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Tarangus AJ 37 Viggen


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Hi!

 

 

Edit: Changed from a AJSF37 WIp to a JA37D/Di one 20181007 See below.

 

It is time for yet another Viggen for me, this time one of the recce variants. (The last one can be seen here.)

I have yet to decide which variant it will be, an AJSH or AJSF 37 - I have aftermarket goodies for both - and I will build both but which one first? :)

 

I am deciding between an AJSH 37 from F10 Ängelholm during the late 90s and carrying a pair of RB15Fs and a pair of RB74s (AIM-9L) or a SWAFRAP (Swedish Air Force Rapid Reaction Force) AJSF 37. SWAFRAP was set up during 2001 and hade a number of photo-recce Viggens at its disposal. All where painted in the same grey colours as the JAS 39 Gripens and it is not the same as the JA 37 Viggens had.

 

The AJSH 37s kept using the famous splinter camo looking like this (though that is acually an AJS 37 but they are quite hard to distinguish, usually it is by what they are carrying on the hard points)

 

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AJSF 37

 

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Box art:

 

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I have an unhealthy ammount of aftermarket stuff:

 

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Everything but the kitchen sink, eh? ;) If it is the photo recce variant this time around I will use flash- and photo pods under the belly plus a jamming pod and a flare- and chaff dispenser plus a pair of RB24Js (AIM-9J?). If I decide on the sea suirvaillance/maritime strike variant, the AJSH 37, I will use a pair of RB15Fs and a pair of RB74s (AIM-9L).

 

I have both photo etch and the Neomega cockpit made for the ESCI/Airfix kit and planned to use only some of the cockpit resin parts but after compairing it with the kit plastics... I decided to make the resin fit..!

 

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Bagging the plastics..

 

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There is still  alot of sanding to be done but I dry fitted it earlier today and it seems to work okay! (The IP cover or whatever it is called fell down slightly as I snapped the pic but it fits almost nicely!)

 

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Probably gonna paint the side walls and the inside walls before gluing them in and then make the tub fit in there too. Seems slightly tricky to slide down the bang chair but it should not be impossible!

 

Alright! :) I might not be that fast, have loads of studying and tests this Winter and Spring but it seems like another nice SAAB build. ;)

 

Some inspiration, while they are AJS 37s, the Viggen still looks good in DCS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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wow!

 

that Neomega cockpit sure makes a difference!

 

have to find one it seem!

 

great start by the way!

 

video is also fantastic!

a bit anachronistic regarding the loadout, but still great!

a shame that Viggens are not flying anymore!!

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If you really want to go all the way on resin aftermarket, Phase Hanger Resin (AKA Two Mikes) has a very nice set of seamless intakes for the Tarangus kit...

 

https://phasehangarresin.com/collections/48001-1-48/products/48032-saab-aj-ja-37-viggen-seamless-intakes-tarangus-special-hobby-pre-order-only

 

Ignore the "pre-order-only" in the link, they are available.

 

Disclaimer: I have no connection or relation to Phase Hanger, just a satisfied customer.

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Thanks! :)

 

@ exdraken, yeah it looks real nice! Not too accurate for any fighter-Viggens but here it works nicely.

Yeah I really miss those big brutes! Most masculine plane we have had here atleast.. ;)

 

@ mstorin, thanks! I did not know about those. I will have  alook but there might be FODs added here. I do have more Viggens in the stash however.....B)

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  • 6 months later...

Was hoping to take up this one again but the heat just makes it all but impossible to paint in my small apartment.. AS soon as the Autumn is here? ;)

 

Glad to see that both the Sk 37E and another AJSF/SH 37 has been released. I "need" them too..

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1 hour ago, Paramedic said:

Was hoping to take up this one again but the heat just makes it all but impossible to paint in my small apartment.. AS soon as the Autumn is here? ;)

Yep, the heat is really not normal for that long period. It looks almost a bit like Autumn here on the streets in August. And no end in sight. Ok, Germans always need to rant on something to get satisfied with thereselves and the weather is a always a good target, but I just have to say that I'm really fed up with that permanent heat of far over 30° C here since June. I guess I'll make rain dance with the first steady rain for a week or two here and 20°-25°C as usual.  So no need to excuse for the delay. The heat paralyses me also with my diecasts and they are much easier to do than a Viggen in 1:48 with aftermarket goodies and a splinter scheme. Cheers Benedikt from a very hot and sticky Germany.

