The
history of the ESCI / Airfix Viggen is well documented. It shows its age
and it lacks the accuracy or finesse of more recent toolings. Until
Trumpeter or one of the other mainstream manufacturers decides the Viggen is
deserving of their energies it is the best we have. Then along come Two
Mikes Resin Accessories and we now have a reason to get those kits out of the
loft and create some more accurate renditions of a much neglected jet. Airfix
– we need a reissue.
Two
Mikes venture seeks to correct some of the more obvious errors in the basic kit.
While we wait for a whole raft of resin to create that winning model, here are
three of their newly released resin sets to get your mouth watering. All the
sets are packed in sturdy clear plastic cases. Each set is accompanies by
a full colour guide with colour details of the real aircraft for reference.
The
accuracy of drawings of the Viggen is questionable and I have not attempted to
measure things against the few profiles I possess because of this. All my
considerable photographic references do however show that the Two
Mikes
sets more accurately capture and represent the aircraft. A search on the
Internet will uncover a wealth of references.
The
corrected intakes are the finest and most delicate of the three updates.
Again produced in grey resin the intakes are a good scale representation and are
a significant improvement on the very inaccurate kit parts.
The
Viggen intake is a complex shape and Two Mikes have sought to correct all the
errors: shortening the length by 3mm; adding fine engraved detail (no one, in my
view, is going to do all these amendments to the kit without re-scribing the
rest of the model); adding the ‘slime lights’; altering the ‘splitter
plate’ to include a more accurate profile and adding the small notch to the
inner lower section. Two Mikes have also included the connecting
strakes (upper and lower) which connect the intakes to the fuselage. All of
these strakes and their bullet fairings are not represented in the kit
parts. As final flourish reinforcement plates at the leading edge of the
wing fillets add to the accuracy of this set. These are a prominent
feature and are well represented with their heavy rivets.
The
resin intakes will have to be removed with care from their moulding block as
there is little between them and the blocks. A fine razor saw will do the
job. The intakes have good locating pins to connect them to the
fuselage. The joint will need filling and sanding. The transition
from intakes to fuselage is smooth with no step.
Finally
All
the Viggen update sets from Two
Mikes will
be welcomed by Viggen enthusiasts around the globe. They will go a long
way to help creating a very accurate and attractive representation of the jet.
I look forward to the additions that Two Miles have planned for the Viggen:
Corrected fin and rudder; new foreplanes with separate control surfaces; new
weapons pylons; new wing flaps; new wheel wells; new wheels; new thrust
reversers and engine fan section; new RAT and a vac former a new canopy and
windscreen. Will there be much of the kit left after all this?
Thanks
to Two Mikes Resin for supplying the sets for review.
This resin set is
available through http://www.twomikesresin.com/.
Tom Stewart
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