SAAB JA37 Viggen, Jetmads 1/32

[Aigore]

4 hours ago, dustiepal said:

This may help with the printing layers, it is from Reedoak's web site, http://reedoak.com/how-to-prepare-reedoak-3d-printed-figure-for-paint/ . i know it is for figures but it may work for this as well.

Great job on the seat by the way, loving your work.

 

Dave

Thanks Dave 😄 I'll have a look 🙂

[Aigore]

Today I started with doing some dishes.... em that is I  washed the resin parts in water and detergent as to remove and release agent from it.
But we will go on to the  yummie parts right away!

 

 

 

Let´s have a look at what kind of RAT Jetmads brings us. 
The parts are 3D printed and has exquisite details that made me feel a tiny bit panicky as I cut the printing supports. incredibly enough I didn´t destroy anything.

 

 

 

 

 

After cleaning the parts I went ahead and inpaled them on toothpicks and readied them for primer.

 

 

 

 

First I primed the parts in Alclad flat black primer and then I shoot Alclad gloss black on top.
The reason for shooting black first is that you need far less gloss and you get by with thinner coats that prevents details lost to paint buildup.
 

 

 

 

I then shot a thin coat of Alclad White Aluminium on top of all parts.
 

 

 

 

 

With all that the canvas is ready for details and washes and stuff. I can whole heartedly recommend this page for looking up refs, I doubt you´ll find better pictures of the RAT anywhere else. The page is run by a mate of mine so do tell him how good his page is 😄
http://www.plasticwarfare.se/2014/11/viggen-details/

 

On to the painting!
I have no idea what these things are but they have a goldish-greenish tint to them and when the judges are squinting to see inside the RAT housing it´s fun for them to have somethinbg to look at 😛 So I used  Citadel Auric Amor Gold and then a heavily thinned coat of Balthasar gold and then a drybrush of Retribution Armor (yeah, all Citadel paints)
 
I then finished off with Citadel Nulnoil to get those details to pop.

 

 

 

THen it was time to detail paint the RAT housing. nothing fancy really, some blue on connectors and sandt yellow for labels and some black and white for the gauges at the  bottom right.
 And a Nulnoil wash on top of it all.

 

 

 

 

Next it´s some cutting into the hull!
Well not as dramatic as it sounds since Jetmads had the foresight to give you the option of either opening up or let it be closed. No worries if you ruin the piece cut out since there is a 3D printed door with sweet details. Well the blow out door has to be cut either way but it´s like only covered by a thin layer of flash.
 
'

 

 

 

 

So on with the cutting, a few pulls with a hobby knife and I was done.
Only issue I have is that the upper edge is quite thick, I don´t think I´ll do anything about it since the whole RAT housing is made to fit as it is.... choosing my battles, I am 😛

 

 

 

 

Ok I call the RAT done! I´m pretty pleased with it 😄
 

 

 

 

A dry fit into the airframe shows how much will show.

 

 

 

 

And some pics of the RAT

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that´s that 😄

 

 

Cheers!
 

P.S.

Follow me on Patreon and get those juicy updates before everybody else and see what other sights I have to show 😛

check the link in my signature, all are welcome 😄

 

[Phartycr0c]

Shamefully, Its been a while since iv'e been over here to ARC as Im mainly on 1/32 builds but with the forthcoming impending arrival of my copy of this kit I satrted fishing around for build threads and low and behold i stumble across this thread! 

 

Its great to se the full detail on how this kit now builds and I have to say your work thus far is superlative. I will be watching this progress for inspiration and ideas as to how you approach each stage. 

 

Keep up the great work! 

[crackerjazz]

Love the RAT and that completed ejection seat is beatiful!   This thread give me hope about the future of 3D printing for scale models.  

[HOLMES]

52 minutes ago, Phartycr0c said:

Shamefully, Its been a while since iv'e been over here to ARC as Im mainly on 1/32 builds but with the forthcoming impending arrival of my copy of this kit I satrted fishing around for build threads and low and behold i stumble across this thread! 

 

Its great to se the full detail on how this kit now builds and I have to say your work thus far is superlative. I will be watching this progress for inspiration and ideas as to how you approach each stage. 

 

Keep up the great work! 

Good to have you here too Dave

 

Aigore, Sublimely  SUPER progress.

Great build so far. 

[Phartycr0c]

1 minute ago, HOLMES said:

Good to have you here too Dave

 

Aigore, Sublimely  SUPER progress.

Great build so far. 

Why thank you! 

 

[HOLMES]

You are welcome. 

PM sent.

