"Red Menace", Lavochkin La.5FN Reno Unlimited air racer.

[CSMO]

There is a real-life Yak.11 with a P&W R-2800 that races at Reno. I won a Coopertativa La.5FN in the raffle at our local show, Tiger Con 2013. My model represents a La.5 with a P&W R-3350(from a Skyraider) mated to a propeller unit from a Fairey Gannet, to allow this small warplane to master the massive torque of its power-plant. I scrapped the front of the kit cowling and engine. I had a cowling and engine in the scrap-box that fit the kit exactly. I glued it on to fit the new monster motor. I fashioned a gear-box from some scrap plastic and fitted the Gannet propeller unit. It was from a 45 year-old UPC re-boxing of the old 1957 FROG kit, that I junked years ago. The paint is Testors #1103 Gloss Red, applied by brush and two coats of Future. All of the decals came from the spares-bin. I really dig how this little plane, which I named "Red Menace", came out.

Adios, Larry.

[Father Ennis]

Sweet !!!   

[pyro-manic]

That works.

[perttime]

Great idea!


The nose looks pretty long in the photos. That makes me suspect it might be a little nose heavy with the heavier engine.
(Just eyeballing this and comparing proportions with the larger Sea Fury racers.)

[Tophe]

Wow!

[CSMO]

I reinstalled the original photos that Photobucket dropped. As far as being nose-heavy, I installed the battery, oxygen, radios, and some lead ballast aft of the center of gravity. I remember the long-nosed racers of the '30s. (Schoenfeldt Firecracker, Miss Los Angeles, & the Brown Racer).

Adios, Larry.

[TomZ]

Great model, beautiful finish! 

TomZ

[lancer]

What a huge, great, powerful thing of beauty. It looks hellishly fast just sitting there....

[Dizzyfugu]

Whew, THAT looks serious! 

[zenrat]

Cool.

[vee1-rotate]

Oh yes - love this!!!!!!  My favourite so far!!!!!

[TallEng]

Ye Gods that looks fast
And so RED
Should look good next to Dizzy's Jagermeister Heinkel

Regards
Keith