*done* Saab 35S & FS Draken, Ilmavoimat, DK-223 and DK-259

[vppelt68]

As the host here, it would be rude not to start my own build thread too. I have the H2K Austrian/Finnish boxing of the Hasegawa plastics. In true gentlemen's scale of course. My decoration options are so far wide open.

V-P

[vppelt68]

Happy me 🙂

It looks very probable, though the decals are not yet in my hands, that I get to decorate my build with decals from this 2008 Revell boxing of the Hasegawa kit:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-04264-saab-35-s-draken--129369

Thank you @Jinxman for your offer, but I think I prefer this one as it comes with option for DK-223 "Kreivi von Rosen", of which I built a later incarnation in the Hornet STGB last year. There´s something with more  bulgy chins that I like in airplanes . I prefer a Vokes-filter Spitfire over a regular Mk.V, a B-17G with the chin turret over a B-17F and I think a Draken with an IR seeker under its nose looks better than one without it - thus I'll rather build a Draken 35S than a 35FS! V-P

[vppelt68]

A very good reason to pop by the post agent today. Picked up the second kit for this GB.

Two boxes that housed among other things, these instructions, paint diagrams, decals and canopy mask sets (only one on my desk, though) .

Here are the sprues. I really h8 the stupidity that makes Revell and Hobby 2000 remove the "unnecessary" parts C3, the front missile pylons 6H and 6V from the kits. Most annoying!

And as last pic in this update, the reference books I'm using and the look at that H2K box now housing two full kits... yet half empty - or half full? Off to painting stuff now... V-P

[vppelt68]

Maybe I have skipped posting some phases of my builds, because this is what they look like now:

V-P

[Jinxman]

Nice kits and references - 🙂

[vppelt68]

The best customer service dept. in the business did it again - thank you, Revell

 

 

I wonder how much of those hard to find- kit boxing's decal sheets lay in spare part lockers of these companies? I came up with the idea of asking - and success! I'll probably use as much of the H2K decals as possible, they are made by Cartograph, after all. V-P

[cpoud117]

That's very nice of Revell indeed and smart of you to ask!

[Jinxman]

3 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

The best customer service dept. in the business did it again - thank you, Revell

I wonder how much of those hard to find- kit boxing's decal sheets lay in spare part lockers of these companies? I came up with the idea of asking - and success! I'll probably use as much of the H2K decals as possible, they are made by Cartograph, after all. V-P

Genius!

[vppelt68]

*No pics, because my free online photo hosting is nearing full capacity and I don't waste it unless I show something important*

 

But there has been progress, and I thought I should at least write about it, even without pics. Both airframes are finished plastics wise, meaning they're assembled from nose cone to tail cone, fin tip to drop tank pylons (in 35S). Jet pipes and pitot tubes excused, yet. Today I sanded the seams and left the fuselages drying because there is some water everywhere. That's why the canopies are also not yet closed. All the landing gear parts and drop tanks are also cleaned and ready to be painted and then attached. Anyhoo, I suppose by Sunday I'll get to begin painting .

[vppelt68]

And that's what I did, painted. I was very close to keeping my promise and post this pic in b/w . The colour just doesn't look right, it's Hu 87, but I'll live with that anyway. V-P

 

[exdraken]

Looks great!

The 2 of them!

[Wings unlevel]

Looking really clean VP!

[Bjorn]

Looking great! Just one question: Should the exhaust cone be painted blue-grey? On the Swedish Drakens it was NMF, like the rest of the rear part of the underside of the body. I thought that the Finnish Drakens were painted the same way as the Swedish ones.

[vppelt68]

28 minutes ago, Bjorn said:

Looking great! Just one question: Should the exhaust cone be painted blue-grey? On the Swedish Drakens it was NMF, like the rest of the rear part of the underside of the body. I thought that the Finnish Drakens were painted the same way as the Swedish ones.

A good question, as this book says that the lower fuselage was unpainted between nose and tailwheel hatches. The light grey paint and dull metal look so much the same that my eyes don't tell the difference. With my chosen too blue paint it's anyway much more obvious than in real life 🙂

V-P

[helios16v]

Nice progress.

