The Little World

It’s like an Irish jig…but with vodka.

My first impressions of the Zvezda kit were not wrong – it is well-built. The cockpit was adequate, without being overly complex, and Ivan, the pilot, fit well into his seat. Unlike Airfix aircrew, I did not have to Douglas Bader him to get him into his seat – and his feet actually reached the rudder pedals!

The plastic is harder than Airfix, but not as brittle as some of the Chinese stuff. It responds well to knifing and sanding..though there was little flash on the kit pieces. The parts assembled very well at the dry-fit stage, with the exception of the wing tops. They went on straight but with a good 1-2mm gap either side where they approached the fuselage fillet. I set them on evenly and accepted the fact that there were going to be two filling sessions. I was quite happy with the depiction of the ailerons and rear control surfaces.

As this type was unfamiliar to me I was guided by the instructions and a lot of googling to see what I should paint. I am intrigued by the inclusion of the sheet steel at the engine exhaust – presumably as a heat dispersing ploy. I Wondered if this was someone’s pet idea and they just couldn’t be bothered to lengthen the exhaust pipes to get the stuff out into the airstream like everyone else did. In a plane that was not a night fighter, hiding the exhausts seems pointless.

Nevertheless, I was delighted with the hole down the nose that let the Lavotchkin onto the factory painting jig. The ability to spin the model on its axis while you are spraying means that you can be pretty seamless around the sides. White Tamiya primer and then white Tamiya paint and a custom Mr. Hobby colour for the underside. There’s more mixed for the next Soviet winter plane.

I’m rather hoping I find one in the shops with skis – even if it has to be a Finnish one.