PeterB Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Hi, I intend to start with this. As you can see I painted the interior a few years ago but assume I will be OK under the 25% rule? It will be an out of the box build of a J29E of the Swedish AF F4 Squadron in NMF. The instructions say "Alu" but can anybody confirm my thoughts that this will be quite a dull finish rather than bright highly polished? Has anybody got any colour pics they can show me? Cheers Pete 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christer A Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 The lovely Tunnan! Hellers kit was , and still is the best one for a late Tunnan OOTB. As for the finish, dull aluminium is the way to go. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 (edited) Thanks Christer, I have actually seen a Tunnan at a museum in Denmark when we took our kids to Legoland years ago but can't find the pic. So dural mixed with varying amounts of light grey I think. Cheers Pete Edited January 13, 2020 by PeterB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reini Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 A Saab that is still missing from my stash. Sweden became an aviation superpower back then - a type more than a match for Sabre & MiG-15 and produced in quite large numbers! By a country small as Sweden, not a small feat Yes, it looks a little chubby - but it just makes it more likeable. Good luck with the build! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 welcome along Pete and great to see one of these in the build. I built one of these many years ago, can't remember if it was a Heller of Airfix model, but the scheme was an unusual UN one. It'll be good to see one of these being built again. Good luck with the build and I look forward to seeing her in the gallery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 Hi Rich, Probably Heller - they have 2 schemes, the one I mentioned and a UN Congo one. Didn't think Airfix ever made a Tunnan but checking I find they did rebox the Heller one in 2005 according to Scalemates, but that had Swedish and Austrian markings apparently. There was also a Matchbox kit which Revell have re-released, and one of them also had the UN markings. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 So good to see you (Pete) and another Heller classic kit being built here. I once had this same box, however sold it on a few years back when I switched to 1/48 scale. Now that I'm firmly back in the 'Gentleman's scale', I'd best replace it with one of the newer Heller boxes that now come with really nice decal sheets. Both my Safir and Lansen are new boxed Heller kits and although the moulds are probably not as crisp as the originals, will still serve my ham- fisted modelling technique quite nicely. Good luck with the build and I'll follow on to see how you go. Cheers and all the best.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 Hi Dave, Yes the re-released Heller kits are tempting - cheaper than I paid on e-bay in some cases and with new decs. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 (edited) The Saab J29 series are not very well known in this country I think, which is a pity as there were actually very good for the time and probably in advance of any British jets of the same period. The following is sourced from Wiki and an old Profile Publication so apologies for any inaccuracies or generalisations. At the end of WWII Saab began to design an aircraft to replace the interim Saab J21R, which was a converted piston engined aircraft with a jet engine fitted. Initially they were going to use a straight wing, but soon realised the advantages of a swept wing from German documentation on the Me P1101 obtained via Switzerland, and the J29 was the result. The barrel like shape rapidly led to the nickname "Flygande tunnan" or "Flying barrel" and the name stuck, apparently to Saab's displeasure. However the "Tunnan" might look fat and slow, but in the air it was very fast - actually faster that the early F86 Sabre, from which it took the World Speed Record in 1954! The first model, the J29A entered Squadron service in mid 1951, though it was not approved for use until January of the next year I believe. The 224 A models were followed by 332 Model B with increased fuel capacity, and 76 model C with a modified nose with camera windows, The model E then arrived with a dog's tooth leading edge but only 29 were built as new though a fair number of B's were modified to this standard it seems, before the definitive model F arrived with a slightly modified rear fuselage to hold an afterburner on the DH Ghost engine. 