| 1/48 Airfix Saab Ja-37 Viggen by Vaggelis Kontodimos |
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Vaggelis Kontodimos strikes back with another amazing project, a 1/48 Saab Viggen by Airfix. The entire model has been rescribed, while the eye-catching splinter camo scheme was achieved by careful masking, a task that Vaggelis knows very well!!! (Comments by Thanos Mentzelopoulos) 1/48 Airfix Saab Ja-37 Viggen
The Saab 37 Viggen (English: Thunderbolt) was a Swedish
single-seat, single-engine, short-medium range fighter and attack aircraft, manufactured between
1970 and 1990. Several variants were produced to perform the roles of
all-weather fighter-interceptor, ground-attack and photo-reconnaissance,
as well as a two-seat trainer. The Viggen was initially developed as a replacement for the Saab 32 Lansen in the attack role and later the Saab 35 Draken as a fighter.
The first studies were carried out between 1952 and 1957 involving the
Finnish aircraft designer Aarne
Lakomaa. Several different concepts were studied involving both
single- and twin engines and also with separate lift engines, both
simple and double delta wings and also
with canard wings. Even VTOL designs
were considered. The aim was to produce a robust aircraft with good short-runway
performance that could be operated from numerous specially prepared roads and highways
to reduce the vulnerability to attack in the event of war.
Other requirements included supersonic ability at low level, Mach 2
performance at altitude, and the ability to make short landings at low
angles of attack (to avoid damaging improvised runways). The aircraft
was also designed from the beginning to be easy to repair and service,
even for personnel without much training.
 To meet these design goals, Saab selected a radical configuration: a conventional delta wing with small, high-set canard wings. Canards have since become common in fighter aircraft, notably with the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the IAI Kfir, but mainly for agility reasons rather than STOL capabilities. The final proposal was presented and accepted on 28 September 1962. Construction started in 1964, with a first prototype maiden flight on 8 February 1967. In 1960, the U.S. National Security Council, led by President Eisenhower, formulated a military security guarantee for Sweden. The U.S. promised to help the Swedish militarily in the event of a Soviet attack against Sweden; both countries signed a military-technology agreement. In what was known as the "37-annex", Sweden was allowed access to advanced U.S. aeronautical technology which made it possible to design and produce the Saab 37 Viggen much faster and cheaper than would otherwise have been possible. Source: Wikipedia
Here is my Saab Viggen.I used the JA-37 kit from Airfix.
The camouflage pattern was made using pieces of masking tape.I used 119,116,226,33 Humbrol colors for painting.
I hope you like it!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Text and Photos by Vaggelis Kontodimos
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