1/72 La-5 by hook or by crook

[Vlad]

I would like to build an early series La-5 in 1/72, the one with the high back, but I can no longer find the AML kit anywhere. I'm not aware of any others, so I'm starting to consider more drastic options.

 

Specifically, I'm wondering if I can go the same route as the plane did historically, and kitbash a late series LaGG-3 fuselage with the wings and engine from a La-5FN kit (these seem to be a dime a dozen for some reason). Yes, I know I would need to modify the air intake scoop on top of the nose, since the FN has a bigger one that the earlier series.

 

Is this a realistic proposition? Any other differences I need to be aware of for this to work?

Edited December 28, 2018 by Vlad

[Graham Boak]

It would be easier to find a replacement canopy for the LaGG and build up the rear fuselage.

[Vlad]

Rob Taurus will provide the former, but the latter sounds like a challenge beyond my skill. I'm perfectly comfortable cutting and hacking back together, but shaping something from nothing, especially something curved like that, I'm not sure I would be able to do it and get it right.

[72modeler]

Maquette also did an early1/72  La-5 with the tall fuselage, but I don't think it will be easy to find one. I would think adapting the spine of a Lagg-3 kit alongwith  a vacform  canopy doesn't look all that difficult, as the cross section of the Lagg spine looks to be very close  to the La-5.  Maybe cutting the upper La-5 fuselage from the cockpit back to the fin and then use the same sections of a  Lagg fuselage, to include the rear quarter window cutouts would get you there. Or, you could treat the area removed like a traditional balsa model and make a few formers to establish the curvature of the upper decking, with a thin plasticard keel to fix the profile and then graft on curved plasticard panels or the same sections removed from a Lagg kit. Its such a small area to be modified, it shouldn't be all that daunting a task. Of course, about the time you do all that, Arma will release a new-tool early highback La-5!

Mike

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello

Building up rear fuselage would probably be considerably less difficult than mating LaGG-3 and La-5 F/FN fuselage halves. As on the latter fuselage begins to widen just in front of windshield to match radial engine diameter, just gluing M-82 on LaGG's fuselage would not do. Otherwise, La-5 FN has additional metal panel, extending roughly to the wing's trailing edge that La-5 lacks. Also, earlier type had only one exhaust pipe on each side with bulged cover, and some models had bulged LaGG tail wheel doors. Cheers

Jure

[Learstang]

If you wished to do an early (series 8 or less) La-5, they had the same fuselage and canopy parts as the LaGG-3 series 35 (done by Toko/Roden). In fact the real aircraft used surplus series 35 fuselages and wings (before the series 9 La-5s, which were completely new-built). This means you could use the fuselage spine (and mid to rear fuselage) as supplied in the LaGG-3 series 35 kit, and the wings, straight from the box. However, as Jure points out, there is the problem with fairing the M-82 engine onto the LaGG-3 fuselage. It might just be easier building the fuselage spine up, whilst using the clear parts from the LaGG-3 kit, and modifying the top cowling intake. You would also need to remove the representation of the metal shielding aft of the unpainted rectangular plate (the upainted plate was found on all La-5s). Any representation of the metal cladding on the wing roots will also need to be removed. Also, as Jure mentions, the 'high-back' La-5 had a single exhaust tube per side, with the bulged cover. The La-5s made from the surplus LaGG-3 series 35 airframes had the bulged tail wheel doors, rounded windscreen, and port landing light. I hope this isn't too confusing!

 

Regards,

 

Jason (who actually wrote a book on the WWII Lavochkin fighters)

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi, 

I would suggest trying to find the kit of Maquette, it was sold with many other brands too and I think that can be found on ebay. 

It will require a bit of surgery because the cowling becomes too wide (not in diameter, in width) on the front, one can remove some material from the junction line and bend the fuselage halves to match the diameter of the front.

If you really need the rare early  curved windshield, it can be found on a set of Falcon aside many other canopies.

Regards

Massimo

[Vlad]

I can't seem to find anything on this Maquette kit, partly because the word just means "model kit" in French so searching for it just gives me La-5 build logs on various French websites. Still, with the issue you describe it doesn't sound anywhere near as good as the AML kit, which by all accounts is excellent. If I'm going to be stalking E-bay I would much prefer the AML kit anyway.

 

Thanks for all the extra input sounds a little harder than I thought, but probably I would still prefer a kitbash than a spine scratchbuild. @Learstang I may need to check out this book of yours. On the subject of wings, don't La-5s, even early series, all have leading edge slats, which LaGG-3s lack?

