ADVANCED BUILD

DELTA
ÄNGELHOLM

As if tackling splinter camouflage

on a 1/72 Viggen wasn’t
enough, Chris Jones
decided to go a second
round, this time with
Special Hobby’s 1/48
big brother

K
it manufacturers Special
Hobby and Tarangus
recently joined forces
to bring the scale
modelling community a subject
long sought after… a family of
new, modern Saab Viggens in
1/72 and 1/48.
Having been fortunate enough
to tackle the JA 37 Viggen in
the former scale (see Thor’s
Thunderbolt, AMW111 February
2020), surviving the trauma of
re-producing its striking splinter
camouflage (known officially as
‘fields and meadows’), a form
of madness drove me in the
direction of the next challenge.
This took the form of Special
Hobby’s 1/48 ‘Updated Edition’ of
the AJ 37, which came complete
with a new styrene runner that
supplied drooped canard flaps
and an open RAT (ram air turbine)
bay. When Viggens are on the
ground, these are both almost
always seen hanging down/
open, but the initial release of
the kit allowed for just the ‘clean’,
closed configuration.
Beyond that, there was also a
JA 37-style vertical stabiliser,
choices for single or double
ventral cooling intakes, a
lengthened centreline pylon and
a JA 37 blade aerial. Some of
these options are not necessarily
appropriate for the AJ variant,
but the spares box will definitely
benefit. There was also a very
well rendered pre-coloured
photo-etched (PE) metal fret, for
the cockpit instrument panel and
side consoles.

Special Hobby’s cockpit was a delight straight from the box, with plenty of It was decided to employ one of several extras in this ’Updated Edition‘ boxing,
attractive moulded detail on the instrument panel and side consoles such as the pre-painted PE, which made detailing the cockpit straightforward

58 Airfix Model World KeyModelWorld.com

 ADVANCED BUILD | Saab AJSH 37 Viggen

Like something extra?

Several aftermarket parts were
sourced for this project, including
CMK’s lovely resin ejection seat
48219 (www.cmkkits.com), which
featured integrally cast straps
and harness. Master Model’s
AM-48-074 Pitot and AOA
set was also procured (www.
master-model.pl), but attempts
to incorporate this into the build
went awry… in the end just the
fin-top item was used, with the
radome pitot replaced with a
sewing needle.
Although the kit wheels are
perfectly usable, the detail on
the nose wheel is negligible,
and the rear wheels seemed too The forward fuselage had a horizontal seam and, with multiple panel lines
thin, so ResKit’s excellent resin crossing this join, resulted in considerable sanding later
replacement wheel set 480113
(www.reskit.com.ua) was also
brought in to play. The visual
quality of the resin alternatives
was next level, but it was
challenging to fit them, thanks
MODEL SPEC to various self-induced dramas.
Saab AJ 37 Viggen First, there were no axle holes,
‘Updated Edition’ so these must be drilled to
By: Special Hobby accept brass rod versions.
Stock Code: 48148 Second, the main undercarriage
Scale: 1/48
on the Viggen is complex, with
Price: €73.50
a double-bogie arrangement
Available from:
www.specialhobby.eu – unfortunately, the kit
undercarriage legs have the
inner wheel hub (with the brake
assemblies) moulded integrally
– yet ResKit’s replacements
have this feature on the wheel
itself. This meant the styrene
brakes must be removed, The rear fuselage came as a separate sub-assembly, incorporating left/right
although what followed (due to halves, jet pipe and thrust reverser ‘petals’

“The kit’s cockpit

components were
well rendered,
featuring attractive
raised detail ”

