Cobrahistorian Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hey all, Well, I've been working on my Hasegawa 1:48th F-14A for the past two days, and I'll have to say, I'm really disappointed with it. The detail is great, but the fit is atrocious. I built their 72nd kit back when I was 16 and remember it as the best kit I'd built at that point in my life. This kit has crappy fit all over the place, and I've had one heck of a time with the intake ramps. YUK! I still think its better than the old Monogram kit (by far!) but I'm pretty shocked at the poor fit all over the place. Since I know there are plenty of you guys out there who have built this kit, what did you do? Thanks! Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Walker Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 This article may help quite a bit: http://204.50.25.179/features01/f14constructiondwa_3.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raptor22 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hey all,Well, I've been working on my Hasegawa 1:48th F-14A for the past two days, and I'll have to say, I'm really disappointed with it... ...This kit has crappy fit all over the place, and I've had one heck of a time with the intake ramps. YUK! I still think its better than the old Monogram kit (by far!) but I'm pretty shocked at the poor fit all over the place. Since I know there are plenty of you guys out there who have built this kit, what did you do? Jon, Welcome aboard... I just finished all major construction of my very first Hase F-14 1/48 (ready to go into the paint barn). And I gotta agree with you; I was really disappointed that a kit of this magnitude could have such poor fitting pieces. How to overcome? Different grades of sandpaper, water, Mr. Surfacer 500, q-tips, nail polish remover, panel line and rivet scribers are your friends. But when all is said and done, is it worth it? You betcha it is!!! Ming Quote Link to post Share on other sites
volzj Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 There are some definite tricks to building that puppy, and Dave's article is a godsend for the first-time builder. Hang in there, you're next one will be a piece of cake... <_< Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobrahistorian Posted December 21, 2006 Author Share Posted December 21, 2006 Thanks for the article, David!! That definitely addresses the intake ramp issues and the fixes in that article were exactly what I had started doing. Glad I was doin somethin right! I've got the ramps installed and one intake completed. It may be time to call it a night! Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boscosticks Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 hahaha when i was 14, i tried a tomcat too and the fit was horrible. the fuselage didnt meet together and the cockpit didnt even fit into place. lol it was by monogram.. anyway, its good to hear you're moving along with that model! goodluck on it and tell us how it goes! -bosco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel_B Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Dave Aungst's article is a must-read to save your sanity. Be aware, tho, that something he doesn't address is the landing gear. All three struts will end up pointing at weird angles if you're not careful, so be on the lookout for that--wish I could tell you exactly how to fix it, but even tho I managed it, I'm still not sure exactly how I did it... <_< Daniel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toadwbg Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I feel your pain brother. I'm finishing my second HasaTomcat now and forgot what a B!tch it is! I thought I was going to be done by Halloween! I tried to fight intakes this time, but the intakes won and I decided to cover them with Steel Beach intake covers. Another thing about that Tomcat, it just when you think your in the home streatch (have all the major painting, decalling and weathering done) you'll spend more time with the landing gear, weapons, and finishing up the cockpit canopy than you spend total on most other kits! In the end, I still love the kit and love the Tomcat because it hands-down steals the attention away from any other model I have. I got 4 more on the shelf and hope to do about 1 per year until I've eaten them all up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loftycomfort Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Yeah I know what you mean. It's not the easiest kit to tackle. I hated it when I was building mine (and it was my first attempt at using a blackbox cockpit set), but I love it when it's finished. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raptor22 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Be aware, tho, that something he doesn't address is the landing gear. All three struts will end up pointing at weird angles if you're not careful, so be on the lookout for that--wish I could tell you exactly how to fix it, but even tho I managed it, I'm still not sure exactly how I did it... :blink: Daniel That's where I'm at right now, and I have absolutely NO CLUE how to fix that... I know what you're talking about Daniel... it's really weird. :huh: Anyone got any suggestions??