 

One thing nobody mentioned, the water radiator under the fuselage on the LaGG-3, I assume that would need to be cut off and the whole area smoothed out, something else potentially getting in the way of using that fuselage.

[AaCee26]

Hi Vlad  all,

 

I have a La-5 razorback from Cooperativa and later from Eastern Express in my mind. Is it the same kit as Maquette? At least Cooperativa I have is better starting point than the AML which is horrible.

 

Another ways not mentioned yet here might be starting from low-back La-5F/FN and either replace the whole rear fuselage from a LaGG-3 or the dorsal back with a heat-stretched part of clear plactic.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

[Graham Boak]

I had one under a different name, Coopertiva.  Not a brilliant kit, but quite nice by the standards of the time.  I suspect that this was the same kit as marketed under Maquette.

 

I think it is fair to say that you are letting some understandable nervousness get in the way of much enjoyable modelling.   Cutting off parts and filling with card and putty, or building up shapes with Milliput, isn't all that horrifically difficult.  In principle, if you don't try sometime you'll never get the skills, which are only moderate at worst.  However I'd agree that you might be best starting with a LaGG 3 fuselage, as getting a good result for the little side windows might be tricky.

[Vlad]

4 minutes ago, AaCee26 said:

At least Cooperativa I have is better starting point than the AML which is horrible.

 

Another ways not mentioned yet here might be starting from low-back La-5F/FN and either replace the whole rear fuselage from a LaGG-3 or the dorsal back with a heat-stretched part of clear plactic.

 

AML is horrible? I was under the impression from reviews I read it was one of the best, if not the best, La-5 kits on the market. I can find that Cooperativa kit now, also under Eastern Express. The sprue shots don't look good at all compared to AML, so I'm a bit confused by what you're saying.

LaGG 3 hasn't been suggested? This whole thread is me asking if that is a practical idea

[Learstang]

I've built the Cooperativa kit, which was also produced under the Eastern Express label (which I've also built, the only difference being the Eastern Express kit did not have the photo-etched parts of the Cooperativa kit. The plastic was the same). It builds into a rather nice-looking razorback La-5 without too much fuss. A search I did on eBay didn't show any available on that site, right at the moment, but you might wait for one to show up. That would be the easiest route, if you don't mind waiting. I do wish the 'new' KP would release a new-mould razorback La-5, as they did with the La-5FN.

 

Regards,

 

Jason

[Chuck1945]

While I do have the AML La-5 kit, it is unbuilt. What I remember reading when it was issued were complaints about fit, don’t recall any accuracy complaints. That may be selective memory though since I have built a couple of AML kits and a good bit of test fitting and sanding was required. 

[Vlad]

Yeah, I'm not in a huge rush but it's nice to investigate options I'm no stranger to ambitious kit-bashes when it comes to 1/700 ships, this may be a fun project for me some day or it might be something I never do but it's good to know what needs to be done if and when it comes to it.

 

I also wish the new KP would do a La-5 (or better still Eduard, their La-7 is sublime but they unfortunately stopped there). Even the La-5FN by the new KP sold like hot-cakes and I can't find any except the ones with Czech markings that I don't care much for.

[Learstang]

For what it's worth, I've built the AML La-5F kit. I can remember reading a couple of reviews of it that made it sound all but unbuildable. I've built many limited-run kits, which this definitely is, so I wasn't too worried. Although it took a bit of work, as per most limited-run kits, certainly those from 20-25 years ago, the end result was a nice-looking and accurate La-5F. One of the problems was making the resin interior fit, but if you can't sand down resin to make it fit, you probably should not be building limited-run kits anyway.

 

Regards,

 

Jason

Edited December 29, 2018 by Learstang

[AaCee26]

Well, I played some time with the AML kit. It had fuselage halves like bananas curving outboard, nose intake and cannon bulges separate parts needing thing inside maybe to half etc. Lots of flash too. I have built also their Fiat G.50 which needed fiddling/schimming/cleaning/sanding/cutting/etc.  with all parts and Lavotska was even worse. Their decals were/are good. I have bot variants of the Curtiss 75A Hawk and the Tomahawk but no plans to built theme based on experiences with kits mentioned.

 

I might have had a poor copy but both the tall-fuselage and low-back ones had similar problems. Cooperativa was certainly more buildable with the usual fiddling needed as a short run kit of it's time.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

[Learstang]

I found the Cooperativa/Eastern Express kits to be fairly easy to build. No big surprises in the build.

 

Regards,

 

Jason