[EX_Birdgunner]

Since I couldn't decide which 1/48 Tomcat to be my first, I figured that I would just do all three of the ones that I was mulling over.

First up is the Revell F-14A for which I will be using the VF-84 decals from the Fujimi kit that is waiting on the shelf for an AM cockpit.



Next is the Revell F-14D which will be using kit decals but I am not quite sure which ones. Maybe the TPS scheme?



Finally the Academy Bombcat with kit decals.



So far I have the cockpits and IPs painted grey and all the ejection seats put together.

Revell F-14A




Revell F-14D




Academy Bombcat




I hope to keep up a good pace on these so watch for updates.

-Denis

[Ken Middleton]

great - good luck with them all!

[Bigasshammm]

Now THAT"S crazy!


Good luck to you.

[catfan]

i like this idea you have. because each kit presents it own challenges if you need help with a certain part of one on them let me know. i think you should try and find decals for the f-14d and make it different. i have some i could send you if you want

[EX_Birdgunner]

Ken Middleton, on 24 June 2011 - 01:39 AM, said:

great - good luck with them all!

Thanks Ken. I'll probably need all the luck I can get!

Bigasshammm, on 24 June 2011 - 03:12 PM, said:

Now THAT"S crazy!


Good luck to you.

Thanks Bigasshammm! This is crazy!!!

catfan, on 24 June 2011 - 06:41 PM, said:

i like this idea you have. because each kit presents it own challenges if you need help with a certain part of one on them let me know. i think you should try and find decals for the f-14d and make it different. i have some i could send you if you want

Thanks Catfan. You are right about the unique challenges. The Revell kits has lots of flash and a nasty moldline down the center of the upper fuselage, yuck! Plus the F-14D upper fuselage is warped giving it a slight twist. Don't know yet if I can just force it straight when I mate the lower fuselage or if I'll try to heat it up and twist it back.

As for decals, I am a huge fan of Jolly Rogers so I have no idea about what to use for an F-14D other than what comes with the kit. What decals do you have that might make it more different?

I almost have the cockpits finished and will get more progress pics up soon.

-Denis

[catfan]

well i have some black lions sheets or vf 31. because rember some thing the jolly rogers never used the f-14d they used the f-14 b and ther ar plenty of decal sheets out ther for those

[EX_Birdgunner]

catfan, on 27 June 2011 - 07:20 PM, said:

well i have some black lions sheets or vf 31. because rember some thing the jolly rogers never used the f-14d they used the f-14 b and ther ar plenty of decal sheets out ther for those

Yup, I remembered that Jolly Rogers never flew the F-14D thats why I had no idea really what decals to use. Hmmmm, Black Lions or VF-31, well VF-31 comes with the kit so unless it is from the final cruise I would lean more towards Black Lions. I'll PM you later to hammer out the details more.

- Denis

[EX_Birdgunner]

Ahhh, progress! Got the cockpits painted up and the IPs in place with sticky tack. I am in the middle of painting the ejection seats and hope to have them done soon. Have to take a break now that the kiddies are up from thier nap! LOL

In the meantime here are pics of the cockpits:

F-14A





F-14D





Bombcat





That's all for now. Happy Modelling!

- Denis

[EX_Birdgunner]

Quick update.

Ejection seats are done for 2 of the 3 'cats, the F-14A and the Bombcat. All that is left to do is a wash but since I am going away for the long weekend I wanted to post my progress and get everyone's opinions.

Also, I have decided to make the F-14D into a B after realizing that the cockpit is nowhere near accurate. Plus, Catfan was generous enough to trade some VF-103 decals with me. For that model I have some True Details AM seats.

Anyway here are the seats I got done so far...

F-14A:


Bombcat:


Thanks for looking and have a great holiday week-end!

-Denis

[Bigasshammm]

Very nice. I'm picking up an academy A from DONG here in a week or so whenever I can get out n get the money order so I'll be interested to see what problems the academy kit brings you. I have never built a 14 other than the old revell D. Eager to get my older more experienced hands on one.

[EX_Birdgunner]

Bigasshammm, on 02 July 2011 - 09:59 PM, said:

Very nice. I'm picking up an academy A from DONG here in a week or so whenever I can get out n get the money order so I'll be interested to see what problems the academy kit brings you. I have never built a 14 other than the old revell D. Eager to get my older more experienced hands on one.

Ha, Ha, interesting that you are getting an Academy A from DONG, all three kits in this WIP were from him. I will be getting the Hasegawa B from DONG in a little while too!

Small update on the kits. I pulled out the True Details GRU-7A seats and decided to try scratching some seat belts for the kit seats based on the resin one. Also made the "between the legs" ejection handle from wire. Then a quick pinwash with black to bring out the details. Pics coming soon.

-Denis

[EX_Birdgunner]

Hi Everyone,

As promised here are some pics of the ejection seats after adding some seatbelts and the crotch (?) ejection handle and a wash.

F-14A:



Bombcat:



And the True Details Resin seats for the F-14B formerly the D.



For my first time scratching the belts and ejection handle I am pretty happy with the results. With some time off work coming up I hope to get more done in the next week or so.

Thanks for everyone's input so far.

Happy Modelling!

-Denis

[EX_Birdgunner]

Hey everyone,

I have a quick update. I got the fuselage for the Academy Bombcat together as well as the nose wheel well painted up. However there was a gap to deal with behin the wheel well and I filled it with some styrene card. Also, I had to shim the nose fuselage piece to align it with the rest of the fuselage. Here are some pics.











I just got putty on the seams and will be sanding for the next while. I don't have a lot of experience with filling and sanding so we'll see how that goes.

In the meantime I also have the VF-84 jet closed up and will post pics of that when I can.

More to follow.

-Denis

[Netz]

Here's a tip for that seam running down the side of the fuselage. Instead of using putty to fill the gap, you should glue in a thick piece of stretched sprue,the sprue should be large enough to cover the gap, yet small enough to fit into the hole, you shouldn't need any putty if done correctly.Also is that C/A glue holding those parts together?? you should use liquid glue, you will have better results and less cleanup.
Curt

[Daniel_B]

For all the grief the Hasegawa kit gets, the Monogram and Academy ones definitely have their own fit challenges, too. But it looks like you're dealing with them fine so far.

And I really like how your cockpits turned out, especially the instrument panels!

[EX_Birdgunner]

Edit:

Moved to the in-progress forum here:

http://s362974870.on...howtopic=244007

This post has been edited by EX_Birdgunner: 21 January 2012 - 03:23 PM