In Box Review of ICM 1/48TH Scale Yak-9T WWII Soviet Fighter
Kit no. 48012
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2000
Out of production
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2000
Out of production
HISTORY:
The Yakovlev Yak-9 is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and successful Yak-7B fighter, which was based in turn on the tandem-seat advanced trainer known as the Yak-7 UTI.
The Yak-9 started arriving in Soviet fighter regiments in late 1942 and played a major role in retaking air superiority from the Luftwaffe's new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters during the grand Battle of Kursk in summer 1943. The Yak-9 had a cut down rear fuselage with an unobscured canopy. Its lighter metal structure allowed for an increased fuel load and armament over previous models built from wood.
The Yak-9 was manoeuvrable at high speeds when flying at low and medium altitudes and was also easy to control, qualities that allowed it to be one of most produced Soviet fighters of World War II It was produced in different variants including the Yak-9T with the 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon and the "large-calibre" Yak-9K with a 45 mm (1.77 in) cannon firing through the propeller hub, which was used for antitank duty and as a potent aircraft destroyer, the fighter-bomber Yak-9B with an internal bomb bay behind cockpit for up to 400 kg (880 lb) worth of bombs, the long-range Yak-9D and the Yak-9DD with additional wing fuel tanks to escort bombers over Eastern Europe, and the Yak-9U with a more powerful engine and improved aerodynamics.
The Yak-9 remained in production from 1942 to 1948, with 16,769 built (14,579 during the war).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 1
Length: 8.55 m (28 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 9.74 m (31 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 17.15 m2 (184.6 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: Clark YH (14%); tip: Clark YH (10%)[32]
Empty weight: 2,512 kg (5,538 lb)
Gross weight: 3,204 kg (7,064 lb)
Fuel capacity: 355 kg (782.6 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov VK-107A V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,230 kW (1,650 hp)
Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller, 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in) diameter
Maximum speed: 700 km/h (430 mph, 380 kn) at 5,900 m (19,400 ft)
Range: 675 km (419 mi, 364 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,850 m (35,600 ft)
Rate of climb: 18.9 m/s (3,720 ft/min)
Wing loading: 186.82 kg/m2 (38.26 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.35 kW/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Armament:
Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannon, 120 rounds, 2 × 12.7 mm (0.50 in) UBS machine guns, 340 rounds
The Yakovlev Yak-9 is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and successful Yak-7B fighter, which was based in turn on the tandem-seat advanced trainer known as the Yak-7 UTI.
The Yak-9 started arriving in Soviet fighter regiments in late 1942 and played a major role in retaking air superiority from the Luftwaffe's new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters during the grand Battle of Kursk in summer 1943. The Yak-9 had a cut down rear fuselage with an unobscured canopy. Its lighter metal structure allowed for an increased fuel load and armament over previous models built from wood.
The Yak-9 was manoeuvrable at high speeds when flying at low and medium altitudes and was also easy to control, qualities that allowed it to be one of most produced Soviet fighters of World War II It was produced in different variants including the Yak-9T with the 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon and the "large-calibre" Yak-9K with a 45 mm (1.77 in) cannon firing through the propeller hub, which was used for antitank duty and as a potent aircraft destroyer, the fighter-bomber Yak-9B with an internal bomb bay behind cockpit for up to 400 kg (880 lb) worth of bombs, the long-range Yak-9D and the Yak-9DD with additional wing fuel tanks to escort bombers over Eastern Europe, and the Yak-9U with a more powerful engine and improved aerodynamics.
