Bad influence on FSM and my own foolhardiness have me toiling at yet another Eastern European kit - Zvezda LA-5N. I’m stumped on something: absolutely stumped. Doog was kind enough to a video build of a LA5 razorback in 1943 colors and this has come in handy. On his kit, not surprisingly, the cockpit above the pilot’s seat that contains the head rest has the standard interior color. In my kit (the 5N has an open cockpit: maybe could be different) this piece comes in clear plastic and the colors in the instructions seem to call for the frame to be painted, but the bulk left clear. Eduard does a mask for this kit (which I will be doing without - another story) but I could download the instructions. Eduard too appears to believe that the bulk of this piece should be clear. I can’t find any photos indicating that Rooskie pilots had plexiglass behind them? It is possible that the frame, which is painted, is part of the frame and the clear part is to ape nothing - the box art rather looks that way. This make sense? I’m going to be putting this bit in right at the end, so if wiser heads can help me out, I’d appreciate it.
Eric
Danke Herr Hammer
I’d agree because every plane I’ve seen is so configured. But all of the photos you have are of the Razorback. I’d seen all of the photos noted, except for the “villege.gif”. Look at that one - think those are LA-5Ns and I can’t see the armor. If it wasn’t for the Eduard instructions I wouldn’t have brought it up. But they might show clear behind the pilot’s head - as do the Zvezda instructions. (Such as they are.)
Thankee
Eric
So you want the La-5N? The “bubbletop”, as it were, right?
Ok, I’m haing photobucket problems right now, but what I’m seeing on the Bubbletop versions is a plexiglass panel, but it doesn’t appear to be armor glass as much as just a regular plexi panel, some with framing that’s a “cross-hair” type, some that the framing is just around the exterior edges…
Having two types of framing leads me to believe that there may be one that’s armor glass, the other isn’t… I’d reckon the unframed version as being armor glass…
Ok… Managed to get two scanned and uploaded…
The La-5 on the bottom has the “cross-hair” frame I spoke of… I’ll keep trying to get the scanner and Photbucket t cooperate as the morning goes on…
Looks like the instructions were correct. Doesn’t look as though the poor pilots had a head rest. Stalin.
Eric
clear it is. Maybe this just displays my inexperience - Ive never built a kit that didn’t have headrest attached to some kind of armor behind the pilot.
That’s a really sweet kit. Someone did a better job than yours truly of taming Zvezda’s fury. This is another hard build from Eastern Europe. Wonder why the rooskies used that robin’s egg blue underneath - it’s what we used to call “baby blue” favored by rich young women as a color for their 56 Thunderbird. Can’t imagine the VVS as being a baby blue bunch.
Eric
RAF Hurricanes come to mind, as do P-39s, the armor glass on the Bf 109 “Galland Hood”, and a few others…
