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KH Gripen instructions up


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If the painting/decal instructions are anything to go by, it seems that they neglected to fix the intake size/shape.

It seems reasonable to me that the boxart and color profiles would be based on the CAD model so...

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Perhaps I'm an idiot, but what's wrong with them? It looks like the distance between the top of the intake and the canopy sill is different, so it looks like the intakes may be too high on the fuselage, but I don't see obvious size/shape issues from the two images provided.

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Perhaps I'm an idiot, but what's wrong with them? It looks like the distance between the top of the intake and the canopy sill is different, so it looks like the intakes may be too high on the fuselage, but I don't see obvious size/shape issues from the two images provided.

Yeah, they are either just too high, or too big and hence too high as result.

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Me and a mate are busy with building a review example of the kit and we®ve discovered a few flaws and we®re trying to show how to remedy them...

For the most part it®s an excellent kit...I®d say 90% excellence countered by 10% of glaring errors that are annoying since they could have easily been avoided with

a couple of hours of googleing :deadhorse1:

What we®ve discovered thus far is:

Cockpit:

The bang seat is lacking the canopy breakersin the head rest and the ejection handle in the seat.

There are hles made for the throttle lever in the left sidewall...but there isn®t any lever to be seen

Under carriage:

No scissorlinks are provided for the MLGs

Air inlets:

While nice shapewise there aren®t any intake trunking so when you look into the intakes it®s just holes into the fuselage.

Fuselage:

Looks good shapewise but the slimelights aren®t protruding like that, sand them smooth

Wings:

On a stationary Gripen the right flpas is down while the left aileron is up, they need some tweeking to be placed in those positions since the flaps and ailerons in the kit is ment to be placed in neutral.

The slats are always in neutral while stationary and could have been molded into the wings from the start no need to have them separeate.

Pylons and ordonance:

The wingtip missile launchers look a bit dodgy

Missing the BOL extensions to the missile launchers

well... the ordonance is just a bonus now isn®t it?

Tho a droptank would have been nice... and a recon pod.....

Decals:

While all the non Swedish decals are nice, well the Sedish decals are nice too....except they are only for a "A" model and the kit can only be built as a "C"-model :P Quite the oposite problem from the Italeri one since that one can only be built as an "A" and it carries decals for a "C":P

Well that®s the way it is....

A great kit that could have been fantastic with a wee bit more research :D

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Great review Aigore !

A great kit that could have been fantastic with a wee bit more research biggrin.gif

Yes. KH should have let you (or another "Gripen fluent" person) review the CAD model to debug it before making the tooling. Some manufacturers do such things.

Edited by Laurent
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OK and it is a good representation of Gripen or not ? It's overall accurate or near accurate - or totally innacurate ? For "our" CZAF Gripen naturally. It is on shelfs now- but is relative expensive...(64USD/1250CZK)

Edited by AlCZ
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Great review Aigore !

Yes. KH should have let you (or another "Gripen fluent" person) review the CAD model to debug it before making the tooling. Some manufacturers do such things.

Well, KH puts out images in this very forum, and have representatives that read this forum, a lot of us provided input through this forum when the CAD images were presented. I guess KH choose to correct what ever they like. I can live with the intakes, it®s no biggie. There are other shape issues too, like the simplified APU bulge. To do it right would have required a slide mold or to provide the bulge as a separate part (both of which in turn could have offered them a simple way of actually boxing an A version). Another shape issue is the RWR fairings in the front and to the rear of the wingtip launchers. They should be the same size. The kit has the forward fairing a bit thicker than the rear.

Some pics from our build:

IMG_05241-600x381.jpg

IMG_05201-600x414.jpg

IMG_05181-552x500.jpg

IMG_05211-600x420.jpg

IMG_0529-600x389.jpg

IMG_0536-546x500.jpg

IMG_0540-600x450.jpg

IMG_0541-600x310.jpg

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OK and it is a good representation of Gripen or not ? It's overall accurate or near accurate - or totally innacurate ? For "our" CZAF Gripen naturally. It is on shelfs now- but is relative expensive...(64USD/1250CZK)

Well, it is better out of the box as a CzAf bird than a Swedish bird. It comes with AIM-120C and Sidewinders, so you can load it up. The Swedish markings is for an A version, and the AMRAAMs are the wrong version for a Swedish a/c (We use AIM-120A).