The Yak-9 remained in production from 1942 to 1948, with 16,769 built (14,579 during the war).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 1
Length: 8.55 m (28 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 9.74 m (31 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 17.15 m2 (184.6 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: Clark YH (14%); tip: Clark YH (10%)[32]
Empty weight: 2,512 kg (5,538 lb)
Gross weight: 3,204 kg (7,064 lb)
Fuel capacity: 355 kg (782.6 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov VK-107A V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,230 kW (1,650 hp)
Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller, 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in) diameter
Maximum speed: 700 km/h (430 mph, 380 kn) at 5,900 m (19,400 ft)
Range: 675 km (419 mi, 364 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,850 m (35,600 ft)
Rate of climb: 18.9 m/s (3,720 ft/min)
Wing loading: 186.82 kg/m2 (38.26 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.35 kW/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Armament:
Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannon, 120 rounds, 2 × 12.7 mm (0.50 in) UBS machine guns, 340 rounds
THE KIT:
ICM is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Kyiv, Ukraine. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Yak-9T dog-fighting with a German Messerschmitt Bf-109 above the clouds.
The Yak-9T is in a camouflage wave pattern of dark-gray and blue-gray. It has a white inscription in Russian, below the cockpit. That, I believe is the pilot’s name and I don’t know what else.
It has two rows of 10 small stars (that are victory markings) over a large white no. 38. Followed by a Soviet red star, that has the points divided into red and black, on the fuselage sides and a red star outlined in white on the rudder sides.
The Bf-109 is overall olive-drab, with a white no. 7, followed by a black and white German cross and a wide yellow fuselage band. The rudder flap is yellow.
One side panel of the box shows a black silhouette illustration of the Yak-9t and the figure. It says the model is 180mm long (7”) and wing-span is 203mm (8”). It says the figure is 8 (but that cannot be.
It’s too tiny, translating it into inches. Besides, there is no figure included in the kit anyway.
This is followed by one-paragraph histories, over features of the kit: The model kit includes 58 parts for 3 different versions, detailed, illustrated assembly instructions , super decal for 10 versions.
Paints and glue not included. Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small detachable parts. Made in Ukraine. In English and German, with each language labeled with a color illustration of the country that speaks the language.
ICM is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Kyiv, Ukraine. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Yak-9T dog-fighting with a German Messerschmitt Bf-109 above the clouds.
The Yak-9T is in a camouflage wave pattern of dark-gray and blue-gray. It has a white inscription in Russian, below the cockpit. That, I believe is the pilot’s name and I don’t know what else.
It has two rows of 10 small stars (that are victory markings) over a large white no. 38. Followed by a Soviet red star, that has the points divided into red and black, on the fuselage sides and a red star outlined in white on the rudder sides.
The Bf-109 is overall olive-drab, with a white no. 7, followed by a black and white German cross and a wide yellow fuselage band. The rudder flap is yellow.
One side panel of the box shows a black silhouette illustration of the Yak-9t and the figure. It says the model is 180mm long (7”) and wing-span is 203mm (8”). It says the figure is 8 (but that cannot be.
It’s too tiny, translating it into inches. Besides, there is no figure included in the kit anyway.
This is followed by one-paragraph histories, over features of the kit: The model kit includes 58 parts for 3 different versions, detailed, illustrated assembly instructions , super decal for 10 versions.
Paints and glue not included. Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small detachable parts. Made in Ukraine. In English and German, with each language labeled with a color illustration of the country that speaks the language.
The other side-panel of the box repeats the histories and features in Russian and Ukrainian.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 3 medium-green trees of parts in 2 sealed clear cello bags. The decal sheet and instructions.
The decal sheet consists of a staple-bound booklet of 8 pages in 7 ¼” x 8” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history and specifications of the Yak-9T, in the four languages.
Page 2 has the parts-trees illustrations at the top, over the names of the parts on the trees in the four languages.
Page 3 has 3 side-views that show a Yak-9DD, a Yak-9T and a Yak-9K. Differences are the guns in the nose.
The bottom of page 3 on through to page 5 gives a grand total of 9 assembly steps.
Step 9 shows the 3 different nose guns to choose from.
Page 6 is a painting and marking guide that shows 10 side-views.
The 1st side view is of a Yak-97 in a camouflage wave pattern of black and light-green above a blue undercarriage.
