1:48 Swedish Airforce J21 pilot

The real subject

The Saab J 21 is a Swedish fighter with an unusual layout: it carries its tail surfaces on a pair of booms, with space left between them behind the cockpit. In its day it was one of the few production machines of that shape and it was built with piston as well as with jet power. The Swedish Air Force went through the transition between two eras with it, which makes it a rewarding subject for a figure of a pilot standing beside it too.

What the figure offers

This is a figure of a Swedish Air Force pilot in 1:48 scale, the same scale in which most fighter models are built. The figure gives a model a sense of scale: only beside a human being can you see how large the aircraft really was, and a display case stops looking like a row of shapes with no connection.

Building and painting tips

Wash and degrease the figure before painting, otherwise the paint holds unevenly on the smooth surface. Work from a base coat to the shades and let each coat dry.

• Cut the excess material away with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the remainder
• Paint the face last and with the finest brush you have
• Bring the folds of the flight suit out with a dark wash and the edges with a light dry brush
• Choose the glue according to the material of the parts; with small parts cyanoacrylate glue has proved itself

Who it is for

For builders of models in 1:48 scale and for small scenes where the crew is to stand beside the aircraft.

The aircraft model, the paints and the glue are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.