Mike C Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Hi all! Here's my one and only entrant to this GB: Italeri 1/72 JAS 39 Gripen. Bought this kit a little while ago (probably 2 years ago, maybe more). Been wanting to build this but kept getting distracted by other "projects"! So, this GB is the perfect avenue to start working on this kit! I'm thinking of building this kit in-flight. But, that means I can't use the centreline. Hmmm.... Let's see how I go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Nice one Mike! Welcome to the GB! Looking forward to your build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tobiK Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Welcome to the GB! Do not miss the striped centerline! Why not putting the model stand into the exhaust? Gripen...seldom to see in special colors, so I look forward to your build! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Why not putting the model stand into the exhaust? Because I tried looking for acrylic rods where I live but could not. I could buy 'em in bulk online, but I had to buy LOTS. I've been using mini tripod and off-the-shelf display stands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 I put together the wing sub-assembly, then dry-fitted it with the fuselage halves... Doesn't look too bad. Might actually fit quite well with minimal putty. I also sanded the molding line down the middle of the canopy, polished, then dipped into Pascoe's LongLife last week. Pretty happy with the result. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 A bit pissed off at Italeri. There's a small part supposed to be molded as 8B (I think), to be glued on the inside of the fuselage for the square hole pictured below, which was not on the sprue tree - oh, the part number is there, and the sprue anchor is there, but nothing at the end of the sprue anchor. So, I decided to cover up the square hole with styrene strips... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Mike, That canopy looks sensational. Disappointing re the missing part. Kinda like my double rear HUD on the Rafale instead of a front and rear HUD. QC is an issue with these cheaper kits sometimes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Putty... sand... putty... sand... At first I was really upset when I accidentally broke the small fin antenna just behind the large one on the spine, but then when I checked the pics online, I noticed that the only antenna on the spine should be just that big one. So, I ended up cutting off the other small one just to the front of the vertical stabiliser. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 More puttying and sanding... especially on the vertical stabiliser. Also installed the HUD and windscreen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SARguy Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Looking really nice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Joined the wings and fuselage assemblies. Very nice fit. No gaps at all. Unfortunately, same can't be said for the canopy.... Dry fitted the canopy and noticed it's a bit too wide. Even after shaving some off, still a fraction of a mm too wide. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Alrighty... Time to face up to reality. I will not be able to finish this in time. Italeri gave me the impression that they might actually be casting replacement part for me. That was about 2 weeks ago. Still waiting for further update from them. I might start a different in progress thread outside of this GB to keep y'all in the loop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Friggin bummer mate! That canopy is a joke. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Why don't you build it with open canopy? No one would notice it's too wide that way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Sebastijan, yes I'm thinking about it. But I ran out of steam on this one, unfortunately. If/When I get my mojo back, I'll start another thread in the normal WIP forum. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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