KeyModelWorld.com Airfix Model World 59

ADVANCED BUILD
Initial attempts to join the front and rear fuselage sections resulted in a large Fitting the RAT bay was challenging, with styrene needing to be removed from
gap between the two – the spine must be trimmed for the shorter AJ variant the intake trunking, otherwise it fouled the new insert
clumsy handling) was a series of
breakages across load-bearing
sections. The only solution was
to pin them with brass rod, but
thanks to their slight v-shaped
profile, fitting the new sections
was tricky – a handy reminder to
take greater care when working
on the parts.
Back inside
The kit’s cockpit components
were well rendered, featuring
attractive raised detail for the
instrument bezels, knobs and
switches. Given there was also a
superb PE alterative, the decision
was made to use this version,
so the moulded bezels were
Homemade intake blanks required mating surfaces, fashioned here from removed with scalpel and file
plastic blocks. The small supporting rod was re-created using Albion Alloys’ work. Tamiya XF-80 Royal Light
product cut to size (www.albionhobbies.com) Grey (www.hobbyco.net)
was used for the
interior colour, before
“The airframe the PE parts were
breakdown attached. Next, a
was considered mucky brown-
grey oil mix
unconventional was stippled
– yet surprisingly
effective”
60 Airfix Model World
onto the cockpit floor to suggest
a hint of grime. This was deemed
appropriate, considering how
often the Viggens operated from
austere dispersed locations.
With the cockpit tub completed,
it was discovered that its fit
inside the upper fuselage was
vague, so multiple pieces of
styrene strip were added to
provide better mating surfaces.
Frustratingly, styrene must be
removed from the fuselage side
if the open RAT bay option is
chosen – this was compounded
by my cutting the wrong section
initially, which necessitated a
plastic card replacement. Note,
part of the intake trunking must
also be trimmed to fit the resin
RAT bay.
The airframe breakdown was
considered unconventional – yet
surprisingly effective – as the
forward and rear sections are
presented as sub-assemblies,
which connect where a
fuselage plug is located on the
lengthened, up-engined JA 37
KeyModelWorld.com

Viggen. The
front fuselage
halves join along a
horizontal seam, while
the rear pieces connect
vertically; the latter
contains the walls for
the jet exhaust. After
building the main wing,
the rear fuselage was
attached to the top of
the mainplane, before
being mated with the
forward airframe.
A substantial gap was
noted at the fuselage
join, which meant
part of the spine
was removed to aid the fit,
allowing the rear section
to slide closer to the front,
thus eliminating the problem.
Moving to the intakes, the
intention here was to produce
home-made intake blanks,
KeyModelWorld.com
so plastic strip
was used to
provide locating
blocks inside the intakes
themselves. There is also
a supporting rod on real
Viggens between the
vertical splitter plate and
the intake lip, so this was
reproduced with brass
rod. However, since part
of the fuselage seam
would be visible behind
the splitter plates, the
intakes were not attached
until this part of the
fuselage seam was sanded.
A similar situation affected
the canards, since it would be
awkward to sand the joins with
these items in the way, so they
were left until later.
After remembering to add
fishing sinkers to the radome
for ballast, the airframe was
ADVANCED BUILD | Saab AJSH 37 Viggen
brought together and the glue
was left to harden for at least a
week. Owing to the large number
of access panels bisected by
the horizontal fuselage join,
extensive ‘pre-scribing’ was
needed to deepen the recessed
lines in the affected areas, so
Care is needed
when cutting a hole
they wouldn’t be obliterated
for the RAT bay – later. As the Viggen is a large
annoyingly, I managed model in 1/48 scale, the sanding
to remove the wrong and scribing process took
panel, but thankfully
a piece of plastic card considerable time, but once
came to the rescue completed, it was possible
Normally, the inner main gear doors are closed when Viggens are on the
ground, but as this option wasn’t in the kit, homemade supports were added
SPLINTERS AND METAL
Special Hobby supplies three schemes in the ‘Updated Edition’ boxing,
comprising two airframes in the classic four-tone ‘splinter’ camouflage, while the
third has an overall natural metal finish. The options are:
• 37062/Red 62, F7 Wing, Såtenäs, 1990s
• 37022/Black 22, F7 Wing, Buchel, West Germany, September 1973
• 37051/Red 10, F15 Wing, Söderhamn, 1978
Airfix Model World 61
ADVANCED BUILD

After an initial underside coat using a mix of Tamiya paints, this area was An initial tan shade preceded the first of several masking
mottled with lighter and darker tones before being masked sessions, with the tape edges burnished to prevent paint bleed

This process was repeated

for the dark green and black
colours, completing the ‘fields
and meadows’ scheme. All
shades were mottled before
moving to the next one

With the masks removed, thanks to careful application and mask burnishing,
a neat splinter scheme presented itself. The paint tonal variation was subtle, but
noticeable, ideal for representing an ‘in-service’ airframe

“Special Hobby’s kit represents

the AJ version of the Viggen”

to add the canards.

