Vinnie Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 This rather unorthodox looking aircraft was designed and built by Saab for the Swedish Air force who were concerned about being dragged into WW2. The 'pusher' design allowed the pilot maximum combat visibility and the ability to mount heavy armament in the nose. To increase the pilot's chances of survival during a bail out the J21 became one of the first service aircraft to be equipped with an ejector seat. The air-frame was later adapted to accommodate a jet engine. Despite being a 1980s kit, everything fitted quite well although the u/c legs and the three part canopy were a bit fiddly. It is a tail sitter but fortunately there is plenty of space in the nose cone to add weight. 28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Interesting airplane and background, very nice build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Great build of the Heller kit, which looks dimensionally very good. It is only let down by the emaciated mainwheels, that are half as beefy as they should be and with a heavy tractor style tyre pattern. The J 21 was never a hit as a fighter, although the attack version, the A 21, fared a bit better as a rocket ground attack platform. And because of the pusher config, there was no prop slipstream to help with the cooling in the radiators that are built into the wing leading edges. On hot summer days, the groundcrew had to spray water into the radiators to prevent overheating. 😉 But it makes a really good looking model in the hands of an accomplished builder, as can be seen here. Kind regards, Joachim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 14 hours ago, SAT69 said: Interesting airplane and background, very nice build. Thanks SAT. 8 hours ago, Spitfire31 said: Great build of the Heller kit, which looks dimensionally very good. It is only let down by the emaciated mainwheels, that are half as beefy as they should be and with a heavy tractor style tyre pattern. The J 21 was never a hit as a fighter, although the attack version, the A 21, fared a bit better as a rocket ground attack platform. And because of the pusher config, there was no prop slipstream to help with the cooling in the radiators that are built into the wing leading edges. On hot summer days, the groundcrew had to spray water into the radiators to prevent overheating. 😉 But it makes a really good looking model in the hands of an accomplished builder, as can be seen here. Kind regards, Joachim Thank you, Joachim. The entire u/c is very fragile on this model, I broke one several times during the build and yes, the wheels are tiny. The fact that the J21 was never adopted by any other countries was an indication of it's limitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Vinnie, Cracking result, you've done well with an old kit! It just goes to show how good those Heller kits are, if you've got any more kicking around, you may be interested in this year's Heller Classic GB. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 A younger version of me built one of these back in the eighties, and keeps hankering to build another. You're super little model is doing nothing but help conviince me I should revisit this kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig88 Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Smashing job with the old kit! Miguel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Lovely job on the old Heller ! Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 8 hours ago, Wez said: Vinnie, Cracking result, you've done well with an old kit! It just goes to show how good those Heller kits are, if you've got any more kicking around, you may be interested in this year's Heller Classic GB. Thank's Wez. I do have a few more Heller kits under the bench, probably too many for my own good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Very cool! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 21 hours ago, Natter said: A younger version of me built one of these back in the eighties, and keeps hankering to build another. You're super little model is doing nothing but help conviince me I should revisit this kit. Thank's Dave. If you do build another remember to put some weight in the nose before you close it up. 20 hours ago, Mig88 said: Smashing job with the old kit! Miguel Thank's, Miguel 17 hours ago, Wulfman said: Lovely job on the old Heller ! Wulfman Thanks, Wulfman. It was actually an enjoyable build. 13 hours ago, russ c said: Very cool! 13 hours ago, russ c said: Very cool! Thank's for your comments, Russ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Great Job Vinnie I love this aircraft so it's nice to see Heller's kit get another airing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 3 hours ago, stevej60 said: Great Job Vinnie I love this aircraft so it's nice to see Heller's kit get another airing. Thank's, Steve. I appreciate your comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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