JAS-39 'Gripen' - Revell - Double Build
Box art
3rd party extras (Eduard PE set, precut masks, ladder, RBF tags plus a Litening pod)
I didn't follow the instructions, but started with cementing together the front and back fuselage parts straight away. The fit is not overly impressing and I needed liquid sprue (sprue melted in Tamiya Extra Thin Cement) to fill the soft join lines.
Now I had traditional left and right fuselage halves instead of four parts to be joined without gaps or steps
Cockpit assembly - quite nice but everything is rather basic and definitely benefits from some additional photo-etched detail. One of the ejection seat sides was eaten by the cat, so I had to cut out a new one from styrene sheet.
Cutting PE parts on a ceramic tile with a curved blade to avoid accidentally bending the parts
PE bender tool to bend the parts into shape and grease pencil to place the parts where they should go.
Seats and cockpit tub completed and painted. Looks really nice even in this microscopic size.
Fuselage dry fit with tape to find potential pitfalls. The dashboard shrouds and HUD will be added later.
Fuselage cemented together - some of the panel lines don't quite meet up nicely so some rescribing is required.
The nose cones cemented in place - they need some work for a seamless fit. Also I added ~15 grams of lead weight into them to avoid the model to be a tail-sitter.
The wheel wells are separate pieces and are fairly nicely detailed out of the box, although I will add a lot of PE parts.
Bottom half of the wing cemented to the fuselage. I discovered that Revell made a boo-boo: some details on the underside of the wing that should be on the right side are molded on the left, and vice versa. I will not try to fix this.
The flaps on aircraft on the ground should normally always be extended, but on the kit they are not. I had to redesign them slightly and build flap actuators built from scrap plastic. It is a rather easy modification and worth doing.
Dry fitting the top of the wings and my extended flaps - looks good but I will wait with installing the flaps and ailerons until later so I won't knock them off by accident.
Top halves of the wings cemented in place. The single seater's ejection seat is temporarily removed for a fix as it was not perfectly horisontal.
The fit of the air brakes in closed position is awful - they are much smaller than the apertures, so they need to be padded with styrene sheets to avoid unsighty gaps. Not good.
The tailfin has a strange insert, which creates a lot of extra work - not sure what Revell was thinking here... part count reasons?
Fin in place - it needs a lot of filling and sanding at the root for a smooth transition
Next: dozens of tiiiiny PE parts to bend in shape and superglue in place. I actually omitted a few as they are much too small to make a difference (like 1 mm or so)
Gun pod, nose cone tip, pylons and more photo-etched details added. Only the NATO style pylons are provided, so for the Swedish Gripens the "bulges" on the pylons needs to be sanded off.
I scratch-built the APU intakes from thin, perforated brass sheets.
Landing gear attached and detailed - the wheels and bay doors will be attached after painting
Displaced flaps and ailerons, exhaust pipe (the narrow one if the engine is not running), blade antennas and windscreen in place. Not very noticeable, but I painted the HUD's edges with Tamiya Clear Green to give it its characteristic emerald glow.
Canopy temporarily attached with white glue and masked off
Canopy masked with masking fluid. See, I havent' forgotten about the canards, they will be added at the final stage.
Surfaces cleaned with IPA alcohol to remove fingerprints - time for primer!
Priming - Ultimate Primer (AKA Badger Stynylrez)
Top surfaces painted with the final coat - "pansargrå" (armor gray). My own mix from various Tamiya acrylics. I don't remember the exact recipe, just winged it until it looked like the real thing from a scale distance.
Nose and undersides painted with my mix of Light Gull Gray (Tamiya Acrylics). The line between the dark and the light gray is not exactly correct but I simply couldn't do better.
Pristine and clean light gray underside - but it will be dirty soon!
Post-shading started - highlighting panels with a slightly varied main color to simulate faded paint.
Glossy clear coat applied with a paint brush. Far from a perfect gloss coat, but it should be good enough as a base for the decals.
My favorite part - decalling. Those Czech Tiger Meet decals are astonishing, too bad I won't be using them.
Most of the decals are now in place. Next will be to add more dirt and weathering and then it is time for the last final details.
Trying to get that grimy look of the Gripen using Tamiya pastels and Abteilung 502 oils, but weathering is difficult! Canards, underwing fuel tanks and a scratch built fin-less training missile are added.