[Bjorn]

5 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

A good question, as this book says that the lower fuselage was unpainted between nose and tailwheel hatches. The light grey paint and dull metal look so much the same that my eyes don't tell the difference. With my chosen too blue paint it's anyway much more obvious than in real life 🙂

V-P

Strange! I have never seen a Draken with blue/grey tailcone. Could this have been a feature on the Valmet-built ones? Here is a Swedish-built Ilmavoimat 35FS with NMF tailcone:



Here is a 35S, and the underside of the tailcone looks NMF to me. Could it have differed from individual to individual?

[vppelt68]

I don't know and can't actually tell that for sure by the pics I've seen either!

But those two are both Finnish built 35S:s, the upper being the last one, DK-223 "Kreivi von Rosen". The S:s wore odd numbers between 201 and 223. Maybe I'll just repaint the tails...

[AaCee26]

12 hours ago, Bjorn said:

 exhaust cone be painted blue-grey? On the Swedish Drakens it was NMF, like the rest of the rear part of the underside of the body

 

11 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

 lower fuselage was unpainted between nose and tailwheel hatche

Hi,

 

Seems that Bjorn is right and there is an error in this book. Maybe generated by the profiles with a similar fault? Old IPMS-Mallari and Finnish Jet Colours book shows also the tailcone unpianted.

 

BTW - Revell decals have the small roundels with black border. They never had although might look like that in too much sharpened photos.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

[vppelt68]

50 minutes ago, AaCee26 said:

 

Hi,

 

Seems that Bjorn is right and there is an error in this book. Maybe generated by the profiles with a similar fault? Old IPMS-Mallari and Finnish Jet Colours book shows also the tailcone unpianted.

 

BTW - Revell decals have the small roundels with black border. They never had although might look like that in too much sharpened photos.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

Repaint time it is, then! I'll just have to live with the incorrect roundels. Not the biggest errors in my builds anyway . V-P

[Bjorn]

11 hours ago, AaCee26 said:

BTW - Revell decals have the small roundels with black border. They never had although might look like that in too much sharpened photos.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

Aha? So the small Finnish roundels were without black border? I always thought they were with it. Great! I have plans to build a 35S in 1/48 with the small ones, but there is no decal sheet for that and I have only small roundels without border (the letters and numbers are easier to find).

EDIT. Just found this picture: It looks like a black border to me. Or is it just as it looks? I hope not...

Edited March 29, 2023 by Bjorn

[vppelt68]

And I don't see anything blue in that grey colour either. The difference to the colour of the IR seeker is quite obvious. 

[vppelt68]

Just to show you I have done something with the Drakens too. I set to show a difference between a faded and weathered vs. a fresh paintjob, well the difference is there but is it correct, I don't know (or care). After all these are not WW2 prop driven things and thus just a snack between proper builds

 

 

In case someone is interested, the 35S on the left is painted Hu 79/155 and the 35FS on the right Revell 69/Hu 108. I believe a coat of varnish will change them a lot, so these are not their final looks. V-P

[Wings unlevel]

22 minutes ago, vppelt68 said:

After all these are not WW2 prop driven things and thus just a snack between proper builds

Ooh! Fighting words! 😆

 

I really like your double build concept of faded and factory-fresh versions. I’m not sure which one I prefer more. 🤔

[AaCee26]

On 3/29/2023 at 9:10 AM, Bjorn said:

small Finnish roundels were without black border

Hi Björn,

 

Yes, no black border with small Finnish roundels except white Grob 115Es.

 

In the books like "Finnish Jet Colours" is explanation why they look in pictures that there are black borders:

1) digital image processing like adding contrast or sharpening (which addes contract) causes border between light and dark surfaces to look like darker,

2) after roundels are taped to the plane they might be varnished slightly bigger when the edge looks darker (@vppelt68 that's excuse for you! 😁)

 

I have seen the kite in your picture taken at the Vesivehmaa Päijät-Hämeen ilmailumuseo and tens of other small roundels in Hawk, MiG.21s, Hornets etc.  there is no black border in real life in camouflaged types.

 

As we know the lower surface of the Draken camouflage is Blågrå, Blue-Grey so as fresh it is bluish but ageing changes it towards light grey.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee.

Edited April 13, 2023 by AaCee26
Typo

[reini]

On 30/03/2023 at 10:50, vppelt68 said:

After all these are not WW2 prop driven things and thus just a snack between proper builds

 

So, have you finished your snacks?  Looking quite close to done but sunday is getting closer!