Kagero | Lavochkin La-5, Vol. I
Reviewed by Kevin Williams
Publisher: Kagero
Author(s): Paduch
Publishing Date: 2021
ISBN: 978-83-66673-46-5
Pages: 76
This volume from Kagero (typical of several Monograph series, specifically where WWII aircraft are involved), is predominantly black & white photos of the Lavochkin La-5, showing various aspects of the aircraft on the ground and in the air There are several detail shots that are pretty clear, but I don't know if these are wartime photos, or post war captured museum type examples. While certainly not a walk around type reference, nonetheless a decent choice for those that may be interested in adding some nice La-5 reference to the ol' book collection, as I most certainly will be doing. (Volume #76 in the Kagero "Monographs" series.)
Also included in the book (not photographed here), is a two sided fold-out drawing (11-1/2" x 16"), showing plan, inverse plan and profile views in standard orthographic black and white drawings, all in 1:32 scale, which are really quite nice, a great plus that further enhances this volume. Featured in these drawings is the La-5 type 37.
Obviously, kits are available in our scale, of the La-5 (Craftworks), which is great, assuming you can actually find one. To the best of my knowledge, no injection kit of the aircraft yet exists, not in 1:32 scale anyway, which is a real shame, as good quality WWII VVS aircraft type kits seem to be vastly under-represented in this scale. Representative color artwork associated with various schemes/squadrons (in single profile illustrations), are also provided.
Photo samples
As seen, photos are generally not of the best quality, as is unfortunately typically the case with many wartime photos, but also includes some nice line drawings and color profiles.
For any and all fans of the interesting Lavochkin La-5 series (and who isn't), this book is just bound to please.
Summation
Topping out at roughly 76 pages of La-5 coverage, it is recommended, and will undoubtedly be an asset to those choosing to model this nifty little monoplane fighter.
My review copy compliments of Casemate Publishers. Thanks a ton to Casemate. All in, it's a truly nifty piece of reference work, and one that will surely be of interest to any aviation enthusiast/modeler that has a passion for the very interesting La-5 aircraft.
© Kevin Williams 2021
This review was published on Sunday, November 21 2021; Last modified on Monday, October 10 2022