Mikro-Mir 1/144 Yakovlev Yak-23
By Matt Bittner
Introduction
Taken from the instructions:
"Yakovlev Yak-23 (Flora) was a jet fighter developed in the USSR in the 1940s and used in early 1950s. The first aircraft were produced in a factory in Tbilisi (Georgian SSR) in October 1949. In late 1949 they entered Soviet air force service, and were also ordered for export in 1949-50. The Yak-23 was quickly replaced in the Soviet service with the more complicated swept-wing MiG-15, which offered superior performance. In all, only 310 Yak-23 aircraft were built before production ended in 1950."
The Kit
There are actually two Yak-23s in 1/144 provided by Mikro-Mir: a single-seat and a double-seat. There are only two injected sprues provided along with a clear, injected sprue for the canopies. There are markings for five single-seat Yak-23s but only one scheme for the two-seater. Markings for the single-seat are for one Russian, one Czech, one Polish military, the Polish record-breaker and the aircraft that was "lent" to the USA for trials. The two-seater markings are only for one Soviet machine. Decals appear to be nicely printed and appear to be in register.
As with most aircraft kits construction starts with both cockpits. Pay close attention to be sure you're using the correct parts for the single seat vs. two-seater but once they're all together the cockpit and other items can be installed into the fuselage halves. The instructions can be a little confusing as to when to add parts to either aircraft but if you study them closely it will all make sense.
There is nothing mentioned about nose-weight being needed but I will add some just to be sure. The cockpit is really nicely done out of the box and will only need enhancements with some type of seat belts.
Once both aircraft are finished you will have excellent representations of these aircraft on your shelf.
Conclusion
The 1/144 Yak-23 from Mikro-Mir is really an excellent pair of kits and will go great to complete anyone's collection of either Soviet or Cold War era aircraft. I definitely recommend them.