Book Review of
SAAB J 21R
Authors: Dariusz Kamas & Theodor Liviu Morosanu
MMP Books Single No. 32
ISBN: 978-83-66549-26-5
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $11.99
ISBN: 978-83-66549-26-5
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $11.99
HISTORY:
The SAAB 21 is a Swedish single-seat low-wing monoplane fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by SAAB. It used a relatively unorthodox twin boom fuselage with a pusher engine, giving the aircraft an unusual appearance.
Work began at SAAB following a Swedish Air Force decision to embark on a major expansion program in preparation for the possibility of being drawn into the Second World War. The company designed a monoplane twin-boom aircraft, powered by a single Daimler-Benz DB 605B engine that was positioned to the rear of the fuselage nacelle, directly behind the pilot, that drove a pusher propeller. This arrangement allowed guns to be carried in the aircraft's nose while providing the pilot with good visibility. To enable the pilot to bail out without hitting the propeller behind him, they adopted an ejection seat.
On 30 July 1943, the 21 performed its maiden flight and on
December 1945, the first examples of the J 21A-1 were introduced to service. It was quickly followed by the improved J 21A-2, which featured a heavier armament, and the A 21A-3 fighter-bomber. Due to Swedish Air Force interest in jet fighters, SAAB produced a conversion using the British de Havilland Goblin as the Saab 21R.
The 21 was replaced in the mid-1950s after less than 10 years of service by the similarly configured de Havilland Vampire and the Saab 29 Tunnan.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter and attack aircraft
National origin: Sweden
Manufacturer: SAAB
First flight: 30 July 1943
Introduction to service: 1 December 1945
Retired: 23 July 1954
Status: Retired
Primary user: Swedish Air Force
Produced: 1945–1949
Number built: 298
Developed into: Saab 21R
THE BOOK:
MMP (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus in Poland , in the English language. Stratus does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” Page format.
The cover art shows a SAAB J=21R posed against an all bright-orange background.
A color illustration of the aircraft’s top is shown. It is overall dark-green, with the outer third of the wings and the tanks on their tips as chalk-white. The tanks have scuff marks on them. There are no Swedish Air Force roundels on top of the wings.
The left wing is wrapped around the books spine onto the back cover.
It has a pale blue nose and a narrow diagonal white stripe on the wings with numbers 7 and 5 at the top.
The book contains a 6-view 1/72nd scale line drawing of the SAAB J-21R and a 4-view 1/48th scale line-drawing of it. A line-drawing out of the spare parts catalog, of the guns, nose wheel leg and doors, the rudders, elevators, flaps, cockpit interior, seat and dashboard.
There is also color photos of the cockpit interior and dashboard.
There are 24 black and white photos. 17 of these are the walk-around type, showing the nose gun, rockets, engine, air intakes, landing-gear.
At the end of the book there is a color illustration 4-view of the SAAB J-21R, that is the cover art subject.
It further shows the aircraft has a light-grey bottom, a blue letter D, outlined in white on the outsides of the rudders, fuselage code is a yellow 10, Swedish AF roundel under the cockpit.
It was with “Blue D” division, F-10 Wing, Angelholm, probably during 1950. This aircraft wore white identification marks for an exercise.
Heller brand makes a 1/72nd scale kit of the SAAB J-21 and this book will be of great interest to modelers planning on building this kit and to aviation historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
The SAAB 21 is a Swedish single-seat low-wing monoplane fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by SAAB. It used a relatively unorthodox twin boom fuselage with a pusher engine, giving the aircraft an unusual appearance.
Work began at SAAB following a Swedish Air Force decision to embark on a major expansion program in preparation for the possibility of being drawn into the Second World War. The company designed a monoplane twin-boom aircraft, powered by a single Daimler-Benz DB 605B engine that was positioned to the rear of the fuselage nacelle, directly behind the pilot, that drove a pusher propeller. This arrangement allowed guns to be carried in the aircraft's nose while providing the pilot with good visibility. To enable the pilot to bail out without hitting the propeller behind him, they adopted an ejection seat.
On 30 July 1943, the 21 performed its maiden flight and on
December 1945, the first examples of the J 21A-1 were introduced to service. It was quickly followed by the improved J 21A-2, which featured a heavier armament, and the A 21A-3 fighter-bomber. Due to Swedish Air Force interest in jet fighters, SAAB produced a conversion using the British de Havilland Goblin as the Saab 21R.
The 21 was replaced in the mid-1950s after less than 10 years of service by the similarly configured de Havilland Vampire and the Saab 29 Tunnan.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter and attack aircraft
National origin: Sweden
Manufacturer: SAAB
First flight: 30 July 1943
Introduction to service: 1 December 1945
Retired: 23 July 1954
Status: Retired
Primary user: Swedish Air Force
Produced: 1945–1949
Number built: 298
Developed into: Saab 21R
THE BOOK:
MMP (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus in Poland , in the English language. Stratus does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” Page format.
The cover art shows a SAAB J=21R posed against an all bright-orange background.
A color illustration of the aircraft’s top is shown. It is overall dark-green, with the outer third of the wings and the tanks on their tips as chalk-white. The tanks have scuff marks on them. There are no Swedish Air Force roundels on top of the wings.
The left wing is wrapped around the books spine onto the back cover.
It has a pale blue nose and a narrow diagonal white stripe on the wings with numbers 7 and 5 at the top.
The book contains a 6-view 1/72nd scale line drawing of the SAAB J-21R and a 4-view 1/48th scale line-drawing of it. A line-drawing out of the spare parts catalog, of the guns, nose wheel leg and doors, the rudders, elevators, flaps, cockpit interior, seat and dashboard.
There is also color photos of the cockpit interior and dashboard.
There are 24 black and white photos. 17 of these are the walk-around type, showing the nose gun, rockets, engine, air intakes, landing-gear.
At the end of the book there is a color illustration 4-view of the SAAB J-21R, that is the cover art subject.
It further shows the aircraft has a light-grey bottom, a blue letter D, outlined in white on the outsides of the rudders, fuselage code is a yellow 10, Swedish AF roundel under the cockpit.
It was with “Blue D” division, F-10 Wing, Angelholm, probably during 1950. This aircraft wore white identification marks for an exercise.
Heller brand makes a 1/72nd scale kit of the SAAB J-21 and this book will be of great interest to modelers planning on building this kit and to aviation historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Highly recommended.