1/48 Italeri Gripen

[latormentabritanica]

Hello all,

This is my 1/48 Italeri Gripen 'Two Seater'. It was built out of the box, with the addition of two GBU-16's and the targeting pod from Hasegawa's Weapons Set D. I tried to tint the canopy by mixing Future with food coloring and dipping the canopy in it. Unfortunately I couldn't find black food coloring in droplet form - anywhere. So, I mixed lots of blue with a few drops of red and it's dark enough that I'm satisfied.The kit leaves much to be desired, but was quite enjoyable. Fit is so-so and needed dry-fitting and good planning to avoid big problems. My biggest complaint is the cockpit, as the consoles are completely bare but come with decals for the pit. The control sticks are goofy and look like WWII control sticks...completely devoid of the wide HOTAS controls. The decals are great but the low visibility markings are WAY too light. They should be considerably darker and visible against the camo.

As for the variant, I spent hours trying to figure out if this kit is supposed to be a JAS-39B or a JAS-39D. It's confusing as the kit contains none of the visible updates found on the D, but contains decals for D-models in the Czech, Hungarian and South African air forces. As far as I can tell, the Gripen has been updated and has several small variations between air forces and production models; I eventually got tired of trying to figure out all the visible differences, as it proved to be quite difficult, and basically gave up and just built the kit and had fun.

Anyway, I don't recommend this kit if you are a rivet counter, but if you like scratch-building this kit will offer a large array of detailing opportunities. Of course, if you have a passion for the Gripen, this is the only option you have if you don't want to fork out $75 for the MPM kit (which is the same kit with lots of resin updates to make a proper D-model).

Enjoy!

Edited December 18, 2008 by latormentabritanica

[sv51macross]

Very Nice, my friend! :wacko: Cool loadout and an excelent job on the seams.

[latormentabritanica]

Thanks! Those seams were a pain, but careful planning made them come out alright.

[Stephen]

Nice work!

Stephen

[GreyGhost]

Beauty of a Gripen !

Very nice work and paint ...

Cool load too...

Gregg

[AnthonyWan]

Sweet Gripen...nice clean paintjob! B)

=Awan

[svaz]

Very nice! Love dem family Gripens.

[antony robertson]

Nice looking Gripen,

[Aggressor Supporter]

Nice Gripen build.

[latormentabritanica]

Thanks for the comments guys.

[Josh1971]

Looks sweet! Are those GBU-16s? I ask because I have a bunch of those, and I may very well throw a pair on my Gripen after looking at your build .

jb

[latormentabritanica]

Looks sweet! Are those GBU-16s? I ask because I have a bunch of those, and I may very well throw a pair on my Gripen after looking at your build :lol:.

jb

Thanks! Yep, they are GBU-16's. I had a seen a photo (which I can no longer find, sheesh) of Swedish Gripens loaded with GBU-12's during Red Flag this past summer. I was going to put some of those on my kit, but the the loadout looks so much more impressive with GBU-16's. If you go here - http://www.gripen.com/en/MediaRelations/Image_base.htm - then click on "Gripen Fighter" and then "Stores & Weapons", you will find images of lots of different loads. There is a shot of one carrying four GBU-10's too.

[longmc]

Cameron,

Nice Gripen!! I've got the single seater in the stash. How did it go together?

Mike

[latormentabritanica]

Cameron,

Nice Gripen!! I've got the single seater in the stash. How did it go together?

Mike

Thanks Mike!

If you're looking for to have fun with an interesting build, the Gripen is a blast. However, there are lots of issues with the kit. Fit is so-so, but with careful planning it came out fine. The biggest issue is the cockpit, which is just decals. There are no resin replacements, so scratch-building is going to take a long time. The Gripen's cockpit has a beautiful ergonomic design that the pilots love, so I wish someone had done it justice. The other problem is that the kit is missing several details to make it either a proper B or a proper D. I eventually gave up trying to make an accurate Gripen and just had fun with the kit. It's a great addition to have. People go, "What's that???" when they see it.

[longmc]

Thanks Mike!

If you're looking for to have fun with an interesting build, the Gripen is a blast. However, there are lots of issues with the kit. Fit is so-so, but with careful planning it came out fine. The biggest issue is the cockpit, which is just decals. There are no resin replacements, so scratch-building is going to take a long time. The Gripen's cockpit has a beautiful ergonomic design that the pilots love, so I wish someone had done it justice. The other problem is that the kit is missing several details to make it either a proper B or a proper D. I eventually gave up trying to make an accurate Gripen and just had fun with the kit. It's a great addition to have. People go, "What's that???" when they see it.

It is a very nice looking aircraft. I'm really loving all the new designs; Raptor, Typhoon, and the Gripen. I started looking into getting some of the CMK sets for it, but then the price started going above the MPM kit, so I will most likely do what you did. Maybe a resin seat and a little scratch building, but just have fun.

Good work, it's really nice!

[latormentabritanica]

It is a very nice looking aircraft. I'm really loving all the new designs; Raptor, Typhoon, and the Gripen. I started looking into getting some of the CMK sets for it, but then the price started going above the MPM kit, so I will most likely do what you did. Maybe a resin seat and a little scratch building, but just have fun.

Good work, it's really nice!

Yeah, I picked up a Typhoon too. You should watch some of the videos on Gripen.com, they have some very cool shorts about its capabilities. So cool, have fun with it, and make sure to post it when you're done.