Christoffer Lindelav

Lycka till med ditt Viggen-bygge! 
 
Stefan 

Guess what was waiting on my front porch when I cam back from breakfast? And it looks WONDERFUL.
 
This one's for my mormor, Tack för allt du gjort för familjen i Amerika och i Sverige.
 
My grandmother came here all by herself in 1904, and her story is sad and inspiring both.

hey Neo
Sorry mate, nothing really has changed since the last update. I've been busy doing other things as a result of supply issues. which pertained to running out of fiber optic cable. I did buy more but the stuff that came in after a nearly 4 month wait was not the size I needed. I just haven't had it in me to source more.
 
However, as a small consolation for you, I have included some relatively recent pics that hadn't made it to an update yet
 
 
 
The second layer has also been started and nearly finished:
 
 
Test fitting the second layer :
 
 
Those little brass pipes like the one shown just below the written D on the base plate, are for feeding the SMD spotlights through the sidewalls into the internal cavity.
 
 
I am regretting drilling out so many holes that need to be filled. I haven't even started on the side walls or anything else yet 
 
 
Sorry mate, but that's all I have. I do intend to return to this (yeah I know, that sounds sooo familiar. We've all been there - don't judge ). Maybe once I have finished my current project, I'll attempt to bring my mojo levels up enough to go back an try get that base finished. If anyone lives in Melbourne and feels like threading some fiber for me, drop me a line ... I expect to hear from no one  
Regardless, thanks Neo, for the continued interest all the same. I'll try get this done ASAP but I don't want to rush it either. LOL, not that I can be accused of that any time soon
 

Worked that time!

The thought has occurred to me, but I'm happy in the knowledge that you, me and everyone who's visited this thread knows better
 
The bottom layer is now pretty much ready for painting. I just need to add some PE ladders to the frame work and it'll be done. Then to make the top layer which will be pretty much the same as whats on the bottom. I'll add in some lighting too to both layers  - just for added interest
 
 
 
 
 
The next update should see some paint on it! Getting closer to the end - sort of
As always, thanks for stopping in and having a look
Si

continuing on with the base, the insert is painted and lit:
 
 
 
I have sprayed black underneath since taking that shot to add light blocking. It looks pretty good to me
 
The walls have also been started. You won't see much once the middle layer is added but there is enough to make it interesting:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Well, that's it for now but I'll update this again once the bottom layer has been finished. I think I'll need to black base the bottom first before I start on the top layer as it'll be impossible to get in there once the middle deck has been added. The top plate is almost ready for paint too. I still need to add frame work to it which I'll do once the bottom part is done.
As always, thanks for stopping in and having a look
Si
 

Not a massive update, but here’s the progress before Christmas.
I am planning more work on the Snowspeeder later this month.
So, first I glued styrene rings to the brass cylinder replacements, so as to be able to glue the rear kit bit on with just Tamiya Ultra thin.
Also detailed the underside of the lower control surfaces.
 

 
Here’s the final look eventually…

 
But before gluing anything, I will fit some foam bits so the control surfaces have some poseability. As is, they just float around very loosely.

 
More foam to help hold the top control surfaces.
There a bit of ajusting to do so it is not too tight for movement.

 
Also have started to redo part of the canopy with thin clear styrene, as the kit parts are thick.
But no photo yet, will have to add some to explain better!

Thanks for your interest!
Alain

For all of you out there wondering if you'll ever see your AJ-37 - well good news 
 
So fear not things are moving again after the end of year shutdown 
 
 

My son took a friend of his to the LHS. He said they have a lot of models there for them to go and look at and possibly buy one. His friend replied " They have more models than your dad?" 
 
I wasn't sure if I should laugh or hide at that point. 

Jetmads X-3 Stilleto is plagued with serious 3d print layer lines in areas that are readily visible, disclaimer on the instruction sheet notwithstanding. So I've spent a bunch of time, and money for a solution. This post focuses on parts such as the landing gear doors, the pilot's seat hatch, and the ejection seat itself. I've only begun to remove parts from the print supports so we'll see what the future brings.
 