However, the flaps
were left off until the end
to avoid breakages.
Milliput was employed to
neaten the countless join lines;
once satisfied, attention turned
to smaller items. A scratch-built
head-up display was fashioned
from transparent plastic, and
basic support framing was Grey was used to
made from styrene rod, before re-prime the affected
the windscreen was attached areas, and once the
and the cockpit masked. The airframe was neat
intake interiors, thrust-reverser enough, it was
vent panels and jet pipe had time for colour.
already been sprayed, so
these were masked before the Swedish
model received Halford’s Grey splinters
Plastic Primer (www.halfords. Painting began by
com) straight from the can. airbrushing the undersides
This was polished with 4,000- in a 2/1 mix of XF-66 Light
grade Micro Mesh cloths, before Grey and XF-2 Flat White, before
any remaining blemishes were it was mottled with lighter and
treated with further filler and darker versions of the original
sanding. Tamiya XF-54 Dark Sea base coat; this was then sealed

62 Airfix Model World KeyModelWorld.com

 ADVANCED BUILD | Saab AJSH 37 Viggen

meet at perpendicular angles,

for example in the wing root. The
joy of spraying such paints is
they are touch-dry very quickly,
so a clean, dry sponge can be
used to gently remove any rough
particles. In much the same way
as my earlier 1/72 build, once
again Maestro Models came
to the rescue with its superb
MMK4876 1-Seater Splinter Camo
Mask set (www.maestromodels.
com), which simplified this
complex task greatly.
After applying each
mask to its relevant
tan coloured
area, it was

via a light application of Alclad’s
ALC-600 Aqua Gloss (www.
alclad2.com). Splinter patterns
require plenty of planning when
masking, because later in the
build there were the black wing
leading edges and undercarriage
bays to consider.
On the upper surfaces, the first
tone comprised a 5/1 blend of
XF-72 JGSDF Brown and XF-2
Flat White, which was then
treated with light/dark mottles
to impart a sense of weathering.
I often find that airbrushing
matt acrylics can result in rough
areas, caused by turbulence
and overspray where surfaces
vital to ensure
the edges were burnished
with a cocktail stick to prevent
paint bleeds that can be tricky
to repair on a splinter scheme.
It must be pointed out that

After comparing the nosewheel While simple in appearance,

undercarriage leg with reference breakages to the double bogie units
photos, extra detail was added using caused problems, including methods
styrene strip and brass rod to repair the damage

A STORM OF THUNDERBOLTS
Swedish decal specialist Moose Republic has several high-quality products for the
Viggen in 1/72 and 1/48, with stencil data included as standard. The choices are:
• AJ 37, 37034/Red 35, F6 Wing, Karlsborg, 1984
• SF 37, 37965/Red 54, F21 Wing, Kallax/Luleå, 1987
Just when the masking seemed to be completed, more was in store to tackle
• SK 37E, 37811/Red 74, F4 Wing, Frösön/Östersund, 2001
the leading edges and radome, although the result was well worth the effort
• SH 37, 37902/Red 03, F13 Wing, Brävalla/Norrköping, 1985
• SK 37, 37808/Red 62, F15 Wing,
Söderhamn, 1996
• AJ 37, 37009/Red 09, F7 Wing,
Såtenäs
• AJSH 37, 37972/Red 56, F17 Wing,
Kallinge/Ronneby, June 1992
• AJSF 37, 37974/Grey 64, F21 Wing,
Kallax, 2001
• SK 37E, 37813/Red 13, FC Malmen/
Linköping, April 2000
• AJSH 37, 37901/Red 01, F10 Wing,
Ängelholm, April 2000
• AJS 37, 37014/Red 45, F15 Wing,
Söderhamn, 1996
Special Hobby moulded the brake units onto the bogie strut, although these • AJ 37, 37083/Yellow 07, F10 Wing,
must be removed if aftermarket resin wheels are used Ängelholm, 1995

