Double deltas - SAAB J35A/B & Sk35C Draken (1957 Revell kits)

[PR19_Kit]

Dettol disinfectant might do the job,    and you end up with a sterilised model too.

Perish the thought that we may be infected by some nefarious styrene disease!

Ah, it may be FAR too late for most of us of course. 

[zenrat]

Brake fluid - but it'll embrittle the plastic - or a nice strong caustic soda solution.

[Rick Lowe]

Oven cleaner - the foaming type.

[Pellson]

Resurrection!! (of the thread, that is )

Having put some filing into the canopy equation, I think the result is rather ok. It's not glued in yet - I will have to complete the interior first - but I wanted to see things coming into shape, so I skipped ahead a bit.

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Next is that interior, and first out there is seats. As the fighter sisters have their original pilot/seat combinations, I'm looking to do something similar. That will mean using the original part in one place and building something for the other. Right now, I'm leaning towards having the pilot/pupil actually looking straight ahead rather than to the right as per the original Revell part, hence using said original in the rear. That part still need some enhancement but that's easy as it has been done before (twice  ) but the front setup will have to be a more elaborate design. I've found an old Airfix pilot figure in matching size, so that's a start, but I will have him bend his neck a bit as the Draken was early with the G-friendly reclining seat, and then I need to build the seat around him. 
Well - this is whiffing...

[Pellson]

Just sharing a few of those reference shots I took:

First out, the business end of the early,  short SAAB 35A/C. The brake chute container is hanging out over the exhaust, and you can also see that the old Revell piece isn't that bad, once shortened, giving a reasonable resemblance of the afterburner housed inside the fuselage.

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The later, SAAB 35D/E/F/J's longer tail look rather similar from behind, but the longer tailcone is still evident.

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[Pellson]

Continuing:

Neither the early, flatter canopies nor the later more bulged are split or framed, in contrast to the Heller kit canopies. Rather, the older ones have internal supporting metal tubes as can be seen here.

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The same applies for the Sk35C two seater

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I could try to file these off on my Heller two seater canopy but will more likely just leave them on, but not paint them.

Also evident is the rearmost part seaters periscope, permitting some forward view during landing, as the high alpha attitude will cause the nose to block his view out without it.

[Pellson]

Said periscope slots nicely into a recess in the instrument panel

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Nifty!

[mat]

Great details 

[steelpillow]

You are making me want Airfix to produce a 1:24 scale Draken.*

Well, in truth my overdraft would explode and I would have to convert the spare bed into an exhibition stand, but you know what I mean.

* Not to mention the inevitable aftermarket actually-get-it-right expenses...

[Pellson]

This morning, we had well over an inch of rain, meaning a perfect excuse to continue working on the trainer Draken. Having built the second pilot/seat combination from an Airfix pilot and some plasticard, I painted him and his Revell colleague and while the different colours dried, I sorted a nose (again a surplus Heller Mirage III unit) and added wings and fin.

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Having gotten that far, the pilots went in, soon accompanied by an instrument panel for the backseater and the standard triangular comms antenna on top of the fuselage, as per all Swedish Drakens. At this stage, the nose and wings were puttied in, as per all three Revell Drakens, and while the putty hardened, I fabricated the backseaters periscope and glued it to the canopy after having painted the bottom half, i.e the part of the assembly going on the inside.

Then, some PSR sessions and once happy with the nose, I added the intake lips as they easily interfere with the nose sanding, and now, I'm letting things go properly solid before sanding the intake parts into shape, most likely followed by another PSR session to round things off.
And this is where things currently stand.

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Not really sure when I get the next opportunity to carry on, but for now, I'm rather happy with the progress. I'll need to pop by at home to get a drop tank, but apart from that, I think I have everything to complete the Sk35C to the same level as her two fighter sisters, the J35A and B.

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I'm really enjoying this project. It's not overly complicated but there's still room for quite some fixing and tricksing to whip up parts not included in the kit, or modifying those parts that are. Good fun!

[Old Wombat]

They're coming along very nicely, Pellson!     

[Rick Lowe]

They're coming along very nicely, Pellson!     

Yes, they are. 

And having fun is what it's about. 

[zenrat]

 

[NARSES2]

Coming along nicely sir   

[Pellson]

As described elsewhere, PSR is finally finished and the canopy is on, thereby making the main shape of the Sk35C complete. And I think it's shaping up well. With just a little luck, I'll be able to continue tomorrow with the three small vortex strakes under each wingtip, and the afterburner cooling intakes on the sides of the exhaust. Having done those, adding the pitot (needle!) and the cockpit climate intake on the left spine just behind the cockpit and some antennae under the fuselage, the aircraft would in principle be airworthy, leaving only pylons and the drop tank until physically complete. And the IRST under the nose, of course, as this one will be a fully combat capable trainer, differing from the RW unarmed trainer. However, as the trainers originally were built by replacing the forward fuselages, leaving the rear half unaltered and mechanically as well as electrically complete for weapons, the suggestion to arm them surfaced on several occasions, eventually finally being ruled out for economical reasons during the seventies when disbandment of sqns led to more than enough fighters being available. But that's a bit too boring, don't we think?

Anyway - this is where we currently are.

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And I have to admit I am a bit surprised that I'm so much in to a trainer. Not really seen that in myself before, but then again, this is a cool machine...