308 model F were produced including 209 conversions from model B and 19 from model E. The Tunnan was retired in 1967. First flying in September 1948, it was apparently the first West European aircraft with swept wings, ditto all moving tail, automatic leading edge slats, full span flaps and an ejector seat (designed by Saab themselves). Quite an impressive performance for both Saab and Sweden. The Heller kit has markings and parts for either a Model C recce plane in UN markings in the Congo or a Model E of F4 of the Swedish AF. Both have the same wing, but that is fine as the straight leading edge of the C was later modified to the same standard as the E. The instructions remind me of the early Airfix ones as they actually tell you what the parts are as well as numbering them eg Part 16 - "Entree d'air". The C has a modified lower nose provided with glazing and a sort of plate labelled "Collerette" which is glued under the exhaust for some reason. I am building the E which served as a fighter and fighter-bomber. As I mentioned previously I had a head start because I had painted the interior several years ago. I used the Humbrol equivalents to the Heller colours suggested, which include a black "tub", dark grey fuselage interior, and a light grey seat with olive green cushions. Looking at pics of a later J29F, the interior looks a green/grey colour so mine may be wrong. I have today assembled the interior, wings and drop tanks - the fit is pretty good although the wings were a little warped, and the plastic is a bit brittle resulting in some damage where I used cutters on the sprue. The instructions say to add 7 grammes of weight near the nose, but that should be fairly easy as the intake trunking, lower fuselage and inlet ring are seperate pieces. The only problem I have noticed is the vulnerable pitot tubes moulded as part of the wings which I will no doubt break off and lose, so I may cut them off now for safety. Next I will glue the fuselage together and put the fences on the wings - they are the only parts that have any flash, which is not bad for a kit first produced in 1978, though this is the 1979 boxing. The next re-boxing was 10 years later so this one has got to be at least 32 years old - I hope the decals have not gone off! At this rate I will soon find out. Cheers Pete Later - actually what I thought was flash on the wing fences is deliberate so no flash at all! Edited January 19, 2020 by PeterB 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 Like most of you I have had my share of poorly fitting Heller kits in the past but this one is darned night perfect so far. I will have to do a little scraping on the fuselage joints and there will be a small amount of filler needed, but so far it has been a pleasure to work on. I have glued the intake trunk to the nose ring, but that assembly is just a push fit at the moment. I got 8g of lead in the nose behind the wheel well, and if needed can put more in through the front before I glue it in place. The seperate lower nose was a potential problem but the fit is pretty good, though I may have to do a bit of work on the ring. Perhaps somebody could help me with a slight problem. Heller provide a very small (almost lost it as it fell off the sprue) clear part for the landing lights. It goes in a cut-out just in front of the wheel bay but I am not sure how it is mounted when the wheels are down. Has anybody got a pic? I suspect it hangs down with the lights pointing forward, and then swings back up when the gear is retracted. Now if the Heller Lansen and Viggen are as good as this Tunnan I am going to be a very happy modeller. Of course now I have said that something will no doubt go wrong - probably the decals! Cheers Pete 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Great start Pete and nice to know this kit is fitting well for you. I do recall having the same boxed kit and remember the soft but crisp plastic that it was moulded in. Once the parts are cleaned and cemented, they seem to be robust and do the job quite well. Of the six SAAB Heller releases, this is the only one I currently don’t have. Watching this makes me want to add it to the ‘pile’ as soon as I can. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 nice start, Heller kits I found always did seem to go together really nice........a few modern companies who shall remain nameless could have learned a lot from them!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 Found a pic of the landing lights on a walk-round so problem solved. Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 The 8g of lead I glued behind the raised nose wheel well is more than enough - in fact Heller's recomended 7g would be more than adequate, so I have glued on the nose ring. As expected it was not too good a fit so I put some filler on then sanded it down, washed it and primed it. Next comes the bit I am never too happy about - spraying it aluminium with a touch of white to get a base coat on. After that I will attempt to pick out some of the panels in slightly different shades. I will have to check the various walk rounds for the colour of the wheel wells, wheels etc as at the moment they are in Hu27 which is the nearest I could get to Heller's 7001 Gris amiral. So far so good. Painting the interior with enamels a few years ago took a day or two, but now I would have used acrylics, so I would probably have done that in a morning. Anyway, it has saved me a bit of time but progress so far has been pretty fast, which I guess is a sign of a well moulded kit. Pete 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reini Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Good