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ADVANCED BUILD
“Homemade hydraulic jacks were
fashioned from brass rod”
much additional
masking is
required, even
when using a
dedicated set as if the
coverings just touch at the
edges there is a risk of hairline
gaps, so each join must be
treated with pieces of tape.
The lighter green shade was
replicated with an equal mix of
XF-67 NATO Green and XF-3
Flat Yellow, while the darker
tone was just XF-67 NATO
Green. Black areas were treated
with XF-69 NATO Black.
This entire process took what
seemed an eternity to complete,
and removing the masks was
extremely nerve-racking,
but thanks to the methodical
approach during application
all was well, with just a small
number of isolated areas
requiring touch-ups.
Despite the considerable effort
to achieve the splinter pattern
there was yet more masking to
come, this time for the radome
and black leading edges. The
model was first sprayed with
a protective layer of ALC-600
Aqua Gloss before new sections
of tape were applied for these
Moose Republic’s markings
and stencils were superb,
conforming well to the
airframe and recessed
detail without issue
64 Airfix Model World
areas. With
major painting
completed,
the airframe
received several
applications of gloss
varnish, taking care to
remove any debris or
dust with 2,000-grade
abrasive paper between
sessions. It was decided
Similar to the nosewheel, scratch-built detail was added to the main struts,
while taking great care not to break them again
to brush paint
the intake rims,
due to their
location, but
it was well worth
doing this over a gloss
coat, as any mistakes
could be removed with
a cocktail stick. Various
homemade colours of
oil wash were mixed,
slightly thicker
than usual so they
didn’t run, and
were applied to
their respective areas on the
airframe: dark brown was used
on the tan areas, with darker
green used on the light green
areas and so on.
Ängelholm and F10
At this stage, I must mention my
friend and fellow modeller Rob,
who hails originally from Sweden
and served with F10 at Ängelholm
during its J 35 Draken days.
After chatting about his time in
the Flygvapnet and his passion
for Swedish aviation, it was an
easy decision to opt for building
an F10 airframe. Thankfully,
Swedish decal company Moose
Republic (www.mooserepublic.
se) produces several Viggen
sheets, with 48010 featuring
an F10 Viggen (see A storm of
Thunderbolts), complete with the
unit’s distinctive ghost badge.
Special Hobby’s kit represents
the AJ version of the Viggen,
which focused primarily on
ground attack, with a secondary
role as a fighter. The selected
airframe was an AJSH variant
KeyModelWorld.com
 ADVANCED BUILD | Saab AJSH 37 Viggen

After careful study of

photos, post-shading was
used on the top surfaces to
produce grime and exhaust
staining. Soot from the
thrust reversers followed a
specific pattern, which was
reproduced carefully

– identical externally, but

CMK’s aftermarket
equipped with a different radar ejection seat is well
and optimised for maritime worth considering, with
strike and reconnaissance. The integrally cast seat
harnesses and finely
decals performed superbly replicated detail
and, once dry, were sealed
with more gloss, after which
the airframe was muted with
Winsor and Newton Galeria
Matt Varnish. This was diluted
about 50/50 with equal mix of
99.9% isopropyl alcohol and
de-ionised water. Weathering
was completed by post-shading
using a highly diluted blend of
2/1 XF-1 Flat Black/XF-64 Red
Brown over the panel lines, with
a particular emphasis given
to areas appearing grubby or
shadowy in reference photos.
Final assembly was tricky, due
to the complicated main gear
legs and trying not to cause any
more damage in this already
beleaguered area.

Afterthoughts
It was fascinating to build this big Chipping of the leading edges was accomplished with a dark
silver tone and dry sponging, while the attachment holes for the
1/48 model after previously doing ladder were drilled and chipped with a silver pencil
the newer, easier to build 1/72
Viggen – the design team having
taken lessons from the ‘big
brother’ offering. On that note,
this ‘Updated Edition’ boxing
reflects the same philosophy
of improvement, with several
excellent additions, particularly
the drooped canards and RAT
bay. It was time-consuming to
build and paint, but there is
simply no arguing with the sheer
presence of the wonderful Homemade hydraulic jacks were fashioned from brass rod, so
double delta in this scale. the airbrakes could be posed open as seen on parked aircraft

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