Fly, 1/32 scale Saab J29 Tunnan

[Steve64]

Is this a case of the head ruling the heart? Will I ever finish? Maybe, let’s see. The Fly kit of this post-war Swedish fighter looks like a low-run garage kit, with all the problems that implies. A quick test build of a few parts already shows it may be challenging, but I like this ‘flying barrel’ and I reckon there are some interesting natural metal finish effects to have fun with. The kit itself also has some lovely resin parts and fine surface details. So here goes. There is a risk I won't finish if it gets too challenging, but I’ve made up my mind to give it a go.

This the box art:



And this is my inspiration:



Wish me luck, please

Steve.

[cor]

It looks like the plane was an afterthought to the jet engine. Will be an interesting model.

[KalebB]

It looks like the plane was an afterthought to the jet engine. Will be an interesting model.

I thought the same

[Steve64]

Hello gents, and thanks for looking in. This one was designed from the top down as a jet and it was the first Western fighter to have swept wings. That was thanks to German designs gathered via Switzerland at the end of the war. Wikipedia tells the whole story of course. I hope to show some actual build progress soon, and be warned, my aim is to reproduce the prototype as faithfully as I can. Look away now if it hurts your eyes - there's a lot of it to come (unless it proves to be unbuildable).

[KalebB]

Hello gents, and thanks for looking in. This one was designed from the top down as a jet and it was the first Western fighter to have swept wings. That was thanks to German designs gathered via Switzerland at the end of the war. Wikipedia tells the whole story of course. I hope to show some actual build progress soon, and be warned, my aim is to reproduce the prototype as faithfully as I can. Look away now if it hurts your eyes - there's a lot of it to come (unless it proves to be unbuildable).

Can't wait to see the build very unique looking plane for sure

[ForeverPlasticKits]

I didn't know that a plastic kit could exist at this scale! This "barrel" fighter is very interesting because it became just after WW2 and it is an ancestor.

[digger303]

As has been already said it really does look like " Yeah we've built this massive jet engine lets see if it will fly " The proceeded to graft a fuselage onto it that was designed too small as the engine grew to a size bigger than they thought it would be when it was in the design phase and they didn't want to waste all the effort up unto this point.

[Steve64]

Yup, here we have a 1/32 scale version of an aircraft that provokes a reaction. Despite its odd shape, it was a capable fighter. One that was at the cutting edge for a while.

I can see a lot of sanding and patience will be required to build it. At first glance, the parts are quite good, but close-up the mating surfaces are rough and pitted, with minor flash and inconsistent thickness. So, a zen-like approach will be required. After an evening of sanding and fettling, I roughly taped the fuselage halves together. They align quite well. Not like Tamiya, but well enough. The inevitable filling and rescribing looks manageable. Even a test fit of the resin wheel bays showed the fit wasn’t too bad. The first hurdle is passed.

Happy modeling guys.

[ForeverPlasticKits]

This kit looks great and well detailed!

[Steve64]

Hey Guys,
My worst fear about this kit has come true. Some of the important resin parts don't fit at all. The worst is the cockpit. There's almost no positive location and the curve of the sidewalls doesn't match the curve of the fuselage. I don't feel like struggling with this right now, so I am putting the build on hold. I'm sorry if you took the time to look in and comment. I'll start something less challenging soon.

[KalebB]

Unfortunate to hear the kits quite a mess when it comes to fitment!

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Unfortunately it seems that the producer of such kits didn't build them to test them and possibly revised them. I understand your frustration which is equal as ours.

[RangerNeil]

A great shame - I was looking forwards to seeing this build progressing as the Tunnan is one of my favourites.
I understand your frustration with fit and finish though. Maybe as the mojo rebuilds you can give it a bit of attention now and then, trying to work out how to make things fit??

[MrBowcat]

I feel your pain. I built the Fly 1/32 Hurricane, and while I did finish it I didn't enjoy it. I won't build a Fly kit again.