An unrelenting cold (covid?) has been plaguing us during last week, causing a rather wet cough and even some fever in some family members. While I have been relatively mildly affected in comparison to others (likely due to my many covid shots) the usually so lovely Mrs P has had a proper dog of a weekend, so we wisely, if somewhat sadly took the decision to stay at home rather than popping off to the cottage.
One could have assumed that would have opened up for at least some modelling, but alas, other chores and tasks are legio, and accordingly, I've spent most of the weekend sorting garden things and repairing Land Rovers. On the downside, one of the youth cars took the opportunity to break down, meaning there's more work ahead, work work unaccounted for. Well - the net is at least not negative.. 

The only modelling related activity has been some early planning for a SEAD/wild weasel Viggen. There is an old and unfinished Heller Sk37 lying around, and I think it could be reasonable to imagine an JA37 derived twoseater, adding antennae roughly along the lines of the F-4G Phantom and anti-radar Rb05E's. I might have to source or make a few extra drop tanks though, as the twoseater Viggen has traded quite a bit of fuel for that backseater. 

While in Viggen territory, I read up a little bit on the proposed AJ37 replacement, the A20M1/M2. Basically, that was another JA37 derivative, using the reinforced fighter Viggen airframe and more powerful engine but replacing the air-to-air optimised radar with a more ground oriented set - if significantly more advanced than the old AJ37 set. Also the Oerlikon gun of the JA37 would have been carried over. It would probably have looked a lot like this, i.e like a JA37 in splinter camouflage.

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Effectively, this makes for a paint whif of a Heller JA37, featuring a mud moving loadout. Not that difficult, so maybe something that could be built without too much effort. Once all the other projects are off my table, that is.. 

Visually telling an AJ37 from a JA37 is fraught with difficulty, for non-Swedes anyway. I never could tell the difference, and still can't, even after installing the umpteen channel fatigue test rig for the JA37 at SAAB's Linkoping plant way back when!

What IS the visual difference between them please Mr. Pellson sir?

Looking forward to seeing this Viggen build. I really like that idea. Cheers

Unrelenting cold?  Sore throat the day before?  Did it arrive suddenly, Mr P?

That's how coved crept up and pounced on me last week.  Thankfully gone away now.

Looking forward to seeing the Viggen.  Can't go wrong with a Viggen.  Or a Lansen.

Quote from: PR19_Kit on September 22, 2024, 02:40:07 PMVisually telling an AJ37 from a JA37 is fraught with difficulty, for non-Swedes anyway. I never could tell the difference, and still can't, even after installing the umpteen channel fatigue test rig for the JA37 at SAAB's Linkoping plant way back when!

What IS the visual difference between them please Mr. Pellson sir?

It's easier than you think.

The first generation singleseaters (AJ, SF & SH) all had a different tailfin featuring straight leading and trailing edges. There's a small pitot near the tip.
The twoseater Sk and interceptor JA both had a slightly enlarged fin, having a dogtooth halfway down the leading edge where the pitot now also is placed. Also, the fin tip is somewhat taller and swept rearwards. There's also a blade antenna behind the fin on the interceptor that's not in the others. Finally, only the JA have the belly gun pack.

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Less obvious differences are the JA having four rudder actuators per main wing where the others had three and the JA drop tank having four fins arranged in a flat X whereas the others have three-finned tanks. Also, but this is expert level, the JA fuselage is extended 100 mm just ahead of the main wing, meaning the canard trailing edge no longer meet the main wing leading edge, seen from above or below. This was to allow for the longer RM8B engine, having gained an extra LP fan. The Special Hobby kits are the only ones so far capturing this, adding a thin ring to the fuselage. I would say it's rather unnecessary in 1/72 at least, even if I actually cut a Heller kit once, shimming in a piece of plastic sheet, just to show that I was aware.

EDIT: There's also a Tarangus kit in 1/72 that I would assume caters for the fuselage extension. I am however not aware of how they've done that in the latter kit.

That's very helpful, thanks so much. 

I have a vague feeling I should have known about the fuselage extension as the SAAB guys were changing the position of the rig's actuators while I was updating the controllers and the hydraulics back in '79, or maybe '80.

You learn something new every day. 

The Targus JA37, box number TA7203 was released in 2018 and was the first of the Viggens by both Targus and Special Hobby

TARGUS Viggen

Gondor

With all this Viggen talk I'm seriously going to have to get another one for dinking dang sure 🙃 😁
Having one just isn't enough chaps ...No2 is not going to be far away I'm a thinkin 🤔.

Managed to bid home an old Heller Draken kit today.

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It's nowhere near the Hasegawa issue from an accuracy perspective, but the perk is the two seater parts in the Heller kit. Maybe something nice can be combined out of the two?
Together with the Heller Draken, I got an even older Revell Draken kit. While being outright awful, it does depict a J35A (short) and as such, it features the original fin and short intakes of the J35A, B and Sk35C versions as well as the flat canopy, featured on the J35A, B and D versions. Also, there's the short exhaust of the original RM5A/Ebk65 rather than the extended and spur wheeled tail of the J35D/E/F/J RM6C/Ebk66.

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You can, if you really want to, build a decent if not fantastic Sk35C with these parts, but you can also, theoretically at least, whif something a little more fun than that. We shall see where things end up.

I had a Heller copy that got consumed for parts. It looked pretty rough. If I were going to build a Draken I'd use something else. In whiff world anything is possible.

Quote from: kerick on September 24, 2024, 02:44:29 PMI had a Heller copy that got consumed for parts. It looked pretty rough. If I were going to build a Draken I'd use something else. In whiff world anything is possible.

The Heller is the only game in town for the two seater, should you not want to go the ridiculously expensive and not necessarily more accurate way of combining a Hasegawa kit with a more or less suspect resin conversion. And, as said, I might not necessarily want to go full Sk35C. We shall see.. 

Heller were very good at providing parts for single and two seater versions in the same kit.

They did just the same with their F-104 kit, and their 2 seat bits for that one were just about the only ones available too.

Having received the two Draken kits, I obviously promptly began fiddling with them, looking at different ways to get something nice out of them. However, as my desk rapidly crowded beyond any practical state, I soon realised that I will have to base any project on the oh, so nice, but also abominably expensive Hasegawa kit, then adding stuff from the other kits to that. Having come to that conclusion, I packed the kits up, putting them to one side until I have sourced two more Hase Drakens. Ah, well..

Maybe now I can do the final small things on the Danish trio instead? Or does anyone really believe I can extend my attention span long enough to actually close them off? Pff... 

I believe in you mate...  

Quote from: zenrat on September 26, 2024, 03:55:45 AMI believe in you mate...  

We all do