With a Soviet Air Force red star with white wings on the sides of the nose, a large white no. 27 on the fuselage sides , followed by a red star outlined in black that is repeated on the rudder.
It was with 3 IAK, Kursk, summer, 1943.
The 2nd one is the box art scheme (already described above) but showing the blue undercarriage.
It was A.Vybomov’s aircraft, 728 IAP, Autumn, 1944.
The 3rd one is a Yak-9T in the same camouflage as the 2nd one. It has a large white arrow pointing forward on the fuselage sides, followed by a white no. 66 and the Soviet red star, outlined in white. Star on the rudder.
The 4th one is a Yak-9K in the same camouflage as the 2nd and 3rd ones. It has an illustration of a small black swastika with a white wing over it on the sides of the nose. A large white no, 23, followed by the Soviet red star. Star repeated on the rudder.
It was with 3 IAK, 1944.
The 5th one is dark-gray over blue undercarriage. It has an illustration of blue wings on the side of the nose, large white no. 97 on the sides of the fuselage, followed by the red star there and on the rudder. It has a white spinner.
It shows how it looked in 1944. No unit mentioned.
The 6th one is a Yak-9T in the same camouflage as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Yak-9’s. It has an illustration in black of a man’s face, just in front of the windshield on its side. Followed by a large white no. 14, followed by the star on the fuselage sides and rudder. It has a blue and white propeller spinner.
It is pilot M. Lefevre’s aircraft, Normandy regiment, 1944.
The 7th one is a Yak-9T. It is in the same camouflage as the 6th one. It has a black and white illustration of a man’s face in front of the windshield on the sides. A large white no. 60 on its sides followed by a red star there and on the rudder. It has a blue and white spinner.
It was R. Challe’s aircraft, with the Normandy Regt., 1944.
The 8th one is a Yak-9DD in a wave-pattern of black and light-green with a blue undercarriage. It has a red and white checkerboard on a white circle illustration on the sides of the nose. A large white no 86 on the fuselage sides, followed by the star there and repeated on the rudder. It has a red and white spinner.
It was pilot O. Matveeva aircraft, with the Warsaw Regt., April 1945.
The 9th one is a Yak-9DD in light-green and black wave pattern camouflage and blue undercarriage. It has a large white no. 100 on the fuselage side, followed by a Polish Air Force red and white checkerboard there and on the rudder sides. It has a red and white spinner.
It was Pilot M. Chaustowicz’s aircraft, with the Warsaw Regt.,Spring 1945.
The 10th one is a Yak-9DD in the dark-gray and blue-gray wave pattern camouflage, with a blue undercarriage. It has large black JAS on the sides of the fuselage, followed by a red star that is surrounded by a blue circle on the fuselage -sides and and horizontal stripes of blue, white and red, with a small red star on them on the rudder sides. It has a red spinner.
It was with the Yugoslavian Air Force 1945.
Page 7 is a color and marking guide that shows the top and bottoms of the two camouflage patterns and tells what years these were used in.
Page 8 begins with CAUTION about the kit, a listing of Humbrol brand hobby paints and decal application instructions in the 4 languages. ICM’s P.O. Box address is provided in Kiev, Ukraine.
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium-green letter A tree holds: the fuselage halves, rudder parts, landing gear and tires etc. (23 parts)
This kit holds 3 medium-green trees of parts in 2 sealed clear cello bags. The decal sheet and instructions.
The decal sheet consists of a staple-bound booklet of 8 pages in 7 ¼” x 8” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history and specifications of the Yak-9T, in the four languages.
Page 2 has the parts-trees illustrations at the top, over the names of the parts on the trees in the four languages.
Page 3 has 3 side-views that show a Yak-9DD, a Yak-9T and a Yak-9K. Differences are the guns in the nose.
The bottom of page 3 on through to page 5 gives a grand total of 9 assembly steps.
