Bjorn Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 (edited) Started the fourth one yesterday, my plan is to build and paint many of them at the same time. I won't use so much aftermarket parts for this one since there are almost none - I wish someone had made new wheels. The Heller ones do not captue the "tractor" feeling of the real thing. The decal sheet in this old boxing is useless, I will use decals from my spares box combined with stencils from Special Hobby's J 21 edition - and of course also the sharkmouth!!! I started with making new panel lines. Next step will be the cockpit. Edited January 8, 2021 by Bjorn 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Oh, nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Your gonna be a very busy boy Bjorn. Glad someone is having a good go at all these great Swedish Heller kits. Nice start and I hear you about the earlier box decals! Cheers and best of luck.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted November 2, 2020 Author Share Posted November 2, 2020 (edited) Building six kits at a same time is an interesting challenge. Most of the work this weekend was spent on this nice little one. Cockpit is detailed, painted and loads of nose weight added: Fit is very good, the only challenge is to get a good fit between the booms and the wings. I added thin parts of plastic that will be sanded to shape. I also added a new gun made from thin brass tube. The wing will require some work to fit perfect to the body. Nose wheel well walls were made from plasticard. The seat is good, but very simplified. So some scratch-building was required here, both the rockets and the headrest is missing as well as the two-hole panel in the seat. Seatbelts were made from masking tape. A fun fact is that this is the world's first ejection seat. Heller totally neglected the landing lights in the front of the booms. So they had to be made from transparent sprue. And now it is time for the most boring part of model building: Sanding... Edited November 2, 2020 by Bjorn 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Nice work. I built one of these about 35 years ago - all I really remember is it was a resolute tail sitter - hope that's enough weight! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Great work Bjorn and nice additional details all round. That Cockpit looks very good indeed. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted November 6, 2020 Author Share Posted November 6, 2020 (edited) After a layer of Tamiya primer. Almost ready for painting! Edited November 6, 2020 by Bjorn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 (edited) I am really building eight (soon nine!) kits at the same time - an interesting expecience! The J 21 is now green, thanks to Gunze 309. This one will not be so weathered since they were not in service for many years. But building many kits at the same time can also be time-saving! Almost all wheels could be painted at the same time! After taking this photo, I discovered that one of the J 21 wheels were lost! Fortunately, I found it on the floor... Edited November 26, 2020 by Bjorn 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 And so the twin-boomer has sharpened its teeth! Sharkmouths are rarely seen on Swedish Air Force aircraft. This was painted by the personnel at F 8 wing. But when the SwAF boss General Nordenskiöld saw it, he went mad, and ordered them to remove it immediately. Sadly, since few aircraft are so well-suited for sharkmouths as this one! Decals are a mix from the Special Hobby J 21 and my decal spares box. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 The main legs were a bit difficult to get right, the nose one much easier. I have saved the canopy until the last moments of this build, trusting my memory that if kept open the fit is good enough (glueing it in closed position is much worse!) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted January 8, 2021 Author Share Posted January 8, 2021 (edited) And so this one is finished. The final touch was a coat of semi-matt varnish, some details on the landing gears and attaching the canopy. Since I have built this kit before, I know that it is much easier to cut it and display it in open position than simply (not!) glue it in place as it is. I added a few more details in the cockpit and a ladder. More pictures soon in the "Finished" thread. Edited January 8, 2021 by Bjorn 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 That looks awesome Bjorn! Superb build and finish and nice extra details. The shark's teeth and other splashes of red really add to the look. I've got a J.21 lined up in the stash. It's not going to look as good as this! Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Tucker Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 This looks great. I've just won this kit in a Facebook auction so I'm looking forward to building the Saab for the first time. I'll be re-reading your build thread for more tips. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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