JetMads 1/32 Viggen - Xmas Raffle Prize

[GusMac]

So, this was the prize donated by Ernie that I won in the Xmas Raffle 2022. I'd had it a while before I plucked up courage to start it as, having never done anything bigger than an aftermarket cockpit or some weapons in resin, I was seriously unsure that I had the skills to do this justice. However, having completed it, I have to say that most of my fears were unfounded. There were some new skills needed but mostly it's the same stuff you're doing just with a harder material.

The kit is the only large scale Viggen we're ever likely to see, so that's a big mark it it's favour, but it definitely does have it's issues. Some of the castings needed quite a bit of work due to what looked like movement or misalignment of the moulds but the engineering of the joints of the main fuselage sections meant that these were relatively straightforward to fix. A bigger issue is the quality of some of the 3D printed parts where there were quite pronounced printing layers which were almost impossible to remove without destroying all the detail. When you compare with the stuff that the likes of Reskit are producing it does looks like Jetmads need to up their game a bit.

The material is also very brittle which made for a few issues and curses when preparing parts, although once they are in place the combination of the engineering and the material means they are very robust. I worried about the gear legs being strong enough for what is a pretty weighty beast without metal reinforcement but once they lock in they are solid as a rock.

Anyway, enough of my wittering and on with the pictures. Apologies for the quality but I'm not much of photographer.

The cockpit was just sitting in place at that point so I could turn it upside down to photograph the underside. It's now glued in the open position and this is now sitting in pride of place in my cabinet.

I've had a blast building this, so I definitely don't think it'll be my last resin build. Lastly, I'd like to thank Ernie for donating such a generous prize to the raffle when I'm sure he'd have made an absolute stunner out of this. 

[BlrwestSiR]

That's a beautiful model Gus. Definitely one to be proud of. 

Carl

[GusMac]

Thanks Carl. It turned out about as well as I could have hoped and it's now front and centre in the cabinet.

[DocRob]

A fantastic paint scheme on a great build, Gus. I like the vivid aspects, like tail, wing numbers and missiles, as they add a lot of detail. Like you mentioned, resin kits are not so much harder to build than plastic kits, if the casting quality and engineering is done well.
Congratulations to a well earned prize, which now transferred to a beauty in your display shelf.

Cheers Rob

[GusMac]

Thanks Rob. I was always a big fan of the Hagar cartoons but also felt the purple tail would add a bit of a highlight as you mention.

[Martinnfb]

As I said before, this was an epic journey. Probably not an easy one, but extremely entertaining, motivational and educational indeed. Thank you for that. The result is outstanding. Bravo!

 

M. 

[GusMac]

Thanks Martin. It was tedious at times with all the sanding, etc but it was always enjoyable with the anticipation of the final result