The Yugo Project

In a previous post I discussed the indigenous Yugoslavian fighter known as the Rogožarski IKZ or IK-3. I have finally gotten around to pulling the planes from their baggies, mounting magnets, and getting a coat of Vallejo primer on them. While I have ten of these Leading Edge IKZs, some of them are rather pitted and as the Yugoslavians started the war with only six operational IKZs I selected the six best to work with. The thin coat of primer filled in a few of the pits a bit, and I imagine that the pits will become even less noticeable once the main colors have been applied (after a second coat of primer).

With a coat of primer in place.

Paint scheme for the IKZ will be a three color camouflage on the upper surfaces and a factory gray green undersurfaces. My previous post gave some specific RAL and FS color codes, but in doing deeper research, some of those colors are difficult to source within the various hobby paint ranges. Also, there is much confusion on just what tones were used, the prime example being the undersurface color. I have seen light gray, light blue gray, and gray green on various models and illustrations. The Rogožarski factory used gray green, so light gray and light blue gray are not accurate. As I use Vallejo Model Air for most of my painting, I am going with the following:

Gray Green - 71.305 Interior Grey Green

Brown - 71.041 Tank Brown

Green - 71.092 Medium Olive

Yellow Ochre - 71.031 Middlestone 

I will be striving for this look

And now for a scenario - I was able to create a much scaled down version of the IKZs first action of the April 1941 invasion of Yugoslavia, and I believe I can create a two additional smaller scenarios of subsequent actions. The first scenario, entitled The Punishment Begins, can be located on the Downloads page. It features five IKZs facing off against Bf 109s, Ju 87s, and He 111s. While I have the IKZs and Messerschmitts, I will need to pick up the German bombers, something I am going to need in the long run anyway as I expand the collection into some early war actions.

I'll add the other pair of scenarios in the coming days.

Which Macchi?

The Macchi C.205V Veltro is the definitive wartime fighter brought into production by Macchi factory. Introduced in early 1943, it wads not made in large enough numbers to impact the war as by that time Italy was on its last legs. However, after the capitulation, the Germans seized several Italian fighters, including the C.205V, before finally agreeing to allow the socialist Italian government to form its own armed forces. The Macchi was still being manufactured as most of the aircraft production facilities, being based in northern Italy, had not been targeted by Allied bombers. The new-formed Italian air force (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana) fought mostly to protect those factories. There are a few miniatures companies making the C.205V, and what follows is my thoughts on three of them (one being defunct).

Left to right: Leading Edge Miniatures, Flight Deck Decals, and Raiden Miniatures

Flight Deck Decals

From a quality perspective, while all three companies mentioned here offer a good product, Flight Deck Decals has the most appeal. Cleanly printed with high quality material, it is a wonderful miniature. However, there are no barrels for the wing-mounted cannons. The print is fully detailed, including the under surfaces. Cost is a little over two dollars per Macchi. Keep in mind that FDD does not list many 1/285th aircraft on their site, but will do custom work with a minimum dollar order. If I was to go with just one choice, Flight Deck would be it.

Leading Edge Miniatures

While this company is no longer available, I was able to pick up a few castings recently from Noble Knight Games. For an older metal casting, the Leading Edge range is rather good, and their Macchi is no exception, however there is some slight metal potting/pitting on the wing surfaces and the casting needs a bit of cleanup. Having purchased a slew of Leading Edge Miniatures of late, I can say this seems to be a bit of a problem as I see this potting on a few of the planes I picked up, while others were perfect. The Leading Edge casting does have the wing cannons present. Details on the undersides of the Leading Edge range are nonexistent. 

Raiden Miniatures

While Raiden usually offers a nice quality product, their Macchi casting suffers a bit, at least the pair I have are showing some concerns. There is a decent of prep work needed to bring the plane into a paint ready stage, with extra metal bits here and there (see pictures). There are also some roughness issues on the wing edges, and the lack of detail on the undersides is a bit of a bummer. Overall the Raiden range is very good, so I am thinking there might be a bit of a mold issue with the Macchi. From a customer service perspective, I-94, the owners of the Raiden range, is the best.

All three aircraft are scaled rather well, with the Leading Edge having a slightly larger wingspan (about one millimeter) and a slightly "heftier" fuselage. The Flight Deck and Raiden offerings match very well, with no noticeable size differences. I would not hesitate to use all three companies on the same tabletop.

When Scales Collide

Most of my miniatures for Check Your 6! are in 1/285th scale, or at least they should be. Recently I grabbed ten Leading Edge Miniatures I.A.R.80/81s from Noble Knight Games. Why? Who knows? Maybe it was because the IKZs I bought previously were so nicely cast that I wanted to collect more Leading Edge planes. I already have I.A.R.80/81s from Table Top Flights (and they are nice), but as I like the obscure and also enjoy a good deal, I snagged the Rumanian planes as well. Call me an addict, but do not expect me to attend any meetings!

