Hasegawa 1/48 J-35F/J Draken
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Background
In 1955, the Saab J-35 Draken (Dragon) prototype flew and a very successful
single-seat interceptor program was born. J-35 fighter, recon, and trainer
variants served with the Swedish Air Force into the 1990s and were noted
for their capabilities to operate from off-base roadside dispersal sites.
This aircraft's distinctive double-delta wing shape makes it instantly
recognizable to military aircraft enthusiasts.
 In
Sweden, the Draken was part of a sophisticated air defense system known
as STRIL 60. Similar to the USAF's SAGE, this system included of a chain
of radars, information processing centers, and communication data links.
All-weather air defense was finally available with the J-35F and J Drakens
with their advanced radars and air-to-air missiles (Swedish adaptations
of the American Falcon and Sidewinder).
 Export
versions of the Draken were obtained by only three other countries: Denmark,
Finland, and Austria. The Austrian Drakens (refurbished J-35Ds) were the
last to be operated in military service; they were retired in 2005. Several
ex-Danish Drakens are utilized by the National Test Pilot School in Mohave,
California.
The Kit
 Not
since the ancient Lindberg kit have we had a Draken in 1/48th scale. Hasegawa
has produced a modern kit of this important airplane - a true delight
for jet modelers. The parts are well-packaged in two large plastic bags,
with an additional smaller bag for the decals sheet and clear parts.
The quality of the molded parts is excellent, with petite engraved surface
detail. I could find no flash in this kit, and only two minor sink marks
on small parts B-1( a scoop) and L7(a ventral antenna). Each landing gear
leg has a small ejector pin mark that will need to be addressed by the
modeler, and the nose wheel has two of them. The transparencies are thin
and very clear, with a two-piece canopy that can be posed open.
 The
kit is engineered with the fuselage and inner wings as a unit that consists
of upper and lower halves, with separate outer wing panels in upper and
lower halves. There are no air intake tunnels, but the intake front parts
are blanked off and are reasonably deep. By the way, these intake parts
are surrounded by a protective "dam" of plastic on the sprue--a
thoughtful feature. The tail pipe assembly is deep enough to look realistic,
and fits inside the two rear fuselage section halves.
 Moving
on to the cockpit, everything is there: tub, instrument panel & side
panel(with raised details), rudder pedals, stick, and multi-part ejection
seat. However, the seat lacks any belt/harness detail.
I like the ram air turbine and its bay under the fuselage. The ram air
turbine is indeed often seen in the lowered position on parked aircraft
and can be fitted this way in the model as well. Another nice feature
is the separate mud guard device for the nose wheel. (Hasegawa could have
taken a short-cut and molded this into the wheel, but they did not.)
 Although
all pylons are present, no external stores are provided aside from two
drop tanks. The builder will have to turn to his spares box or one of
the Hasegawa aircraft weapons sets if he wants missiles.
As kitted, a model of the J-35F-2 or J-35J can be built. Actually, an
earlier F-1 version could also be built by simply omitting the infra-red
scanner housing. A look at the parts not for use reveals that additional
future Draken kits are in the pipeline, including a two-gun Danish or
Austrian aircraft.
Instructions & Decals
 The
instruction sheet, which also contains a sprue "map" and marking
& painting guide, is easy to follow. The decal sheet is well done
with correct colors. Decal options are for three Swedish Air Force aircraft
of the F10 Wing at Angelholm: J-35F-2 No. 06, J-35J No. 52, and J-35J
No. 39. The latter option is in the two-tone light gray scheme, while
the others are in the original dark colors as shown on the box art.
Hasegawa's color callouts are a mix of FS (federal standard) numbers
and Mr. Color paint numbers. I recommend visiting the reference section
of the IPMS Stockholm web site for more coherent color information and
match-ups with available model paints.
Conclusion
Another great kit from Hasegawa. This one really fills a gap and creates
hope for a number of other similarly neglected European fighter subjects. |
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