Tarangus 1/72 SAAB JA37 Viggen

[TommyKillander]

Quick update

Finishing up the last small parts to prepare for painting.









I have cleaned up the rear controlsurfaces and angled them in a drooped position



Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

I have been working on some detailing of the landing gear.



I'm using a 0,3mm hypodermic needle and a #11 guitar string to replicate the strut. I tried a 1.0mm brass tube, but it looked too big




Added some soldering wire too


The kit doesn't have the hydralic valve, so I added that.




All the small parts primed in black



Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Awesome additions Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Awesome additions Tommy

Thanks Scott!

It's coming along nicely - just a couple of small mods on the airframe and it's time for some masking and prep for painting


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

I got a little bit sidetracked by a new toy that arrived during the week

It's a Anycubic Photon, a 3D resin printer - I got it for 350€ off eBay (shipping within EU included)

So after some initial problems to set everything up I finally got the famous demo-cube printed




Ok... back to the buildthread...

The Tarangus kit does not include any missile rails (or weapons) and there are no resin parts available (at a decent cost) for 1/72. I'm actually amazed that Maestro or CMK hasn't made any AM rails yet.

So I started by downloading the Fusion 360 CAD software and drawing I had to watch a couple of YouTube tutorials to get my head around how this software works. After a week I got something out of the CAD that looked fairly decent.


And I could import it into the 3D slicer software and prepare it for printing.


There's a lot of stuff needed to cleanup and cure the part


The first attempt (left) looked horrible but after a couple of trials I got something usable out of the printer








The loadout for the aircraft will be 4 pcs of RB74 (AIM9L) and RB71 (Skyflash/AIM7E)





Tommy

[Tomcat64]

Wow - the extra detail on the landing gear is superb Tommy.

Nice to see the new toy put to good use already too - I hate it when kits don't include even a basic load-out or just empty rails (and don't get me started on the lack of pilots!)

[TommyKillander]

Wow - the extra detail on the landing gear is superb Tommy.

Thanks!

Nice to see the new toy put to good use already too - I hate it when kits don't include even a basic load-out or just empty rails (and don't get me started on the lack of pilots!)

I fully agree - kit manufacturers like Trumpeter and Zvezda put in whole sprues of every possible weapon... ...and pilots too
But Tarangus, no.....



Tommy

[bfrd]

Resin 3D printers are awesome. Have fun, but try not to spend "all" day browsing Thingiverse looking for things to print!

[TommyKillander]

Resin 3D printers are awesome. Have fun, but try not to spend "all" day browsing Thingiverse looking for things to print!

Haha... Busted!

I'm mostly looking for stuff for my Viggen - promise!


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Okey....

I wasn't completely happy with the missile rails, the print had lots of imperfections


So I made a new attempt placing them horisontally instead of tilted


...and THIS was the result!


I'm very happy with that!


...and I downloaded some stuff from Thingiverse - couldn't help it





Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys,

Just got back from a Styrene Summer Camp with 10 of my IPMS buddies - one whole weekend just building, chatting and eating junk-food

So I took the Viggen with me to finalise it for paint.

Masking...




Drilling small holes on the side of the thustreverser.

First side went well...


Other side not so much.... So I had to fill it with sprue goo and leave it for a couple of days...




Added the pitot tubes





Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Looking good, loving the detail
Not sure that yellow pilot guy thing is gonna fit in the cockpit
Keep at it

[Twokidsnosleep]

Looking good, loving the detail
Not sure that yellow pilot guy thing is gonna fit in the cockpit
Keep at it

Very jealous of the resin 3D printer
One day when I grow up I hope to own such a device

[TommyKillander]

Looking good, loving the detail
Not sure that yellow pilot guy thing is gonna fit in the cockpit
Keep at it

Very jealous of the resin 3D printer
One day when I grow up I hope to own such a device

Thanks, Scott!
I got a little sidetracked by the yellow guy but now I'm back on track again

A 3D printer is a great tool, but the dangerous part is that it is a hobby in itself, so it's easy to get pulled in


Tommy

[Tomcat64]

Nice progress with the details on the Viggen, Tommy - and the yellow dude looks pretty damned cool as well

[TommyKillander]

Nice progress with the details on the Viggen, Tommy - and the yellow dude looks pretty damned cool as well

Thanks Neil

Ok... After som masking it was finally time for Primer!






Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Hey Guys!

I got a little bit sidetracked by a new toy that arrived during the week

It's a Anycubic Photon, a 3D resin printer - I got it for 350€ off eBay (shipping within EU included)

So after some initial problems to set everything up I finally got the famous demo-cube printed



Tommy

If you get the notion, would love a little introductory Forum Thread lesson or uTube video with your thoughts on using this beast and its applications to modelling
The technology is so interesting and changing so fast
When you can mate, no rush

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

I got a little bit sidetracked by a new toy that arrived during the week

It's a Anycubic Photon, a 3D resin printer - I got it for 350€ off eBay (shipping within EU included)

So after some initial problems to set everything up I finally got the famous demo-cube printed



Tommy

If you get the notion, would love a little introductory Forum Thread lesson or uTube video with your thoughts on using this beast and its applications to modelling
The technology is so interesting and changing so fast
When you can mate, no rush

Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

as soon as I wrote that I thought, I haven't been to his UTube channel recently , I bet he has a video already.....yep

[digger303]

it does look like it produces a better 3d model than the other type of printer, which can look very blocky and needs a lot of filling. Unless you get a very expensive machine. Whats one of these worth (above ) ?

[TommyKillander]

it does look like it produces a better 3d model than the other type of printer, which can look very blocky and needs a lot of filling. Unless you get a very expensive machine. Whats one of these worth (above ) ?

I paid 350€ for it, shipped to my door.


Tommy

[JonMW]

This is turning into one of the best Viggens I've seen, if not the best! Looks absolutely fantastic!

I also bought one of the Photons a couple of months ago. It's a great tool for making details and new parts, or even replacement parts that you've lost to the carpet monster. I don't know if you have noticed the smell of the resin, I smell it but are not bothered by it, yet. A friend and fellow IPMS Stockholm member also got one at the same time as I did. He has become "allergic" or over sensitized to the resin, he gets really bad headaches if he is in the same room as the printer. The filter in the printer is not the best and the fan is a bit under powered, it might be a good idea too look at adding ventilation to the printer. I've seen some remove the top window and add a inline fan and a hose that you can vent outside, I'm adding one of these https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3318738 to mine. One of the problems with the resin is that you can build up an allergy to it over time so it's good to take precautions before that happens. I don't know if you have access to a FDM printer, if not I can make the parts for the ventilation if you want. I'm sure I can get them down to Glenn city some way, if not I'll be down there for AIM.

[TommyKillander]

This is turning into one of the best Viggens I've seen, if not the best! Looks absolutely fantastic!

Thank you very much, Jon
I haven't painted the splinter-cammo yet, so there is still room for a total disaster

I also bought one of the Photons a couple of months ago. It's a great tool for making details and new parts, or even replacement parts that you've lost to the carpet monster. I don't know if you have noticed the smell of the resin, I smell it but are not bothered by it, yet. A friend and fellow IPMS Stockholm member also got one at the same time as I did. He has become "allergic" or over sensitized to the resin, he gets really bad headaches if he is in the same room as the printer. The filter in the printer is not the best and the fan is a bit under powered, it might be a good idea too look at adding ventilation to the printer. I've seen some remove the top window and add a inline fan and a hose that you can vent outside, I'm adding one of these https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3318738 to mine. One of the problems with the resin is that you can build up an allergy to it over time so it's good to take precautions before that happens. I don't know if you have access to a FDM printer, if not I can make the parts for the ventilation if you want. I'm sure I can get them down to Glenn city some way, if not I'll be down there for AIM.

Awesome, there are a lot of "photons" used by modellers in Sweden now - I had contact with one guy on a FB group when I decided to buy mine!

The smell was actually one of the considerations I had about it, since I've read/seen a lot of reviews where people found the smell a big issue. I had plans to make a ventilated "cupboard" to keep the smell from spreading through the house, but frankly I don't find it so annoying. But the noise from the fans are more of an issue actually, so I might end up doing something like that anyway.
The vent duct from Thingiverse looks like something that can be useful if I decide to not build an enclosure around the machine. I have a friend that has a MarkForged 3D printer with carbon fibre filament and he can help me print that, but thanks for your offer
...it's just a matter of time before I buy my own FDM machine - I'm looking at getting a Prusa i3


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Okey....