I tried to recreate the rainbow effect of the anti-radar coating of the canopy with iridescent pigments. Not sure it worked, there is nothing to keep it to the canopy except static charge, so it may blow off in time. But it looks cool in the photos!
The Swedish RB-15F anti-ship missiles look much too pointy out of the box, so they need some reshaping (my corrected version to the left)
The green bands are my own decals printed on blank decal sheet as the kit only provides red bands which are incorrect. In the Swedish Air Force, live ordnance is marked with yellow color and dummy "blinds" with green.
Missiles attached and last details, lights, metal pitot tubes, etc in place. The light does not actually shine, it's just a reflection.
Canopy fixed in open position and that super fiddly photo-etched ladder painted and assembled.
Finally finished - Hungarian and Swedish
Finished
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Finished (Base: Coastal Kits - Soviet Airbase 5)
Comments
2 19 September 2019, 18:08
AugustoThe biplace kit is in my stash and probably is my next build. Have you decide on the loadout?
19 September 2019, 18:19
Ferenc SarkaFollowing. The single seater is my next project. Nice work so far.
19 September 2019, 18:22
Thomas KolbAugusto, I will build two Hungarian versions, and they mostly fly with a centerline fuel tank and sometimes a Litening pod, so that will be my loadout. I will also scratch build an ACMI pod (air combat pod) on the wing tip.
19 September 2019, 18:33
Thomas KolbFerenc Sarka, thanks! BTW, I recognize the orange Cápeti MiG-21 in your avatar, we actually visited the Szolnok air museum this summer, it was amazing!
19 September 2019, 18:36
Thomas KolbDaniel, thanks! There are a lot of hidden pitfalls with these kits - Revell made some very strange design decisions.
19 September 2019, 18:45
DanielOk, I somehow hoped it was a nice quick intermission type build from my 48 scale stuff😉 well I may be in for a bit more...but its good to see it getting fixed&done here beforehand
19 September 2019, 18:57
Harry EderI'm watching too! Nice progress on that bad fitting kit! I did the C last year...
20 September 2019, 10:32
Łukasz GlińskiFollowing, I'm going to have a closer look at the originals tomorrow in Mošnov, let me know if you need some closeup pics😉
20 September 2019, 20:00
Thomas KolbŁukasz, thanks, I really like the Gripens, I sometimes see them thunder by above my house.
20 September 2019, 20:54
Łukasz GlińskiThere you go 🙂
Magyar Gripen D #43 | Album by Woody
There was only this two-seater on static display.
22 September 2019, 18:58
Sergej II love seing people put PE on 1/72, this means it is actually possible 😄 Great job, Thomas, painting and weathering will now be just the cherry on top!
29 September 2019, 08:32
Thomas KolbSergei I, thank you! Yes, I almost always use some PE on 1/72 kits, it's fun, but you need high quality tweezers and a steady hand!
29 September 2019, 09:45
Thomas KolbThis evening I primed both models with Stynylrez gray - happy to see that I hardly need to do any filling fixes before the final paint coat. Next I will fix the gear bay doors and the ordnance and then start with some preshading.
20 October 2019, 17:39
Thomas KolbŁukasz, yes, it is called "Ultimate Primer" by UMP (previously called Badger Stynylrez). It is by far the best primer product I have ever used. No thinning is required, you can use it straight from the bottle into the airbrush. It levels out exceptionally on the model and forms a nearly perfect finish that is also very resilient. The only thing is that it dries up quite quickly in the airbrush, so you need to be prepared with a cotton swab soaked with thinner to keep cleaning the needle tip.
20 October 2019, 20:13
Thomas KolbTop surfaces painted with my own mix of Gripen Gray (actually called "pansargrå" in Swedish). I had been testing a lot of mixes on scrapped models until this combo (with the light gray underside) looked like the real thing. Also, as you can see, I am no fan of panel preshading, I think the effect is a bit too hit-and-miss for me. I like doing post-shading instead, I feel that I have better control over that.
