1/72 - Saab J35 Draken by MikroMir - J35F released

Homebee · July 12, 2022

MikroMir is to release 1/72nd Saab J-35 Draken kits.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/mikro.mir.dnepr/posts/pfbid0Rtqzz7F68CrKYxVLaEzKT71YbyThkdiCc1uHxPLRTh1gGR3iRiFxgMmvzpLC5L1Zl

3D renders

V.P.

Edited January 8 by Homebee

Robert · July 12, 2022

Hope they do the two seater.

Regards

Robert

drake122 · July 12, 2022

Well, this is interesting... I wonder how will this compare to Hasegawa.

Trenton guy · July 12, 2022

I’m not sure this is wise. The Hasegawa kit is very good and very available. An early variant not done by Hasegawa might find a welcome but it doesn’t look like we are going to get that. At least, it looks like we will get the stores that are missing from the Hasegawa offering. I really like Micro Mir kits but the extra effort they involve only makes sense to me when the subject is one you can’t find elsewhere. Where is that promised Ju-388!

HMSLion · July 12, 2022

I have to agree with the doubters. I'm sure they'll do a fine job, but one has to wonder what the market is.

tony.t · July 13, 2022

As it's a Ukrainian company Mikro Mir is going to get my custom.

I especially like the addition of Rb-27 (AIM-26B) missiles and also hope for a two-seater to follow.

Tony

Violet Club · July 13, 2022

Don't forget that the hasegawa draken is also available in Revell boxing.

Bjorn · July 13, 2022

1 hour ago, Violet Club said:

Don't forget that the hasegawa draken is also available in Revell boxing.

I would rather say "was available". It has not been in the Revell catalogue for many years now.

As you might guess, this is a release that I find very interesting. The Hasegawa kit is good, but has its shortcomings. The large air intakes on the mid-body is far off and the rear part of the body itself is a little too thin. Wheel wells has nothing to do with the real aircraft and cockpit is pretty basic. (all corrected on the Hasegawa 1/48 kit.) Regarding its age it is nice, but a new Draken is always welcome!

So if MikroMir can do a better model with all this corrected, it would be great. And if they could do separate flaps, since these always are drooped on a parked Draken, it would be even better! On the contrary, separate air brakes will just cause problems, the upper ones were never open on a parked aircraft, and the lower ones were also almost always closed, just occasionally open a few centimetres.

gavingav1 · July 13, 2022

3 hours ago, Violet Club said:

Don't forget that the hasegawa draken is also available in Revell boxing.

Released in 2007 , not generally available in over 10 years .

Thomas V. · July 13, 2022

Hobby 2000 reboxed Hasegawa recently, as for any MikroMir kits, looks nice in CAD stage, looks sub standard on sprues, is difficult to build.

mack · July 13, 2022

I can only hope for early versions and two seaters... and dream about prototypes in red, blue or yellow...

CharlieGolf2009 · July 15, 2022

It would be great if they eventually released the upgraded Danish Drakens. 😀

I was tempted to buy a couple of update sets from Maestro Models for Heller's dual-seat and an Hasegawa single-seat, but now I just don't know. 😐

ruudster · July 15, 2022

i still have a Hasegawa Draken to build, but i would definitely go for a Danish single or two seater!

SprueMan · October 3, 2023

On final approach:
https://www.facebook.com/mikro.mir.dnepr

Homebee · October 3, 2023

Sprues

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php/?id=100064192773267&story_fbid=698554208960999

V.P.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Homebee

VMA131Marine · October 3, 2023

Full intake ducts! Nice!

Looks like significantly more detail than the Hasegawa kits which, nice as they are, are quite simple.

Robertone139 · October 4, 2023

Looks nice, however I see no parts breakdown to foresee a two-seater or a recce or a late Danish aircraft.

RidgeRunner · October 4, 2023

8 hours ago, Robertone139 said:

foresee a two-seater

so, still Maestro! with a Heller canopy

Meatbox8 · October 4, 2023

Oh goody. I haven't had Draaken since sometime in the mid-70s. The Revell kit I seem to remember. It was hung from my bedroom ceiling in combat with the Airfix P80. I 'weathered' them both by putting black 'fingerprint' powder from my Spykit in my daisy gun and firing it at them.