 

[Aigore]

6 hours ago, Phartycr0c said:

Shamefully, Its been a while since iv'e been over here to ARC as Im mainly on 1/32 builds but with the forthcoming impending arrival of my copy of this kit I satrted fishing around for build threads and low and behold i stumble across this thread! 

 

Its great to se the full detail on how this kit now builds and I have to say your work thus far is superlative. I will be watching this progress for inspiration and ideas as to how you approach each stage. 

 

Keep up the great work! 

Thank you 😄

Don't be affraid to ask about refs or info on Viggen.....it is a jet I happen to build a lot lately 😛 (just finished a 4 build commission job)

[Aigore]

6 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Love the RAT and that completed ejection seat is beatiful!   This thread give me hope about the future of 3D printing for scale models.  

 

Thanks mate 😄

indeed, though there are still issues with the layering but there are ways to combat them.

[Aigore]

6 hours ago, HOLMES said:

Good to have you here too Dave

 

Aigore, Sublimely  SUPER progress.

Great build so far. 

Thanks Holmes 😄

 

[Slartibartfast]

For a Viggen giggle, Growling Sidewinder gun kills an F-22 in DCS.

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Slartibartfast

[Aigore]

13 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said:

For a Viggen giggle, search Youtube for Growling Sidewinder and watch him gun kill an F-22 in DCS.

Roflmao....I got to see that 🤣

[Aigore]

Next little mini model that is a part of the whole is the front wheel well.
It took some searching to get good refs but I think I have it pegged down now 😄

First a look at the 3D printed wheel well....look at those details! Though every silver lining has a dark cloud, the stripes from the printing process ar really hard to get rid of among all those details. Even so hard that I won´t even antempt to.
 

 

 

 

Another thing is that the clear printed resin isn´t so clear...they need work.
The one to the left has been polished with Tamiya Fine compound and the one on the right is as they are on the ...emm sprue(?)

 

 

 

 

 

Well a few goes with this stuff at the end of a cotton bud and you get ....

 

 

 

 

 

...Something like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

And to mask the clear face of the light I rolled a small ball of tac-it any spill is easily removed with a toothpick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On to the well it self.
I primed it in black and then I painted it in XF-73 Dark Green (JGSDF) with some post shade in XF-51 Khaki Drab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I got on with detail painting as well as I could see from the refs 😛
Tubes in silver, gray and black, connectors in blue and labels in sand yellow and those redish brownish side panels in the well are painted in Raw Sienna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next some decals, this panel is for the rear of the well and is painted in light gray.

 

 

 

 

And a couple of decals in the well too.

 

 

 

Here´s how the landing light turned out with a bit of paint. The back is white and the fron is painted gray and the armature is aluminium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I sloshed Citadel Nuln oil all around....love the stuff for washes and filters.

 

 

 

 

With that I dry brushed with matt flesh (works really well on greens and browns) put things into place and finished off with a flat coat.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with some finishing touches with AK pigments the nose wheel well was done

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

[Aigore]

Oh yes, time to look at the forward fuselage and beginning on the cockpit.  This model is so big that I have to bite off small bits at a time and the cockpit alone will take a few sessions.
Today I´m beginning on the rear wall in the cockpit and started with checking the piece over.
What jumped at me emidiately when I held the forward fuselage was that something felt odd. It`s this weird line in the cast, it feels like a bad seam between two parts. Very odd but it will have to be dealt with at some point.

 

 

 

 

The cockpit well looks really nice, it is very apparent that they 3D printed the fuselage and then made a mold of it since I find the very same layers as in the printed stuff.

 

 

There are room for improvements however. There runs some cabled behind the seat and along the back wall, some quite prominent. I marked some spots where I would improve something.

 

 

 

 

I then put in the seat to see what would be easily seen.

 

 

 

Added the few kit parts.

 

 

 

 

I then dug out my Punch & Die set to make some connectors......tiny things

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glued the connectors in place and then I added the cables.

 

 

 

 

I put the seat back again to see how things fit....broke off the ejection seat saftey 😛

 

 

 

 

 

Then I dry fitted the side consoles....looks nice, incredible details!

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was off to priming!

 

 

 

 

 

MRP´s light blue grey for flankers is a pretty good match for the cockpit color

 

 

 

 

 

With the side consoles painted they are put aside for another day and another update. I´m focusing on the back wall today 😄

 

 

 

 

 

The floor was painted in the cockpit color but the rear wall will be in aluminium.

 

 

 

 

 

Masked off the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

I painted it in Alclad white aluminium

 

 

 

Then some detail painting  on the cables.

