Mythical Draken - Completed by magic.....and alcohol!

[trickyrich]

Ok despite all mine and Beelzebub’s efforts progress has been made on the mythical beast….sorry to disappoint everyone! 

 

Well them joints weren’t going to fix themselves so I had to think of a way to fix them other than with filler, many because filler and lacquer paints doesn’t seem to like each other…….shrinkage……. and nobody likes shrinkage!!!

 

Normally I’d just use sprue to fill gaps, but these weren’t gaps but more like height differences between joins…… just what you normally use filler for……but not this time. So out with the 10 thou plastic strip, I use this to build up the hollows using plenty of super thin glue. 

 

Next some tape to help protect surrounding bit…..always use protection folks   …….

 

 

 

..........followed by some gentle sanding….and gaps all gone pretty much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up some Mr Surface 500 on those areas and left for a week, then cleaned up with nail polish remover and micro pads.

 

The joins all came out really nice, forgot to take photos, there are a couple of wee spots that need another go with the Surface 500.

 

It’ll probably be another couple of weeks before I can get back to this or other builds, super busy travelling with work.

 

[Marlin]

Nice work on thoose seams @trickyrich

/Bosse 

[modelling minion]

Nice work on the joins Rich, looks like you have sorted them very well.

[desert falcon]

Yes very nice work Rich! 

[Paramedic]

Yeah, nice work! Don´t remember those areas to be that tricky.. But I might have cared less than I should! None the less - great job fixing it!

[PattheCat]

She's got her fill and you're not fed up. So everything looks like taking the good direction (with or without a radar 😉).

Good job so far Rich.

I'm sure it will look great when done.

 

[Jens]

That step or shape change on the rear fuselage is also present on the real Draken, so no need to fill that.

 

Jens

[trickyrich]

8 hours ago, Jens said:

That step or shape change on the rear fuselage is also present on the real Draken, so no need to fill that.

 

Jens

 

Opps!   Well not quite, the "step" was a bit much I think now after looking at some photos, but because all the work is with plastic it's nice and easy the right shape and look. 

[trickyrich]

Ok some real progress on this build??????  

 

In a fit of……. something real progress has been made on this build…….painting is completed!!!! 

 

Yes she she’s painted and looks amazing if I may say so.

 

So just a little bit of tiding up was needed then I was ready to paint her. I decided to do the bare metal underside bit first using Alclad Airframe Aluminium. I did some panel pre-shading to help break the evenness of the finish.

 

 

It actually turned out quite well, though it was quite a bit brighter before I put the clear gloss coat on……actually it went darker an matt after it….most unusual! I also did the leading edges as well.

 

 

Next more masking up for the some white and a base for the tail (it’ll be red) and the re-painted wing panels.

 

 

The red was next, after some panel per-shading. At first I thought the shading might have been too much but I do like the look, plus some did the exact same for the model Eduard used.

 

 

So that was Saturday’s work done.

 

 Today, even after going out for a longish lunch at a nice local pub (Chilli Chicken Waffles!! ) I still managed to complete all the painting including touch-ups…..gotta love lacquers!

 

So the grey was first, then the Khaki Drab (both MRP paints), then the Blue (Mr Color).. Then at help accentuate the newer re-painted section, this section was masked before misting some super thinned (95%) white lacquer. It gives the whole finish a nice faded look and make the new section look like fresh paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She just needs a coat of clear gloss and she’s ready for decals and a wash, after a 2nd clear coat.

 

Plus some work was started on the pylons, some RB28’s are on the way, I’m not sure about the other pylons. I think this is/was an F1 version, so no IRST sensor and the intake pylons removed? The instructions show them fitted, anyway can sort that out later.

 

 

Probably only a couple of weekends work (including distractions) and she’s done!

[modelling minion]

That is quite some progress Rich.

Very nice smooth paint work mate, and happily the colours look very close to the ones I used. One thing though, I think the Eduard instructions are wrong as the very rear section of the fuselage shouldn't be in the blue colour but the olive green as the aircraft was painted in the standard colour scheme before the red tail was applied and this has very little variation from airframe to airframe. I hope these pics illustrate what I mean; 

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/403430/35475

 

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/384812/35069

[trickyrich]

oh ok, I thought it was a re-paint as demarkation between the 2 colours shown as straight lines and not curved.

