1:48 La-5

A radial engine on a finished airframe

The Lavochkin La-5 was born out of necessity. The original machine with its V12 engine was falling behind, so the designers fitted a big radial engine onto the finished wooden fuselage. That produced a squat aircraft with a wide nose, which quickly became the mainstay of the frontline regiments. The first production examples, however, kept the high spine behind the cockpit and with it a poor view to the rear, which worried pilots until the revised version was introduced.

Glazing that forms three panels

The cockpit consists of a windscreen with a flat vision panel, a domed sliding section and a fixed rear glazing that rests on the tall wooden decking. The frames are fairly wide and follow the fuselage in color, so there is no cheating them on a model. The set puts two sets of cut-outs on the canopy, one for the outside and the other for the inside.

Wood that is painted differently

The fuselage of the La-5 was made of glued birch veneer and the surface was varnished so that it looked smooth; in frontline service, however, the varnish wore off quickly and a brownish structure showed through underneath. Anyone trying to imitate that look works with glazes and wear, and a masked transition to the glazing gives him a clean boundary to start from.

Red stars by spraying

One mask for the markings belongs to the cut-outs. A sprayed star looks better on a rougher surface texture than a decal, because it does not follow the unevenness and leaves no glossy trace behind. Soviet machines are also often shown with worn paint, and spraying takes such treatment without risk.

A note on the contents

You will not find paints inside, only masking material; the kit is a separate item.