I've got the La-7 just about ready to close up, with all I had planned for the cockpit now done. The kit supplies very little detail and most of what is there is wrong. As both models will have closed canopies, I kept that in mind and didn't do much in the way of scratch building. I added some structural features, a pair of rudder pedals, some Eduard seatbelts and scratched out some crude oxygen bottles in order to fill some space. I don't think much will be seen anyway. I added some detail to the sidewalls too, and some aluminum tubing inside the exhaust gills to give it a little interest there.
The main landing gear bay was devoid of any detail and the instructions were vague, to say the least, regarding attachment of the gear struts. I found a pic of an Eduard build, I believe, that showed the placement details, and I replicated it as best I could with minimum effort.
Inner gear doors are painted too:
Exhausts:
Wheels:
I have the component parts of the MiG-3 cockpit all finished and awaiting assembly:
The exhausts were drilled out. The hollowed ends have since been painted black.
Wheels (the Flory wash seems much darker here than in "person"):
Main landing gear:
Inner gear doors:
Main gear bays:
Tailwheel:
The kit includes some rockets. I broke one "arm" of one rocket rack and it looks like a bear's *ss sewed up with a grapevine now. Those little rockets are damned fiddly to get attached too, so they may not end up being used.
Whew! If you're still with me after all that, thanks a lot! I appreciate your interest and comments and suggestions too! I should have more progress to report on both planes soon. When I do, you guys will be the first to know!
