1/72 Eduard Lavoshkin La-7

by Eric Bade

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The Lavoshkin La-7 may have been the more efficient Soviet fighter of World War 2. The type failed to receive the fame of its US, British, German and even Japanese counterparts of the time. Nonetheless, the reading of performance charts of the small Lavoshkin fighter and the reading the reports of its combat and victories proved that the La-7 often bettered the Me109s and FW190s in the air. The greatest Soviet aces fought aboard it.  

The model 

This is a nice and simple little kit. Eduard uses a soft dark grey plastic. Parts are sharp as are the recessed panel lines and shape seem accurate. 

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Building 

As usual, building starts with the cockpit. Main parts are provided, but the little cockpit can easily be enhanced with bits of plastic card or stretched plastic sprue. A few unused photo etched parts are utilized to add details (like old seat belts and compensation wheels from a Me109 detail set). The pilot seat was thinned and received belts. Once built up, the cockpit was painted in a light blue grey then washed with thinned sepia oil paint.

Landing gear wells and struts are detailed the same way using stretched plastic sprue. Some walls are added in the gear well to keep the eye from seeing too far into the wings. Then they are painted light grey and washed with the same diluted sepia oil paint. Upper and lower wings can then be cemented together and the rudder pedals installation added on top.

Both fuselage sides are cemented together as cockpit details are better added through the wing hole. Instrument panel and rear cockpit wall with seat are added after they have been thinned, detailed and painted. The radio set can be built from scratch and installed. When this is done all the cockpit area can be completed, with the last paint touch ups and then an armoured glass plate can be made from rhodoid and added atop the rear cockpit wall, behind the pilots head.

The fuselage can then be completed with its engine cover, engine ring and side exhaust panels. Be careful to choose your option correctly : two or three machine gun versions can be built with alternative parts.

I was not entirely satisfied with the propeller spinner shape as its boasts a double curve in side view. I needed a simpler shape. To do so I fixed my spinner on a dremel tool and it was easily reshaped with fine grain sand paper. The rotation speed of the tool guaranties a quick, smooth and regular reshaping.

When the fuselage is completed, the wing sub-assembly is cemented in place, as are stabilizers. Small details can be added around, like antennas, indicators, pitot tube and  transparent parts.

Painting 

I followed the colour instructions from the instruction sheet and used my usual Gunze paints, except for the metallic parts and heat shields on fuselage sides. I still prefer enamel paints or special brands as Testors metallizers or Alclad for my aluminium finishes.

The spinner was painted yellow and fuselage front ring is painted red, both colours being painted over a white base to achieve a bright finish.

Camouflage colours then are painted free hand. Of course my red engine cowling ring, transparent parts and metallic surfaces had been masked before.

When painting was complete the silver engine rings were done from metal foil.

Then it was time for decaling after the usual gloss varnish treatment. I added landing gears and my little replacement transparent canopy that I moulded from rhodoid sheet over the clear but thick original kit part.

My model was then weathered with thinned oil paint and powder. Extra details, as radio wires and landing gear position indicators, were added. The last operation was spraying a very light and subtle layer or matt varnish.  

This model a treat to build. It is a nice, simple and sharp little replica of the tiny La-7 fighter. It certainly is the ultimate La-7 model in 1/72nd scale but it also fuels the need for other soviet fighters of the era.

Eric

Click on images below to see larger images

Photos and text © by Eric Bade