Beyond The Sprues

Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: Frank3k on December 08, 2021, 01:08:50 PM

Title: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Frank3k on December 08, 2021, 01:08:50 PM
I've had a kit of the Yak-6 made by Alpha (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/alfa-jak-6--130690) rattling around for 20+ years in a container of started kits. It's not a good kit, despite its simplicity. I decided to finish the plane and not put too much effort into it since it's not worth the effort of super detailing... and it would guarantee that I would finish the model before I lost interest.

In the same container,  I found a box with some old 1/72 Airfix Hs-129 parts (not enough for a complete kit) and another box with an ancient but also partial,  Lindberg Hs-129 (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/lindberg-441-50-henschel-hs-129b--145808). From the brittleness of the plastic, it has to date from the 1960s.

So I decided to mix and match parts. I started by putting together the Yak-6 fuselage and noticed that it was too narrow for the canopy, so I widened it with styrene strips to improve the fit. I didn't like the radials on the Yak-6, so I replaced them with the Gnome-Rhône radials from the Hs-129. This involved some careful plastic surgery on the brittle Lindberg plastic (the engines were a better fit than the Airfix ones).

The box with the random aircraft bits also had the tail from an Airfix 1/72 Pe-2. The Yak-6 tail didn't spark joy, so after a quick surgery the vertical tail was removed and the two vertical stabilizers from the Pe-2 grafted onto the horizontal stabilizers.

The kit's side windows seem to have gone AWOL over the years. They were replaced with thin plastic and masked with Tamiya tape. I also did some minor detailing of the cockpit, with pilot seats from a Matchbox Ju-188, throttle stand and instrument panel from an Airfix B-25 and a styrene floor and bulkhead - the kit only comes with two seats and a blank ip slab.

Here's what it looked like after the first layer of primer:

(https://i.imgur.com/Xd967uz.jpg)

The props are from the Airfix Hs 129:

(https://i.imgur.com/0OnOJtm.jpg)

I'm leaning towards a French aircraft from immediately after the war, hence the "Jacques Six" name. The plane is starting to look like a fixed gear version of the Beechcraft 18, too.

Here's after some paint:

(https://i.imgur.com/jcuq9DR.jpg)

The blobs of putty are there because I pulled off the masks too soon and I need to put on a semi-matte coat after decalling.

(https://i.imgur.com/58bu8iT.jpg)


Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Old Wombat on December 08, 2021, 11:12:04 PM
 :smiley:
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: GTX_Admin on December 09, 2021, 03:11:55 AM
 :smiley:
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Buzzbomb on December 09, 2021, 05:03:57 AM
Nice work.

I find it interesting that there are so many aircraft of around that era that look practically the same, Electra 10, Beech 18,  and sort of, the Airspeed Oxford/Envoy and now this design which fits right in.
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Frank3k on December 09, 2021, 08:46:32 AM
The Yak 6 was a flimsy, underpowered underperformer... but with the new engines it's not only about the same size as the Beech 18, it would have had a similar performance.

I think a lot of designers were using similar airfoils and roughly equivalent engines, so there was some convergent evolution in the designs.
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Frank3k on December 09, 2021, 10:19:03 AM
I thought it was finished, but I just noticed I left off the navigation lights. a quick dab of Tamiya clear and it'll truly be done. Top view, with a figure for scale:

(https://i.imgur.com/uJuESih.jpg?1)

Two side views:

(https://i.imgur.com/Vr2IFm0.jpg)

The aircraft registration, "F-TODC" is the year and month I finished the model - Twenty One DEcember. The aircraft code on the tail - 2112 is the same.

(https://i.imgur.com/E928qsC.jpg)

The hand painted canopy framing came out OK - the canopy is a lot clearer than I had expected. I added the cowl flaps under the engine to cover the huge gap between the cowling and the original engine mount.

The list of kits/kit parts used:
Yak-6
Lindberg Hs-129
Airfix Hs-129
Matchbox Ju-188
Airfix B-25
tailwheel from a mystery Tamiya kit
styrene bits and clear plastic bits.
black decals by me, French tricolor from a Heller 1/220 Noratlas.

Not a great kit, but it came out OK and I'm pleased that the original kit is barely recognizable. Thanks for following along!
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: LemonJello on December 09, 2021, 10:22:41 PM
A very nifty little twin prop.  Well done!
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Ramba on December 09, 2021, 10:49:53 PM
Great job! That's a really nice paint scheme!
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: Frank3k on December 09, 2021, 11:59:55 PM
Thanks guys. It was a surprisingly quick project, considering the mods I had to make. Not trying to make it perfect helped, too...
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: GTX_Admin on December 10, 2021, 01:53:58 AM
 :smiley:
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: robunos on December 10, 2021, 04:46:26 AM
Not trying to make it perfect helped, too...


And now you've found the secret of enjoyable model making . . .   ;)


cheers,
Robin.
Title: Re: 1/72 Jacques Six
Post by: finsrin on December 10, 2021, 10:42:23 AM
Not trying to make it perfect helped, too...


And now you've found the secret of enjoyable model making . . .   ;)


cheers,
Robin.

Plenty perfect by me.   Build to 'your' level and enjoy.  :smiley:
Is good as I ever get it on a good day.