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Finnish Air Force Learjet 35A


kmf

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Kit :          Learjet 35

Brand :     Stransky

Scale :      1/144

Decals :    Kit Decals

 

I got this in Telford two years ago. It’s really small kit, so I’m hoping it will be a relatively quick build.

 

The cabin windows are filled, you get decals to represent them, but they’re marked on the inside. I decided to drill them out because I think it will look strange if the cockpit is clear and the cabin windows are decals.  It’s quite easy to drill out the windows but you have to be careful because you don't need to drill all of them.

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I’ve given the inside a coat of matt black and assembled the fuselage, I just need to add a weight. Next on my list to do is the engine’s. I’ve already removed them and tidy them up I just need to assemble them.

 

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That's all for now thank you.

 

Ken

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I remember flying in these, looong ago.

 

Very nice and very small project; I have one 1/48 scale model built as LJ-2 and another one in stash. Are you going to fill those panel lines? Learjet is a very clean aircraft and the only panel lines visible are the reinforcement plate on the starboard side as well as the hatch for material drops.

 

Cheers,

Antti

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  • 1 month later...

I’m only getting back to working on this project. I was busy with work and I also wanted to finish a couple of other projects.

 

On 11/22/2020 at 10:45 PM, Antti_K said:

I remember flying in these, looong ago.

 

Very nice and very small project; I have one 1/48 scale model built as LJ-2 and another one in stash. Are you going to fill those panel lines? Learjet is a very clean aircraft and the only panel lines visible are the reinforcement plate on the starboard side as well as the hatch for material drops.

 

Cheers,

Antti

 

Hi Antti. I’ve filled most of the panel lines. I will give the model a coat of primer to see if I’ve missed anything. I didn't see the reinforcement plate and the hatch you are talking about. Would you have some photos of it? 

 

I have noticed the tail cone on the model is for the standard Learjet and the Finnish ones are a little different. I think I could fix it.

 

When I was a kid I remember Matchbox released a Hawk in the same colours scheme. Since then, I’ve always liked it. So, when Revell released there 1/32 Hawk I just had to build it in this scheme. I got masks made for the markings, but I could not find the correct paints, so I mixed them. I think I’m going to do the same for this Learjet.

 

Ken

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Hi Ken,

 

Finnish Learjet camouflage colours for two different liveries were British Standard Light Aircraft Grey bottom and Bronze Green with Darki Drab for the upper surfaces.

 

There were several additions to the standard Learjet 35A in them: Shallow camera bulges on the front fuselage, pylons for camera/target/air sample/Chaff-flare/--- etc on wings, sensors, if fitted, on the wing tip tanks and tail cone. Also antennaes and some extra bulges were changed during the years. Antti would be better to tell about them. I think the best single source is Mushrooms Finnish Jets-book showing also upper surface camouflage. Internet search would of course give quite a lot of photos about them.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

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Hello Ken,

 

I had the Matchbox Hawk in the 80s as well. And today I have the Revell Hawk😉

 

Here is a nice photo of a FinnAF Learjet:

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The reinforcement plate is visible on the starboard side. Its front edge is inline with the windshield rear corners and it runs along the fuselage all the way up to the third cabin window. You can also see the hatch between the windshield and the oblique camera window (those two vertical panel lines). The RWR antennas are removed from the tip tanks (that round plate) and from the tailcone (there were four antennas altogether). The oblique camera window is a "real" window; you can see through it into the cabin. Behind the window a Vinten F95 camera was installed on a small tripod which in turn was installed onto the seat rails. Later we had a Nikon DSLR cameras that replaced the original wetfilm Vintens. One of the planes was always equipped for aerial survey missions during the summers (quite often it was LJ-1). There were two different types of installations: either the lower half of the entrance door was replaced with a camera "tub" or a larger tub was installed in place of the drop hatch on the starboard side. Vertical cameras were Wild RC-10s and RC-30s. LJ-2 was used for specialized missions and LJ-3 normally reserved for target towing duties.

 

This photo is closer to the current antenna equipment. In my time there were two ADF -loop antennas on top of the fuselage and two VHF/UHF -comm antennas on top of the fuselage and one below the rear fuselage. Also the ILS antennas were there.

 

Some photos for you:

 

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Here's LJ-2 on our wing a "couple" of years ago. This is the paint scheme before Learjets were painted with semi-gloss dark gray. The original paint scheme looked different.

 

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A close-up of the oblique camera window on the port side.

 

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A close-up showing the wing pylon.

 

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Here is the cabin of LJ-3 looking rearwards. The navigator's workstation at the back is classified therefore I put a black square on top of it. Like in Avro Vulcans, the navigators ride their backs forward (rather unpleasant and sometimes confusing).

 

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Here's the original navigator's station. Note that the table in front of it is removed for this photo. Note the huge Seaspray -radar screen, HSI, RMI and INS on the left.

 

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Here's LJ-1 carrying the RC-30 vertical camera on starboard side.

 

I have more photos, but I have to find and scan them first.

 

Cheers,

Antti

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
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I’m finding it hard to get motivated during lockdown to finish any models. I’m trying to get over it, so this weekend I got back to the Learjet. I glued the cockpit windows, masked them and painted the frames black. I’ve also stared to add the aerials and things.

 

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I found the paint I mixed for the Hawk I made a couple of years ago. I think they are a good match for BS 381C 222 Light Bronze Green and BS 381C 437 Very Dark Olive Drab. I think there is just about enough to spray the Learjet.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi All

 

I’ve finished all the aerials and filling on the model. The kit did not come with clear parts for the lights at the front of the tip tanks. So, I removed some plastic from the front of the tanks and glued two of the cabin windows that I was not going to use, sanded them to shape. I think it looks better.

 

I’m finally at the painting stage of this build. Sprayed the two greens today and tomorrow or Monday I’m going to mask off for the light grey. I know you would normally start with the grey first, but I thought it would be easier to do it this way because I thought the masking would be easier. After that I will have to paint the silver on the wings, engines and cockpit window frames.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Ken

 

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Hi All

 

I was planning to spray the grey on Monday, but I real life got in the way and before I knew, it was Wednesday. Anyway, the grey is done and I’ve painted the silver on the window frames, wings, tail and engines. After painting the window frames, I got a bit carried away and removed the masks from the cockpit windows and then realized I had to give the model a gloss coat for decals and because the real plane is gloss. I’m think the windows will be ok if I splay them with clear gloss.

 

I’ll do some more in this over the weekend.

 

I don’t think the photos do the models justice.

 

Ken.

 

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Lovely build! Splendid little machine!

As it happens I am about to start a similar build but I. 1/48th scale and in the new gray livrè...anybody know of decals in 1/48?

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What a lovely Learjet! I like this a lot. The colours look very good.

 

There was quite a debate among "high echelons" at the Air Force HQ here in Finland back in 1980 when the paint scheme was approved. Original drawing had wavy colour demarcation line between the upper and lower sides (similar than seen in Finnish Hawks). At that time the chief test pilot Lt Col Jyrki Laukkanen who resisted the idea, was at the factory in the USA. When the factory representative asked what they should do with the paint scheme, Laukkanen said that the colour demarcation line should be straight. So they were painted like that. Years later the wavy line came into life when Learjets received new paint. Finally our three Learjets were painted with overall dark grey; as Lt Col Laukkanen had originally suggested!

 

Cheers,

Antti

 

 

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