LaGG-3 11th series TOKO (Roden) 1/72

last update 8/27/2016





Introduction
Recently, the weathering method using silicone barrier is popularized in AFV modeling. So, I tried to apply this method to winter camouflage of aircraft. I selected TOKO's LaGG-3 - now it is sold in Roden brand - for the testbed. This kit modelizes all sub types with many convertible parts. But unfortunately, in the result, demarcation and distortion of parts break its outline shape. Aside from that, the kit upper cowl is too slim to include Klimov engine and the cross section shape of the canopy is not correct.

Each model of LaGG-3 is designated by its production batch number. Early batches have upper nose bulges for 7.62mm guns. These bulge and gun were deleted after 8th series. The round shape spinner was introduced after 23rd series in place of the cone-shaped spinner. Wing leding edge slats were after 35th series. The flat glass windscreen was after 66th series. Among them, I chose 11th series. One of the reason was that early style gun bulges might disrupt nose correction works.


11th series drawings
I made original drawings as usual. Fortunately, recently I've got Official Election & Maintenance Manuals of LaGG-3, La-5 and La-7. They contain ordinate tables of fuselage frames and airfoil, the general three view of LaGG-3. These data of manuals are fully applied to my drawings.


  • I quote some of manual data; the total length : 8,844mm (it's different from some references!), wing span : 9,800mm, horizontal fin span : 3,400mm, wing chord : 2,650mm(root) 1,000mm(tip), dihedral : 5°(wing ref.line), airfoil : NACA23000. These data are described in the general three view of the E&M manual.

  • There is the ordinate table of the fuselage frame backward of the firewall in LaGG-3 manual. Thus, the maximum width and height of each frame are correctly known. For example, the lower width of the firewall is 900mm. The cross section drawings are plotted with these ordinates. The vertical fin is as well.

  • The slide rail of the canopy is parallel to the horizontal plane. Ordinates of the upper longeron show this fact. On the other side, the slide rail is not parallel in the top view.

  • As for the engine cowl, there is no ordinate and no dimention in the manual. So I used some photos of actual aircraft. The shape and size of rear fuselage were exactly drawn using the ordinate table. Photos were fit to this fusalage drawing (the error of the perspective was adjusted if necessary). Then the cowl shape was traced. As the result of this method, I assume the total length 8,844mm isn't include the nose canon (and tail light?).

  • Each wing station diagram is in the manual. Each rib is vertical to the horizontal plane and each station is the projection of the horizontal plane.

  • The incidentce of main wing is 1°and the horizontal fin is 0°. This value is described on the drawing of La-5 manual. Wing thickness ratios is calculated from the airfoil ordinate table of LaGG-3 manual. These values are 14.7%(root), 10.2%(rib 11) and 7.5%(tip - rib 15). The thickness of the horizontal fin is described in La-5 manual. For example, these are 103mm(rib 2 at front spar) and 108mm(rib 2 at rear spar).

  • The main wing spar and inner portion of rear spar are orthogonal to the thrust line. The main spar is connected to fuselage frame #1 and the rear spar is to #3. The horizontal fin front spar is to #12, rear spar is to #14.






4th series drawings


35th series drawings


66th series drawings

  • When I superimpose my drawing and side view photos of 66th series aircraft, it's safe to say that the 66th series nose is somewhat extended. The proportion between the nose portion (from the cowl front edge to cockpit bulkhead) and the tail portion (from the cockpit bulkhead to tail fin) is obviously different compared to former series. The length of the extention is not sure. I assume 85mm approx.

  • The relative position of each detail on the power eggf is not changed. The extension may be done at the accessory cowl. One of the collateral evidence is the position relation of the exhaust trailing edge and the panel line of the accessory cowl.

  • The engine air intake at the wing root seems to be moved as well.

  • See the photo in "LaGG Fighters In Action (squadron signal)" page 33 lower. The nose of the aircraft with ski seems to be extended as well. Is it in a transient period?


