Going both ways is....ummm...interesting.

Hercmech

Going both ways is....ummm...interesting.

Wellll you know how those Swedish models are...

I've really only had time to glance at the bench on the way past due to some great weather keeping me outdoors. I have found time to do some reading though:

All kinds of great info so far & love the photos. One downside though... there are cutaways of all the main airframe types, which I really do love seeing. BUT... the cutaways are only about 2" across??? I guess I get a magnifying glass out to have a look....

I spotted an interesting machine that I'd never known about before, the "Swedish Mosquito", a Saab B18?!?!?

Nice looking plane Vance though she reminds me more of the Do-17 than the Mosquito.

Bummer on the cut-aways, seems like an odd decision to print them too small to make out the detail.  

these teasing of beauty planes are bad!!!! .. when the subject is "really" hard to find under kit form 

Just found a listing for a resin kit from Czech company "Kora"... BIG $$$ though:

SAAB B-18A Bomber

B 18 - SAAB 18 (1944-1959)

Even though they (Sweden) don't have that many planes the ones they had and have are pretty sweet looking. Shame they are not eaiser to find kits for them.

BTW someone should have told them they used too much preshading on panels of this aircraft:

Weathering opportunities abound in Sweden, considering the climate & "dispersed fields". I've got a 1/72 Lansen that will be green... or should I say "greens"! Base coat of standard dark Swedish green, crazy shading around panel lines, and touchups done with "whatever green the field units have on hand"! Looking forward to that one.

Maybe I should do some Swedish stuff...fits right into my heavy handed shading technique

You may be a BIG SAAB GROUPIE and not even know it....

Gamera

Nice looking plane Vance though she reminds me more of the Do-17 than the Mosquito.

Bummer on the cut-aways, seems like an odd decision to print them too small to make out the detail.  

Agreed, there is even a bit of a Ju88 look to the cockpit glazing. The magazine had this chapter titled as "Sweden's Mosquito" or something similar.

excellent picture Herc, this will be the same (not the tail fin) postshading (withouth airbrush )  work i'll try on mine

VanceCrozier

Just found a listing for a resin kit from Czech company "Kora"... BIG $$$ though:

SAAB B-18A Bomber

B 18 - SAAB 18 (1944-1959)

Has anyone seen kits from this manufacturer for sale? Anywhere?? I know you can order through their website but I don't know these people from a hole in the ground! Maybe Evil-Bay to spot one for less than full retail?

nope , but at these prices i'm fine withouth it 

Vance, sorry but I can't say I have. They don't even seem to have a website. I did find this site though and they seem to have a pretty extensive line including some cool auto-gyros!!!  

wow, some really interesting stuff there as well. I'm still thinking like bsyamato though, I'd have a hard time springing that much $$ for a small kit. Will have to keep an eye on the aftermarket.

(shameless GB bump...)

Apparently one of my cats is a BIG SAAB GROUPIE...

I've only had progress on the weapons loadout for the Gripen. Man, that little machine can haul some weight. I've got a decision to make with the Gripen though. I was flipping through the instructions and realized that I forgot to add nosewight! Soooo do I try to find some small lead shot, drill a hole in the nosecone, fill & seal with CA? Or do I mount the thing wheels-up?

I have no idea what to do about the nose weight Vance, maybe your agent, um cat has some ideas?

BTW: The Viggen is sorta together. The new Airfix kits are light-years ahead of this kit. I'm trying not to remove too much of the raised detail but the fit is so bad I've had to in quite a few places. And several parts have vanished from the box so I guess I'll have to scratch-build them. I thought the four-colour paint scheme would be the hard part but it's like one of the labours of Hercules just to get the blasted thing together...  

Old Airfix - really depends on the kit. That little Fouga Magister kit I built (granted, small parts count) has zero filler & needed very little sanding.

Wheeee, glad to know they're not all this way!

Wheels up!  Hang it from the ceiling at work. Judging by the beverage can, what is the agent going to "Fermisize"?

In other news, work on the Barrel has begun, pics soon............

I'm leaning closer and closer to wheels-up just to get it finished so I can attack my Lansen. Or Viggen. Wait, I've got a pair of Drakens to.  Sheesh, maybe I'll let the cat pick which one I do next...

Agent appears to be looking at the B-17 floatie....

You may need another kit......

lol, nope, don't need another kit. But if I was to go looking for something I'd be making a move on that B18 kit from the Czech manufacturer...

How about a new Viggen, Mr Trumpeter ? It should be due now that we're all building an old one :)

Those Heller Viggens certainly comand a decent price on Ebay.

Cheers

Tony

I saw a product release note in, uhhh, "another publication that ShAll not be naMed", for a new 1/48 Viggen from Tarangus. Based on their other releases I suppose it'll be a $100 special though.

http://www.tarangus.se/all-new-viggen-model/

Sounds good but too rich for me. I love the Viggen but not that much. Still the Airfix kit leaves something to be desired, I've seen people asking sixty bucks US for it simply because it's the only 1/48th kit unless there's a limited run by Tarangus etc. 

My kit is almost together, found some of the missing parts in my toolbox . Still I've been taking a break on her before I pull out what hair I have left. 

Alright, I really wasn't planning on this, but I ended up with time to kill at the office & the little Saab kept calling to me!

The kit:


I spent some time snipping parts from the sprues & cleaning up. Wings assembled, prop assembled, cockpit started, engine air intake drilled out. The wings have no locating pins, but with the tail booms slotting into place as they do, that area has to be dead-on square. A tape-only dry-fit shows this kit actually fits very well - good news considering the raised panel lines!

The seat already had pretty good shapes, I added masking tape seatbelts. Considering it's only 1/72, the belts hardware will just be painted on.

Believe it or not lads, I have actually made some progress on my Grippen! There was allot of filling and sanding to be done an I am not a fan of that :-(

Hoping to get paint on by the weekend.

Theuns

Great Vance you have to come in here with yet another Saab story....

Always thought this was another cool looking aircraft, I'd love to do one alongside a Kawasaki Shinden and a Curtiss Ascender. Like I don't have five zillion things already I need to build first.