25 October 2019, 15:41
Thomas KolbNose and undersides finally painted with my own light gull gray mix. Some errors here and there that needs to be fixed later, but still a great progress! BTW I was originally intending to get a soft line between the two gray tones for authenticity, but I was unable to get a consistent result on the two models, so in the end I used bendable masking tape. The end result actually looks neater in 1:72. Anyway, I might go over the line later with freehand spraying to get a slightly fuzzy line, but then again, I might not...
29 October 2019, 18:43
Thomas KolbYesterday evening I resumed this project and began applying post-shading to break up the uniform gray color scheme. I used the main colors, highly diluted and slightly brightened in the center of the panels. I think this creates a more realistic result than just flowing wash into the lines (which sometimes makes models look like an Excel spreadsheet). I will continue weathering the models with pigments and watercolor pencils, but first I will need to add a gloss coat for the decals.
21 November 2019, 09:00
Harry EderVery nice result! 👍 You could also use small rolls of UHU Tac or Blue Tac to do the line between the two grays. So the edge would be a bit softer.
21 November 2019, 12:03
Thomas KolbHarry, thanks! Yes, I tried the putty masking method but I just couldn't get a consistent result, it looked like a mess... 🙁 I tried to go through the demarcation line with a diluted mid gray color with freehand spraying, and I think it *kind of* fixed it. But I am terrible at airbrushing.
Jiry, sorry, one Swedish and one Hungarian.
21 November 2019, 14:27
AugustoCan you post some more photos of your post-shading? Maybe I`ll try it on my next project. About the edges of color schemes, I thought about it a while ago, and maybe in 72nd scale it doesn`t make that much of a difference.
21 November 2019, 15:10
Thomas KolbSome more decals remain and then it is time for the assembly of canards, wheels, air brakes, antennas, weapons, lights and stuff. Then a lot of detail painting and weathering. Still a lot of work left, but I can see the finishing line! Yaaay!
24 November 2019, 08:00
Ferenc SarkaSuper. Both of them. I am working on the singles seater gripen right now. Your comments helped me a lot during my work.
24 November 2019, 08:10
Wojciech KuczaSome great work here! I can see that you have the same problems with this kit as I do (and I didn't finish... but plan to😉 ) - it is a mystery how can you make a new moulds and they are in places worse than the old Italeri kit... But your Gripens looks very nice!
24 November 2019, 11:10
Thomas KolbFeri and Wojtek, thank you guys! Yes, this is actually a much more difficult kit than what I ever thought it would be. A lot of fit issues and strange design solutions and it will not build nicely straight out from the box.
24 November 2019, 11:25
Thomas KolbHans and Daniel, thank you, but wait with the congrats until they are finished - I might still ruin them with some silly mistake! :-D
24 November 2019, 15:00
Łukasz GlińskiThey look great and the Hungarian chevrons always keep me impressed. One of the most creative roundel idea ever!
24 November 2019, 16:58
Thomas KolbI am waiting for the ordered Hungarian decal sheet so I can replace the Italeri ones I tried to use. Those are really thick and with the wrong colors on the national insignias (the outer chevron is almost white when it should be mid gray). By the way Italeri has also dded the wrong numbers for their intended single-seater version (aircraft number 43 is in fact a twin-seater D-version, the one I am depicting).
28 November 2019, 04:53
Patrick HagelsteinHave glanced into this once and a while but haven't commented yet: Wow!!! 😮 Looking great! Especially after your battle with these kits. 👍
28 November 2019, 06:08
Thomas KolbI added most of the missing parts and decals and did my best to do some really heavy weathering based on photos. It is not easy to make it look realistic! I now have only one or two more hours of faffing left with ordnance, antennas and some smaller stuff, and then this project is finally finished!
18 December 2019, 21:50
Slavo HazuchaNice pair of Gripens! Were the Czech Tiger decals part of the so-so Italeri sheet? In any, case, very good looking duo! 👍
18 December 2019, 22:05
Thomas KolbSlavo, thank you! The Tiger decals you see in the pictures are Revell's own decals (for the JAS-39C kit). It is absolutely beautiful.
18 December 2019, 22:48
Łukasz GlińskiThat '43' looks like the one I've seen in Ostrava last September 👍 Looking forward to seeing this couple crossing the finish line.
