RW: 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 warbird

[KiwiZac]

Hi all,
My most recent build, the Special Hobby Kittyhawk, was my birthday present to myself last year. This year's was the new Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 which I got from a Russian store on eBay for a song. It's surprisingly basic for a 2021 kit - inside the cockpit there should be frames and stringers, the panel lines are deep and fairings/plates are too tall:
Ark Models 1/48 AK48049 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 AK48049 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

However it was evened out by the inclusion at no extra cost of the 3D decals by Quinta Studio. These are a true delight and very easy to use. And necessary as there is no detail on the IP or consoles. Plus if you put them in the wrong place they're easy enough to relocate if you've used PVA/craft glue rather than CA. I'll be trying to replicate some sidewall boxes missing from the kit and made the choice to add the missing brake lever to the stick.
Ark Models 1/48 AK48049 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 AK48049 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

There's an airworthy example of the La-9 which was restored here in New Zealand for the late Ray Hanna. It first flew after restoration in 2003, appeared at one airshow and was off to Duxford where it wowed (I think) everyone who saw it. Likewise its pilots. Ray then brought it back to NZ and entered into a partnership with P-40N owner Garth Hogan to operate it here. It appeared at Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 (my family attended for the first time) and as soon as it went past me on the takeoff roll this sixteen-year-old fell in love. Photos by my Dad:
Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt2_0064 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0053 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0064 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0022 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0028 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt1_0017 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[NARSES2]

Those 3D decals do look good Zac. Oddly enough I was looking at some seatbelts on the Big H's website this morning. Might stick some to test in my next order.

[KiwiZac]

​
I didn't realise I hadn't posted in so long - progress has progressed! The fuselage sidewalls were far too bare for a 1/48 aircraft, even with the canopy closed, so I added some bits and bobs based on photos of the restored ZK-LIX:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

The cockpit (with added throttle and propeller levers replacing the 3D decal's blobs) was installed along with some styrene bits to act as alignment tabs as the kit's joining surfaces are all smooth:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Fuselage joined. Note the hole in the spine aft of the cockpit: this appears as a clear-glazed area on drawings and the restored La-9, but is not present on the kit. I also replaced the kit's gunsight with a crash pad.
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

For some bizarre reason my SIX attempts to upload a photo to Flickr have failed, but the wheel well in the kit is very bare with one junction box the only extra part to be added. But as seen in these photos of ZK-LIX taken by Phillip Treweek you can see the well's rather busy:
Lavochkin La-9 ZK-LIX by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Lavochkin La-9 ZK-LIX by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Lavochkin La-9 ZK-LIX by Zac Yates, on Flickr
(note the abovementioned junction box)

So I set to work with stretched sprue and gubbins from my spares and I'm happy with the result:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Unfortunately Flickr's autosizing does my scratching work no favours but I am very, very pleased with the outcome. The wheelwell is now mounted in the lower wing.

Stay tuned for another update, hopefully in better time!

[NARSES2]

Coming along very nicely Zac 

[Old Wombat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Nice. The OOB kit almost looks like a scaled-up 1:72 mould?

[Wardukw]

Nice going so far Zak ..your pics are fine for me mate  ..on my phone i can enlarge the hell out of em and i can see your work just fine..dude its looking sweet 

[KiwiZac]

Thank you all!

The OOB kit almost looks like a scaled-up 1:72 mould?

It really does. I was surprised at how little is in the cockpit. Honestly, I was going to leave it with the 3D decals of the canopy handle and switchboard and my little first aid box, but I just couldn't do it. There's so much empty real estate on those sidewalls...and if you buy the boxing without the 3D decals you'll need to put in even more work as you're given a literal blank slate. I wrote an in-box preview of this kit for Modeling Madness where you can see sprue shots.

Wheel well in place, the lower wing may be in position later today. You can't tell but I've already painted the underside light blue, a custom mix I'm afraid I cannot recall!
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[KiwiZac]

So as of yesterday evening this was the state of play:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

One of the many oversights in this kit (I keep reminding myself it was cheap, so it's kind of understandable) is that there are no exhaust stacks in the box. I trimmed some surplus P-40 parts and they work well:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

And between appointments, training for work and Christmas shopping she now sits thusly:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

The stretched sprue is for brake lines because evidently I passed the point of no return some time back.

[Wardukw]

Dude this is gonna look pretty damn cool when your done and it proves..you can polish a turd     

[Dizzyfugu]

Nice.

Reminds me of a Gran 1/72 La-11 buried somewhere in The Stash™ that I have been wanting to build as an early Vietnamese aircraft for some years... 

[KiwiZac]

Flash forward and progress has certainly progressed!! Paint was applied in the days leading up to the New Year:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

The kit decals (including the silver straps? around the cowling) performed perfectly:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

And a fellow modeller and former OFMC employee kindly sent me some Breitling Fighters shield decals to add to the nose:
Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

I need to get some more red paint so I can do the rudder stripes and source the 28s for the fuselage sides, but the end is in sight!

[Old Wombat]

That's looking fantastic, Zac!

[Wardukw]

That looks so good Zac..i gotta do a MIG 3 at some point .

[Dizzyfugu]

Neat.