Lavochkin LA-7s - Eduard 1/72 Dual Combo

[CedB]

After completing the tiny Skeeter I want something easy(ish) and NOT tiny.

 

When Simon ( @Beard ) kindly sent me some more pilots recently he included an Eduard LA-7 Dual Combo 'for something to put the pilots in'.

Another very kind donation and a welcome change from rotary for a bit. Thanks Simon  

 

Now then, I don't usually build Soviet aircraft so this is all new to me.

I've spent quite a long time trying to find some paint for the schemes I've chosen and even that has proven tricky - the instructions in the kit appear to have been printed on a laser with some low toner:

 

Untitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

Why those two? Well, obviously the '27' as it's Maj. Ivan Kozhedub's mount and (according to Wiki) "he is regarded as the best Soviet ace of WW2, having a natural gift for deflection shooting. In 330 combat missions he took part in 120 engagements and scored 62 victories including an Me-262."

The other because these will be on the ceiling, flying in formation towards my Luftwaffe group, and the '24' looks to be a good wingman.

Shows how much I know.

 

The scheme diagram looks nothing like the actual thing as shown on the Wikipedia page for the aircraft (now my desktop picture). The narrative for the photo states "The scheme is popular on both warbirds and museum aircraft, but this is the real thing! While the aircraft itself is original, there has been much debate about the accuracy of the colour scheme."

No poo Watson! If you want to join the fun there's a loooong thread about VVS colours here.

 

So, I think I'll use iModelKit and my existing paint stock to get as close as possible and then weather the heck out of them. Maybe.

 

Anyhoo, after all that rambling I want to get on with it so welcome all!

[Beard]

Hope you enjoy yourself Ced.

[Spookytooth]

Seat booked, paid entrance fee ( 2 toilet rolls ) LOL.

 

Simon.

[bbudde]

18 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

Seat booked, paid entrance fee ( 2 toilet rolls ) LOL.

Such high priced  entrance fee here now?  Must be the throne, I guess Simon

Cheers

[Terry1954]

Fourth in on a Ced build. That's a personal best!

 

Terry

[Bonehammer]

Hello Ced,

Perhaps this might be helpful?

http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/la-7/la-7colors/27kozhedub/27kozhedub.htm

The whole site ( http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/index.html ) and associated forum ( http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/board/index.php ) are a treasure trove for anything related to VVS before, during and shortly after World War T The Great Patriotic War.

[CedB]

42 minutes ago, Beard said:

Hope you enjoy yourself Ced.

Thanks Simon, especially for the kind donation!  

27 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

Seat booked, paid entrance fee ( 2 toilet rolls ) LOL.

 

Simon.

Oooh, loo roll! Thanks Simon  

5 minutes ago, bbudde said:

Such high priced  entrance fee here now?  Must be the throne, I guess Simon

Cheers

1 minute ago, Terry1954 said:

Fourth in on a Ced build. That's a personal best!

 

Terry

Welcome Terry  

Just now, Bonehammer said:

Hello Ced,

Perhaps this might be helpful?

http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/la-7/la-7colors/27kozhedub/27kozhedub.htm

The whole site ( http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/index.html ) and associated forum ( http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/board/index.php ) are a treasure trove for anything related to VVS before, during and shortly after World War T The Great Patriotic War.

Thanks, interesting - I'll take a look later  

 

 

 

First, some paint on the internals. I chose Hu64 and, as usual, had trouble getting the lid off. Old bloke's tools required:

 

Untitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

I've been cleaning the lids out with a spike to try to stop this and I wonder if I've accidentally removed the seal? Should there be a rubber ring at the bottom of this?

 

 

Some of the PE is coloured (nice):

 

 

…so I'll touch up the non-painted stuff when it's on.

 

Stuff painted. Can you see?

 

 

Sort of.

 

Listening to the new series of 'It's a Fair Cop' on Radio 4. Recommended.

[stevehnz]

Works for me Ced, I've one in stock so a Ced tutorial on how to build it will be welcome.

Steve.

[keefr22]

Phew that's lucky - I thought with us having to sit 2 metres apart I was going to end up in Bristol....!!

 

27 minutes ago, CedB said:

Should there be a rubber ring at the bottom of this?

 

No idea on the grommet, Grommet (more cheese?), but find it fairly easy to remove stuck on acrylic lids if you hold them under hot running water for a couple of minutes (mind your fingers!)

 

Looking forward to these Ced!

 

Keith

[Biggles87]

Wot are all these people doin ‘ere, I thought the place would be empty.  

[Avereda]

In early for once, looking forward to this one

[Hamden]

 

Is there room for one more what with the social distance required these days?

 

      Roger

[Beard]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

Thanks Simon, especially for the kind donation!