 

Have been searching or any photos of this particular aircraft and haven't found any yet..................

 

....................ARRRRRR I should have gone to my fav Russian search engine!!!! Just found some, and she's more weathered than I thought, and the colour differences are huge!!  And the red is quite vivid with no panel lines...though it looks a bit over saturated to me!

 

 

Those new painted panels are one colour, quite a bit dark blue and the red is really solid, not too hard to fix, and I will leave the stores off....bugger I just ordered some rockets for her too! 

[modelling minion]

31 minutes ago, trickyrich said:

oh ok, I thought it was a re-paint as demarkation between the 2 colours shown as straight lines and not curved.

 

Have been searching or any photos of this particular aircraft and haven't found any yet..................

 

....................ARRRRRR I should have gone to my fav Russian search engine!!!! Just found some, and she's more weathered than I thought, and the colour differences are huge!!  And the red is quite vivid with no panel lines...though it looks a bit over saturated to me!

 

 

Those new painted panels are one colour, quite a bit dark blue and the red is really solid, not too hard to fix, and I will leave the stores off....bugger I just ordered some rockets for her too! 

For some reason pictures of this aircraft in this scheme are very difficult to find, in the one you posted above it looks like the section covering the engine has been replaced by a newly painted section and the panels on the wings look like the same colour too. Whether its a trick of the light and they aren't as dark as they appear in this image I am unsure, it would seem that the colour used isn't the standard olive green used on Drakens, it looks more like the dark green used on Viggens to me.

[modelling minion]

In this pic you can see the original lines of the blue on the rear fuselage, just.

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/183043/35468

 

It also looks like the entire front of the aircraft has been repainted in the darker shade, you can see it in this one too;

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/398067/35468

 

The sections on the wing seem to be very highly polished in the first picture, as does the area immediately behind the fibreglass section of the intakes it looks polished rather than the blue colour and in the second picture you can see that the polished area continues under the fuselage onto the blue/grey colour.

 

I think this one shows the dark green colour quite well.

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/35468

Edited October 31, 2021 by modelling minion

[PattheCat]

Some real progress here, Rich.  I believe digital cameras (including phones) tend to  oversaturate colours, especially the primaries. I think your approach of the tail's painting looks more realistic.

She looks great.

 

pat.

[modelling minion]

The replacement/re-painted rear end looks very dark in this picture Rich.

https://twitter.com/AviationPhotoCo/status/1158742549277925376/photo/1

 

The tail fin looks more weathered on it too.

[Hewy]

Smashing job rich, 👍

[trickyrich]

6 hours ago, modelling minion said:

In this pic you can see the original lines of the blue on the rear fuselage, just.

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/183043/35468

 

It also looks like the entire front of the aircraft has been repainted in the darker shade, you can see it in this one too;

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/398067/35468

 

The sections on the wing seem to be very highly polished in the first picture, as does the area immediately behind the fibreglass section of the intakes it looks polished rather than the blue colour and in the second picture you can see that the polished area continues under the fuselage onto the blue/grey colour.

 

I think this one shows the dark green colour quite well.

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/35468

 

I have one of those phots, but the others are nice to see

 

My feeling is that most of these photos are a bit too over saturated, the red looks to be too solid and the faded blue is almost greenish in colour!

 

I would say I'm in heading in the right direction with the fading, maybe fade the blue a wee bit more wit a mist of green. The re-painted bits will be ok, though I see the wing panels  appear to be solid blue, no Khaki, easy to fix but I'll fade the edges a wee bit more.

 

Maybe the nose section was just tidied up a bit (re-spray at sometime?) or was kept covered? Will leave that. Looks like I'll need to play with a few different clear coats as well to try and match the different paint finishes.

 

Sounds like a bit of work required, but all the time will be with the masking, the painting will be super quick.