Edited by bbudde
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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks! Yes it is time.. :)

 

I haven´t built a single kit since last Autumn, feels weird.. But lately I have done a lot of thinking - which led up to some changes here.. I decided to put away the recce-Viggen parts and do another fighter-Viggen instead. I have already built one but I just felt a stronger urge to make another one but a D or Di. I have all the AM with an Axel U95 pod, 3x Rb99/AMRAAMS, 2x Rb74/AIM-+L, BOL and BOYs (flare and chaff dispensers) etc..

But I need to replace the Neomega IP. And I think I will chose an easy, not exactly correct path.. I´ll keep the resin side panels but replace the front Ip with an etched one, the AM from Maestro for the D/Di JA37 Viggen. And I have the sprue to lenghten the fuselage and the gun pod so I should be fine.. :)

 

Basically I´ll probably make another grey one like this. Here is even all of the weaponry exactly as I plan them, along with chaff and flare dispensers. :).

 

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Close to my hometown and my parnets house there is the one and only Ja37Di that was lept in splinter camo though, I might do her..

 

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I was to visit that museum in August but due to work, could not.. Maybe next Summer?

 

I will probably pick up that new plastic sprue from  Tarangus for the AJSF37 - it has one of the "shark fin" antennas which I think is similar on the JA 37Di - I need to check that though. In any case it should be easy to make into the correct shape and I have already done some parts that could be made into the other Di- specific antenna..

 

There will be an AJSf37 at some point though. :)

 

 

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It is. :) A short bicycle ride from you too. ;) And you can refreshen yourself at Café Solhaga and/or Sia Galss..

 

Yeah I gave away my first splinter-camo Viggen so I *should* probably.. And then at some point that AJSF in grey.. All three, except an unpainted one..

 

I had a look at the Neomega cockpit´s IP.. I can smash on the etch from maestro on top, if filed down.. But it is slightly less wide (the etc) and feels wrong filing down the fine details.. 😕 Not decided what to do yet.. 

 

What I will do right now, is take a walk and pick up that new sprue (M) with one of those shark fin antennas........... Seems like there is a new belly fin too.. Was the old one wrong shape?

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Right, picked up that new Sprue M from the newer AJSF 37 box and got one of them antennas.. (right)

Have some left overs from a Hasegawa Draken i planned to cut into shape, the middle one is the bigger dorsal fin, will try to sand it into shape and have as a spare. The smaller one should be a good start to sand into shape for the forward antenna on the 37Di..

 

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Did some inventory and I think I have all I need..! No etch for airbrakes and stuff but I think´I´ll skip that, I have enoughAM methinks (and the airbrakes are bolted into place so no need to have them deployed, the plastic ones will have to do)

 

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I plan to cut down the launch rails from the Hasegwa SAAB Draken and put on the chaff part from the Gripen NATO-rails at the back. The RB 99/AMRAAM rails are from Eduard´s IRIS-T pack. And I ordered DN Models´ splinter camo mask some time. Used Maestro´s once but was curious to see if this one was easier to use.

 

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2 leftover AIM-9L/RB 74 plus some other stuff.. I do have the digits for the splinter camo individual above. And also the 171. Fighter Squadron/171. stridsflygdivisionen (below).

 

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Was about to start prime the cockpit parts but need to remember my settings and needle size for UMP Primer, lol..!

 

 

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Yeah! ;)

The Viggen canopy is fairly easy to mask with Tamiya tape anyways, think I bought them for the AJSF camera openings really - or the wheel hubs? Agreed, a bit cheating.. :)

 

I am messing about again.. Back on doing an AJSF, lol.. We´ll see..