 

 

 

 

After this I put down a Nulnoil wash, dry brushed with aluminium and then flat coated it all to realy take the shine off. With that the rear wall was finished.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let´s put the seat in for funsies 😛
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was all for today, at least on the Viggen 😄

 

Cheers!
 

[ExchefAndy]

I've been following you and the other build on LSP. To call me jealous would be an understatement! This beast was awesome back in the 80's when I was a kid. The splinter camo, STOL from roads, reverse thrust etc... If finances were better at the time of preorder, I'd be matching you piece for piece! 

Beautiful work so far! Cannot wait to see how this turns out,

Andy

[Aigore]

5 minutes ago, ExchefAndy said:

I've been following you and the other build on LSP. To call me jealous would be an understatement! This beast was awesome back in the 80's when I was a kid. The splinter camo, STOL from roads, reverse thrust etc... If finances were better at the time of preorder, I'd be matching you piece for piece! 

Beautiful work so far! Cannot wait to see how this turns out,

Andy

Thanks Andy 😄

I enjoy inspiring others and you will have more chances at nabbing a 1/32 scale Viggen...it's not the last Viggen Jetmads will do. I sent them a picture of my Sk37 twinseater and they were like: " yes, we will definitely do a Sk37!" 😄

I'm happy their price tag isn't inhumanely steep, at $230 including freight it isn't far above an injection molded plastic kit of the same scale. 

 

 

[Aigore]

The Air that I breath...

Howdy,

Moving away from the immediate cockpit area I got on with the intakes!

The insides of the ports for the intakes are pretty rough so I need to.....

 

 

 

... TO DREMEL THEM!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!

 

 

 

Of course I destroyed the dramatic effect by using the wrong tool....oh well.

 

 

 

Any-hooooo, the dremeling was successful and the inner part of the intakes fit nicely into the port.

 

 

Yeah, you are going to see lots in there with the intake on 😛

 

 

 

A decent fit but the edges are rough and needs sanding. 

 

 

 

I go at it with 90 grit sanding paper, just making circular motions with the piece on the sanding paper and you get an even job.

 

 

 

Much better, and I went at it at the rear of the front fuselage too since I had the sanding paper there.

 

 

 

I cleaned up this little inlet that goes into the hull...

 

 

 

Heh, it literally snapped into place 

 

 

 

Here is the fan front, I think it must be the most impressive part to have been 3D printed, it´s gorgeous!!

 

 

 

 

The fan front and all intake parts are primed in glossblack. 

 

 

 

The fan front was painted in Alclad Polished Aluminium...a bit shinier that the White aluminium I painted the trunks in.

 

 

 

Look how nice the fan front looks....too bad it won´t be seen without an endoscope 😛

I gloss coated the trunks and then I shot pale burnt metal on top, changes the shine and gives a slight yellowish tint like the anticorrosive coating inside the trunks.

 

 

 

Then it was time to start glueing things. The inner trunks in place.

 

 

 

Had to trim a bit to make the fan front trunking fit the intakes.

 

 

 

and the fanfront in place. Interesting how much smaller the fan front is proportionately compared with the Tarangus one. Not to bash Tarangus in any way but there are differences.

 

 

 

Already the fan front is hard to see in there unless you shine a light.

 

 

 

Before putting the forward intakes in place there is a little detail to fix on them.

Through the notch in in the lower intake lip there is a  small rod. I made it out of piano wire, drilled a small hole and put it through....

 

 

Cut the piece off with a piano wire cutter and filed down the ends.

 

 

 

Then I glued in  the forward intakes, the fit is alright but the forward intakes are slightly too small so there is a step between the airframe and the intakes.....it will be dealt with harshly!

 

 

 

 

 

Time to put in the RAT housing.

 

 

Another smart move by Jetmads, they made 3D printed guide blocks that will help align the fuselage halves when they are joined, brilliant!

 

 

 

 

I had to dry fit....and this is a really nice fit, not Tamiya but better than quite a few injection molded models! I´m impressed.

 

 

 

My brutal way of removing the step around the intake seams are simply to use my scraping tool and scrape the fuselage to fit! Yep it leaves marks but it´s really the only way and still remain sane. I can restore stuff later.

 

 

 

And then a bunch of putty, it´ll have to cure until tomorrow when I finish up the sanding and restoring of details.

 

 

 

The results of todays session 😄

 

 

 

 

 

And there ya go 😄

Cheers!

[Phartycr0c]

I cant keep up! the progress youre making on this is amazing. All tips are being noted for when my copy arrives. 

Hats off to Jetmads for thinking the construction process through with the modular design and the fact that they provide the stabilising blocks to join the various parts It is inspired. 