Needless to say most of it went on the ceiling. Mum wasn't amused.

Bjorn · October 4, 2023

OK, here is the Draken rivet-counter's first verdict: On the whole, it looks very nice! Separate flaps is very welcome since they are always drooped on a parked Draken and intace ducts are great. The RAT unit on the underside is also nice, present on the Hasegawa kit, but not on the other ones. Wheels look very good too. And having the outer wings to the inner ones already attached will make the build easier.

As mentioned above, parts breakdown however, is a little confusing. Not having separate parts for the guns, makes it more difficult to build other versions than an early Austrian J 35Ö and - if a flat canopy is provided - a Swedish J 35D. I guess there are inserts like on the Hasegawa kit, bit that solution is far from perfect. If MikroMir is planning further versions, they have not made things easy for neither themselves nor the builder.

The separate nose makes a recce S 35E and Danish modified F-35/RF-35/TF-35 possible. But to build the Danish (and modified Austrian) ones, another fin tip is required.

The air intakes on the upper half of the body look far to large, hopefully the inserts will make them smaller (it looks like that on the CAD image). Separate air brakes on a Draken is always a bad idea, since they almost never ever were opened on a parked aircraft.

But on the whole, it looks like a buildable and nice kit with good details.

71chally · October 4, 2023

I know I'm probably going to get castigated for this, it's fantastic seeing a new Draken, but I don't remember much wrong about the Hasegawa kit?

Mikromir/AMP has always been my go to manufacturer for subject kits that no one else does, or is likely to cover.

For example, I'm really hoping that they will persist with their 1:48 Sikorsky S55 project, which seems to have gone quiet for almost a year now, as there just isn't anything like a reasonable alternative to it. I really hope the Draken brings in the money to produce their other kits.

Dennis_C · October 6, 2023

On 04/10/2023 at 20:27, 71chally said:

but I don't remember much wrong about the Hasegawa kit?

I think the main problem - it is lacking details everywhere. Quite bare cockpit, bare undercarriage bays, no intake tubes, no proper exhaust pipe. Otherwise it was a good kit, with nice fit and surface details.

And it was cheap if you were buying Revell box or you're living in Japan. Otherwise for the price of Hasegawa set you also had to invest a lot into resin/photoetch improvements.

Bjorn · October 6, 2023

Having found the sprues picture in better resolution, here are some additional comments from Draken rivet-counter #1:

- It seems as if MikroMir have decided to make a J 35F/J only. There is just a single gun visible on the body halves, which means that you have to make a second gun on your own if building an Austrian one (or a J 35D).
- Panel lines seem to be spot on. Main wheel wells (at least from what I can see on the sidewalls) seem to have nice an correct details for a 1/72 Draken. Actually, even better than the Hasegawa 1/48 and way beyond Hasegawa 1/72 where wheel well detailing is completely out of the blue.
- Landing gears look correct, although there are many small parts to attach, I don't look forward to that part of the build...
- Some parts are missing, I can not see an exhaust cone. That one will be interesting to see, since it has a rather unique shape.

- PE parts (yellow on the CAD pictures) will obviously be included, which is a welcome addition. Especially for the small strakes on the underside of the outer wings.
- The underside of the exhaust cone excludes all Danish versions which have a arrester hook there.
- And, most important, shapes look correct. Unfortunately with one exception: MikroMir have missed that the tailcone does not follow smooth to the shape of the body. On the rear thing, there shoud be a notable difference here. Best seen on glossy aircraft, but visible on all Drakens:

It is at pity that MikroMir seem to think that the J 35F/J versions are enough. If not, they have a lot of work to do to create other versions such as Austrian and all Danish versions. However, this said, if fit is acceptable, this kit will be a huge leap compared to the (very nice, but, as mentioned above, a little simplified) Hasegawa kit. It will certainly by far be the best 1/72 Draken kit ever produced.