But since I started to prime, with Alclad since I know the settings and so on, I was looking at this beautiful Neomega cockpit. I really wanna paint that and it is a first generation Viggen so.. It would feel so bad to sand down that IP and glue an etch one on top for the correct displays.. :(

 

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And I had to cut down the side consoles a bit more for the fit.. :P

 

I really have to visit F10s museum as well next Summer... :)

 

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I wonder why they put an RB04E on it though? 😕

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The AJS-mod did allow the unarmed SF to carry weapons like sidewinders and such. IIRC my days in the Swedish Air Force the RB04 was preprogrammed in some way, and didn't rely on radar data from the carrier Aircraft. In theory that should allow a  AJSF to accompany a group of AJS and AJSH to the suitable launch position in the baltic sea and fire a pair of 04.

 

That resin pit sure looks lovely!

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Really? I did not know, I have read text that says they were not really capable but I guess it could be done if some effort was put in. :) Cool.

 

Painted a bit on the chair.. Found out I need better glasses.. And that safety handle is just too big and chunky! But I have none of the PE ones left.. :)  Might look okay under the canopy but not sure yet..

 

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Yeah..  Would love to see that! :)

 

Have you ever seen anything in any Austrian books, papers etc about what the Austrian pilots that flew the Viggen thought about it? That would be fun to know.

 

 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, Paramedic said:

Yeah..  Would love to see that! :)

 

Have you ever seen anything in any Austrian books, papers etc about what the Austrian pilots that flew the Viggen thought about it? That would be fun to know.

 

 

 

 

I think to remember they quite loved it. Will have to dig that out....There was even talk of using some as interims after the Draken period....

 

But then Saab decided to bid high and lost....

 

In the end Draken retirement eas close to fighter Viggen retirement...

 

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Yes I think that was the idea. :) Would have been cool..

 

Ah poo-poo, that´s why? Too bad..

 

Yeah, you felw them for quite some time. Recently watched some beautiful HD vids on You Tube of your Drakens. Really like that camo too. You kept quite a few right? I grew up not too long from where the rest sadly were sent and taken apart.. :(

 

How´s it going with your replacement for the Typhoons?

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Yeah....

Several on museums, quite easy to get access to :)

but seeing the red-white-red Ostarrichi one was a sight I will not forget....

 

But we had your twinseater over here 2 years ago! Wow!! (And there is one in the museum in Graz ad well... having the Maestro conversion....) :)

 

Eurofighter replacement?

not going  to happen....too expensive and a new government!

 

what happens to Saab? Loosing against F-16s in Slovakia???

Edited by exdraken
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Oh yeah, that was one of those freaky camos with bright colours I really liked. Looked really nice! I can only imagine how it looked in real life..

I saw a YT movie from that airshow, looked epic with your beautiful mountains in the background.

 

Ah, I thought you were going down that road? Read something about it beeing too expensive to operate?

 

I have missed that, they did? I guess it is all politics.. But it would probably have been good for them to fly Gripens to be honest, looking at the neighbours and so on. But I think Saab is pretty happy about that trainer with Boeing was it? That the US went for.. That is biig. I really look forward to Gripen E models, but no idea when that might happen.. 😕

 

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Shitty pic from dry-fitting. The bright thing below and to the left of the IP is a gap straight through.the office.. ;)

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Opened a hole for the RAT, simply cutting and filing the panel lines for it since the plastic parts from Sprue M (Sk 37E box?) seems to be the same size.

 

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Need to polish it a bit though.. It is small enough to fit without cutting into the ducting. I had to do that with the Pilot Replica one on my first Viggen.

 

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But the Maestro Models´ is even bigger than the Pilot Replica one! I´ll save that for the next build, trying the smaller and much less detailed plastics here...

 

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If I remember my conscription days the RAT bay looks a little different on AJSF compared to AJS and AJSH (back in 1997 F7 the 1:st division still had AJS Viggens, and 2:nd Division was re-equipping with Gripen, but no pure AJ, SH or SF since the AJS-mod in the back end of the 80s). On the AJ family the RAT is accessed during turn-around to fill oxygen and pressurized air for the radar, but since SF don't have a radar the filling port is removed, and so is one of the compressed bottles IIRC.

 

Some detailed pictures from an AJSF RAT could be handy here to verify my wild claims. There's one at the F10 Museum in Ängelholm if you happen to pass by there...

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