Jealousy and hidden love for that sound, will get you no where in life. :-P

But the Merlin!

Has a nice sound when it's bursting into flames. lol

Those are the exhausts mate!:grin:
I know which id rather use

Yeah, I don't recall Yak or La pilots complaining about their planes getting hit with some rounds, and gasoline spilling into the cockpit. :P But it was all to common for the Hurricanes and Spitfires, which were prone to that because of a fuel tank being right there in front of them.

So I know which I'd rather use. lol

Werent they still using radial engines?

Yak's used straight inline engines, except the Yak-11 which was a Yak-3 with a radial, but they were used as trainers; rather than fighters. La's used radials, but they were fuel injected. So that's why they don't cut out when you nose them down like the I-16 and I-153.

But radials were outdated technology.
oh course folk this is all in the name of fun

Well there are really just one Radial engine, that the La's used. But there are two makers. First there was the La-5 with just a plain old M-82 Radial engine, fuel injected (this is 42' so it was more common than in the 30s.) After the La-5F which was just a higher RPM M-82, named the M-82 Engine. The La-5FN came out, which was a M-82FN radial engine. Once again the RPM was just increased, and the engine was lightened for better performance.

Once the La-7 came out, a new developer took charge and it became the ASh-82 radial engine. Which once more was just a M-82FN lightened even more, and higher RPMs. (history less over. :P)

And everyone knows Russia in general likes keeping things simple. And Radial engines are probably one of the simplest engines out there. lol

Thats all fine and dandy but its still not a rolls royce.