Construction of the fuselage and wing



This is the kit original upper cowl. The nose is too narrow to include a Klimov M-105 engine.
This is the kit original canopy. The cross section of the kit is angular. Actual aircraft is a roundish egg shape.

The rear quater window was replaced with kit canopy parts. The width of the fuselage was narrowed.
There is a large step (red arrow).

The kit demarcation lines were adjusted and rejoined. The kit nose was a little shorter than my drawings. So, 1mm(0.04") plastic sheet was inserted.
The center of the kit upper cowl was cut and a shim was inserted (blue arrow). The kit demarcation line of fillet and upper wing was not correct. Therefore, the wing upper surface bends at the incorrect straight line (red arrow).

The kit fillet was cut at the correct line and glued to the wing. Then the wing surface was sanded straight.
The wing and fuselage were joined. The plan shape of the leading edge corner was corrected (red arrow).



Canopy
I scratch-built the canopy with 0.4mm(0.016") transparent styrene sheet (Tamiya Plaban 0.4mm). The mold was made of chemical wood. Details of this method are described in my SB2C Helldiver article. Styrene sheet was heat formed to be 1mm (0.04") thick. For, tranparent styrene sheet shrink and grow thick when it is heated. Then both outside and inside surface was sanded to be 0.5mm(0.02") thick and adjusted its outline shape.



The scratch-built canopy (berow) and chemical wood mold (upper).
Fitting of the fuselage was adjusted.

Canopy frames were engraved with 0.3mm(0.01") double needle. Then the surface was polished.
The rear quater window and some other panel lines were engraved with machine cut template. These cutting data are from my drawings.



Details



The pilot seat, bullet proof board and instrument panel were scratch-built.
The seat were tentatively set in the cockpit.

The far-right is the kit seat back and bullet proof board.
Side walls might be painted silver. The seat and instrument panel were painted light gray. Upper edges of the cockpit were covered with leather.

The landing light was heat formed transparent styrene sheet. The method was the same as the canopy. Panel lines were engraved with a double needle.
The lip of the engine air-intake was replaced with plastic sheet.

The kit spinner was good in its shape. The cannon muzzle was made of 0.9mm(0.035") and 1.1mm(0.043") brass pipes.
The upper blade was corrected its shape. The lower two blades were kit original.

Ribs of control surfaces were depicted with surfacer.
The 12.7mm gun muzzle were brass pipe. The edge was engraved with template.

The propeller, gun and cannon muzzle were finished.
The gap between the canopy and fuselage was filled with surfacer. But the canopy was not glued on the fuselage in this stage. Scotch tape was attached on the canopy.



Marking research
I chose Capt. Mironov's aircraft of the 609th IAP in early 1942. I refered the sovietwarplanes.com. The upper surface was washed-out winter camoufulage on the original scheme of AMT-6 Black and AMT-4 Camoufulage Green. The lower surface was AMT-7 Grayish Blue. The pattern of Black/Green scheme is unclear. So I presumed as common pattern of early LaGG-3s. Only starboard nose seemed to be repainted. The color of individual markings were followed to above web site.


Painting



Dark Gray was 7:3 of black and white. Dark Green was #303 FS34102.
The demarcation line was Bru-tack.

Red stars, fuselage arrows and aircraft numbers were painted with machine cut masking sheet. This picture shows its positioning.
Markings were finished.



Silicone barrier weathering
Silicone barrier is a mold release agent applied on a silicone casting mold for resin casting. Before applying silicone barrie, gross clear paint was sprayed on the semi-flat model surface. The gloss surface makes peeling works easy. Then Mr. Silicone Barrier of GSI Creos was sprayed with an airbrush. Delution was not needed. The thickness of silicone barrier layer relates easiness of peeling, so I recommend you to test before real part. Next, X2 Flat White of Tamiya Aclyric Paint was sprayed unevenly. Thick paint isn't so good. After drying, White paint was peeled with a tooth brudh and water. Fine brushes of oil painting and cotton swabs were used as well. A metal spatula and tweezers were used for pinpoint peeling such as panel line edges. After peeling, semi-flat clear was over sprayed for coating.