Step 9 shows the 3 different nose guns to choose from.
Page 6 is a painting and marking guide that shows 10 side-views.
The 1st side view is of a Yak-97 in a camouflage wave pattern of black and light-green above a blue undercarriage.
With a Soviet Air Force red star with white wings on the sides of the nose, a large white no. 27 on the fuselage sides , followed by a red star outlined in black that is repeated on the rudder.
It was with 3 IAK, Kursk, summer, 1943.
The 2nd one is the box art scheme (already described above) but showing the blue undercarriage.
It was A.Vybomov’s aircraft, 728 IAP, Autumn, 1944.
The 3rd one is a Yak-9T in the same camouflage as the 2nd one. It has a large white arrow pointing forward on the fuselage sides, followed by a white no. 66 and the Soviet red star, outlined in white. Star on the rudder.
The 4th one is a Yak-9K in the same camouflage as the 2nd and 3rd ones. It has an illustration of a small black swastika with a white wing over it on the sides of the nose. A large white no, 23, followed by the Soviet red star. Star repeated on the rudder.
It was with 3 IAK, 1944.
The 5th one is dark-gray over blue undercarriage. It has an illustration of blue wings on the side of the nose, large white no. 97 on the sides of the fuselage, followed by the red star there and on the rudder. It has a white spinner.
It shows how it looked in 1944. No unit mentioned.
The 6th one is a Yak-9T in the same camouflage as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Yak-9’s. It has an illustration in black of a man’s face, just in front of the windshield on its side. Followed by a large white no. 14, followed by the star on the fuselage sides and rudder. It has a blue and white propeller spinner.
It is pilot M. Lefevre’s aircraft, Normandy regiment, 1944.
The 7th one is a Yak-9T. It is in the same camouflage as the 6th one. It has a black and white illustration of a man’s face in front of the windshield on the sides. A large white no. 60 on its sides followed by a red star there and on the rudder. It has a blue and white spinner.
It was R. Challe’s aircraft, with the Normandy Regt., 1944.
The 8th one is a Yak-9DD in a wave-pattern of black and light-green with a blue undercarriage. It has a red and white checkerboard on a white circle illustration on the sides of the nose. A large white no 86 on the fuselage sides, followed by the star there and repeated on the rudder. It has a red and white spinner.
It was pilot O. Matveeva aircraft, with the Warsaw Regt., April 1945.
The 9th one is a Yak-9DD in light-green and black wave pattern camouflage and blue undercarriage. It has a large white no. 100 on the fuselage side, followed by a Polish Air Force red and white checkerboard there and on the rudder sides. It has a red and white spinner.
It was Pilot M. Chaustowicz’s aircraft, with the Warsaw Regt.,Spring 1945.
The 10th one is a Yak-9DD in the dark-gray and blue-gray wave pattern camouflage, with a blue undercarriage. It has large black JAS on the sides of the fuselage, followed by a red star that is surrounded by a blue circle on the fuselage -sides and and horizontal stripes of blue, white and red, with a small red star on them on the rudder sides. It has a red spinner.
It was with the Yugoslavian Air Force 1945.
Page 7 is a color and marking guide that shows the top and bottoms of the two camouflage patterns and tells what years these were used in.
Page 8 begins with CAUTION about the kit, a listing of Humbrol brand hobby paints and decal application instructions in the 4 languages. ICM’s P.O. Box address is provided in Kiev, Ukraine.
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium-green letter A tree holds: the fuselage halves, rudder parts, landing gear and tires etc. (23 parts)
Medium-green letter B tree holds: the propeller, dash, spinner, exhaust pipes, floor, seat, antenna, gun etc. (31 parts)
Medium-green letter C tree holds the wing halves (3 parts)
Letter D tree is the clear canopy parts (2 parts)
There is no pilot figure included.
Detail is very nice.
Recommended.
Detail is very nice.
Recommended.