Tried the Mr Paint(s) today:

I started the 058H Blue-Grey that I will use on the underside - Did a marble coat using my H&S Ultra with 0.25mm needle



This paint is just fantastic, it's like airbrushing on Easy-mode.

Next up was the splinter cammo colours


I also trying to figure out how to blackbase and paint a "hard-cammo"




The paint is wonderful to work with, the only drawback is the smell.

But I'm not 100% sold on the colours; or maybe they represent fresh paint




Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

I started to paint some parts on the underside that should be Blue-Grey:

First the marble-coat


...and after 20 minutes I did the blend-coat


This will take a while, so I will spread out the effort over a couple of days. Doing the marble-coat is very timeconsuming and it requires full concentration the whole time.

Did I say that I love this paint ?


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

This will take a while, so I will spread out the effort over a couple of days.

Yeah, right.....





After all, it's only a 1/72 scale aircraft so it's not that much to paint.

Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

Long time since the last update on this; but I'm eager to finish it now (other builds are waiting)

I MRP paints are great, but the Swedish splinter cammo colours didn't resonate 100% with me....

So I decided to tweak the colours a little

...it's not exactly the faded colours that I had in mind, but it's better...

Masking.... This set is for the old Heller kit, so it will probably not fit perfectly.


I start by removing the surrounding tape, so I can see the different areas better


Taping on the controlplanes - they need to have cammo as well


Since I'm very suspicious about the masking set, my approach will be to place all the masks on the aircraft, so get an idea where the problem-areas are








Masking the underside as well to protect it from overspray


There are a lot of overlap, gaps and the Tarangus kit is longer than the Heller - so there are issues... Oh yes!

My approach will be to lift the masks for each colour and paint them, after that I will put them back and seal the gaps to the surrounding colours. I will paint the lighter colours first, finishing with Black.


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys,

So it's time for the most nerve-wrecking part of the build... Painting the splinter cammo











First Two colours (Tan and Mid Green) is down.

I had to do a lot of adjustments as I went along. It have taken me approx 5 hours to do the two first colours (which are the easiest one IMO). Dark green is the trickiest because I have to align it to the two first colours.

Next step is to remove the Dark green masks and seal up all the gaps between the Tan and Mid Green. The Black masks are already removed and I use them as a reference to orient myself.


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Work in progress...






Found this wonderful renovation of a Viggen on Newark Air Museum
http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/Viggen_Valet


Stay tuned - paintjob is almost completed!

Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Okey...

Time for the Dark Green, but first some Maskol to fill the gaps between the masks of the already painted areas


Dark Green painted


Same procedure with the Maskol


Painted the final colour - Black


The big moment - unmasking






It went quite well; a couple of bleedthroughs, gaps caused by moving tape and I completely missed one Mid Green area; but all that is easy to touch up afterwards.

Phew....


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

One more thing;

I didn't like the colour of the Mid Green (MRP-178) and the Dark Green (MRP-177) paints, because they looked a bit off. My guess that the paints have been colour matched against the NCS code of the brand new paint. Maybe

I decided to make my own mix; so here are the paints that I used for the splinter cammo.

Colour	Drops	Paint
Black		MRP-176 Black 093M
Tan		MRP-179 Tan 507M
Mid Green	50	MRP-177 Dark Green 326M
	50	MRP-224 Yellow 255M
	25	MRP-178 Mid Green 322M
Dark Green	70	MRP-218 Dark Olive Green 328M
	30	MRP-224 Yellow 255M

Hope this is useful for someone


Tommy

[JonMW]

Looking really nice! That paint scheme takes a bit of work to do, I'm doing one as well at the moment. But on a Draken, so no mask set-

We sent down paint samples to MRP for them to match. So the colors should be pretty close. But the samples were brand new paint and the planes did weather quite a bit. So they are probably a bit off compared to what most people think of as the Viggen colors.

[TommyKillander]

Looking really nice! That paint scheme takes a bit of work to do, I'm doing one as well at the moment. But on a Draken, so no mask set-

We sent down paint samples to MRP for them to match. So the colors should be pretty close. But the samples were brand new paint and the planes did weather quite a bit. So they are probably a bit off compared to what most people think of as the Viggen colors.

Thanks Jon!

Yeah, there aren't many brand new Viggen around anymore; so you are probably right that people (like me) think the colours are off
Anyway, I'm happy how it turned out, next time I might dare a SK37 with both weathered and touched up paint


A splinter Draken That sounds awesome!


