Saab J 19A - the 'Swedish Zero' that never was...

[Dizzyfugu]

And now for something completely different... Sweden! Another quickie build - the whiffy Saab J 19, which never saw the light but at least receives this model kit hommage (sort of?):


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded from four to seven squadrons. When World War II broke out in 1939 further expansion was initiated and this substantial expansion was not finished until the end of the war.

Although Sweden never entered the war, a large air force was considered necessary to ward off the threat of invasion and to resist pressure through military threats from the great powers. By 1945 the Swedish Air Force had over 800 combat-ready aircraft, including 15 fighter divisions.

At the onset of World War II, the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) was equipped with largely obsolete Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters. To augment this, Sweden ordered 120 Seversky P-35 (J 9) and 144 P-66 Vanguard (J 10) aircraft from the United States. However, on 18 June 1940, United States declared an embargo against exporting weapons to any nation other than Great Britain. As the result, the Flygvapnet suddenly faced a shortage of modern fighters. Several other foreign alternatives were considered: the Finnish VL Myrsky and Soviet Polikarpov I-16 were unsatisfactory, and while the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was available, delivery from Japan was impractical.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Anyway, the Zero had already left a deep impression in Sweden, and Saab had presented to the Ministry on Sep 4th 1939 a fighter that had been meant to replace the obsolete Gloster Gladiators, which carried the internal development code 'L-12'. Work must have started at least a year earlier by Saab, though, and probably in collaboration with US engineers in Sweden who were to aid with license production of the Swedish Northrop 8-A 1s and NA-16-4 Ms.

The L-12 looked very much like a Zero, and was an all-metal construction with fabric covered control surfaces. Maximum speed was calculated to be 605 km/h and it was to be powered by a 1.065 hp Bristol Taurus. Its relatively heavy armament consisted of four wing-mounted 13.2mm guns and two 8 mm MGs on top of the engine, the latter firing through the propeller.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The design was quickly approved and the new aircraft was to be introduced to the Flygvapnet as the 'J 19', outfitted with a more powerful Bristol Taurus II, giving 1400 hp with 100-octane fuel and pushing the top speed to 630 km/h. But the outbreak of the war spoiled these plans literally over night: the L-12 had to be stopped, as the intended engine and any import or license production option vanished. This was a severe problem, since production of the first airframes had already started at Trollhättan, in the same underground factory where the B 3 bomber (license-built Ju-86K of German origin with radial engines) was built: about 30 pre-production airframes were under construction, but lacked an appropriate engine!

With only half of an indigenous aircraft at hand and the dire need for a modern fighter, the Swedish government decided to outfit these initial aircraft with non-license-built Wright R-2600-6 Twin Cyclone radial engines with an output of 1.600 hp (1.194 kW). This was a stop-gap solution, since P&W Twin Wasp engines had also been considered, but the US didn't want to sell any engines at that time to Sweden.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Finally, the first batch of J 19 finally saw the light of the day, and the complete 3rd squadron of Flygflottilj 3 in Lidköpping was equipped with the new aircraft. A total of 24 aircraft were completed and delivered in late 1940. Further, uncompleted airframes were left in stock for spares, and further production was halted, since the engine question could not be solved sufficiently.

Another reason why J 19 production was not kept up was that it proved to be a controversial aircraft, not only due to its dubious engine. While the J 19 was basically a fast and agile aircraft, the R-2600 engine was rather cumbersome and not suited well for a fighter. As a consequence, the J 19 could not live up to its potential and was no real match for modern and more agile fighters like the Bf 109 or the Spitfire. Nevertheless, the J 19 was kept in service and quickly relegated to the ground attack role, but this failure caused Sweden to buy a batch of Fiat CR.42 Falco (J 11) biplanes and sixty Reggiane Re.2000 Falco (J 20) as further interim solutions. Additionally, the FFVS J 22 was another light fighter option that relied on a SFA STWC-3G 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with 795 kW (1,065 hp) and gave sufficient performance. And the J 22 eventually filled the role that had been envisaged for the J 19.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Anyway, the J 19 filled another gap in the Flygvapnet's arsenal, and the aircraft was nevertheless welcome. To add some punch against hardened targets and to improve the range of fire, two of the aircraft's 13.2mm wing-mounted guns were soon replaced by 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 or Bofors cannons, and racks under the outer wings added for either two 250kg bombs, eight unguided rockets or eight 50kg bombs. This configuration received the designation of J 19A, and eventually all aircraft were brought to this standard until mid 1942. No new aircraft was ever produced after the initial batch.

