Hi all

Well much to my relief the undercarriage went together very easily. I glued the legs first and left them overnight to allow the bond to harden. The rest of the parts were done in one session. There are lots of parts to fit, but you end up with a superb looking undercarriage. The Viggen can now stand on its own three legs. All I need to do now is touch up some areas with paint.The main gear inner doors are normally closed, but loss of hydraulic pressure results in these doors gradually opening. I displayed them open to show the detail in the bays.

To be continued…..

Tim,
Congrats on the milestone of standing on it's own 3 feet. The Viggen's gear really looks quite good, with just enough detail in the wells to make them interesting.
Joel

Thanks Joel, the Viggen looks much better now it's has legs
tim

Hi all

I think I have now finished the Tarangus Saab JA 37 Viggen. Finishing touches include a bit more weathering, adding the pitot probe on the nose and the various navigation lights. The pitot probe is actually a sewing pin cut down to size. I was becoming really fed up breaking the plastic part it replaced. I did lose the upper red light cover to the carpet monster, but it was easy enough to manufacture another from clear plastic. The green and red of the lights were coloured using permanent marker pens. It was a real pleasure to build and paint the Viggen. I can’t remember the last time a model went together as well as this one has. If you ever have the chance to acquire one do not hesitate. The red colours of the numbers look a bit patchy; this is not evident on the model. I think it’s a problem reducing the size of the photo.

Thanks for looking in everyone.

Tim

Very very nice Tim, the Viggen looks super. Great job

Later

Tim,
Congratulations on crossing the finish line. I've been with you the entire way, and have enjoyed every update. The JA 37 Viggen really turned out quite well.

For me, It's all about the final presentation. And the Viggen looks quite spectacular viewed in that light. The weathering certainly helps transform the model into a miniature of an operational JA37.

Well done Tim. So what's next on your workbench?

Joel

Hi Tim

As you know I am a "fan " aeroplane modeller but the Viggen looks really great with the weathering which says its an aircraft in service, not a show room /concours condition museum piece.
The whole build has been really well documented, thoroughly illustrated and honest.
When I get through the FAA stash I might be tempted to try an early RAF jet !
Richard

Thanks guys your comments are much appreciated.

I’m looking forward to seeing you ploughing your way through your prop driven FAA collection Richard. I would forget RAF jets as the FAA had some excellent jets of their own. So good that the RAF acquired types such as the Phantom and the Buccaneer once the Royal Navy let go their last aircraft carriers.

Joel, this will be my next project:



I was really sold by the box art and I have a Mirage/Kfir theme running through my builds recently.

tim

Tim,
Looking forward to your build. Being a Kinetic kit, it should make for a very interesting build.
Joel

Tim! You finished this one when I was away over Easter, that's the reason for this late comment!

You've done a good job on that Viggen! If you feel like adding more dirt there is still room for that, the grey paint was slightly rough to the touch and really absorbed all dirt more than willingly!

Nice one!



Magnus

Thanks Magnus. I may just add some more weathering while watching the paint dry on my current build.
tim

Looking good.

Just a tip to the doors.

When you loose the hydraulic pressure the inner main doors fall down approx 2-3 cm.



To open them completely have to press a release button.

That's good to know Jan, very useful information for anyone building this kit in the future. Very good image of the under carriage bay as well. Do you have any more images like that one Jan?
tim

Ooh, yes. I have a lot of pictures

Hi all

Here is an interesting release from Maestro Models if you fancy adding some interest to your Viggen JA 37. The tail fin could fold so it would fit in hardened hangers and possibly make maintenance access easier. There is an image of the folded tail amongst several excellent images of the Viggen here.


Anyway the resin item from Maestro is here or go to the Hannants website here. Sadly it isn't cheap

tim