One that's been on the boil for quite some time, having started it way back in March of last year, (and only nearing completion now..) It's high time I posted some build shots of Eduard's 1/48 Yak-3. Nice straightforward dare I say relatively simple build even in the early Profi Pack iteration. Included in the box are a photo etch set, vinyl canopy mask & resin wheels:

The build kicked off at the ADF WGA event I attended at Enogerra Barracks, Brisbane, in March of last year as part of the IPMS Queensland Club Display:

Work on the Eduard kit continued intermittently in the following months.

No problems with fit of parts, all major components went together without a hitch.

(Note The canopy has not been glued, just added for effect in the photos).

Model now at the primer stage, my usual choice of primer is Vallejo's Surface primer, which buffs up nicely with a micromesh pad.

Pre-shading was also added after priming.

Wheel wells already painted in German Field Grey (That's what the instructions advised, and I'm none the wiser what the Soviets used, so "I only followed my orders").

The model kit sits on a 3D printed jig of my own making, which is proving really useful.

Up next I experimented with salt weathering with very mixed results...

I think I may have to work on that technique.

My main issue at this point was how to weather what is to all intents & purposes a wooden plane with aluminium panels along the front fuselage.

My masking was also a bit indifferent, in some places diffuse in other's quite sharp as my paper masks lifted in some areas.

I would have to revisit some areas which I was not happy with.

As an aside, I managed to find a local store that does "white' blu-tack, which doesn't leave a residue on the paintwork, yay! Unfortunately it's too late for this build, never mind.

With the build at the nearly but not quite done stage, I took some photos with my old 35mm SLR Macro lens which I fitted to my digital camera..All shot on a tripod in manual mode...

Photo's didn't look too bad, paint job a bit suss in places, mind.

I also took some interior shots:

Excuse the dust!

Righto, that's it for now.

Finished pictures will follow soon.

In the meantime thanks for looking, and please feel free to add your comments. Cheers.

Thanks Gregor. Just a few more bits to do & I'm calling it done.

Thanks Bernd, it's one of those kits that helped establish Eduard's reputation as one of the premium model kit producers it is today. It's simply engineered, and is as you say a relaxing build. I'm now curious what the Zvezda kit is like in comparison.
The marking options were pretty good to, this particular kit I picked up second-hand in what must be the original 1990's Profi packaging, and it does show how far the manufacturer has progressed since then.

Nicely done, Marek. I'm a fan of these Russian types, and I think you're right about exercising restraint on weathering a wooden aircraft. I'm surprised no one ever did a 1/32 version. The 1/48 issues have always been popular, if a little simplistic, so it would be good to see something in a larger scale. I also like your choice of unit markings, by the way.