No J 19 ever fired in anger or was involved in battle, since Sweden remained neutral in WWII and stayed out of any conflict with its neighbors at war. Another major problem for the Swedish Air Force during World War II was the lack of fuel. Sweden was surrounded by countries at war and could not rely on imported oil. Instead, domestic oil shales were heated to produce the needed petrol, which was rather allocated to the interceptor units.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

After WWII, the Swedish Air Force underwent a rapid modernization. It was no longer politically acceptable to equip it with second-rate models. The J 19s were kept in service, though, and soldiered on after the war was over until 1948, when all remaining aircraft were scrapped. Additionally, Wright was also paid the overdue license fees for the originally unlicensed engines. After that, the Swedish Air Staff purchased the best it could find from abroad, e. g. P-51D Mustangs, De Havilland Mosquito NF.19 night fighters and de Havilland Vampires, and supported the development of top performance domestic models.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Saab J 19A General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 9.06 m (29 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 22.44 m² (241.5 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,680 kg (3,704 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,410 kg (5,313 lb)
Aspect ratio: 6.4

Powerplant:
1 × Wright R-2600-6 Twin Cyclone radial engine, rated at 1.600 hp (1.194 kW),

Performance:
Maximum speed: 590 km/h (366 mph) at 4.550 m (14.930 ft)
Cruise speed: 340 km/h (210 mph)
Landing speed: 140 km/h (90 mph)
Range: 1.337 km (830 mi; 721 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10.000 m (33.000 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.7 m/s (3,100 ft/min)

Armament:
2× 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 or Bofors cannons with 60 RPG
2× 13.2 mm (0.53 in) M/39A (Browning M2) machine guns with 500 RPG




The kit and its assembly
The Saab J 19 never saw the hardware stage, but it was a real life project that was actually killed through the outbreak of WWII and the lack of engines. Anyway, it was/is called the "Swedish Zero" because it resembled the Japanese fighter VERY much – wing shape, fuselage, even the cockpit glazing! Since I had an unused Hobby Boss Zero (a late model) in store, I decided to build a personal J 19 whif, just in case it would have entered service...


1:72 Saab J 19A (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Much of the Zero was taken OOB – Hobby Boss kits are of simple construction, but they have thick/massive material which makes conversions rather difficult, so I changed anything that was easy to handle. This includes:

● A new R-2600 engine, from a Matchbox B-25 Mitchell bomber
● New horizontal stabilizers from a Matchbox Brewster Buffalo
● A new propeller with spinner
● Main landing gear was inverted, so that the wheel discs face inwards
● Wheels from a Brewster Buffalo
● New retractable tail wheel, from a P-51 Mustang
● A Matchbox pilot was added to the cockpit, as well as some details


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings
I did not want to use a typical olive green/light blue Swedish livery on this one, even though it would have been the most suitable option. Furthermore, I would not fall for the popular splinter scheme (Viggen style), which would by far not have been appropriate for the intended early WWII era. What to do...?

I did some legwork and found the Swedish B 3 bombers (Ju 86K), which were actually produced in Trollhättan under license in the late 30ies, and these wore various camouflage schemes, including German RLM colors, even the pre-WWII Luftwaffe splinter scheme in RLM 61, 62, 63 and 65. That made me curious, since I expected the colors to have a sharp contrast and make the Swedish and squadron markings stand out – but I did not go for the splinter look, I rather based my livery on a late B 3 scheme.


1:72 Saab J 19A (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Painting was done with free hand and brushes, using Model Master enamels from the Authentic range, namely 2075 Dunkelbraun, 2076 Grün, 2077 Hellgrau and 2078 Hellblau as basic tones. These semi-gloss enamels are – in contrast to the other WWII RLM tones – easy to use and create a very fine finish.
Some weathering was done through dry-painting with lighter shades on the panels and leading edges, and a thin black ink wash was applied in order to emphasize the fine recessed panel lines of the Hobby Boss kit. Later some smoke and soot stains were added with dry-brushed matt black.

