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complete: 1/72 Saab Gripen, Italeri kit

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
complete: 1/72 Saab Gripen, Italeri kit
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, November 4, 2013 11:31 AM

OK, so, the wrap-up. Italeri's 1/72 kit…

(this was originally PLANNED to be a second contribution to the Saab 75th Anniversary GB, but got pushed to the side as other kits came into play)

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/29/t/147330.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=1

Panel lines were a little inconsistent depth-wise, any ejector-pin marks were in spots that were easy to fix or un-noticeable. REALLY weird & large gap on the tail of all places, due to how they had broken down the fuselage halves, needed a good deal of putty + CA + sanding. No idea what the thinking was there. The canopy was too wide at the back, not sure how I should have handled this as that area of the fuselage has some narrow tolerances that would have made filling impossible. SO, it does have some issues, but builds up alright otherwise. Comes with a full set of ordnance, I didn't use it all.

Three gray-over-gray options are supplied on the decal sheet. Two have brightly-coloured markings and one of those has some bright yellow wing-walk striping. I opted for the low-viz markings, saving the coloured digits etc for potential use on some of the older Heller kits I have in the stash. The decals themselves went down fine & included quite a few small stencils.

Interior bits and weapons were painted with Humbrol enamels. Landing gear were hand-painted with Vallejo acrylics as a coverage test. Camo colours were… two rattlecans of Testors enamels that I wanted to get rid of. Whistling

If I did another one... I'd spend some more time in the cockpit & leave the canopy open, and likely deflect the forward canards to add some interest. The wheel hubs are a BUGGER to deal with, not much definition at the actual tyre, and really heavy detail on the hub. And the afterburner can... should be rebuilt using Arizona Tea Tin by someone more talented than I, or replaced with resin?

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, November 4, 2013 11:31 AM

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On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, November 4, 2013 11:32 AM

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For comparison's sake..
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On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, November 4, 2013 11:32 AM

Fuji-san!!
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On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    April 2010
Posted by Theuns on Monday, November 4, 2013 11:50 AM

Good one mate, You surely beat that model into submition well. I als dod the same kit a while back and was surprized how tricky the project was.

Well done.

Theuns

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, November 4, 2013 4:10 PM

Thank you Theuns! It wasn't a REALLY difficult kit, but there were certainly a few issues that just left me scratching my head!

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    October 2012
  • From: Mt. Washington, KY
Posted by Geezer on Monday, November 4, 2013 6:41 PM

Vance, very nice. Love the comparisons.....miss you over there.

www.spamodeler.com/forum/index.php 

Mediocraties - my favorite Greek model builder. 

 

  • Member since
    November 2010
  • From: Florida-West Central
Posted by Eagle90 on Monday, November 4, 2013 6:52 PM

Vance!  Wow! Gorgeous build man!  The weathering is great and the detail is sweet!  Great job!

Eagle90

 

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, November 4, 2013 8:41 PM

Geezer

Vance, very nice. Love the comparisons.....miss you over there.

Thanks Geezer! The summer sort of played havoc with my bench time. (a good thing though, managed 60 softball games with 2 teams, as well as the typical summer distractions.) Getting back in the groove now & hoping to knock out a couple more before I flip the calendar over.

Eagle90

Vance!  Wow! Gorgeous build man!  The weathering is great and the detail is sweet!  Great job!

Eagle90

Thanks - I did the weathering off & on over a couple of short sessions, gave myself a chance to back off before it got over-done!

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: State of Mississippi. State motto: Virtute et armis (By valor and arms)
Posted by mississippivol on Monday, November 4, 2013 9:16 PM

Toast Well done!

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Cavite, Philippines
Posted by allan on Monday, November 4, 2013 10:18 PM

Nice build!  Ive built the same kit and I know it can get a bit challenging.  I dont know if its just my computer screen, but isnt the top color a tad too light?

No bucks, no Buck Rogers

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 7:51 AM

Thanks for the additional photos Vance, she looks even better from more angles. Super neat technique on the panel lines there, I'd swear they were pre-shaded until you told me the truth.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 11:58 AM

lol, nope, I really do plan on giving that pre-shading  go on some monotone paint scheme at some point, but if I'm able to do nearly the same thing without a second airbrush session...

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

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