These are Mr. Silicone Barrier and the testbed. The starboard side was clear coated and port side was flat.
Tamiya Aclyric Paint was deluted with its dedicated thinner and sprayed. The port side was thinly and the starboard side was thickly sprayed.

White paint was peeled with tooth brush and water. Note that the results of port and starboard were different.
As a test, paint was peeled moreover with cotton swabs and alcohol.

Clear paint was sprayed and markings were masked. Then Silicone Barrier was sprayed.
X2 Flat White was randomly over sprayed.

First, white paint was peeled a little with a tooth brush and fine oilpaint brush. This state is not bad as normal condition of winter camoufulage, is it?
Moreover.

Moreover. You can quit anytime you like.
I quitted peeling at this state.

Very thin white was partially sprayed to reduce the contrast.



Details



The gear leg and cover were kit parts. Tires were from Airfix's Defiant. They were too small for Defiant to use. The lower right is the kit tire. It is rather small.
I didn't have solid evidence of colors for the landing gear. Some early Lagg-3s might have the smooth tread tire. But I don't know as for Capt. Mironov's aircraft.

I lost the kit tail gear. So it was scrach-built with sprue.
Finished.

The kit gear bay was narrow, it was extended by 2mm(0.08") outward. The actuator was made of sprue.
After gear parts were glued, I noticed that the angle of the lower hem of the lert and right wheel cover were different. Well, I ignored them.

The antenna mast and gun sight were added.
The gunsight was scratch-built.

The exhaust pipe was made of 1.5mm(0.06") styrene rod. The lower is the kit part.
Small pipes and base were from the kit.



Completion
The last contsruction work was the drop tank racks from Tamiya Il-2 parts. I was satisfied with the corrected engine cowl and canopy. The silicone barrier weathering method was satisfiable as well. I think its impact is dramatic and eye-catching. Meanfhile the work is unexpectedly easy. And this method may be widely applicable for example flaking camouflage paint of Japanese late ww2 aircraft.



LaGG-3 (11th Series) flown by Capt. V.P.Mironov of 609th Fighter Aviation Regiment, in early 1942, Kandalaksha ,Murmanskaya Oblast, USSR.























Capt. Mironov

 Capt. Victor Pavlovich Mironov had moved to 609th IAP from 145th IAP in late 1941 and he became the commander of 609th IAP. He was nicknamed "Black Arrow" from his aircraft marking. 609th IAP consisted of I-16s, MiG-3s and LaGG-3s was based at Kandalaksha, Murmanskaya Oblast and fought against Finland. Capt. Mironov was killed in an accicent of a practice with La-5 on Feb.16 1943. Until then, he clamed more than 20 shoot-down.



Capt. Mironov's portrait from "sovietwarplanes.com"



Illustrations

 The first one is Capt. Mironov's aircraft before the winter of 1941-42.




The next one is the same situation as my model in early 1942.




The third one is after spring of 1942. According to the "sovietwarplanes.com", I painted the fuselage star and arrow in black.













References

1 Famous Airplanes Of The World No.143 Lavochkin Fighters 978-4-89319-195-3 Bunrindo
2 LaGG Fighters in action aircraft no.163 0-89747-634-7 Squadron/Signal Publications
3 Aircraft Of The Aces 56 LaGG & Lavochkin Aces of World War 2 1-84176-609-7 Osprey Pubsishing
4 Wydawnictwo Militaria 249 LaGG-3 978-83-7219-249-3 Wydawnictwo Militaria
5 Red Stars Soviet Air Force WWII 951-95821-4-2 Ar-Kustannus Oy
6 Red Stars In The Sky 1 Soviet Air Force In World War Two 951-9035-50-8 Tietoteos



Web Sites

 Capt.Mironov's aircraft

Paint guide for Soviet aircraft







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