paxtonm

When I left off, the covered rear engine nozzles were a bit of a mess, but since have progressed a bit. I got the putty cleaned up, And sprayed some Alclad gloss black enamel. Followed by some Metal Master steel. I think the forward most portion is bare titanium, right? I am using the steel as an undercoat for two reasons. I thought it would look better than it did. It is too glossy from what I can tell from other pictures. Secondly, my LHS is closed on Sunday. Since I am waiting until tomorrow to put down the appropriate coat of whatever metal that turns out to be, I started

Thanks for the heads up! I'll remember it when I do the F-14D that is sitting, waiting patiently. Does anyone have pictures of the exhaust and intake covers on an F-14A and ideally from VF-1? I know the covers frequently have Squadron markings, if not, I'll wing it. Michael

Hey again! It's me! Yeah me, the guy who said he didn't want to use any resin on this project! Guess what, my name's Michael, and I have an aftermarket parts problem! Maybe saying from the start that I'm not going to use AM keeps me from buying an expensive cockpit set! Anyway, I bought some Steel Beach nozzles because I wanted to show one open and one closed, and that simply wasn't possible with the kit parts. While I was online, I also picked up the Steel Beach F-14 walkways because, well frankly, they looked super cool. The Steel Beach nozzles are really nicely cast and have great

Darren, So, it's not enough to fill the vents, as the shape of the gun is different? As I'm trying to go OOB on this except for the decals, I'm trying not to add resin to the project. since this, like my other models, will never see a show, I will just forge ahead with it as is. Your depth of knowledge is unbelievable. I'd really like to consult you before I start my next F-14. BTW, my next model is the F-14D Monogram that is the same vintage as this one. On that one, I'd like to get as much out of it as possible, and have not selected any markings for it yet! Thanks, Michael

Wow! You'll have to show the "after" pictures!

I'm back at it at have completed the stabilator removal and seam filling, as well as the fuselage sanding. I also completed removal of the intake portions and installed them. I see why so many opt for intake covers. I tried to line things up as well as possible, and ended up with this. If there is a way to putty and sand this without destroying the model, I am up for suggestions! I also set about repairing a minor area of concern back where the engines go in. The fit of the model leaves a bit of a gap between the engine and the body. Easily taken care of! I tackled the gun port by

After a brief break to work on some woodworking projects for my nephew and my son, I'm back to the F-14! I got the other vertical stabilator off, much neater and easier this time. It seemed much easier to cut with the body of the fuselage against my body and the wingtip side out. Bracing the knife and pulling toward me seemed to induce less tendency for the hobby knife to climb the side of the fuselage. Or, I was just more careful. Either way, here's what the top and bottom look like together... Seems like an easy enough seam to deal with. It lined up nicely, and the Tenax set it quic

Admittedly, my last couple of posts have been pretty mundane, and I'm not sure why I'm documenting so extensively, except that I'm sure future generations of obsessive compulsive humans will be dying to know how to build a Monogram F-14A. Today though, was just a few notches below Star Wars on the excitement scale. I completed a first on my part, which was willfully and purposefully removing a horizontal stabilator from an aircraft. Ugly! After buffing from emory board to 1200 grit to 12000 grit, Pretty! After closer examination I discover that Monogram was just awesome enough to stam

I got the cockpits finished up tonight, with the exception of the pilot's control stick. The cockpit went in pretty easily, which is a nice change from trying to put a resin cockpit into a Hasegawa fuselage... I filled the noticeable gaps underneath with some CA glue. I may go back and fill some more depending on how it looks when I dry-fit the lower half. Also, I had thought about dry brushing the black on the seats, as it simply looks too clean. I didn't in the first place because I was using the DACO book as a reference and the pictured seats look very clean. However, they are o

I think, probably like 98% of the others on this forum, that I could make adjustments to the cockpits and seats forever, foresaking all others until death do us part. However, here is where I am at the moment. The only other step I may take is to add a darker oil wash to the seats to highlight the ribbing some. I am at least to the point in my modeling that I realize, when I'm doing it, that the detail at the bottom of the seats will not be seen once they're inserted into the cockpit, and definitely not once they're inserted into the fuselage. I still like doing it. Again, after vie

At long last, I have completed the cockpits for the F-14A. Nothing like magnifying an object to make what I thought was pretty decent work, look pretty bad! This is the initial painting. The black is Model Master Enamel Aircraft interior black. I drybrushed with a bit of Dark Gull Gray, which, when looking through the mighty Magna Visor, looked like it would pop the details enough. When viewed with the naked eye, it really didn't do enough, as you can see below. So, I went in and hit the buttons by hand with some gloss white, and highlighted the appropriate areas in Insignia Yellow and

Darren, That's a straight out of the box, right? Your work is stunning! I've been down sick the last couple of days, but I'm back on it today! I did some work on the seats last night, but not really enough to show. Thanks for the additional motivation. Michael

Darren, Thanks for the great information. I think that this model is suited for the BUNO 158627 circa 1973 decals, right? I'm going to seperate the stabilators from the fuselage and the fuselage portion of the intakes tomorrow. Hopefully, I can keep the cuts pretty clean. Anyway, I wanted to get the cockpit repainted and the seats put together today, and I managed to get that done. I sprayed the black with Model Master Enamel Aircraft Interior Black. I did the same for the forward and aft consoles. I did a bit of dry brushing with darkened gray and put some Tamiya Acrylic Clear Gre

I agree that the Fightertown Wolfpack set is the right look! I went ahead and ordered the sheet from Fightertown Decals. Now, it's time to Ranger Up on the build... Michael

A friend of mine dropped off a load of older models at my parents the other day. I'm always happy to receive any model, and since these are all US Navy aircraft, all the better. The first one I am working on is the Monogram F-14A kit of fine 1981 vintage. I'm going to build this one mostly out of the box, and try to make the best of the kit. Any recommendations on decals would be appreciated, as the kit ones appear quite thick and yellow. My friend started on quite a few of the models, and this was no exception. My first step was to give the cockpit parts a nice coat of Model Master En

In preparation for building the Hobbyboss 1/48 scale A-10A I had a couple of questions I would like to model the aircraft that flew the 50th Anniversary D-Day flight. The aircraft was from the 45th FS. Does anyone have pictures of the aircraft so that I can determine what LASTE upgrades had been completed? Also, did anyone receive the WolfPak Decals 2011 customer appreciation sheet that has the 1/48 scale decals for this Hog? I would gladly pay for the A-10 decals and any shipping. Thanks! Michael

Jake, I got mine last week and I must say it is an amazing work! Great detail and the usual horde of unbelievable photos. Thanks for the great work! Michael

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Ben, the Foxy Girls were found on one bright day after a string of gloomy ones while I was in Iraq. Thanks!

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Jake, I just got my copy in the mail today, and it is phantastic! Keep up the good work! Michael

Please e-mail to paxtonm1520@sbcglobal.net

I am interested in the Cutting Edge, Limited Edition A-10 Thunderbolt II set in 1/48. This is the set that contains the JAWS and D-Day 50th Anniversary markings. Thanks, Michael