The Italeri two seater kit goes together well and is adequately detailed. It would benefit from better looking seats and brake cables etc on the undercarriage. But that’s only for the fanatical modellers.  This kit was completed to primer stage, and then taken in a crate as hold luggage for finishing off at my friend Brad Hoskin’s modeling room, in time for the Dallas Scalefest show.  The theme for the display being the ‘Flying Cheetahs’ - a complete lineup of the Squadron’s type history, the Gripen representing the future of this elite unit.

Some detailed subtle differences of the D model were added, the most obvious being blade aerials on the tail. There were also two small spine aerials, these being put in place with PVA.  Brad knew his Gripens better than me, and recommended a few other subtle D model modifications. These were a modified APU, with the hole to the port side of the tail filled in, and a bump for the nearby replacement raised doors, added with milliput and painted, along with a tiny blob of milliput for the GPS receiver on the fairing behind the canopy. A pin was used to replace the pitot tube. The complex nosewheel undercarriage door arrangement differs from the single seater.

References were a recent Air Forces Monthly,  and some nice photos over on the image base of the Gripen website.  http://www.gripen.com/en/index.htm    But as usual, the definitive reference appeared after the model was finished.  In this case, International Air Power Review Vol 24.  The various photos of '01' taken at different times confirm that this aircraft has already gone through subtle changes - the aerials on the tail moving position, and the size and shape of the grey diamond altering - in one photo showing mismatched edging, and not covering the rear canopy frame.   

Paint colours chosen were Testors acrylics - the overall airframe in FS36320 Dark Ghost Grey, the Diamond in FS36231 Flat Gull Grey, the radome and centreline tank in FS36375 Light Ghost Grey, and the underside false canopy in FS36118 Gunship Grey.  Note that the jetpipe part as provided in the kit is painted in the airframe grey past the point where the part fits the airframe, ie, the metallic part starts further back.