progress! Looks like a nice kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 There's no sign of any fit issues so well done getting the nose piece blended in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 Looks good so far but the white aluminium coat will probably show up some blemishes. There are always likely to be fit problems when the whole of the lower nose is a seperate piece - the top part tends to be rather too flexible. I will no doubt have the same problem with the Lansen where Heller have again provided an alternative photo nose lower section. Oh well, I have certainly had worse - my Fujimi Val comes to mind where there was a seperate cockpit section to allow both the early and late versions to be built, and as for the Matchbox Meteor Night Fighter, that was a real pain. Fortunately, 60 years of bodging together kits has taught me to take a bit of time and try and align everything carefully before the glue dries - unlike when I was younger. I still have one or two of my early builds and I cringe every time I see them. Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) I had hoped to spray some of my new AK Interactive laquer today, but it was too cold to do it outside, and my wife objected to the smell indoors, so in the end I just mixed a little white with some dural enamel paint and brushed it on. Once it has properly dried I will shade a few of the panels. Heller say this machine of F 4 has a "Gris perle 7020" upper tail, which I believe is about the same as Humbrol 64. The nose ring is "Jaune vif 7002" which looks fairly light, perhaps Hu81 "pale yellow" or maybe Hu99 "Lemon" which Jamie from Sovereign Hobbies suggested on his conversion chart posted a while back - my chart has stopped working - anybody got any thoughts on that? I am a bit concerned about the fit of the drop tanks - ok the main wheels are not on yet but they seem to angle up a lot towards the front, but then in flight pics suggest the Tunnan flew slightly nose down? Is it my computer or is the BM site been extremely slow for the last couple of days? Takes ages to load, particularly pics. Cheers Pete Edited January 20, 2020 by PeterB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 57 minutes ago, PeterB said: Is it my computer or is the BM site been extremely slow for the last couple of days? Takes ages to load, particularly pics. No problems here but im in North America so could be different for you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Can’t say I’m having any issues with BM either Pete, however I’m even further away than Dennis and there’s well and truly no sign of ‘too cold’ here at the moment! I didn’t know that there is a Sovereign Hobbies paint conversion chart, I might have to look this up. Nice job on the Tunnan too! Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) Hi Dave, Not an official chart, just something that Jamie posted a while back in answer to a question on Swedish colours - it's in the link that Serge posted in the chat section here - probably page 16. The link for a conversion chart I found a few years back has gone inactive but there are others. It is also on my old Humbrol paint charts. I only need it for the Tunnan as the Lansen quotes Humbrol paints unsurprisingly as they were Heller/Humbrol by the time it was released in 1982. I will have to subtle with my shading - don't want it to look like a "patchwork quilt". Christer's pic a little earlier is great for the fuselage but I have no pics showing the wings as of yet. Did you ever get anywhere with your Sea Venom? I was half expecting it to turn up in the KUTA. Cheers Pete Edited January 20, 2020 by PeterB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 1 hour ago, PeterB said: Did you ever get anywhere with your Sea Venom? I was half expecting it to turn up in the KUTA. Thanks for the reply about the paint conversion Pete, as for the Sea Venom I’m afraid way too many other modelling subjects (especially this GB) have consumed my interest of late. To be honest, I really need a double dose of KUTA!! Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 nice work Pete, she'll soon be in the gallery and you'll be ready for your next aircraft for this build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christer A Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, PeterB said: I will have to subtle with my shading - don't want it to look like a "patchwork quilt". Christer's pic a little earlier is great for the fuselage but I have no pics showing the wings as of yet. Pictures of the top and bottom , as requested! The currently only airworthy Tunnan, the J 29F Gul Rudolf looks like this As far as markings and finish go, it is quite accurate, and can definitely be used as a reference Edited January 21, 2020 by Christer A 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Thanks Christer. Quite a variation beteween the Black and White and the colour pics - I will have a go but it will just be an "approximation". Appreciate the help and support. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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