Airfix Model World
{72}www.airfixmodelworld.com {73}Airfix Model World
http://www.airfixmodelworld.comBASIC BUILD
SAAB JAS-39C GRIPENBASIC BUILD
SAAB JAS-39C GRIPEN“Revell's new
Gripen looked
fantastic once
together”
parts. Some
airframe panel
lines were rather soft and
the wash couldn’t grip, so a 2B
pencil provided emphasis before
the excess was removed with
a dry cotton bud. Once happy,
the whole model was matted
with Xtracolor XDFF flat varnish.
At a late hour, though, other
photos were discovered which
showed the upper wing surfaces
were covered in paint touch-ups
akin to those seen on US Navy
aircraft. After some thought
(and being a real fan of airbrush
weathering) it was decided to
bite the bullet and replicate the
paint touch-ups from the photos.The roundels were covered
gently with Blu-Tack to prevent
overspray, and so it began.Armament and airframe
options
The kit stores were rather
good and an air-to-air load
was selected. The fit of the
Sidewinder fins wasn’t great,
but after Miliput was stuffed
into the gaps and neatened
with damp cotton buds, they
looked fine under paint.
Rounded bulges on the pylons,
which the instructions stated
as being optional, were left on
after studying the box art. Only
later was it discovered thatthey shouldn’t be there on this
particular aircraft. Another area
that was overlooked was the ILS
antennas on the fin fairing. This
particular Gripen has them on
the radar warning antenna on
the fin leading edge instead, so
check references carefully and
earlier than this author! After
carrying out the topside paint
touch-ups and weathering the
undersides, the various final bits
and pieces were added with GS
Hypo Cement, white glue and
Superglue where required. Apart
from pipe detail in the nosewheel
well, which needed to be trimmed
to avoid snagging the gear leg,
all was well.Super Saab
Revell’s new Gripen looked
fantastic once together; it did a
wonderful job of capturing the
look and feel of the real thing
and the stores options gave it
a suitably mean demeanour.
The fit was excellent, especially
considering its modular design
and Revell is to be commended
highly for this. It’s a shame
that certain panel lines were
soft in places, but these can be
deepened with scribing tools.
Care must also be taken with the
heavy runner attachment gates,
and the transparencies were
disappointing, but overall it built
into a lovely model. ❚The contrast was too
high, so a drop of XF-66
Light Grey was added
to the mix and used to
mute the area. On the real thing, touch-up patches on the starboard wing were very dark grey and
Tamiya XF-66 was used for this. The same mix was then sprayed carefully on the wings
for darker patches, and misted over the airframe to tone down the area further. The stores were decent and looked the part. Hannants’ blue decal stripe was used in
place of the spotty kit stripe decals, to represent training rounds.68-72_Gripen.CC.indd 72 17/03/2015 14:44