Swordsman422

If you can find them, Fightertown Decals 48077 "Best of the Best" sheet has the decals for the Top Gun jets and are probably the best researched decals out there. They're OOP right now, but there might still be some out there you can find, and Brian occasionally gives in to demand and reprints them from time to time.

I didn't add any slack to the gear strut. My skills weren't advanced enough to do so when I built it. My only concern was closing the gear doors and making sure the wheel was exposed aft.

I've done it. It wasn't really that difficult. What I did, since part of the wing gear is exposed, is clip off the forward strut and alignment peg and lay the remaining gear leg inside the bay, then build the doors all together as one piece before gluing them in. You might have to sand a few spots to get the doors to lay just right. Otherwise, building it in-flight is pretty simple. Except for a small panel, the Harrier's main and nose gear bay doors are closed unless the gear is in transition. These panels (parts G5 and G8) can be modified to fit in the closed position.

Maybe they're going to rerelease it with a new sprue covering the other Navy fin caps? That does seem rather unusual to produce it for such a short time.

If you mean the AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN, it is required only if you want to include GBUs in the loadout, though after 1998 it was often left on the pylon and not downloaded regardless of mission. If you mean the TCS chin pod, yes, the F-14B used the same TCS pod as the F-14A. Only the F-14D used the combined TCS and IRST on the chin.

On the F-14A? I use titanium as a base, and then blend in various burnt metal colors. On the F-14B and D, it's carbon fiber, so I just use gloss black.

My current F-14B project I am backdating the Tamiya D kit. There is are ebay sellers that part kits out, including the Tamiya F-14s, so I was able to get the F-14A's cockpit panels and ejection seats in styrene. The instrument panels will make a good base for 3D printed decals. I went with Phase Hangar resin for the ECM bumps, TCS pod, RIO PTID, and assorted other B-specific parts. When I do this again, I'll likely be doing it with the Tamiya Late F-14A. All that you'll really need for that one to convert into a B are the engine nozzles, and those can be gotten aftermarket pretty e

100% with you here. Having only color jets to pick from cuts out 80% of the options in a squadron. Barring very few exceptions, I like the planes that work for a living and look like it.

Hey guys, Are there any 1/48 decals out there still available for VFA-192's line jets during their 2003 OIF cruise, or even ANY low-vis VFA-192 decals that cover from 2000-2009? Or any upcoming? I had thought I'd bought the TwoBobs set back in 2007 or so but I've either lost it or misremembered. Thanks.

Hey guys. I just nabbed the Panda M1 and M1IP kits. Inspired by the mini-documentary "This is the Blackhorse" on Youtube, I want to build one of them as a vehicle from the 11th armored cav. Are there any decals out there for this unit? I think all I really need are period-accurate bumper codes. Thanks for any help.

https://www.flyingleathernecksdecals.com/p/fl48-8026-early-fin-cap-for-tamiya-f-4b-phantom-ii

This should cover it... https://phasehangarresin.com/collections/48001-1-48/products/48069-f-14a-tomcat-late-exterior-set-without-tcs-clear-lens?variant=32678706675794 They also sell individual components, such as the ECM blisters, tails, GGVs, etc.

If nothing else, this site is an excellent source for instruction scans and sprue shots. The intake ECM canoes should be on K-sprue, which is included in the Academy F-4B kit. https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10202439/70/9

I also keep holding out for an F-14B from Tamiya. It's probably the F-14 variant most ignored by the model manufacturers except for possibly the F-14A-75GR. If Tamiya just so happened to leave the shrouds and nozzles for the A in the box as well, I don't think too many people would be upset.

Awesome, Paul. Thank you. The photos make the rudder seem midnight blue in some cases, but glossy black can look like that on old film.

Hey guys, Anyone know offhand what color VF-162 painted the rudders of their F-8 Crusaders? Pretty much every decal sheet I've seen just gives a decal for the rudder and I am hoping to learn the color for a related project. Thanks.

That is fan-freakin'-tastic! I've always liked VMFA-232 Phantoms, but I got turned onto their Hornets watching the multi-part documentary "Carrier," which was filmed on that deployment. The Red Devils got a lot of attention, and the struggles of being a Marine squadron in a Navy air wing were frequently discussed, but they made it obvious that they knew the CAS game better than any other squadron on the boat. I look forward to more of your work.

Looks awesome! I am hoping one day you'll tackle some carrier-based hornet units. I would love to see VMFA-232 with CVW-11 in 2005.

Yeah, 100% those are -95GRs. The Tamiya kit will give you everything you need for the build. Decals will be another matter. You'll have to paint the stripes since decals do not exist. VF-84 decals you should be able to find pretty easily, and a VF-84 set come in the Tamiya box, but that specific aircraft, Victory 204, will be another trick entirely.

It's just a matter of knowing the dates that squadrons converted over to Tomcats and what the currently manufactured version was. The only fleet squadrons to get the -70GR and -75GR new were VF-1, VF-2, VF-14, and VF-32 in 1972 and 73. VF-142, VF-143, VF-211, and VF-24 converted to the -80GR and -85GR in 1974 and 75. The -80GR introduced the standard beaver tail, but still had the early 7-hole gun gas vents and no pitot tube on the nose. The -90GR and -95GR introduced the nose pitot and 2-hole gun gas vents. These went to the IIAF, and US Navy squadrons VF-41, VF-84, VF-114, and VF-213 in 1976

They may have anticipated taking fuel from a KC-135. The F-14 refueling probe door was just a flimsy sheet of metal. If it got smacked hard enough in an attempt to gas up, such as from the KC-135's unforgiving wrecking ball of a basket, it could knock the door off and straight down the right intake where it could FOD the engine.

VF-84 and VF-41 were both issued -95GRs when they converted over from the F-4. The Tamiya kit out of the box represents specifically the -90GR, -95GR, and -100GR variants as seen in the latter half of the 1970s. The tail stiffeners weren't added until 1981 and the beaver tail and gun gas vents were now the standard types, so from the box you can build what you are looking for. The old-style beaver tail was only seen on the -70GR and -75GR variants that VF-84 never flew.

Pouring over the sprues, am I blind or am I only seeing one tail tip without options for earlier variants?

Thanks, Alpagueur. I think I might be able to make that work.