Only a few decals were applied: the Swedish roundels come from a TL Modellbau aftermarket sheet, the yellow 'G' on the fin with its white outline (the yellow color was generally associated with a 3rd squadron, and it's repeated on the spinner as a quick recognition marking – a practice that the Flygvapnet kept even after WWII) actually belongs to an Italeri Do 217 bomber, and the '3' on the fuselage was lent from an Airfix Saab Draken. Plain and simple.


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab J 19A; aircraft 'G Yellow' of 3rd squadron, Flygflottilj 3 (F 3); Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force); Lidköping, early 1941 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



In the end, a simple whif, and it still looks a lot like a Zero – but so did the J 19! I am not truly happy with the RLM tone cammo, it looks like a winter scheme? But after taking pics with a forest background, both scheme and colors seem very appropriate for that environment, blending shapes. And it looks far more interesting than a pure olive green aircraft, doesn't it?

As a side note: if you ever consider building a Star Trek Klingon 'Bird of Prey', consider RLM 62 as you basic color of choice!

[Pellson]

Great conversion. It's "almost" a Zero, but not entirely, much as the SAAB L-12. 

However - as you actually have produced a very believable backstory - there are a few discrepancies that doesn't really match:

- The ID letter on the fin was introduced in RSwAF 1944. Prior to that, large white or black two-digit numbers was used, painted on the fin but also on the sides of the engine cowling
- The font on the wing no by the roundel on the side was introduced in 1962. Also, this number was black until 1944.
- The location on F3 (3rd Wing) was always LiNköping rather than LiDköping. At Lidköping, or rather in the vicinity of it, F7 was located.
- The camouflage you have used was basically only used on the imported, german manufactured Ju 86:s for as long as they were kept in original shape. As soon as generally overhauled, they became overall topside olive green with sky undersurfaces.

However, and as this is whif-world - by altering the time frame for your actual model to 1944-45 and moving it to LiNköping (eastern Sweden, and actually the hometown of SAAB), you'd come around the most glaring "errors" as - as you very correctly point out - the existing camouflage very well could have been a winter camo, and God knows we have winters over here...

In any case - all in all - a magnificent and very believable effort! Thanks for showing!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you for the input/feedback, Pellson. I expected that the whole thing has some serious flaws - Swedish aircraft are a bit obscure (for 'outsiders'), so I tried just to scratch together what I found out. I'll leave it as it is, though - but the information is very welcome, thanks a lot for taking the time! 

[comrade harps]

Made me look twice - and again some more. Thought I recognized the B-25 cowling (played with the idea of popping one on my Indian Myrsky whif). Simple things like that can make a big difference.

I took the rather attractive camo to be a winter scheme and love it.   

[Dizzyfugu]

Yup, the colors look odd - I expected the whole thing not to look SO special. My idea was to have the L-12/J 19 built in the same plant as the B 3 bombers, so that using the RLM paints on them would be a 'natural choice'. In the end, the colors do not really look plausible - but I did not want an all-olive aircraft. The wild pattern 'hides' the Zero heritage underneath...

The Matchbox R-2600 fits pretty well, as you can tell from the pics. I also had a Twin Wasp (from a B-24) at hand, but finally settled for the Mitchell part because it just looks more different - even though the spinner propeller reminds a lot of the Zero.

Not a prefect kit, in many ways, but if it makes you wonder or think, it has accomplished its mission. 

Thanks for having a look and your feedback!

[NARSES2]

I like that. I knew the cowling was different but didn't think "Mitchell"

[Hotte]

Nice Zero 

Hotte

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Interesting idea and a good-looking model.

[Army of One]

Cracking build.....love the paint scheme....

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot! 

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Superb wee build/conversion. Really like the camo scheme too, may well steal that sometime in the future 

Ian

[Spey_Phantom]

Sorry to Bump this thread, but i was watching a new episode of Aviation Deepdive on Youtube, and noticed something hauntingly familiar at 6:11 minutes in 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plbQsWoslO0

[DogfighterZen]

Sorry to Bump this thread, but i was watching a new episode of Aviation Deepdive on Youtube, and noticed something hauntingly familiar at 6:11 minutes in 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plbQsWoslO0

I'd already "watched" the video but i was also working on my Spiteful so i mostly listened to the video and missed it... but it is Dizzy's model indeed but there's no mention of his name or his Flickr account in the source list...

[Rick Lowe]

Just a bit Rude, that...

[Gondor]

At least two aircraft of Dizzy's. A Zero and the Lysander conversion.

Gondor