FineScale Modeler – October 2019

58 FineScale Modeler October 2019

T

here has never been a better time

to be a modeler of Russian avia-

tion! We have seen kits of quite a

lot of the prominent aircraft used

by the Russian air force over the last few

years, some of which have been stunning.

The Yak-130 is a two-seat, twin-engine,

light-attack jet currently in service with

Russian forces and several of Russia’s client

states.

Zvezda plastic is somewhat softer than

that of most kit manufacturers. This does

have an influence on how the kit parts are

handled, especially the 13 clear plastic

parts. I found it very easy to clip the parts

from their respective gates, and carefully

slice off the remaining excess, with little

concern for the part fracturing since the

plastic is not at all brittle, and actually slices

well.

The one thing that became clear very

early in the build was the importance of

following the instructions exactly! If you do,

the assembly sequence is logical and pro-

ceeds very smoothly, with excellent fit being

evident throughout the entire airframe.

Some areas are quite complex in shape and

assembly but have no concerns as every-

thing will fit very well.

I did deviate very slightly with the front

landing gear assembly, removing the two

nubs on the sides of the top of the gear, so

that I could slide the assembly into the

nose gear bay after painting/assembly had

been completed. I was concerned by the

possibility of having the nose gear mounted

so early in the process that I may damage it

or have masking problems.

It is obvious that Zvezda had access to

the real jet and did its homework because

the kit really captures the fine nuance of the

design. One example is the auxiliary air

intake doors located above the Leading-

Edge Extension (LEX) of each wing. On

the real aircraft, these swing down to block

off the main air intake when the aircraft is

on the ground to avoid Foreign Object

Digestion (FOD). There are S-shaped

pieces that act as springs to hold the intake

door in the closed position. With a little

push, the door will unlatch, and swing

down into the closed position, blocking off

the main air intakes below the LEX. The fit

in both open and closed position is perfect.

Zvezda also includes intake and exhaust

covers, both of which also fit perfectly into

their respective positions. Impressive.

Detail throughout is terrific. In fact, I

decided to leave the undercarriage bay

doors open — they are usually closed when

the aircraft is on the ground — because the

detail is so good.

The well-appointed cockpit features

beautifully done K-36L seats, unique to the

Yak-130 and Su-35, including seat cush-

ions with convincing seat belts and hoses.

There is some detail missing on the sides of

the seat, but it is not that obvious once

installed in the cockpit. I don’t think after-

market seats are an essential addition here.

The weapons supplied with the kit are

all appropriate for the subject, and all fit

their respective pylons/mounts correctly

and positively. The kit provided numer-

ous display options, including in flight,

with two nicely molded pilots, or all

opened up on the ground. Both

Zvezda Yak-130

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