All the planes shown are supposed to be 1/285th scale

I wanted to see how the Leading Edge minis scaled against the Table Top versions - I was dismayed to find that the Leading Edge minis are much larger than the Table Top Flights model (a wingspan difference of 5mm - fairly significant on miniatures this small). Okay, so now which company is scaled properly, and which one isn't? A quick check against some other planes shows me that the Table Top Flights, when compared to other aircraft, are scaled comparatively well. So now I have these ten lovely but oversized Rumanian fighters that are...useless.

Another discovery - The Heinkel He 112, both the ones I have from MSD Games (1/300 scale) and the custom order from Flight Deck Decals (1/285th scale) are too small! The wingspan should be slightly larger than the I.A.R.s and about the same as the P-36/Model 75, and significantly smaller than the P-47. The P-36 is made by Flight Deck Decals, and looks to be properly scaled. The P-47, a Raiden product, does have a much larger wingspan. Okay, so now I have tiny Heinkels to deal with. 

UPDATE (6/24/2026) - The Heinkels ARE correct! The data I sourced gave the wingspan of the earlier He 112 and not the B model which had a much smaller (twenty-nine feet) wingspan.

Note to self, and to manufacturers...check the size against other historical aircraft to ensure the mini is in the ballpark.

Rogožarski IKZ

Yugoslavian pilots with the first production IKZ, Summer 1940

The what? The Yugoslavian Rogožarski IKZ fighter, also known at times as the IK-3 (the 3 and Z in Cyrillic are very similar in appearance, hence the "error"). The three designers/developers of the IKZ were Ljubomir Ilic, Kosta Sivcev, and Slobodan Zrnic, hence the IKZ designation. The low wing fighter was designed in the mid-1930s, having its first flight in May 1938, and going into production March 1940. Only thirteen of the IKZ were built, but they did see some action in April 1941 when Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis powers. In its first encounter against the Germans, five IKZs claimed five Bf.109Es as kills, while losing a pair of IKZs in return. During other sorties against German bomber formations, the pilots manning the IKZ would claim four twin-engine bombers shot down, with one IKZ taking fifty-six hits, but managing to return to base. Other claims were a Junkers Ju 87 and a Bf 110 before the Yugoslavs, with their bases being threatened of being overrun, burned the remaining IKZs. One pilot, Milislav Semiz, claimed four victories during the short campaign. The IKZs were distributed in two squadrons in the Yugoslavian 51st Fighter Group.

The IKZ had a smaller turning radius than the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, and a smaller wingspan than the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, which in turn gave it a higher speed for its Avia-built Hispano-Suiza V-12 liquid-cooled engine that developed 860 horsepower. The Yugoslavs tested the IKZ against the Hawker Fury, Heinkel He 112, the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, and the Hurricane. Performance most closely matched the Morane-Saulnier, although the IKZ was faster by twenty-five miles per hour. In mock combat against the Messerschmitt, it was found that the IKZ was more maneuverable in level flight, allowing the Yugoslav fighter to perform tighter turns and get on the tail of the German fighter. As the Bf 109E uses the B maneuver chart, in order to replicate tighter level flight turns the IKZ should use the A maneuver chart.`

So, not being an expert on things like wing loading, roll rate, and other assorted values, what I can determine is that the IKZ climbed about 2,300 feet per minute, while the Bf 109E climbed about 3,500 feet during the same timeframe. Hence, the IKZ needs to climb at a slower rate than the Messerschmitt. The MS.406 and IKZ had an identical rate of climb, so I can use the French fighter's climb rate. I have no idea how to determine dive speed, so I am just using the Morane's rate. The following is are the suggested airplane stats for the IKZ:

One may suggest, based on the account of an IKZ surviving fifty-six hits, that the robustness rating should be increased to R2.

Miniatures

Who makes the IKZ? Well, there is good news (for me) and less than good news (for others) when it comes to sourcing the IKZ. Leading Edge Miniatures made a lovely 1/285th scale casting of the Rogožarski, and while Museum Miniatures bought that range some years ago, they seem to be out of production these days (and they have no interest, due to a lack of interest, in returning the range to production). I was able to secure ten of these miniatures from Noble Knight Games, a place that usually charges too much for used items, but at three bucks a pop, I cleaned them out. No, I do not need ten IKZs, but as my friends The G Dog and the J Dog say, "If you want it, buy it, because you never know when it might become unavailable." I will not need more than four or six, so if you want a couple leave a comment. I will only charge the paltry sum of one million dollars!

