Lavochkin La 168 Prop & Jet resin 1/72 - a delight to build

Not a very significant a/c. It first flew in 1948. Powered by the Russian equivalent of the RR Nene it lost out to the Mig 15.

This kit arrived just after Christmas. As I had spent some time struggling with an A Model La 250, and knowing how good Prop & Jet kits were, I decided to give myself a present and leave the 250 whilst I built this.

The parts are beautifully moulded and the surface finish is excellent with a complete absence of pinholes. They fit together well and very little filler is required.

One part that gave a little trouble was the u/c bay which has to be fitted into the fuselage before the halves are joined. Something didn't quite fit and since the mating parts can't be seen when the halves trial fitted this gave rise to a certain amount of frustration. This resulted in a major error as once I got the halves fitting I quickly  applied the glue and then realised that I had forgotten to put in the 4 grams of balance weight which has to be put behind the cockpit! I then had to drill a hole in the bottom of the fuselage to add it. One other thing that I did wrong was to assume that as the fuselage was moulded in grey I wouldn't need to paint the inside. Big mistake! It looks almost white when the model is finished.

The amazingly thin wing fences are moulded integral with the wing which saves a lot of fiddling. The wing leading edge needs a little cleaning up and whilst the wing to fuselage fit is very good a there is a hardly noticeable mismatch on the underside.

I found that the leading edge of the fin projected a bit too far forward but a little sanding brought it back into line.

The kit says to use transparent tape to cover over the landing light in the intake but I used a folded piece of plastic from a drinks bottle.

Two canopies are supplied. They are strong and of excellent quality. You should only need one.

The main u/c legs are intriguing as the tops are moulded in such a way that, when fitted, they automatically fit at the correct angle.

The kit instructions for fitting the u/c jacks are not very clear and the ones fitted to the doors are a little too long but I believe that this will be corrected.

This is a delightful kit and thoroughly recommended especially if it's your first resin kit.

John

I don't think that they are available in this country but if you want one contact Musa Zekoreev at [email protected]. 25 euro plus 8 euro packaging

Lovely stuff!

I have picked up a couple of his kits and they went together beautifully. Got a LA-150 on the board right now. Wish they were easier to get hold of direct from the manufacturer. Where did you source yours?

regards,

Will

John R,

What a SLEEK, SEXY looking Aircraft.

It's quite EXQUISITE looking on that suoerb silver/aluminum finish..

Impressive ..to see just one color like that Ames it looks very elegant.

I like it...

Well done Sir.

Will,

Mine came direct from Prop and Jet. Delivery is about 3-4 weeks.

You can also get them from Linden Hill

John

That's an amazing finish she has.

Very nicely done, John!  For those who are interested, Mr. Zekoreev (Mr. Prop & Jet) is now working on a 1/72nd scale resin I-153.  Finally, an accurate I-153 in 1/72nd scale!  Let's hope it's as nice as this La-168 (I suspect it will be).

Regards,

Jason