ixo – MODELS
Series: Junior
DDIJ00010 – LAVOCHKIN La-7
USSR
Die Cast
Scale: 1/72
Released: October 2006
Condition: Stock as issued
This October 2006 release of ixo-Junior Series plane models includes nine pieces. Models from this series became more and more popular among collectors.
Models quality can be described as very good to excellent. Packaging is a blister pack inside of the series standard outer carton box (white color with an orange stripes) it has an insert with a background picture of an aerial panorama. Presentation is good. Each model comes with two sets of landing gears (for landing and flying display position) and a stand. Though the company doesn’t officially announced the livery all planes presented in the accurate livery of real planes that participated in the WW II, with exception of absence of the swastika on tails of German planes. The company has an excellent variety of plane models which includes models of “celebrities” but also of many subjects that can’t be find at any other 1:72 scale die cast plane models manufacturers collections.
Models from this series originally release as a part of collection of the Spanish Publishing Company “Altaya” that also sales collectibles via subscription. Models of planes, tanks, cars and motorbikes from Altaya list are made by ixo-Models. There are speculations regarding relationship between these two companies. The fact is plane models released originally under Altaya name became available under ixo-Junior badge after some time. As of October 2006 Altaya’s list consists of fifty plane models with approximately half of this number is available under ixo-Junior badge.
Models usually sold out by the manufacturer upon their release and available at retailer places only for a short time.
Lavochkin La-7
Further refinements of La-5FN lead to the Lavochkin La-7, the final model in the line of Lavochkin design fighter plane, the best Soviet piston engine fighter and one of the best fighter of the WW II.
5,753 of this superb fighter of WW II were built by the 1946 when production ended. Refinements included improvements in aerodynamics, incorporation of light weight alloy materials instead of wood and more. Armament was intended to be upgraded to three B-20 20 mm cannons, however only planes built at Yaroslavl plant get this arrangement, those built at Moscow Plant still have double ShVAK 20 mm cannons as it was on La-5FN.
Some modification had turbo-supercharges (La-7TK), rocket boosters (La-7R),
La-7 earned outstanding combat record, the leading Allied Ace Ivan Kozhedub (62 confirmed kills) flown this plane and was the only Soviet pilot to shoot down German Jet Fighter Me 262. This fighter was superior to any German piston engine plane. Though FW-190 latest modifications had some advantage in speed in altitude above 4,000 m but on the Eastern Front it could hardly find any activities at that altitude and in addition that high speed of German planes could be sustained for a short time only. At low altitude it was not a big thread for more agile Russian La-5, La-7, Yak-3 and Yak-7. According to Western standards of the time the cockpit equipment was insufficient but practically all missions of Soviet fighters were at short and medium range therefore navigational equipment was a low priority compare to agility and performance.
Crew 1, wingspan 9.8m, length 8.6m, height 2.6m, weight empty 2620 kg, weight start 3400 kg, max speed 680 km/h, cruise speed 450 km/h, ceiling 11800 m, range 990 km.
History of Development
In 1938 the State Industry Ministry of Aviation allowed Semyon Lavochkin, Vladimir Gorbunov and Mikhail Gudkov to establish their own design bureau that was named LaGG. The first design of the bureau would be an air-superiority fighter of a high altitudes of up to 5 km / 16,405 feet. Due to severe shortage of strategic materials the plane was mostly designed to be built almost entirely of plywood. The first plane was named LaGG 1, which had its madden flight on March 30, 1939. Results of flight tests were no good, shown indifferent handling and bad performance along with numerous defects. With some initial difficulties had been worked out, the design considered promising and results of the 1939 Winter War with Finland shown argent need of modernization of Soviet (Red Army) Airforce the plane originally designated I-22 (“Istrebitel / Destroyer” Russian for a fighter / pursuits plane) was ordered into production. Some 100 planes including seven carefully custom-built and finished to high standard prototypes were sent to evaluation squadrons. Shortcomings of the plane were obvious, it was underpowered, lacked agility and range, the mass-produced examples were crude. As reports of existed problems were sent back to the bureau the design team made series of modifications and improvements were made. Its Klimov (bureau chief) M-105P Vee 12 cylinders inline water-cooled engine rated 1050hp (Russian derivative of the French Hispano-Suiza HS-12Y engine) was replaced with more powerful modification M-105PF. Improvements were insufficient and with no alternative powerplant the team decided to reduce the plane weight that was achieved by lighten of the airframe and replacing two 12.7 mm machine-guns with 7.62 mm and 23 mm canon replaced by 20 mm canon. For armament comparison with its opponents it is need to be noticed that soviet cannons usually had higher rate of fire and more powerful ammunition. Improvement in maneuverability and climb were achieved by addition of fixed slats to the wings. The improved version was named I-301 latter re-designated LaGG-3 and replaced LaGG-1 immediately.
LaGG-3 was the most advance plane available for the VVS (Voenno Vosdyshnue Silu / Military Air Force) or Red Army Air Force at the time of German Invasion on June 22, 1941. The plane had strong airframe was close in performance to its rival German Messerschmitt Bf-109F and was somewhat superior in maneuverability. However, the plane still underpowered and wood-laminate construction continued to be poor quality
Obviously the plane didn’t gained any popularity and they say that it was nicknamed by its crews and pilots as “Lakirovannui Garantirovanui Grob / could be interpretated as Varnished Guaranteed Coffin” that as the name of the bureau will have the abbreviation LaGG.
During the production cycle the total of 6,258 planes of somewhat 66 minor variants were built. Due to LaGG-3 shortcomings the bureau became not popular with Staling and most factory assigned for the plane production were reassigned for production of Yak-1 and Yak-7 (Soviet rivals). The design team unofficially experimented with installation of a large radial engine (Shvetsov Ash-82) on the LaGG-3 airframe over the winter of 1941-1942. Test flights immediately shown superiority of the new variant compare to both Yak fighters. The new plane designated as La-5 went into production in Summer of 1942 and become one of the Red Army Air Force most capable fighter. By the 1943 La-5 had became a mainstay of the Red Army Air Force. Improvements of La-5 (fuel-injected engine, lightening of the airframe, fixed slats) resulted in plane designated as La-5FN, which became the definitive version of the aircraft.
