Saab JAS-39 Gripen - Double Build - Revell
Hungarian / Swedish Air Force

The Revell kits are currently the best 1:72 renditions of the Gripen; even though they are far from perfect and in some cases have a surprisingly poor fit, they are still vastly superior the aging Italeri Gripen A-version.

The two kits (the single-seater and the twin-seater) are using the same design and the only difference is found in the front part of the fuselage. Revell has engineered it so that the fuselage is split in four parts: the left and right back part (which is the same for both versions), and the left and right front part (which is where the differences are found). While this is a clever solution from the design point of view, it represents some additional challenges for the model builder, who needs to tackle the tricky join between the four parts. Once you get past this and the poor fit of the jet intakes, the build is relatively easy.

Unfortunately the airbrakes are molded as separate pieces, which is a rather poor idea, given that these should almost never be open for an aircraft on the ground - and if you wish to display them closed, you will find that the fit of the air brakes in the apertures is horrible and need a lot of crafting and padding.

Also the flaps should be extended for an aircraft on the ground, which is not the way Revell has designed it. Fortunately, it is a relatively easy conversion that makes a huge impact on the model.

I am building the single seater as a Swedish aircraft and the twin-seater in Hungarian markings. For both models I am using Eduard photo-etched parts to add some extra internal and external detail. The Hungarian decals mainly come from the HAD Models decal sheet.