My theory was that if I could find a UV curing resin that flows easily (not too thick) and self-levels, I could lay that in to fill the lines without ruining the surrounding details and with minimal sanding especially in areas to tight to sand effectively.
 
So here's what I learned: it works. It's fussy and can be hard to get it to work consistently. But you can always wash it off and do over if you don't cure it.
 
I found two resins that work well for this, both made by Solarez. The Fly-Tie Thin Hard formula is clear and fairly thick but it levels nicely. The Ultra Thin Bone Dry Black is thinner and sort of black. I learned that these can be mixed, and can be thinned with lacquer thinner. You need to use plenty of extra cure time if you do.
 
So here we have some results on the landing gear doors and pictures of the pilots hatch and seat
 
Thing is, all of these rivets are just too big. Given that the whole idea was to preserve them, now I'm thinking it'd be easier just to sand them off, deal with the layer lines, and then use resin rivet decals or maybe Anyz 0.35mm resin rivets (these are about 0.4mm). Maybe I'll just take this result and move on because right now my enthusiasm for this kit isn't urging me to go all out on it. It might just need to be a "do a neat job" shelf display item.
 
There is no good excuse for this poor print quality. Jetmad's disclaimer that they are "genuinely unlikely to be notice by the naked eye" is nonsense. What is worse, anyone who mentions this on the Jetmads Facebook page has their comments deleted, and they are banned. I am disappointed with this, to say the least. Although Jetmads clearly puts a lot of care and effort into these kits, the end product quality is not what it ought to be. Banning people who've purchased this kit for expressing reasonable complaints is very bad form, particularly when the Jetmads business model is based on pre-selling unproduced kits sight unseen. How many sales would be lost if people like me saw good photos of the actual product?

I've been unable to find a single build or in-progress build of this kit and I wonder why. Disappointment and buyer's remorse come to mind as a possible reasons. Fixing this stuff is a pain in the butt and a waste of time and effort. I wish they had cast more parts and printed fewer because their casting is very good. There are some very nice aspects to this kit to be sure, and I've always wanted an X-3 so here we go.
 
Main landing gear door.

 
Main landing gear door with resin laid on. This is the Hard Black formula. It's actually purple, like Sharpie ink.

 
Nose gear door with resin laid in. This is the Hard Clear formula.

 
After priming with MS1500 from spray can, including the pilot's hatch. Untouched main gear door included for reference. So this worked pretty well. A problem with this method is the meniscus effect, as the liquid resin tends to climb up around the base of whatever raised surfaces it finds, particularly the rivets giving them a soft look and making them look larger than they really are, and they are already much too big.

 
Here is the ejection seat. Those rivets belong to an old steam boiler.

 
 
References:

 
 
 

PS: Swiped from iModeler site.

Proof of life-
Thanks to Timmy!’s brilliant work, I have a newer, betterer front fuselage that is perfect in shape, profile and cross section. Took some courage to saw off the old front end !

 
cockpits from previous forward fuselage separated relatively cleanly 


cheers
P

Happy 2024, folks. 
 
2024 will see the first deliveries to Australia of M1A2 SEP v3, 75 of which will replace 59 M1A1 AIM SA, in service since 2006. 
 
https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/australia-heavy-armored-combat-systems
 
Having reverted Tamiya’s 1/16 M1A2 to an Australian M1A1, time to update another one, this time from plain Jane M1A2 to SEP v3.
 
Having learned CAD in meantime, I’ve started on the things I can update with relative ease. 

With no public domain pics of Australian v3s out & about, the precise configuration is as yet unknown. 
 
Firstly, the bustle rack, bustle rack extension, & “VCSU” - essentially an aircon unit that replaces the auxiliary power unit of the earlier models. 
 

 

 
A few iterations got me to this. 
 

 

 
The v3 bustle has some additions, so they’re on the agenda. 
 
