LAVOCHKIN LA5

[Wizzel]

This is something I started about 2 years ago, got so far and allowed life to interrupt.  It's a little project I'm doing alongside the BV138 so I have something else to do while one or the other is drying.  It's the 1/72Revell kit, straight from the box (for that, read no aftermarket accessories) but with my first real attempts at plastic surgery.  I've attempted the following - with some success even if I say so:

     Seat cushions and harness in the cockpit.
     Radiator hose in the engine (invisible behind the cooling fan!).
     Hydraulic brake lines on the undercarriage legs - yet to be fastened to them.
     Lowering the flaps - involved cutting them away from the lower wings and putting     
     some 'ribs' on inner surfaces.

All guesswork really, no references as I just wanted to see if I could do it and to what standard.  Looking at the photographs, the paintwork in the cockpit is a bit rough and ready but to a casual glance with the naked eye it'll pass muster.  It's a good learning curve anyhow.

The upper wing and tail plane roots need a slight bit of attention with Mr Surfacer but the underside is as good a I will get it at the moment and so has already had the base coat on.  Same principle as the BV138 - several coats of well thinned Humbrol enamels applied with a flat brush.  According to the instructions and the various conversion charts, it is the same colour as the BV138 too - H65.  In reality...who knows and indeed who cares?  Not me that's for sure.  To be continued real soon.  No pictures from the start of this as I wasn't intending to do a review but  I'd better show willing I suppose.  This is how it looks as of tonight.





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[Wizzel]

Right then, this has been marking time since last September but I've finally got myself sat down to continue it.  A few more firsts for me; first use of an airbrush on an aircraft - though it's more "spraying" than airbrushing right now, just point and press, also first go with the 'blu tac worms' thing.

You may remember I used Humbrol 65 on the underside?  Well I got these Hataka acrylics from M.A.N models at Huddersfield last year so decided to use them on the upper surfaces rather than follow the instructions and bugger about mixing 98% of this and 2% of that!  Thinned with water, they seemed to go on well and dry nicely too. 

Overall, a success though I had a couple of bits of the light grey peel off when I removed the masking but they will be touched up tomorrow and the starboard tail plane came off too so I've a bit of a gap to fill and touch up there.  Other than that, things continue to improve, albeit slowly.

I hope to be able to update you more by the end of tomorrow but don't hold your breath, DCOS is home too! 

Note my custom spray booth of a sheet of Holderness Gazette laid on the bench.

[zak]

Nice to see you getting back to modelling again.

[Haddock]

I see no ships, only hardships.        Well done with the airbrush though. First time is always the worst.
Haddock.

[Wizzel]

Cheers.  I'm saving the ships until I'm slightly more proficient!  This thing has been part done for far too long and though it won't be finished for Wednesday, I'd at least like to get a few more bits stuck on and bring it along as WIP...

[Haddock]

Looking forward to it.

[Wizzel]

Apologies once again for my lengthy absence!  I'll catch up on your posts over the weekend but I thought I'd at least add to this project so you all know I'm back into it!  As you can see, the thing is coming together; errant tail plane that fell off (again) is back in place - with superglue this time - and the gap filled, sanded and sprayed again, the under cart is on and the first flap is on and drying as I type this.  The wedge is a bit of card I white glued in temporarily to hold the flap in what I imagine the correct angle would be until it dries in place, then the wedge will be removed and used again on the other side.  Should have more to report on Sunday, but bearing in mind DCOS will be home, I offer no guarantees.  Still, it's looking like it will be ready for the Northern Model Show at least.

[Wizzel]

Well, that Mr Cement S dries quick doesn't it? Second flap on already and so I decided I may as well make it look a bit more 'Lavochkiny' and added the engine and cowling and the air intake over the nose. I was going to put the rudder on too but realised with horror that I haven't sprayed the cammo green on yet which is a bugger as it will take less than 1 drop of thinned paint to do. That'll teach me for not planning ahead and doing it when I did the rest!

[Haddock]

Coming together nicely, well done with the airbrush, told you it would be OK once you got started, first time for everything.
Haddock.

[Roger]

I am liking this build, you are capturing the feel of the subject well. Looking forward to the finished model.
Cheers
R

[Wizzel]

Thanks for your encouraging comments everyone!  It's not far off completion now.  Since the last post, I've got the markings on after first giving it some Klear.  I used microsol & microset on them.  Don't know how essential they are but I've had these bottles since about 1995 so I thought I may as well get some use out of them.  The result was very pleasing so I guess I'll continue to use the stuff.  Once they had taken, I put more Klear on (apparently you're supposed to do that?) and then applied the metal bands and plates on the nose.  It looks to me like the rings are the edges of the firewalls and the plates are to protect against the heat of the exhaust gases.  Anyway, the rings were supplied with the markings and the plates were supposed to be painted on but I chose not to do either.  instead, as this build is very much one huge experiment for me (see my previous posts) I used Bare Metal Foil.  Dead good fun it was too!!!  It's meant to be matt aluminium but it looks a bit shiny to me.  Never mind, the next step after the weathering is the matt varnish so that should take the edge off - another experiment coming right up...!  After that, it will be canopy on, antenna mast and wires on, pitot head on and check it all over for any last minute fuss and bother before doing the base for it and it'll then be ready for the Northern Model Show.  DCOS is home to so, haven't I done well!!!  Pictures of the finished product will follow...

[Bigkev]

Hi Wizzel,
That looks really nice. Very good to have you back and modelling once again. I look forward to meeting up with you at Northern Model Show, and having a good look at this latest project.
I'm impressed with your attempts at Bare metal foil for the natural metal panels, good work.
Looks like I'll have to post something myself now, I'm becoming the 'odd one out' now.
Bigkev

[Wizzel]

Hi Kev, it's really good to have the life back on track and this has been a fun build - over the 3 years I've been working on it, on and off.  A good confidence boost as far as trying new stuff out too so my next one should be even more fun and hopefully not quite as long to do!

[Wizzel]

It's almost complete now!  Left to do is the pitot tube, antenna wires, tidy up some of that really overdone weathering which jumps out at you in the pictures but seems hardly visible to the naked eye (one of those situations where you can't see it but you know it's there!) add a few chips and scratches and slosh a bit of matt varnish on.  I did lose a day on Tuesday which I had set aside for most of this but then I came home to find the washing machine had gone the way of Roger's compressor and there was DCOS wringing things out in the bath.  After tea, I was led through the Argos catalogue in great detail and talked at on the pros and cons of capacity versus spin speed versus cycle times.  As a result, I didn't get to take the time I would have liked to on this as I really wanted to get it finished after all this time and take something new to the Northern Model Show.  That said, I'm not unhappy with it.  I can now say I have the hang of gluing the bits of plastic together, I just need to get the hang of the weathering and finish.  Roll on the next model then...

[zak]

Looking good. Nice to see you back at the modelling table.