for the horizontal tailplane was found, too: found a pair of F-16C/D stabilizers (from an Intech kit), which will be trimmed down a little so that span and surface are a better match to the beefy Yak-138 hull. With them in place, the thing reminds me a lot of an A-4 Skyhawk?

Since yesterday, the kit also stands on it own legs, and it looks good. Main struts come from the Yak-38, but I will mount the more voluminous Harrier balloon wheels. The front leg comes from the MiG-27, incl. the twin wheels, but will retract forward.

Concerning armament, I found a leftover GSh-23-2 pod from a MiG-21 in the spares box, and the kit will receive five hardpoints. Initial olan was seven (three per wing), but that looked too crowded, esp. with the front jet exhaust. Ordnance will probably consist of a pair of R-60 AAMs on a twin launch rial, a guidance pod and a pair of AS-7 "Kerry" ASMs inboards, while the ventral pylon remains free.

For the machine's livery I will revert to a typical Soviet Frontal Aviation four-tone paint scheme with blue undersides. Should look odd on a Yak-38-esque aircraft, and I have found a rather mottled variant on a late Eighties MiG-21 for the build.

[zenrat]

What inspired you to use Forkbeard Dizz?  Not John Norman's Marauders of Gor was it?