19 December 2019, 09:38
Thomas KolbLukasz, He he, I was actually thinking that I had gone too far with the weathering and then I looked at your pictures... 🙂 I don't know why these aircraft tend to get so incredibly faded and dirty, what kind of paint are the guys at Saab using anyway...?
19 December 2019, 11:50
Sergej ISo many nice details on such a small bird! I love the subtle weathering.
19 December 2019, 22:52
Patrick HagelsteinHow did you do that? I found a Liquitex iridescent transparent coat but it's a thick paste. Do you just rub that into the canopy?
20 December 2019, 12:58
Thomas KolbThere are actually several different iridescent inks that can be mixed with clear varnishes (such as AK Gauzy Agent) to give a kind of mother-of-pearl sheen. TBH it is more visible in the pictures than in real life; it is an extremely subtle effect and I am not sure it is worth faffing with it, risking to ruin the canopy.
20 December 2019, 13:59
Patrick HagelsteinTrue but I like it as it is that subtle. Thanks for explaining! 👍
20 December 2019, 15:04
AugustoI tried to find something similar for the HUD and FLIR optics of my 72nd Rafale, but gave up. Don`t know if here in Brazil I can find this Liquitex. Good looking, btw!
20 December 2019, 16:09
AugustoOh, and about the missile`s decals, they come out of the box with the training markings? I found this intriguing because the Hobbyboss Rafale that I recently build only came with blue training markins for all the ordnances and I had to paint all of those. Weird...
20 December 2019, 16:12
Thomas KolbAugusto, in the Swedish Air Force, ordnance is marked with green color for dummies (practise weapons) and yellow for live ordnance. Red is not used since it is difficult to differentiate from green for people with color vision deficiency. I am not sure why Revell printed red bands, but I might replace them with my own green decals later.
20 December 2019, 16:56
Slavo HazuchaI like the canopy effect very much - great result, one day I need to check this method out! 👍
20 December 2019, 17:34
DanielEven if its barely visible, I def. need to try that!! Great job all around 👍
20 December 2019, 18:06
Andy BallThis thread/debate raises an interesting thought: we have had such advances, courtesy of PE and resin, bringing extra detail to all scales. To my knowledge, no one manufacturer has done a similar 'dive' into the world of canopies/HUDs/formation lights, whereupon they could emulate the subtle tints (ref. that on an F-22), and the 'to scale' thickness of transparencies.....
20 December 2019, 19:06
Danielafv club once made some iridescent canopies like this one:
Anti-reflection coating for ..- (AFV Club AFAC32004, 1:32)
Got one for a D-Hornet which looks awesome. But I agree the whole thing is really underrepresented
20 December 2019, 19:10
Slavo HazuchaDoes it work when you remove & re-polish the seam? I thought it's a matter of the uppermost film/coat on the surface... In any case, very cool topic I'd like to dedicate some time to in the future, I'll keep the inputs here in mind, thx!
20 December 2019, 20:12
Daniel@slavo: the glitter is on the inside of those canopies, so you can manipulate the outside as much as you like
20 December 2019, 21:14
Augusto@Thomas Kolb Maybe I wasn`t clear, but what I meant as weird about the ordnance decals is that some kits come with dummie markings (the Hobyboos Rafale, for instance) instead of more "interesting" live ordnance markings. Wonder if that is on purpose or not.
14 January 2020, 14:33
Thomas KolbAugusto, because model makers are using reference photos? The Gripen (and the Rafale) can simulate all A-G weapons using computer software onboard, so live ordnance is almost never carried during peacetime (except for planned photo sessions). Blind dummy missiles are used for the ground crew to practice arming and disarming procedures.
14 January 2020, 18:15
AugustoThat was my first thought, but then it`s just laziness. One would expect just a little more research from a manufacturer of products made for military aviation enthusiasts...
14 January 2020, 19:02
Thomas KolbFinally finished! 🙂 It was much more work than I initially thought, but I definitely learnt a lot of new modeling tricks. Thanks to all who contributed with positive comments!
16 January 2020, 19:20
Łukasz Gliński@Thomas: Lovely couple, looking forward to seeing your next builds.
@Chris: that sounds bit Bostonish, doesn't it?😉
16 January 2020, 20:46
DanielThey both came out great, a nice pair you got there 🙂 really like the lighting mood on your pics 👍
21 January 2020, 15:19