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys,

The paintjob is almost finished now and I'm really happy with the result.

The airbrakes on the belly is made from a red-brownish materal called Textolite, so I painted them with Gunze H47




Nosecone and RWR radomes painted black



..but after looking at reference photos I realised that more of the "dogtooth" should be black

Leading edges of the airscoops, canards, main wings and tailfin are also painted Black


There are a couple of places that still needs som touchup but that is for tomorrow...


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Short update

I did a couple of touchups of the paintjob today:





I believe next step will be decals

...or should I weather the paint also... I can't make up my mind


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Video update




Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Mind numbingly complicated camo pattern
I was glad I was sitting down when you we’re taking the tape off....made me dizzy
As always, excellent work

[TommyKillander]

Mind numbingly complicated camo pattern
I was glad I was sitting down when you we’re taking the tape off....made me dizzy
As always, excellent work

Thanks Scott!


Okay....

I have been thinking a lot about the fading of the colours, and after consulting my books with reference photos (Nordic Airpower: Viggen and MHM Productions: SAAB 37 Viggen) I have decided to weather the Mid Green with paint, since it seems to fade the most of the 4 colours.
So... under peer pressure from my IPMS buddies and thinking "nobody remembers a coward" - here we go!

...I'm already regretting this......


I need to make a more random pattern....



Starting to get there....

Carefully sand down the top layer and buff it with polishing stick


I think I will stop here - this is as close as I can get in 1/72....


But I will remember this trick when I build my 1/48


Tommy

[DRUMS01]

I've always wanted to try that splinter scheme on a Viggen. Your work is really well done.

Can't wait to see it in the final reveal.

Ben

[TommyKillander]

I've always wanted to try that splinter scheme on a Viggen. Your work is really well done.

Can't wait to see it in the final reveal.

Ben

Thank you very much, Ben

It's a lot of work to do a splinter cammo scheme, but it is worth it, if you ask me

The splinter pattern was made using a specified mask, so all (with a few exceptions) Viggens has the same scheme. The masking sets (for 1/72 or 1/48) replicates the cammo pattern very well, so I highly recommend a masking set


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys,

It's time for decals!


The decals in this kit are really good!


Lot's of tiny stencils - just the way we like them


Slowly gettin' there...



Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oh she is sparklingly gorgeous now with the decals aboard
Very nice

[TommyKillander]

Oh she is sparklingly gorgeous now with the decals aboard
Very nice

Yeah, there's somthing about Dayglo and SwAF insignias - aircraft looked better during the cold war, that's for sure. Nowadays everything is just 50 shades of gray

All those tiny stencils onboard too...




Painted the inside of the landing gear doors - but the colour didn't look as I expected...


So I selected another lighter tone and painted it again..






The masking set for wheels turned out to miss masks for 2 of the four main wheels in total


Easy fix with the Silhouette Portrait - job done in 4 minutes time !





Tommy

[jmurphy18]

Looking really cool Tommy!

[TommyKillander]

Looking really cool Tommy!

Thanks John
I'm trying to finish this build now, so I can continue with my other stuff, this build has dragged on for over 3 months now...


Okay... I'm focusing on the landing gear now...










...and I almost forgot the RAM air turbine (RAT)


Stay tuned!

Tommy

[jmurphy18]

. Excellent work and I do understand on letting just drag on.....

[TommyKillander]

. Excellent work and I do understand on letting just drag on.....

Thanks !

Weathering of the landing gear struts and bay doors.


And I applied a black oil-wash to pick out the panellines






I will go to our summerhouse up north in Sweden for a couple of days, so I will leave it to dry during that time. I will continue with the weathering when I get back.


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys,

Trip to the summer-house was postponed one day so I got more time at the bench

Almost forgot the missiles....






The undercarriage submodules assembled


And it's time to take care of that sorry pitot-tube




Canopy masking time - but I could not get the masking-set for the Heller kit to work, so I spent a couple of hours drawing a complete set for my Silhouette Portrait. To my knowledge there isn't any aftermarket set available yet


The canopy painted with all 4 colours to match the splinter cammo


Rear-view mirrors





Tommy

[JonMW]

This thing is just getting better and better! I really hope you plan on bringing it to AIM so I can check out the masterpiece IRL.