Last summer (2014) I built two vintage Matchbox 1:72 Viggens. This was the first time I had ever built a Swedish kit but I was hooked, and the Draken was high next on my list. For some reason I had in mind to build this vintage Arifix kit originally released in 1970. I found one at my local hobby store but was broke until next week, and as you might have guessed the kit was gone when I returned. Thankfully I found one at the Nanton Model show for $5 Cdn. In September I made the decision to finally get to building this kit, and I'm thrilled that I did.
The kit really shows it's age, for 1970 this would have been great and fun, but for 2015 this kit begged to be upgraded, and I began searching for new ways to modify the kit, without drastic measures.
First I rescribed the panel lines, I tested Tamiya's Panel Line Scriber, the results were thick heavy lines, which I later learned were better to control if you keep the tool of a straighter ledge, having the scriber higher produces a thicker panel line, I learned this better as I nearly finished the model.
Secondly, I removed the 2 front intakes. They were hollow on the inside, and I wanted to block them off, in addition this would make them much easier to paint, and as I later discovered sand and fill in the fuselage near the cockpit. Using a thin sheet of styrene I blocked off the intakes, and glued them into one solid unit. They were then painted Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey, and left to last.
Third, sealing off the gear bays. This is a common problem with older kits and even a few modern ones. To me it's not that big of a deal, having a open gear bay, but I figured out a way to seal them off and I really wanted to try it. By measuring each section of the bay I cut a thin piece of styrene and glued it to the wall, I kept this up going all around the walls until they were sealed in. I them added a few bits to make it look more busy. Once they were painted silver I became really happy with them.
Lastly, I tried something I've always seen done and have wanted to try for years. There are 2 navigation lights on the wings. These were carved as recessed lines. I cut the triangles out and glued a spare piece of styrene in each section, and then sanded them down to fit the surface. I painted either side red and blue, and they really add a nice level of detail.
I painted the upper surfaces with Tamiya XF-50 Field Blue, and XF-81 RAF Green. The blue is supposed to be a darker color, but I really liked the blue of the box art, and I was surprised that the blue actually came out darker than my testing. The underside was painted XF-19 Sky Grey, and Testors Enamel Aluminium.
The decals are a bit old, and took a bit more negotiating to work. However a nice glossy surface really helped in getting them to conform better to the surface. I bleached them in the sun for a few days unfortunately the decals on the bottom showed that the yellowing still occurred. I'm not sure how noticeable it is, I also replaced the gear by doors with thinner sheets of copper. The ones provided in the kit are terribly thick.
Conclusion:
I'm really happy with this kit, this was a really fun model I'd gladly build again. but I'd never pay more than $5 for it. That's all it's really worth. It's still a good construction, the cockpit lacks any detail aside from a chair and pilot, and the only real error in it's over shape that I found was in front of the canopy just before the black on the nose, this should be more curved and not quite as flat. I'd love to build another but for that I'm going to go out and get the modern tooled Hasegawa kit. Plus the Hasegawa kit's have a nice glossy paint scheme I'd love to try. Still it's a really fun kit, even though it's and old Airfix kit, and we've been doing a lot of tossing them out, this ones still fun, it's got a unique charm to it, and the decal/paint scheme is really fun. If you've still got one build it! If you come across it, give it a chance, I think you will have fun with it.
Special thanks to
Rob@basicmodelling, for answering all my questions regarding the Draken.
