Arma Hobby 70027 - 1:72 Yakovlev Yak-1B Expert Set

Plastic model kit of the Soviet Yakovlev Yak-1b fighter aircraft in 1:72 scale – Expert Set

The Soviet fighter that carried the pilots of Stalingrad, the French "Normandie" regiment and the 1st "Warsaw" Fighter Regiment to fame – in Arma Hobby's most complete boxing. Kit 70027 is based on the new tooling of 2019, honoured with the Modell des Jahres title, and allows a well-detailed model to be built without reaching for anything outside the box.

The model captures the profile typical of the "b" version, with the cut-down rear fuselage decking and the bubble canopy. The plastic sprue holds 44 parts, and the Expert Set boxing adds a photo-etched fret for the cockpit, radiator components and small details, plus pre-cut self-adhesive masks for the canopy and wheels.

The Techmod decals cover six marking options: aircraft no. 4 of the 1st squadron, 1st "Warsaw" Fighter Regiment flown by Warrant Officer Edward Chromy, Zadybie Stare, summer 1944; aircraft no. 13 of the 2nd squadron of the same regiment, flown by Corporal Hugo O'Brien during Operation "Berlin" in 1945; aircraft no. 2 of the 148th IAP flown by Capt. Leonid Smirnov and later by Lt Mikhail Shkomplektov on the Stalingrad Front; a captured machine in German markings, most likely from Erprobungsstelle Rechlin, autumn 1943; aircraft no. 26 of the 31st GIAP flown by Maj. Boris Yeryomin, Solodovka, December 1942; and aircraft no. 6 of GC3 "Normandie" flown by Albert Durand, Khatenki, summer 1943. The sheet includes two full sets of stencils and instrument dials.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprue with the airframe parts (44 parts)
• Sprue with the transparent parts
• Photo-etched fret – cockpit, radiator components and small details
• Pre-cut self-adhesive masks for the canopy and wheels
• Techmod decals for six marking options, with two complete sets of stencils and instrument dials
• Assembly instructions with paint codes

Kit specifications:

• Scale: 1:72
• Catalogue number: 70027
• Manufacturer: Arma Hobby
• Model length when assembled: approx. 118 mm
• Model wingspan: approx. 139 mm
• Skill level: intermediate (photo-etched parts, small interior details)

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. The model requires assembly.

Building the model:

We suggest starting with the cockpit – the photo-etched parts allow the small interior details to be reproduced, and the bubble canopy keeps that work clearly visible in the finished model. Cyanoacrylate glue and precision tweezers work well for attaching the photo-etched parts. The pre-cut self-adhesive masks noticeably speed up preparing the canopy and wheels for painting, and the instructions provide paint codes for all six schemes.

Soviet schemes of 1943–1945 typically use the two-tone upper surface camouflage in grey-blue and dark grey (AMT-11 and AMT-12) over light blue undersides (AMT-7), while the earlier Stalingrad machines wore green and black (AMT-4 and AMT-6). For the cockpit interior we recommend the usual Soviet grey-blue interior shade. It is worth remembering that much of the Yak's fuselage was fabric and plywood covered, so a panel line wash should be limited to the metal areas – the engine cowling, panels and radiator. Applying the decals over a gloss coat helps to limit silvering, with a matt or satin varnish as the final finish.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling side cutters for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper for cleaning up gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Cyanoacrylate glue for the photo-etched parts
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Brushes in various sizes or an airbrush
• Modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• A wash to emphasise panel lines and details
• Gloss varnish under the decals and a matt or satin coat for the final finish
• Masking tape for the camouflage demarcations

About the aircraft – Yakovlev Yak-1b:

The Yak-1 was the first fighter designed by Alexander Yakovlev's bureau and the starting point of the entire family of Soviet wartime fighters – from the Yak-7 and Yak-9 through to the Yak-3. It was created in the second half of the 1930s in response to a competition for a modern fighter and entered series production in 1940. The aircraft used mixed construction: the fuselage was built around a welded steel tube frame covered with fabric and plywood, while the wing was wooden. This approach reflected the shortage of light alloys in Soviet industry, but it also made mass production and field repairs easier under front-line conditions.

The Yak-1b version, introduced at the end of 1942, was the result of combat experience gathered during the first two years of the war. The most obvious change was the cut-down rear fuselage decking behind the cockpit combined with a bubble canopy, which dramatically improved the pilot's rearward view – previously one of the type's most serious shortcomings. The armament was revised as well: instead of two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, a single 12.7 mm Berezin UBS heavy machine gun was fitted, while the 20 mm ShVAK cannon firing through the propeller hub was retained. The Klimov M-105PF engine of around 1,180 hp gave good performance at low and medium altitudes – exactly where most of the fighting on the Eastern Front took place.

The Yak-1b fought at Stalingrad, over the Kuban and in the Kursk salient. Its pilots included the airmen of the French "Normandie" regiment, leading Soviet aces and the women fighter pilots of the 586th and 73rd fighter regiments – among them Lydia Litvyak, one of the best-known female fighter pilots in history. The type also equipped the 1st "Warsaw" Fighter Regiment, formed in the USSR in 1943 and fighting alongside the Red Army all the way to Berlin. More than 8,700 Yak-1s of all versions were built in total, with the "b" variant accounting for close to half of them.

Original aircraft specifications (Yakovlev Yak-1b):

• Length: 8.48 m
• Wingspan: 10.00 m
• Height: approx. 2.64 m
• Wing area: approx. 17.15 m²
• Empty weight: approx. 2,394 kg
• Take-off weight: approx. 2,880 kg
• Crew: 1
• Powerplant: Klimov M-105PF inline engine of approx. 1,180 hp
• Maximum speed: approx. 590 km/h at approx. 4,300 m
• Service ceiling: approx. 10,000 m
• Range: approx. 700 km
• Armament: one 20 mm ShVAK cannon firing through the propeller hub and one 12.7 mm Berezin UBS heavy machine gun
• Structure: mixed – welded steel tube frame covered with fabric and plywood, wooden wing
• Production: 1940–1944, over 8,700 Yak-1s of all versions built

About the manufacturer – Arma Hobby:

Arma Hobby is a Warsaw-based manufacturer of plastic model kits that has been on the market since 2016. The brand grew out of Attack Squadron, a company previously specialising in resin aftermarket parts, and carried that attention to detail over into its own injection-moulded kits. Design work is done in Poland using CAD and scans of surviving airframes, and the moulds are cut locally as well. The company's trademarks are very fine surface detail – rivets and panel lines – together with thin trailing edges and carefully rendered canopies. The catalogue covers 1:72 and 1:48 scales, with a strong emphasis on Polish aviation such as the PZL P.7a, PZL P.11c and TS-11 Iskra, alongside Allied aircraft of the Second World War. Kits are supplied with high-quality decals that usually include a full set of stencils. Arma Hobby releases have repeatedly been recognised in industry polls, including a Model of the Year title at the Nuremberg trade fair. The company also continues to develop the use of 3D printing, both as parts supplied in the box and as files released for home printing.