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Post by ZacYates on Nov 21, 2021 14:45:07 GMT 12
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 We all know about the much-missed Hanna-Hogan La-9 and that's the subject of this build. My first Warbirds Over Wanaka was 2004 and ZK-LIX was there - as soon as John took her past me on the takeoff roll this sixteen-year-old fell in love. Photos by my Dad:  Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt1_0017 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt2_0064 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0052 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0064 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Warbirds Over Wanaka 2004 pt3_0028 by Zac Yates, on Flickr |
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Post by kiwichappers on Nov 30, 2021 5:32:07 GMT 12
Watching this build with interest Zak as I've a developing interest in building up a collection of Kiwi warbirds. It's a very small collection to date with only the MiG 15bis 501y and A6M3 type 22 X-133 completed. On the bench at the moment is the Birdcage F4U-1 that masqueraded as NZ2501 and Brendan Drew's ex RAF DHC Chipmunk.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 30, 2021 7:49:29 GMT 12
Do you mean Bevan Dewes' Chipmunk?
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Post by ZacYates on Nov 30, 2021 18:11:33 GMT 12
Watching this build with interest Zak In that case I should probably provide an update! I'll probably close up the fuselage tomorrow having added some scratchbuilt items (first aid kit, junction box and leads, oxygen regulator, brake lever on stick) as well as frames and stringers to make the left sidewall more "busy".  Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr And with the cockpit dry-fitted to show what's visible:  Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr I couldn't live with the throttle and pitch (mixture?) lever being represented by raised dots on the 3D decal so they will be added tomorrow by scratchbuilt items. |
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Post by kiwichappers on Nov 30, 2021 22:26:05 GMT 12
Quite right Dave, my mistake. The Chipmunk build is of Bevan Dewes ex HRH Prince Philip's aircraft.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 8, 2021 15:54:57 GMT 12
I didn't realise I hadn't posted in so long - progress has progressed! 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 ZK-LIX, 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! |
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Dec 8, 2021 17:39:45 GMT 12
It's looking great so far Zac, eager to see it progress.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 10, 2021 16:18:38 GMT 12
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Dec 10, 2021 17:14:10 GMT 12
Is it a Russian kit? Haven't heard of the brand before.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 11, 2021 13:00:20 GMT 12
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Post by markrogers on Dec 12, 2021 15:51:45 GMT 12
Great build with the details added. Looking forward to the finished model. I remember the La-9, seeing and hearing it at Wanaka. An impressive machine.
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Post by Mustang51 on Dec 12, 2021 16:21:08 GMT 12
Very impressive indeed.....I well remember its Warp 10 arrival at Wanaka when the trim tab decided to depart the airframe.....its immediate zoom climb was unbelievable.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 12, 2021 16:48:23 GMT 12
Thank you both for the kind words! Adding in the extra detail hasn't been as excruciating as I feared - in fact it's been quite enjoyable.
Given how quickly I fell in love with the machine the in-flight emergency was heartstopping news to hear - anyone else remember them scrambling the Hurricane as chase because it was the fastest aircraft (cue laughter) available at short notice? - kudos to John for bringing her back safely and to the team who worked so hard to get her ready for the next day's display.
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 9, 2022 15:34:12 GMT 12
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 14, 2022 9:14:10 GMT 12
I should point out that this isn't the first time I've build a model of this aircraft. As soon as I saw ZK-LIX fly I knew I needed a model of her. I scoured all the vendors tents at the airshow, we stopped at every hobby shop on our family tour around the lower and eastern South Island, all to no avail. Dad (understandbly getting exasperated with all this running around) said "It looks like a Focke-Wulf 190, why don't you try and make it out of one?" I wouldn't have any of that! It wasn't until our ship took us back to the North Island that the proprietors of Modelcrafts & Hobbies in Wellington - one of whom would become a pivotal figure in Wingnut Wings - said he could order in a 1/72 Eastern European kit (I think by Gran?) of this very unknown aircraft for me. A month or two later it arrived and 17yo Zac very excitedly tackled his first short-run kit. This is the result, and I'm so glad it's survived the intervening years!! And yes, I now want to put the missing markings in place!  1/72 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  1/72 and 1/48 La-9s by Zac Yates, on Flickr |
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 31, 2022 9:24:16 GMT 12
With undying thanks to a kind member of another forum, a little envelope arrived over the weekend containing beautiful masks for the fuselage side numbers. She's coming together!  Ark Models 1/48 Lavochkin La-9 by Zac Yates, on Flickr Now I'm just waiting for my local shop to restock their Tamiya paint so I can add red stripes to the rudder and she's done! |
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Post by nuuumannn on Feb 1, 2022 9:03:14 GMT 12
Very cool, Zac. Looks beaut. I only saw the aircraft at Wanaka once and when I was in China a few years ago I attempted to get access to the museum that the Hannas made the trade with a Harrier for it, but it was closed and enquiries revealed nothing about when it might reopen again, which was a bummer.
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