Next is the exhaust & heat exchanger grills on the rear. 
 

The commanders cupola has also been started, removing the traverse mechanism for the machine gun.
 

The largest modifications will be a new hull front, new turret front/profile, & low-profile remote weapon station mounted atop the gunner’s primary sight. 
 
Thanks for stopping by. 
 
 

As an occasionally reluctant American, I can confidently say.........
 

 
 

Sweet Jesus and all things holy... this is going to be one impressive model and what a great choice of subject.
 
And the speed in which you are putting this all together is mind boggling..!
 
I can totally empathise when it comes to a model getting inside your mind. As sad as it sounds I often do a lot of my problem solving when I'm about to drift off to sleep. Something will be bugging me and appear to have put the brakes on a build when suddenly a solution will pop into my head late at night and I can't wait to get going on it the next day... I have also found myself waking up in the night with a solution to a problem and then have to get up and note it down. Driving is also another good time to contemplate and think about builds... it's funny how it can just hit you.
 
Can't wait to see more...
 
Tom

Just a quick shot, arrived today minutes before I left the office. Love the artwork!
Order 11989, the first one. Awaiting a shipment notification yet for my second order 12117.
 

 

I had my S2F Tracker in my project track as my next scratchbuild but decided I might bore of it and lose interest. I don’t think that’ll be the case with this. Excited to add a jet to my 1/24 jones. That is a very rare thing in injection mold kit world (just the Harrier). I don’t expect very much 3D here, despite capabilities. Maybe landing gear? 


 

Too cool not to share-
 
1/16 SUU-20 and blue death BDU-33’s for the centerline pylon


Timmy! Strikes again!
 
P

here is some CAD of the mini gun that Timmy! Created for the big Smurf! Looking forward to working on the big girl soon!

Above is the frame and plexiglass that separates the forward and aft cockpits- hot off of Timmy’s printer. Super cool!
lots of good stuff coming- watch this space-
P

Thanks for thinking of me Tom and yes, as Kevin indicated, my house has been undergoing renovations for 7 months now and I’ve been living at another location, where modeling isn’t really practical.  Combined with the summer months, my modeling mojo has been zilch, so participation in these forums has also been lacklustre, but I hope to be back soon with my F-16 Aggressor project, likely in mid to late December.  I continue to lurk now and again to see all the cool projects you guys have going on, which gives me lots of incentive to get back into the modeling game!
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Hi again,
 
I was quite lucky as the first resin casting was successful. I really love that reusable blue stuff rubber!
 
The resin parts are not very sexy but OK for what I wanted to obtain and I avoided all the dreadful small air bubbles:
 

 
You can see now all the parts required to build the full exhaust. This inludes the witch hat (particularly relevant for Halloween don't you think so...?) 
 
Sorry for the crappy pics but the lighting conditions were quite bad.
 

 
Normally, there were arms between the rotor cone and the sides of the chamber but I do not know if I will add them. The most important feature is the visible cone tip and this is exactly what I wanted to get. I'm not sure the other features will be visible but that one is! If you still had doubt, the dry assembly picture hereunder shows it.
 

 
This is exactly why I wanted to reproduce the correct chamber geometry. To me, the only other acceptable option was FOD covers.
 
I'm happy as I can now move to other challenges!

13184 Here!  
 
 
Paid with Mastercard, went witout a hitch, and yes, postage added!
 
I´m really suprised to see the intrest in both the JA/AJ-37 Viggen and the J-35 Draken.
 
Makes me proud to be from Sweden and I live in the city where they are made!  
 
 
Stefan  

Have no fear ordering from the big guy!
We had time to hang out at the Nationals a few years back, and currently Tim is giving me pointers and we are sharing info back and forth on 3D printing. 
Great guy with a top notch attitude and good will all around. Great for the hobby!

Thanks, guys! I am planning to update that catalog and add some new items as soon as I can actually get some time to sit down and do it. 
 
Tim