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Man, hang in there! I've built so many of the darn things, I only use the instructions for the main gears! The main short cut I've learned with the kit is, to knock out the intakes first. I spend more time with them then I do with any other part of the kit. The intake ramps can be postioned the way Hasegawa tells you to. There was a myth going around here and on HS a while back that Hasegawa got the ramp positions incorrect and that they were never lowered on the ground. Truth be told, I've seen more tomcats with the ramps down than up! Besides that, the kit can easily be assembled with a little care and patience. Oh, and putty is your friend...when building this kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dan 88 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Ming- I know this sounds harsh, but I broke my landing gears in order to fix that weird angle. For the two main landing gears I broke off part F63(F64) and aligned it the way parts F55(F59) stick out to put the wheel on. I'll post some pics tomorrow, my camera is not with me at the moment.. :blink: As for the nose gear, I dont know what to do, it seems like it is bent when I test fit it into the wheel bay. I tried re-adjusting the strut that connects to it, but nothing. I hate this model, but will love it when it's done. :huh: Daniel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobrahistorian Posted December 21, 2006 Author Share Posted December 21, 2006 Ok, here's my progress so far. I'll be tackling the gear tomorrow, so thanks for the heads up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coneheadff Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Am I the only one that has problems with the wings? I would like to build the wings swept back and the build up is a mess up! The whole kit is done to get the wings in the forward position :huh: Anyone had the same problem? Is there no one around that has the wings done in resin :blink: Cheers, Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dimosthenis Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 (edited) Jon, To try to give some advice, I've only tackled one F-14 (for a GB in 2005) and although it was a beast of a kit, miraculously I completed it (what a way to reenter the hobby after ~5 years!) My .02 on the kit would be the following: 1) David Aungst is your GOD. Read his articles and obey his commands! 2) Try to tackle the intakes early on, one at a time and certainly before joining the fuselage halves. (don't remember which order Hasegawa proposes) I remember first completing the intake (thining down the leading edges, filling sink marks etc) and the intake walls to the compressor blades, then I temporarily put the intake (plus the gear well piece adjacent to the main gear strut) in place and work on the ramps, in order for them to be aligned with the intake (CAUTION: ramps are not parallel to the horizontal plain, but parallel to the intake 'dihedral') Then I'd suggest to start glueing (using CA preferably) from the aft section moving on forward, until the intake is firmly attached and then glue the gear well piece mentioned earlier. This should enable you to blend the intake with the lower fuselage better, and, ideally, the intake-gear well piece-lower fuselage piece join should also have but small gaps (easy 'fillable' with sheet styrene if any still exist); oh, and be sure to reinfoce that particular area from behind with more sheet styrene when you're done with the intakes, for added sturdiness. 3) The main wheel gear well walls need a lot of attention in order not to have problems with the upper and lower fuselage pieces joints and symmetry of the model. While you're at it, don't forget to scribe the ventral strake above the intakes, if you're building an F-14A that is. (I forgot... ) 4) Pay special attention to the forward fuselage to main fuselage point. Your attention should focus on glueing each subassembly in such a way, that no real gaps arise, but also their mating is as smooth as possible, at least on the lower surfaces where the sparrow bays are, while establishing a sturdy join at the same time. Try to use styrene reinforcements on the inside of the joins and between the main fuselage pieces if necessary. You probably won't avoid seams in the upper area (behind the canopy that is), but they are more easily repearable, with less scribed details lost and probably more easy to reach than between the intakes, where a ton of lines and rivets exist. 5) Use some (a little) weight on the forward fuselage (NOT the radome, as it could just fall off exceeding its structural load limit ), ecpecially if you're not using a resin cockpit, just to be sure. 6) Beware of the 'beaver-tail' between the engines. In order not to have gaps with the lower or the upper fuselage parts, I glued the respective pieces first to their fuselage halves and then to each other, with minimal putty usage (fortunately...) 7) Try to glue the rudders in place as late in the construction as possible, but before weathering, this should aleviate a lot of problems, ecpecialy with painting 8) You might want to treat the landing gear (whells, struts, doors) assemblies as separate projects, so at least you'll be realistic and not concerned about 'a single kit' taking so much time to be completed. This may apply to other construction sections as well. B) 9) David Aungst is your GOD. Read his articles and obey his commands! Oops, I already said that... I hope I didn't tire you all with such a lengthy post. As for the kit in general, much has been said about the Hasegawa 1/48 F-14 family, but all in all, they are great kits, which were probably out-of-this-world perfect when they came in the market (long ago now) and with proper attention during construction, one can certainly yield an impressive result, as we can see if we were to browse through the gallery section at ARC... It was challenge for me, and I didn't do perfect, but I want to build more of them, and I guess that should say something... (comments about my mental health will be rejected <_< ) Edited December 21, 2006 by Dimosthenis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonbryon Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I've built two, and I built them at the same time. I've seen worse. One trick is to attach the intakes *without the internal trunking attached* (i.e. don't follow the instructions). I got a gapless, flush fit doing it this way. I've a B in the stash I'm very much looking forward to building. The only issues I had were the join at the front to rear fuselage, installing the main gear bays, and fitting the nose gear. Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I have built it 17 TIMES!!!!!!! The first 2 have long since trashed. They went together awful. Up to number 10 went better. Number 11 or 12 got rebuilt and sent to Oceania. Which leaves 14 on the shelf and a couple in the stash. I must say this is one model that takes practice to learn the errors. I still always get a step in the fuseledge. I file down the difference where the Phoenix pallets attach to the bottom. I always loose detail but that is much better then a large step on the spine. And like mentioned.....putty is your friend with this kit. I still need a lot with this kit. But with practice it can turn out very nice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
///Mflossin Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I bought one and sold it the next day. I knew that even when the cockpit details were FAR from fitting correctly, that the model was not worth it. It might be the worst fitting kit I have ever come across....expensive too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, I was very disappointed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobrahistorian Posted December 21, 2006 Author Share Posted December 21, 2006 Thanks for the help guys, this is fantastic! I think I got the forward fuselage step taken care of fairly well. I took my razor saw and sliced one cut into the intake ramp part of the rear fuselage on both sides. That allowed some vertical play in the lower half of the rear fuselage so it would meet up perfectly with the lower forward fuselage without messing up the upper forward fuselage join. The gap where I made the cut is about 1/16" wide and stepped by about the same, but I'd rather that than the ugly step on the fuselage itself. I was surprised with the poor fit of the control panels in the cockpit tub. Had to cut them in half longitudinally to make them fit properly and that seemed to work really well. I wish that my camera would take good macro shots, cuz this is one of the better cockpits I've done. In any case, the Steel Beach intake covers are looking more and more appealing. Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Roberts Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I have built it 17 TIMES!!!!!!! :D The first 2 have long since trashed. They went together awful. Up to number 10 went better. Number 11 or 12 got rebuilt and sent to Oceania. Which leaves 14 on the shelf and a couple in the stash. I must say this is one model that takes practice to learn the errors. I still always get a step in the fuseledge. I file down the difference where the Phoenix pallets attach to the bottom. I always loose detail but that is much better then a large step on the spine. And like mentioned.....putty is your friend with this kit. I still need a lot with this kit. But with practice it can turn out very nice. Okaaay...that is what about $500 before getting one 'right' :D Maybe there is a market for $100+ 48th kits Mr Tamiya! I think I am finally figuring out why there was such a mass o*gasm a couple of months ago when Squadron sold some cheap! Honestly I never could understand a post with "I have 30 Hasegawa Tomcats in my stash' before this post - WOW! :D Matt - off to see if my LHS has the new Academy Bombcat and a Revell F-14B :huh: (p.s. humor was intended with this response, you can never be too sure after Mustang Wars this week!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Matt, never said I was smart. One nice thing about trading. Sometimes you get a deal. Sometimes you give someone else a deal. It all work out in the end. Another thing, never mention $500 when the wife is behind my shoulder reading the responces.....Bad Mojo. BACK TO PLASTIC!!!!!! snicker snicker. <_< Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobrahistorian Posted December 21, 2006 Author Share Posted December 21, 2006 LOL.... SHHH!!! Fortunately, I got this one for $30 on ebay. Been getting good deals lately. Between this and the $32 Hasegawa F-18F, my personal VF/VFA-32 build is going a lot cheaper than originally expected! Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toadwbg Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I just finished attatching my landing gear and I found a process that works well, alhtough I can't claim it to be 100% accurate, it looks good and it is sturdy. I'll try to post some pictures tonight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JEN722 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I was surprised with the poor fit of the control panels in the cockpit tub. Had to cut them in half longitudinally to make them fit properly and that seemed to work really well. I wish that my camera would take good macro shots, cuz this is one of the better cockpits I've done. I am working on the Hasegawa F-14A now - mostly the front fuselage and the intakes - and I can't figure out where you had the bad fit. My panels just needed a bit of sanding to fit onto the consoles. Also, knowing there will be some problems with the intakes if I do nothing I have tried glueing the intakes onto the lower fuselage part, but only at the aft end initially. This gives a rather smooth joint in that place. Overall, when looking at the parts - especially the mating surfaces - I have an idea the fit might not be too bad (yes ok, you can stop laughing now). I will see if I can take some pictures as I go along. MERRY CHRISTMAS, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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