1:72 ASJA J13B; Swedish Voluntary Air Force (F19), early 1940

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The ASJA J13 was a Swedish fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was designed and produced by the AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning (Swedish Railroad Workshops' Air Plane Department, ASJA) in limited quantities as a transitional aircraft between the last of the biplanes and the first monoplane fighters.

Development under the project designation L13, work on the fighter started in 1930. From the start, the aircraft was to be a monoplane with a parasol layout and a wide, fixed landing gear that could easily be switched between spatted wheels and skis for winter operations. Optimized for the harsh climatic conditions in Northern Europe and with ruggedness and ease of field operations in mind, the L13 was to be powered by a robust Gnome-Rhône 9Krsd radial engine with 500 hp, driving a fixed, wooden two-blade propeller. The airframe was an all-metal construction, covered with fabric except for the front fuselage section (with the engine mount, the main tank and the wings' main attachment points), which was sheathed with duralumin. The armament consisted of a pair of 8 mm ksp m/22 machine guns (license built .30 AN/M2's) with 500 rounds each, mounted in front of the open cockpit and synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.

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1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The first prototype made its maiden flight in summer 1932, and after successful flight tests, the new fighter was accepted by the Swedish Air Force as J13 and series production started at once, even though at a slow pace because the engines had to be imported and French production was primarily allocated to domestic aircraft production. However, at the same time, the Swedish government was in negotiations with France concerning the procurement of complete aircraft like the Breguet 694 (which later became the S10 reconnaissance aircraft), and in the wake of these discussions, the import of the compact, but also more powerful, Hispano-Suiza 14AB radial engine with ~650 hp for the J13 (and other Swedish types on the drawing board) was considered.

Three initial Hispano-Suiza 14AB engines were delivered in 1933 for tests and development, and the sixth production J13 was modified to carry one of these new engines. Changes primarily consisted of a slightly extended cowling and a new, variable all-metal three-blade propeller, which significantly improved the aircraft's performance and handling. As another measure to improve the type's effectiveness, the light 8mm machine guns were replaced by F.N. Mitrailleuse d'Avion Browning 13,2 mm heavy machine guns (later license-built in Sweden as the Akan m/39).


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


However, during test flights, powerful vibrations were encountered, and the bigger engine as well as the heavier weapons caused stability problems, as the aircraft's center of gravity had moved forward. However, the new engine raised the aircraft's top speed by almost 50 km/h (30 mph), bringing the L13 on par with foreign contemporary fighters, so that the project pursued. Both engine problems were eventually cured through a stiffened internal structure around the engine mount and modified wings, which now featured a slight sweep and shifted the center of lift forward. In this form, the aircraft was designated J13B (while the initial version, of which only sixteen aircraft were built, was re-designated J13A) and entered production and service in early 1935. A total of 53 J13Bs were delivered to the Swedish Air Force until November 1936. Argentine and Japanese military representatives tested the rugged aircraft, but placed no orders.


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

As the J13B entered service, however, it was, despite the improvements, already obsolete. Nevertheless, the J13B received the opportunity to show its qualities: During the Winter War with the Soviet Union. Stalin launched all-out war on Nov. 30, 1939, and the Red Army assaulted the Mannerheim Line, also invading central Finland to sever supply lines from Sweden. The Soviet Navy prowled the coast. Aloft, VVS fighters and bombers struck at ports, cities, and installations. At that time, the Finnish Air Force (FAF) operated 30 Gloster Gladiator fighters, obtained from the UK. Besides the FAF Gladiators, the Swedish Voluntary Air Force came to aide and became responsible for the air defense of northernmost Finland during the conflict. The Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19 arrived in Finnish Lapland on 10 January 1940 and remained there until the end of hostilities. It fielded twelve Gladiator Mk II fighters (known in Sweden as the J8), six ASJA J13B fighters, five Hawker Hart dive bombers, plus a Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 liaison aircraft and a Junkers F.13 transport aircraft. The aircraft belonged to and were crewed by the Swedish Air Force, but flew with Finnish nationality markings.