 

Now have to wait until next weekend to do more on her!!

[modelling minion]

I agree that the photos are over saturated and I am surprised that there aren't more pictures of her around.

 

Zotz covered this aircraft on one of their sheets and their research was inconclusive too which says a lot as their research was good, worth taking a look at their sheet Rich even if to muddy the waters even more.

 

I think your painting is really good but I do think that the rear section and possibly the nose are in a different colour than the usual olive green.

[trickyrich]

The storage bit is how that blue seems to fade, going from a blue colour to quite a greenish one, and not a colour the camera likes either!

 

can see I’ll be spending some time on this trying to get the look I’m after right.

[exdraken]

Very nice!!

[desert falcon]

That's looking fantastic Rich 🤩 

[Paramedic]

If I recall correctly, this, and quite a few other special Swedish "skins" were not around for too long. Getting re-painted. Hence the lack of photos? I made a quick search for "Johan 66 draken" which gave a few I think you have, however..

 

The tail cone was from another aircraft as I understood it, but I guess you knew that? I have it covered ina  few books but all are at my dad´s.. I can check with him if there is any info and possibly have him send photos atleast. Or I could try and e-mail F 10 Wing´s museum if you want to?

 

it´s looking good though!

 

Thread in Swedish:

 

https://forum.flyghistoria.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=153

 

And the text from the Zotz decal sheet if you did not have it:

 

http://www.hyperscale.com/2008/reviews/decals/zotz48029reviewme_1.htm

 

It says 1998 but that is wrong, should be 1989.

 

More in Swedish:

 

https://lae.blogg.se/2008/april/johan-57-och-66-the-show-must-go-on.html

 

Appaerently there were two, Johan 57 and Johan 66. If you need help translating, I can try..

[trickyrich]

thanks for all that info 

 

Ok more progress in this wee beast, the end is near!

 

After eventually finding some decent photos of this one I now have a much better idea of how she is meant to look. Eduard got it sort of right but there were still a few errors.

 

The re-painted sections on the wing are actually just one colour, the blue, and no continuation of the camo pattern. The rear section of this aircraft I think came from a different aircraft ad look to have been re-paint in the same blue, again no continuation of the original camo pattern. Then the nose section of this aircraft doesn’t appear to be as faded as the rest, not sure why. Then finally the tails red colour looks to be quite solid.

 

That said the photos of her appear to be quite to very saturated with the blue looking very green/khaki in colour, which I don’t think is quite right. Plus the red was just too solid and bright, but at least I know the finish I’m after now.

 

So after a day of just touch-up/correction painting and lots of masking this is what we have now.

 

 

 

 

I’m now really happy of the look of her, the fading and patchiness is about right. I misted a few different colour help with the look, the front end was pretty much left alone. The re-painted panels were enlarged (the wing ones were too small) and give a misting over to knock a bit of the blue out of them. The tail was re-painted a patchy white, then the same with the red. It’s very hard to see in the photo’s but to me now looks right.

 

 

She now has a nice gloss clear coat on her. I tried Alclad’s Klear Kote Gloss…. WOW!!!! That stuff is amazing, it gives you a beautiful smooth finish, not super glossy as it is over a flat base, but it’s so smooth. It’s the first time I’ve used it and I’m hooked!

 

The one unfortunate mishap…… the lip popped off the airbrush as I was laying down the clear and I’ve managed to get a huge blob on the LH wing!!    I managed to get the excess off without damaging the paint underneath, but it’s a bit blobby there now. Will leave it over night the carefully rub it back with micro-mesh pads, it should be fine.

 

The plan for tomorrow is decaling, panel wash and start the final clear coats, which will be a mix of flat/matt/semi-gloss…this will be fun!

 

[modelling minion]

Very nice work Rich.

I have spent hours looking for and at pictures of this beast and trying to interpret exactly what the colours were in places and cannot come to a firm conclusion of exactly how she looked as she looks so different from one picture to another and what you have done above looks as good as any decision I could come up with. She is going to look great with the decals on.

[desert falcon]

Yes very nice work indeed, she is looking fantastic Rich !!