The main thing missing for making it a CzAF Gripen, are 1/48 female figures posing.. as in my calendar of "reference pictures". That readhead in the june picture is really cute I think.

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Air inlets:

While nice shapewise there aren®t any intake trunking so when you look into the intakes it®s just holes into the fuselage.

I can live with the intakes, it®s no biggie.

So; one says they are fine, and other says "hey, there is something wrong with them, but meh, not a problem". Are or aren't they off? If so, are they as off as seen on the art?

Are we really going to base our decision of the kit's shape based on the artwork? I don't think that's a good idea.

Ask Jennings, he knows if it is good idea or not. ;)

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To be fair, many of the newer Chinese model companies like Trumpeter, HB, and Kitty Hawk use images based on the CAD files they use to make the molds to draw one instructions. In a lot of these cases, the drawings of the parts in the instructions are very accurate to the parts you actually get in the box.

Getting back to the kit, where do the Python 4 and AIM-120 mount. Can they mount on the wingtip launcher? I still don't see any indication of rails in the kit if they are mounted under the wing pylons.

Edit: according to this, AIM-9, Python, and IRIS-T can go in the wingtip, but not AIM-120.

http://www.saabgroup.com/Global/Documents%20and%20Images/Air/Gripen/Gripen%20for%20India/Saab_Gripen_SL7935c.jpg

Edited by Dave Williams
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Well, KH puts out images in this very forum, and have representatives that read this forum, a lot of us provided input through this forum when the CAD images were presented. I guess KH choose to correct what ever they like.

KH puts out CAD images when the tooling is close to be started or already started (fear that some other company could be working on the same subject I guess) so the inputs often cannot lead to modifications.

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Ok, thank for good news ! Yes, in Czech Republic we have nice girls... When is this kit good representative of "C" version - i must bought it. Italeri i haven't and it is "legendary" of one of most uglies kit of all times... Only the price and on build pictures i saw a few putting. I hope for new decals - with "zombie sabertooth" and tiger eyes on canards version... Maybe make Gripen another manufacturer, but this look relative good. Only price is really high :(

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Yes, the consensus on the web seems like KH is really charging top dollar for a kit that really lacks the finesse and quality of the top brands. The really sad thing is that many of the errors of their kit, could have been avoided by either some basic knowledge of the original item, or by some smarter CAD-work. They seem really sloppy at times, when they have location lugs that lacks the corresponding holes in the parts and so on (as the gun in the Gripen kit, two lugs, only one hole in the aircraft). They have a lot of fine details, but misses the scissor links on the MLG.

As for Czech decals, I®d like to see the latest Tiger-paintjob (or decalwork) as 1/48 decals.. that'd be cool. In a few years, you guys will have put stickers on all of your (our) Gripens.. U break it, U bought it!

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I hope for new decals - with "zombie sabertooth" and tiger eyes on canards version.../>

In the 4+ Publishing (or Mark I)Dozen series there is a booklet on the Gripen with excellent decals (in all scales including 48th) for the Czech special markings!

Best regards

Gabor

Edited by ya-gabor
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In the 4+ Publishing (or Mark I)Dozen series there is a booklet on the Gripen with excellent decals (in all scales including 48th) for the Czech special markings!

Best regards

Gabor

Yes I have that book as well as the nice decals that went with it. Highly recommended!

Eric

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Had a look at the new Gripen kit today at the ModelBrno show. Looks nice but was not convincing enough for its price. So next time will get it, till then there is work enough with other kits. The KH Gripen will wait for me! :D

The show was great with lots of goodies, kits, books, etchings and a very nice metal exhaust in 48th from the Ukrain for the Spit. :worship:

Best regards

Gabor

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