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


While the Finns put up a spirited resistance during the winter of 1939-1940, their troops were ultimately no match for the sheer immensity of the Red Army. In February 1940, following one of the largest artillery bombardments since World War I, the Soviets renewed their onslaught and overran the Finnish defenses on the Karelian Isthmus. With its forces low on ammunition and nearing the brink of exhaustion, Finland agreed to peace terms the following month. Until then, the Swedes of F 19 managed to shoot down at least 10 Soviet planes. The most successful Finnish ace, Oiva Tuominenn, scored 4 victories flying a Swedish J8B (a Gladiator Mk.II).

The J13Bs were less successful, only a single air victory was claimed. This could not be attributed to the J13B's fighter performance, though, but rather to the fact that the type was primarily used for reconnaissance duties (its parasol design afforded a very good field of view) and ground attacks. The J13B's heavy machine guns proved to be very effective in the latter role, e.g. strafing troops and vehicles trying to cross Lake Ladoga, Viipuri Bay and other iced-over waterways. Furthermore, the pilots in the outdated Finnish and Swedish aircraft tried in general to avoid aerial combat with Soviet fighters whenever possible, rather attacking bombers. One J13B was lost in aerial combat (shot down by an I-16 monoplane), while another one was destroyed on the ground during an air raid.


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In early March 1940, Sweden announced it would not permit any foreign forces to cross its territory to fight in Finland. On March 6, after much debate, a Finnish delegation left for Stockholm, then flew on to Moscow, arriving the next day. There, on March 12, Finnish and Russian conferees signed a treaty of peace. The next day, at 11 a.m. Helsinki time, an uneasy peace returned. The treaty ending the Winter War forced Finland to cede 11 percent of its territory to the Soviet Union, yet the country maintained its independence and later squared off against Russia a second time during World War II. For the Soviets, meanwhile, victory came at a heavy cost. During just three months of fighting, their forces suffered over 300,000 casualties compared to around 65,000 for the Finns.

When the aircraft of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19 returned to Sweden, all remaining J13Bs were retired from frontline fighter service and relegated to advanced training, liaison and reconnaissance duties. The type was eventually retired in 1946.


General characteristics:
    Crew: one, pilot
    Length: 7.45 m (24 ft 4¾ in)
    Wingspan: 10.56 m (34 ft 7⅔ in)
    Height: 3.26 m (10 ft 8½ in)
    Wing area: 17.20 m² (185.1 ft²)
    Empty weight: 1,290 kg (2,841 lb)
    Loaded weight: 1,725 kg (3,800 lb)

Powerplant:
    1× Gnome-Rhône 14AB 14-cylinder radial engine, 477 kW (650 hp)

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 364 km/h (196 knots, 226 mph) at 3,850 m (12,630 ft)
    Range: 700 km (378 nm, 435 mi)
    Service ceiling: 10,000 m (32,810 ft)
    Rate of climb: 6.12 meters per second (1,200 feet per minute)
    Time to altitude: 5.7 min to 3,000 m (9,840 ft):

Armament:
    2× Automatkanon (a.k.a. Akan) m/39/F.N. Mitrailleuse d'Avion Browning 13,2 mm machine guns with 250 RPG



The kit and its assembly:
A rather simple affair – this is a SMER Morane Saulnier MS 225, a rather unknown pre-WWII design (and actually a fighter for the French navy), in a whiffy guise and with some small changes. I somehow found that the aircraft had a Swedish look to it (maybe because of the original, green livery?), so I built an according story for it.

The model was mostly built OOB. At some time, I considered a closed cockpit, similar to the Gloster Gladiator, but I eventually went for the OOB solution, I just added a pilot figure. The only changes I made are a different engine in the cowling (so that the 14 cylinder idea would work, it's a Jaguar radial from a Matchbox A. W. Siskin), a new three-blade propeller with a spinner (not certain from which model they came) and short but wide skis instead of the original, spatted wheels (left over from a PM Model Fokker XXI), for the intended winter operations with F 19. A scratched small ski was added to the tailskid, too.

After painting the model received some rigging with heated, black plastic sprue material, following the MS 225's pattern. Thankfully, only a few wires had to be added!