You're more than welcome Ced, I was never going to get round to building them.

[Spookytooth]

2 hours ago, bbudde said:

Such high priced  entrance fee here now?  Must be the throne, I guess Simon

Cheers

Yes Benedikt, they were Gold Trimmed i.e. Super Duper Pooper Scooper!!!!!

 

Simon.

[Marklo]

On a semi related note. Interesting fact learned from the radio yesterday. Splinter free toilet paper was only introduced in the 1930s makes you think!!

Edited March 27, 2020 by Marklo

[AdrianMF]

Wow, at 2m per person I'm about 100 metres away! Should have bought my telescope...

 

Those pots don't have a rubber ring - they rely on solidified paint to seal, or at least mine do!

 

FWIW I used Hu 106 and Hu 32 for the top two greys when I did my Yak-9. I was happy with the topside colours but I thought my bottom could have been blue-er (oo-er). Thread here if you want to check out the colours.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Brandy]

Phew, made it! I need a beer now and since this is a special occasion and "essential" I'm sure the bar is open.

 

Ian

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Well not to bad still first page. 

[Troy Smith]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

I chose Hu64

Much too light.  Interior were A-14 Steel grey.  A dark wash would probably do the trick though.   US Neutral Gray would be better.

http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/colors/color-table.html

scroll down

externals. simple, underside AMT-7 blue, uppers AMT-11 and AMT-12.

http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/colors/1943-45-fighters/1943-45.html

 

If there is a myth I'd like to kill, it's that VVS colours are "a minefield" 

 

Mostly they are very straightforward in the basics, especially in the era you are talking about.

standard factory pattern below

Quote

photos of the first production La-7 show well the new livery of 'splinter' blue-grey and dark grey over light blue, and the new style of national insignas. Black remained in use for prop blades. AMT paints appear semigloss when new, and then turned to matt. (from Yakovlev's piston-engined fighters by Yefim Gordon)

 

 

Quote

A photo of a La-7 with the NKAP 1943 grey/grey livery. The large numbers, already introduced in 1943 on the green/black camo, were painted in factory with uniform style and bore a thin outline, probably dark blue.

Two interesting images of a wreck of a La-5FN.

Above, the pieces wre made wet with water to show better their original colors; we recognize AMT-7, 11, 12 and the yellowish putty for wood.

 

Below, a detail of the bort number bears an interesting discovery: its outline was dark blue, and this was probably true for all late-style bort numbers on La5F, FN and La-7.

 

3 hours ago, CedB said:

So, I think I'll use iModelKit and my existing paint stock to get as close as possible and then weather the heck out of them. Maybe.

 

They often did not last long enough to get really weathered, though it seems the grey scheme was prone to fading.

 

I know you RAF type colours in stock,  you would not be horribly wrong to do the uppers in Ocean grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey. the undersides are in the realm of RLM 65. 

Quote

The restoration of the Yak-3 of Bourget is an interesting resource to see original colors that lied for 60 years under layers repaintings.

Although old, the colors look fairly well preserved and look compatible, considering the likely fading, with the dark shades shown by the Nakrasok Alboom.

 

There you go @CedB   pretty much all you need to know. 

 

HTH

[giemme]

Blimey, I'm gonna need a binocular to follow this build!

 

I built Kozedub's mount a while ago, but in 1/48 (Academy kit) - we clearly have different ideas on "bigger subject"

 

There was a problem with the Academy kit, IIRC: the main struts were at a wrong angle, looking sideways. They were off by a great amount, resulting in an exaggerated nose up attitude. Not knowing if this Eduard kit is a rebox or what, I just thought I'd mention it

 

 Ciao

[Head in the clouds.]

Wot!!! first page, no, never, not me.

 

Well, paid my entrance fee of 3 sheets of loo roll, double ply mind so count me in, this is probably IMHO one of the better looking  Russian planes and a formidable one at that so will watch with interest, even though I do not model them.

 

Over to you CedB...

[Harley John]

_{Two sheets of 3 ply? Oh waily waily, I'm no payin' yon daft prices! You'll hae a packet o' Izal & lump it like a'body else!}

_{Bar seems empty for some reason...I'll hang around & see who turns up!}

[Biggles87]

14 hours ago, giemme said:

Blimey, I'm gonna need a binocular to follow this build!

 

 Ciao

 

And a megaphone!  

 

[corsaircorp]

Zdrasvouitie tovarich Cedsky !!

Kodzhedub is also one of the pilots in my list !

It is mandatory when you start building Soviet aircraft to have some Vodka !!

I'll follow this journey if you don't mind it !!

I tend to prefer Zubrowska, even if it's polish...

Have fun !!

CC

[Andwil]

Looking on from a very safe distance - 16,300 kms give or take a few.

 

AW