How the Leading Edge planes were packaged - a little historical background in a small baggie

Very clean lines on the casting. Shame they are no longer in production

Another angle

However, although Leading Edge is no longer available, you are in a bit of luck - Heroics & Ros make the IKZ (listed as a IK-3) in 1/300 scale. H&R's lower quality may be an issue for potential buyers, but at least there is an option. Did I mention my price for my extra Leading Edge IKZs?

Decals

No problem here as Flight Deck Decals makes a set of Royal Yugoslav Air Force national insignia in 1/300 scale. One will have to paint the fin flash on the rudder as I have yet to find Yugoslavian flashes. The aircraft numbers are so small that they probably would not be worth trying to replicate in 1/285.

Aircraft Colors

Here is a bit of a problem as the various sources are all over the map. I have seen both darker toned camouflage and a much brighter version. I prefer the darker tone, but not being an expert cannot say that the lighter colors are not the way to go. An eye of the beholder situation to be certain. One publication provides the following colors: Light Blue Gray - RAL 7035 - FS14424, Ochre Yellow - RAL 8001 - FS 10266, Dark Green - RAL 6003 - FS 14096 (Vallejo 71.092 Medium Olive), Dark Brown - RAL 8017 - FS 10045 (Vallejo 71.041 Armor Brown).

Feeling too much yellow in the tan

A more subtle color scheme

This one feels a bit too muted

Looks pretty good to me, albeit a tad dark!

Learn More

The IK range of fighter aircraft was the focus of a Profile Publications Aircraft Profile (#242), which can be still found for varying prices on places like eBay. This is one of the later Profiles, with expanded pages. There are also other, but far more expensive, books on the IKZ, such as Kagero's Rogožarski IK-3, in their Monographs series. At 184 pages it is the definitive account of the indigenous IKZ and of course I just had to buy a copy. It is filled with information and profusely illustrated with photos. It also contains numerous scale plans and a section on the post war follow-on, the S-49.

Add in a couple of YouTube videos - Ed Nash's Military Matters and Aviation Deep Dive nicely cover the IKZ.

The I.A.R.80/81 in Check Your 6!

Appearing three times in the Battles Above 2 scenario book, the Romanian (or Rumanian if you prefer) Industria Aeronautică Română 80/81 series of aircraft were steady performers on the Eastern Front, and continued to serve even after being outclassed by later fighter designs. While modifications were made during the life of the I.A.R.80/81, those changes were not significant enough to greatly improve its performance. Decently agile, moderate in the amount of damage it could sustain, but light in armament, the I.A.R.80/81 soldiered on into the 1950s. The I.A.R.80/81 faced off against a variety of aircraft during its service life, ranging from I-16s to P-38s. It was used as a fighter and dive bomber on the Eastern Front, as well as a home defense fighter at Ploesti. Four hundred and fifty I.A.R.80/81s were built during the war.

Check Your 6! gamers have made some attempts to rate this aircraft to varying degrees. One overly optimistic gamer rated the plane an A4 + 3, making it far more agile and maneuverable than the aircraft was historically. The ratings in the Battles Above book seem about right, B4 + 2 with no penalty to agility at maximum speed. This allows the I.A.R. series to dogfight with most enemy fighters and hold its own from a performance perspective. However, the Rumanian pilots, while brave, did not have as much experience or training as their German allies, and should be throughout the war rated with just slightly better aircrew quality as their Soviet counterparts, with home defense squadrons being nearly on par with the Germans.

What follows is a fairly comprehensive yet still in progress listing of the I.A.R.80/81 variants in game terms. The information was gleaned from The I.A.R.80 & I.A.R.81: Airframe, Systems, & Equipment written by Radu Brinzan. Published in 2011 by SAM Limited, it is an extremely detailed look at the indigenous Romanian fighter, and is replete with color profiles.

My preferred scale for air combat games is 1/285th, and hence my preferred manufacturer is Raiden, owned by I-94 Enterprises. Alas, there is not a Raiden I.A.R.80/81 being offered at this time. However, there are other options, MSD Games (1/300 scale) and Shapeways (wwwitalik). I like the MSD line fine enough, but the scale difference does make itself apparent when comparing the MSD castings to the Raiden range (I have a few Heinkel He.112s that confirm this). The Shapeways version has the landing gear in the extended position, so one would have to carefully cut away the gear.

Scotia Grendel (Collectair) also make a 1/300 scale I.A.R.80/81, for a very reasonable price. Leading Edge Miniatures also made the I.A.R., but those planes have long been out of production (although I do have ten), and are overly large.

The I.A.R.80/81 is an oft overlooked option for gamers but one to consider for use on the Eastern Front.