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
For a Swedish early-WWII aircraft, there's basically only one livery option: uniform olive green upper and light blue-grey undersides. Very simple, but also boring... An interesting alternative are import aircraft, which mostly retained their original livery (e.g. those imported from Italy), but this would not work in this case.
However, an interesting alternative are the Gladiators of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force during the Winter War, which had their original green/grey camouflage overpainted with bands of aluminum dope and the Swedish roundels replaced with Finnish swastikas or, after their deployment, black discs over the fuselage roundels. The latter is what I went for – also because I wanted to build such an aircraft for a long time.

Even though FS 34079 is recommended for the dark green tone, I rather went for a slightly lighter tone, Humbrol 163 (RAF Dark Green), which is also more brownish than the USAF Forest Green. The undersides of Swedish aircraft are frequently described as FS 36176 (USAF Neutral Grey), but this is IMHO again too dark for the model and lacks IMHO blue, so I rather used Humbrol 87 (Steel Grey).
The aluminum dope camouflage was added over the basic colors, just as in real life, and consists of Humbrol 56. This tone is IMHO a very good representation of the paint-soaked fabric, a rather dull, metallic grey than a shiny metallizer finish. The silver cammo was applied onto all upper wing surfaces and also wrapped around the whole fuselage, including the undersides, just as on the real aircraft.


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The spinner became red (Humbrol 19), indicating a fictional second F 19 squadron, all Gladiators of the unit carried yellow markings for the 1st squadron. An appropriate red code letter came from a Heller J21 (just the right size and shape for the standard position on the rudder). The black circles on the fuselage come from a grid number sheet for slot cars, the thistle emblem came from a Belgian Sopwith Camel (PrintScale). Many F 19 machines received, after their hot duty, similar individual decorations, so this is a plausible addition. No roundels were added to the wings at all – the late aircraft of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force only carried the overpainted fuselage markings, while no national markings were ever applied to the upper wing surfaces. On the wings' undersides, I added fields in a slightly different blue-grey tone, as if the original Finnish swastikas had been overpainted.

The kit received a light weathering wash with thinned black ink and was dry-brushed with lighter shades of the basic tones and medium grey in order to bring out the surface structures. Finally, some soot stains were added with grinded graphite and snow residue simulated on the skis with acrylic white paint, and the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish. Rigging was the final step.




1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 ASJA J13B; aircraft "Röd Adam (Red A)" of the Swedish Voluntary Air Force's Flying Regiment F 19, 2nd squadron; Finnish Winter War, early 1940 (Whif/modified SMER kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A relatively simple build, but I think the travesty of the French MS 225 into a contemporary fighter from Sweden works well. However, if I build another MS 225, I will certainly look for the original Heller kit, since the SMER kit show the age and the wear of the molds, with a lot of flash, need for cleaning and PSR. I assume that the Heller molds are/were much more crisp. The engine and propeller swap is very subtle, but esp. the three-blade propeller with the spinner change the aircraft's look well, making the J13 look a couple of years younger than it actually is. The unique camouflage with the alu dope bands also looks odd, but it works well over the snowy landscape of Finland!

[PR19_Kit]

Yes indeed, it certainly DOES look Swedish. 

Yet another Dizzy masterpiece. 

[Rick Lowe]

Nice work. 

[NARSES2]

I do like that 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you all, glad you like it!

And, BTW: Merry Christmas! 

[Captain Canada]

These boots were made for flyin' !

[stevehed]

I like it. I have a Heller in the stash and am always drawn to a SCW scenario. However, the Russo-Finland conflict is just as good and one can see the world's obsolescence being sent to the Baltic as aid against the Soviet aggressor.

Regards, Steve

[perttime]

The real world Swedish volunteers (about a third of the Swedish Air Force fighter planes at the time) did fight with Finnish insignia, but they painted on some funny insignia, just before returning home.

[Dizzyfugu]

That's the narrow time frame the model fits into, around March 1940. I wanted to avoid swastikas, even Finnish ones.

[chrisonord]

Cute wee fella isn't it.  Nice one  Dizzy 
Chris

[Tophe]

Congratulations!
I was puzzled ("where do these parts come from???")  but your explanations solved the mystery, thanks!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, too!

I was puzzled ("where do these parts come from???")  but your explanations solved the mystery, thanks!

Understandably. The MS 225 is SO obscure that it works well as a "whif out of the box", just with different markings. My changes were minimal (engine block, prop, skis), you could also easily add some Eastern European markings (Poland, Romania) and it would still work well.