What if

Picture Post => Current and Finished Projects => Aircraft => Topic started by: CammNut on April 29, 2018, 02:13:01 PM

Title: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: CammNut on April 29, 2018, 02:13:01 PM
No backstory with this one. On completing my Vickers 559-inspired reimagining of the Lightning, I wondered what else I could hack and hew into something different. I have always liked the Saab Project 2107 concept that preceded what became the Gripen (aka Saab 2110). And I had Revell's horribly inaccurate early Gripen kit. So I thought I would see what I could produce.

You can find rather nice concept art and a three-view drawing of the Saab 2107 on this thread here.

http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=268.45

So after the hacking and the hewing, I found myself with this...

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/864/26918201597_835330b2a2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H1EPw6) (https://flic.kr/p/H1EPw6) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

WTW (What The Whif)? But, after the gluing and the puttying and the sanding, I got to this...

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/41744780402_02059d252c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQUR9) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQUR9) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

And these are all the terrible things I did to that rubbish poor kit...

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/910/41744774232_933159a014_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQT1L) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQT1L) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

But this is the result...and it rather surprised me!

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/958/39979260140_fd5beb78b5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/23UQabC) (https://flic.kr/p/23UQabC) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

A few touch-ups are still needed, but I am on travel for the next few weeks, so I thought I would get it up here first.

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/41744773492_f353cc723f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQSN1) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQSN1)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

A top-mounted inlet does not seem like a good idea for an agile fighter. But Saab, it turns out, has had rather a long love affair with them. It produced designs for the A36 Vargen, A37 Viggen and A38 (aka B3LA) with top-mounted inlets - I presume to prevent debris ingestion when operating from road bases. But they ever made it into the final designs.

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/973/26918194307_7ca89bb719_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H1EMmp) (https://flic.kr/p/H1EMmp) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/832/41744778492_3d9fcb6513_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQUhd) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQUhd)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

The early Revell Gripen kit is truly 'orrible and hinaccurate, but it was ideal for this job. Some parts, like the extra-long wingtip missile rails characteristic of the Gripen come from an Italeri kit (as do the decals).

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/981/41744773952_490095c54b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQSVW) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQSVW) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

The 2107, seemingly, was the favoured design until Saab decided to go with an unstable canard-delta and developed the Gripen that we all know and...whatever.

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/867/41744777852_73dfe81f5d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQU6b) (https://flic.kr/p/26AQU6b) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr

So that's what you get for being a whiffer, with all the hacking and the hewing - I would rather have been a judge, but I didn't have the Latin (with apologies to Peter Cook - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grg5tULy0tY)

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/908/26918199057_7c136ba462_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H1ENLi) (https://flic.kr/p/H1ENLi) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48204481@N02/) Flickr






Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: deathjester on April 29, 2018, 04:41:06 PM
What an awesome little birdie  :thumbsup:
Shame they didn't stick with that design!
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: ysi_maniac on April 29, 2018, 08:22:03 PM
Just perfect.  :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Tophe on April 29, 2018, 09:14:09 PM
weird & lovely... :wub:
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Gondor on April 29, 2018, 10:27:37 PM
Great job makeing a silk purse out of a sow's ear  :thumbsup:

Gondor
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Dizzyfugu on April 29, 2018, 11:51:22 PM
That's sexy. I know that design alternative, and you did it justice.  :thumbsup:

Excellent!
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Cobra on April 29, 2018, 11:56:29 PM
Superb Build :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: looks like it came from the Mind of Gerry Anderson! Keep up the Superb Work :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Dan
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: zenrat on April 30, 2018, 03:00:38 AM
Good work.
But you can tell us the truth.  You built this to celebrate ABBA reforming didn't you...

:o
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Thorvic on April 30, 2018, 04:29:15 AM
Quote from: zenrat on April 30, 2018, 03:00:38 AM
Good work.
But you can tell us the truth.  You built this to celebrate ABBA reforming didn't you...

:o

ROFL  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Thorvic on April 30, 2018, 04:32:09 AM
Excellent Work, always thought the 2107 project was doable and nice to see it done so well  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: comrade harps on April 30, 2018, 05:45:34 AM
SAAB's F-107!  :wub:
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: NARSES2 on April 30, 2018, 07:34:21 AM
I like that  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Alt.Gripen - The Swede That Could Have Been
Post by: Doug K on April 30, 2018, 10:01:20 AM
Excellent job, weird, but excellent