Sheet:

Aeromaster 72-036: Fighting Lavochkins

Units: Various

Price

$

Reviewer:

Scott Van Aken

Though the sheet sounds like the title of a 'Ma and Pa Kettle' movie, it actually contains a goodly number of markings for what was arguably the best Soviet fighter of the Great Patriotic War, the LA-5/7 series. The sheet contains markings for seven aircraft (I know it looks like eight, but on one you get both sides of the plane). For kits you need look no farther than Italeri and Cooperativa for the La-5 and to Frog and  KP for the La-7. None of these kits is state of the art and they are all at least 25 years old. However, they will make into very nice models when done. That is, all but the KP kit, which the instructions suggest you stay away from! I'm sure that there are also etched brass bits for them as Eduard seems to have done these for every kit ever done!

Starting on the upper left and working down:

First is an La-5FN flown by V.I. Popkov. It has a scheme of light grey covered with dark green and brown patches. Lower surfaces on all these aircraft is light blue. This particular plane has the other side view.

Next is white 15 of G. Kostylev. This Lagg-5 has a large shark mouth. It will be a bit difficult to pint this, but a template is given so you can safely paint the black areas. When I did mine using the old Superscale sheet a few decades back, I brush painted the black part!

White 23 was flown by P. Golovachov in early 1945. Like most of the La-7s on this sheet it has the standard upper colors of light and dark grey. A red cowl front and yellow spinner add some color.

The La-5FN of P. Likholetov is next. It is also a standard color with a white spinner and white rudder. There is a patriotic slogan on the fuselage.

A very colorful La-7 flown by Lt.Col Dolgushin of the 165th IAP is next. Standard camo but with the full cowling in red and the tail in red and white stripes.

Another of Dolgushin's La-7s is white 63. though it is without the red and white striped fin/rudder, it still has plenty of red on the nose.

Finally, an Ivan Kozhedub La-7 with the red nose and white rudder. Kozhedub was the Soviet Union's top scoring ace with, I believe, 64 victories in WWII and several more in Korea.

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