 

Can I ask what adhesives are you preferring to use. I an possibly looking at a two part resin similar to that used for HPH resin kits.

 

 

[crackerjazz]

You're a machine, Aigore : )    Those turbine blades are fantastic!

[Aigore]

6 hours ago, Phartycr0c said:

I cant keep up! the progress youre making on this is amazing. All tips are being noted for when my copy arrives. 

Hats off to Jetmads for thinking the construction process through with the modular design and the fact that they provide the stabilising blocks to join the various parts It is inspired. 

 

Can I ask what adhesives are you preferring to use. I an possibly looking at a two part resin similar to that used for HPH resin kits.

 

 

 

Thanks mate 😄

it has its ups and downs 🙂 I use ordinary Loctite CA glue

 

 

6 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

You're a machine, Aigore : )    Those turbine blades are fantastic!

 

 

Thanks man 😄

 

 

[Aigore]

The new wing is on it's way....again....hope it will be delivered this time!

[Aigore]

Whoopsie....

Ok today it was time to get started on that sanding...

I started with 180 grit sandingpaper to get the worst of it...

 

 

 

 

After the rough treatment I used sandingpads from 180 to 2000 grit. lovely things. When sanding it is important to led the sanding medium do the work...do not press! Smooth circular motions and go with finer and finer.

 

 

 

 

When I´m happy it looks like this... and feels smooth.

 

 

 

 

Time to redo the lost panellines....

I use mostly this tool ta draw new lines together with dymo tape as support for those straight lines.

 

 

 

 

 

When the lines are pulled I restore the holes for the lost rivets and fasteners with an awl.

 

 

 

 

I check all the seams by painting primer and when I spot nasties like this....

 

 

 

 

I use Tamiya putty to repair them..... Now I have to set aside the fuselage until tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

I´ll spend the rest of todays sesssion with the side consols.

 

 

 

 

 

I begun with painting some panels in lighter grays, all panels don´t match if you look closely at your refs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I started detail painting trying to follow the refs as close as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Then a gloss coat before decals.

 

 

 

 

 

I have these cockpit gauges and placards and they are really useful to get that cockpit feeling, specially in this scale to make the pit pop.

 

 

 

 

 

I used the  gauges from the kit sheet but added small square plackards everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With that I then closed the decals with another gloss coat, did a thin gray wash and flat coated them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hmmm....why not put them into the cockpit while I´m at it?

 

[

 

 

 

 

Now we come to the whoopsie-part....

"What if I dry fit the seat in there as well ?" I thought to myself....

I brought the seat....."hmm kind of tight, isn´t it?"....of course I press harder 😛

Crack! a headrest cushion shoots off.....as well as the saftey handle...

Crunch! the top part of the belts snap!

Snap! The seat pops into place and no force on earth can move it again!

 Oh well, that dry fit became a wee bit permanent 😛

No worries I found all the pieces and even glued in the saftey handle even if I know I will break it off again 😛 Now it looks like this in the pit.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

[Inger]

Hi and greetings from Australia.

 

Firstly, I would like to say that I am really enjoying your build log! Really nice work. I am actually a armoured fighting fighting vehicle guy. But as a former Saab employee with serious soft spot for the JA-37, I could not resist ordering the model. Mine will arrive sometime in Feb.

 

Because I have not built a aircraft model for over 20 years and because armour and aircraft build techniques, and even the painting sequence, are quite different, you are giving me the confidence that I could actually complete the model.   Thank-you!

 

Inger 

[Aigore]

1 hour ago, Inger said:

Hi and greetings from Australia.

 

Firstly, I would like to say that I am really enjoying your build log! Really nice work. I am actually a armoured fighting fighting vehicle guy. But as a former Saab employee with serious soft spot for the JA-37, I could not resist ordering the model. Mine will arrive sometime in Feb.

 

Because I have not built a aircraft model for over 20 years and because armour and aircraft build techniques, and even the painting sequence, are quite different, you are giving me the confidence that I could actually complete the model.   Thank-you!

 

Inger 

G'day mate 🙂

Thanks for those kind words, I am happy to inspire. You won't have any problems with this kit and those armor painting skillz will come in handy.

(If you've noticed that all new aircraft painting techniques have origins in armor painting 😛 )

When you get started I will be there for you 🙂

 

 

 

 

[HOLMES]

Aigore,

  hoo.

 

Astonishing  pace of your build  since I last came. 

Looks mighty IMPRESSIVE  ..

Very Methodical  workmanship.

way to Go Aigore.Aigore thank you.