Saab 21 x2 (+1)

[Orso]

I started to build something Swedish for a group build so I got a Heller SAAB J 21A out from the stash.

I decided to try another approach  attaching wings to the fuselage. The wings are in three parts, one large bottom and two parts for the top so I started by building them together as I always done before.
But when I got to the fuselage I only glued the part in front of the cockpit and let it set. Then I glued the fuselage to the wing assembly leaving the rear of the fuselage unglued. This way i could press the fuselage out to the wings leaving no gap to be filled. When the glue had set I glued the top of the rear fuselage together.

 

Then I had to add a small wedge of plastic card under the rear fuselage but I found this easier to sand after I add filler to it than to fill and sand a fuselage-wing joint.

 

I've made holes in the front of the booms for landing lights. With the booms still off I can build landing light inserts an mount them from behind. I have also made a hole on the left wing for a new pitot tube. As I'm building a late version (A 21A-3) the tube was moved from the right wing to the left. I managed to break of the gun in the nose, and while looking at pictures I noticed that the gun isn't mounted exactly in the centre so I'll fix that when I build a new gun. 

I sanded away the structure on the aileron's as 'm building one with ailerons made of metal. My old build was unmodified as you can see.

My old model built sometime in the 1980's with silver painted landing light's. The pitot tube was moved so I guess it is a machine from the mid series, a  J 21A-2 while my new build will be an A 21A-3.

 

A bomb pylon was built using a F-18 pylon as a base.

 

Added wing tanks from the Broplan J 21R conversion set.

 

The air intake on the fuselage side has been drilled out a bit. Brass tubing was used to replace the guns. 

 

The kit is rather OK. I had to add some filler to the boom/wing joint but the big problem with this kit is to build the canopy trying to fit the parts together. 
I have added some rocket mounts that was leftover from a Special Hobby J 21R.

I  decided to start o a second plane, this time an early variant, the J 21A-1.
I found an easy way to fill the landing light holes to get something to glue the lights to. My first thought was to add some plastic card but to get it in the right shape and size would be tricky and then to get it in place. Instead I inserted a ball of Magic Sculp (two component clay) from behind. Then I sanded a piece of sprue to a square shape that fits the hole and pressed the clay back so I get some space and a flat surface for the light. I also found some left over seat belts from a Lansen build that I used. Not correct but hardly visible.

 

The second one will be the fighter version.
The attack version is a 21A-3 while the Heller kit is a 21A-1.  The propeller version of the J 21 was built in three versions. 21A-1, A-2 and A-3
To make it easy one can say that the A-3 is an A-2 with the capability to carry  bombs, rockets and wing tip fuel tanks.
Between the A-1 and A-2 versions there are some differences that are visible. 
The things I found are.
The instrument panels differ. The cooling flaps under the wings were changed. Trimtabs on the right aileron differ and the placement of the pitot tube. The A-1 had an Hispano-Suiza gun while the A-2 got an Bofors.

Much of the information is from drawings in books so they might not be correct but here it is.

The instrument panel in the kit is more of the A-2 version. The A-1 seems to have a flat panel.

The cooling flaps in the kit works for the A-1 version. Some filling and scribing would be needed for the A-2 but it is hardly visible so one might leave this out.

There is a tim tab in the ailerons but on the A-2 the right one got doubled. Looking at photos I got the feeling that the trimtabs ar placed wrong on the kit (and most drawings)

The pitot tube was mounted in the right wing on the A-1 as on the kit while it was moved to the left wing on the A-2.

I guess that the muzzle of the gun is different between the two types but it is hard to tell in the pictures.

 

I moved my trimtabs one rib closer to the fuselage. The right tab on my A-3 I enlarged one rib to be able to fit two tabs.

This is what I came to. It looks that there are five flaps on the A-2 and I marked them in red. I think the blue is where the radiators are placed
On the A-3 i filled a panel line (the yellow line) to be able to move it back (the green line) somewhat so that the dimensions of the forward flaps look more like photos. 

On the A-1 I scribed a thin line (the green) in the flaps to simulate the hinged flap and filled a line (yellow) on the centre flap.

I've drawn instrument panels that I printed on paper to add to the A-1. I sanded the kits panel flat and glued the paper panel in place.
I also drew panels for the A-2 and A-3 as well.  They can be found here: https://baecklund.eu/scalemodels/72/papercockpit.html

Don't take everything I write for an absolute truth. This is only my conclusions patching together mixed information's, and also what I choose to use on my kits but I could easily have got things wrong.

 

I didn't manage to finish them in time for the group build. As usual it went to sleep when painting came closer. Now I got them down from the wall of shame and slabbed some paint on.

 

Decals has been started. But I know how this will end. I will get a third kit to build an A-2 verson as well.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Orso
Added a build

[Troy Smith]

A lot to take in Bjorn,  but very interesting.   

I have a Pilot Replicas J-21 and Special Hobby J-21R stashed,  led astray by the Swedish Fighter Colours book.  I wasn't aware of the variant changes, and I have the MMP book, must have another look. 

 

Look forward to more progress!

cheers

T

 

[Vesa Jussila]

Interesting project Björn. Somehow I like Saab's. Maybe it's Drakens that I was watching when I was a kid.

[Orso]

 

Decals in place on the A 21A-3

 

 

and on the J 21A-1. Next will be a flat coat.

 

As i predicted I had to buy another kit. A J 21A-2 has been started The line for the flaps has been filled.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Orso

[Orso]

For some reason these projects just died. I have now restarted on the third plane and plan to finish the other two as well.  

[Orso]

The first one is finished

 

[Orso]

I had a small setback with the fighter version. I found some information and had to remove some trimtabs.

 

Filling and sanding was not what I wanted after I had added antenna and wire.

 

But I managed to save the antenna and restoring the rib pattern wasn't a compete disaster either. On the table is another fighter soon ready for paint.