Gripen Minis

kfeltenberger · Post by **kfeltenberger** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:35 am

I'm planning on building a current day Swedish force and needed some air support (even if it only looks cool from the shelf!) for it. I want to field at least four Gripens, but the only minis I've been able to find (one from H&R and one on Shapeways) have an incredible lack of detail and look like they spent a few moments melting in the oven.

Does anyone have a source for good 1/285, 1/300, or 6mm Gripens?

av8rmongo · Post by **av8rmongo** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 3:16 am

Nope, only Viggens.

kfeltenberger · Post by **kfeltenberger** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 4:34 am

av8rmongo wrote:Nope, only Viggens.

I found something by Skyraider, but their ordering process seems to be stuck in the 1950s.

av8rmongo · Post by **av8rmongo** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 3:42 pm

There were some Gripens in one of the imagi-nations posts, although I don't recall which one. It might be something you've seen already but that's the only thing I can think of.

kfeltenberger · Post by **kfeltenberger** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 4:01 am

av8rmongo wrote:There were some Gripens in one of the imagi-nations posts, although I don't recall which one. It might be something you've seen already but that's the only thing I can think of.

What are these posts? I've never heard of them.

Thanks!

Guroburov · Post by **Guroburov** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:58 am

I saw one on skyraider. It's a 1/300 though.

_steve

kfeltenberger · Post by **kfeltenberger** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:04 am

Guroburov wrote:I saw one on skyraider. It's a 1/300 though.

_steve

I saw that one, too. The downside is that they don't offer online ordering and frankly, I'm not going to send money blindly to a company that has a website that looks like it's been abandoned. If they had online ordering where I could pay via credit card, sure, no problem. But in 2016 they expect people to write a check (or international money order) and then trust that they're still in business and send it to them?

I think I'll do without. Or, just buy a couple 1/144 kits and improvise.

Sudwind · Post by **Sudwind** » Wed Jun 08, 2016 10:53 am

Don't forget Shapeways. I am pretty sure there has to be a vendor making the Gripen. Some of the models there are quite good. Just get them printed in FUD, fine ultra detail.

I have taken to using smaller aircraft with my micro armor. 1/600, 1/700 Oddzial Ozmy's 3mm stuff looks good flying on acrylic stands over my micro armor terrain!

kfeltenberger · Post by **kfeltenberger** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 5:51 am

Sudwind wrote:Don't forget Shapeways. I am pretty sure there has to be a vendor making the Gripen. Some of the models there are quite good. Just get them printed in FUD, fine ultra detail.

I have taken to using smaller aircraft with my micro armor. 1/600, 1/700 Oddzial Ozmy's 3mm stuff looks good flying on acrylic stands over my micro armor terrain!

There are two vendors that I can recall seeing on Shapeways...both miniatures were...crude...in the Heroics and Ros use of the word. I found a 1/200 scale resin mini on eBay from an outfit out of Canada that has potential.

I might bite the bullet and order the Oddzial Ozmy Gripen.

I wonder what the cost to sculpt a master and make a mold would be? That's one way of definitely getting what is wanted!

7.62 · Post by **7.62** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:14 am

Hi Kurt,
I think most of the images of Gripens on here are of mine. All of the models are the H&R 1/300, some modded a little, some required major clean up. I have quite a few.
I remember having a H&R and a Skyraider model side by side and deciding to go with the H&R but that was maybe 20 years ago so quality might have changed since then.

The models are basic but that said the price point was always good and I think it was the best I could find.
Biggest problem was the canards, very hit and miss, some missing one side etc.
On some aircraft I replaced them completely with plastic card. Most had work on the tail fins.

From the Fighter Rodeo.

Poor photo next to a GHQ NH90 for size.
Size is pretty good if you put one next to a F16 or Mig 29 it looks about right.

From the "Op Fladgate" thread a few pages back, with a 1/280 Boeing 727 (my combi tankers)

I do have plans for 6 or so two seaters. I was holding off hoping for a GHQ one to convert but will go ahead now since this is at least 12 Months away.
I will try to improve the next batch the best I can but GHQ they are not.
That said I like them very much and Kudos to H&R for putting them out when they did.
If you find a better one please let me know.
The GHQ one will be great, one day.

My freelance Imagi Nation "Balzac" is very much based on the Swed TOE with a bit of Finn and Swiss for good measure.
Cheers Mick.

kfeltenberger · Post by **kfeltenberger** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 2:40 am

Very nice, 7.62! Was Op Fladgate an extended campaign you ran or was it just a story that the miniatures illustrated?

The H&R Gripens look pretty crude, even fixed up and painted.

The one I found on Shapeways had a better overall shape and dimensions, but some parts were pretty thick (the canards). I've done a little work with 3D printing (about 4 years ago) and there's no real reason why they need to be so thick; I might see if I can find someone who can build a better computer model and then send it to Shapeways for printing.

I started to get interested in Swedish hardware and the military after I spoke with a shooting buddy who is currently in the Swedish Army. The more I've read, the more impressed I am with not just the hardware, but the training and unit organization.

Thanks!

7.62 · Post by **7.62** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:04 am

kfeltenberger wrote:Very nice, 7.62! Was Op Fladgate an extended campaign you ran or was it just a story that the miniatures illustrated?

Thanks!

Kurt, it was more of an illustrated story line.

Op Fladgate was my Christmas special in the long running saga that is the public slagging match between Balzac (myself) and Camastan (cama, a fine moderator on this forum).

I can not recall how or when it started. There has been no war game to date. In fact Cama and I have only ever met once.
It has been a great excuse for me to justify increased miniature defence spending and addition of items I know I will never need.
The posting of a single photo by Cama of a hand full of GHQ infantry with a submarine was enough for me to build up a Naval Force with Visby corvette's, Type 212 subs, Griffon hovercraft and start a Marine Korp! The 19" long amphibious transport will be completed soon.

Several threads have come and gone. "Balzac Self Defence Force v People's Republic of Camastan" was a main one but it has made it's way into many.
The large amount of wasted bandwidth on items such as no-mans land, MV Tim Horton, North Camastan, Ginger and the traffic helicopter, CFL etc are all linked to this.
Sometime other peoples threads became the stage for the evil Camastan and it's views and for that I am truly sorry.

The collapse of the old Camastan I feel is but a brief respite in this natural mismatch of ideals between historic foes.
I don't know how things will emerge but Balzac will not tolerate a return of the chaos to our South Western boarders.