chuck540z3 Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 (edited) As an aside, could n't you use the Tamiya kit parts for the seat hoops? They don't look too bad from what I've seen. Yes, they are pretty good, so I used them already on my Aires seats in the pics above. They are a tad thick for the right scale, but they're way better than most kits and still better than any wire comtraption I could create. I agree the hoops could be just wire in the new kit, but there's only one way to find out- buy it! I really do have a 1/32 F-14A in my future, so the extra cost really isn't as dumb as it sounds. Now if I can only the rest of this bird looking like yours!..... :P Edited March 21, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Wolstenholme Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Hi Chuck, coming along nicely. Didn’t take me as long as I thought to download, only one small picture on p2, at the moment Great detailing to the seats The colours of the canvas covers to the RIO’s glare shield look a bit bright – lighting, colour balance, gloss rather than matt, still to do ‘dirtying’/matt finish? Looking good. Regards John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Hi Chuck, Looks very GOOD and IMPRESSIVE.... HOLMES. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 (edited) Hi Chuck, coming along nicely. Didn’t take me as long as I thought to download, only one small picture on p2, at the moment :)Great detailing to the seats The colours of the canvas covers to the RIO’s glare shield look a bit bright – lighting, colour balance, gloss rather than matt, still to do ‘dirtying’/matt finish? Looking good. Regards John Unfortunately, I'm not so good with photography. Most of my pics are with flash and they really accentuate anything slightly glossy. At normal light, the canvas looks very dull- as it should be. I'll try to take better pics later. In the meantime. this canopy is giving me fits! Pics to follow..... Edited March 29, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Doggone Chuck!!!.........the 'pit is worth the price of admission alone......anxiously waiting new updates. I think I'm gonna need a larger bag of popcorn, and a lot more beverage. This is gonna be another good'un to follow, and take notes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 (edited) Thanks Guys- your encouragement is most welcome, especially during the dreaded canopy stage! These Tamiya kits are so good and yet so bad at the same time. They wind up being very accurate when you’re finished, but it takes a lot of work to get them there. I consider them to be F-14 framework to fix, rather than a model to build. The Revell kit may be easier to build, but it still looks goofy when you’re finished with its fat nose- at least it looks that way to me. Anyway, on to the canopy. The main problems with the Tamiya canopy are: 1) It has a huge center line molding mark and LOTS of imperfections. 2) It’s thick. VERY thick. 3) The canopy frame lines are very poor or absent. 4) The canopy to canopy frame fit is terrible and difficult to fit properly. 5) It’s difficult to cement to the frame. With a lot of sanding and TLC, you can get the canopy looking OK, but the gluing to the frame is very tough. Since I did a hybrid of the kit frame to Aires frame and its tough to hold the canopy and frame together, I used CA glue. As you know, CA glue often clouds clear plastic, so I always mask it off. The CA glue is a great filler and it’s strong, but be careful to not get any on the masking tape or you’ll have a sticky mess. After sanding, putty and painting, it didn’t turn out too bad and its ready for decals, much like the one I made before with a Teknics kit in the rear….. Here’s a pic of the underside detail. Not bad, but the hooks are a bit on the large side. Note the Aires center piece brass is too short! I had to cut the end pieces off to make it fit, because there’s a “T†on each end where it’s supposed to fit the base of the canopy… For my money, you still can’t beat the old Teknics brass on kit plastic for fine detail. Good thing I have one in the stash for my next F-14 build... NEXT is the front gear detail that so many of you have done a great job on. There's no way I can replicate what Anders and others have done, mostly because I'm just not that good! Like most of the kit plastic, this compartment has a lot of circular injection marks which are very hard to remove without removing what little detail there is. Looking at many pics of the real deal, it’s very hard to determine where each pipe and electrical cord comes from and where it ends up, so I made up a bunch of connections that use the circular marks as entry and exit points. Drill holes in the other parts are for the wires when I put it all together, but I need a Future coat followed by an oil wash before that happens- which is my next step. Stay tuned! Edited April 29, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
richter111 Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I have two of these kits in my stash, and love seeing build ups of them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jack-Swiss Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Dude...that's a very nice work!!! dang serious work on that canopy!congrats for the patience...I kinda hate clear parts and such,I manage always to screw up something... Fortunately I can cheat now that I'm building a Viper.... Cheers man and keep it up Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 I have two of these kits in my stash, and love seeing build ups of them! Hey man, did you ever get that Teknic cockpit I sent? I just bought another one on ebay, just so that I can get my hands on that photo-etch stuff for the canopy. I'll have another cockpit that I don't need if you're interested. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 Dude...that's a very nice work!!!dang serious work on that canopy!congrats for the patience...I kinda hate clear parts and such,I manage always to screw up something... Fortunately I can cheat now that I'm building a Viper.... Cheers man and keep it up :wub: Thanks. What I really need is about 3 cockpits per kit, just so that I can wreck a couple before I finally get them right. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JMan Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 WOW, you have done an amazin job on the cockpit, and nice idea about using the ejector pin marks as entry and exit holes for the tubing in the ngb! Great job, cant wait to see more. Would love to have one of those cockpits......hehe, kidding! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Now for the “lunch pail†edit of the front gear compartment. I say “lunch pail†because there’s no way I can match what others have done here, but I had to do something that was reasonably accurate but still within my skill level. One thing I’ve always found ironic is that we spend so much time detailing around with the gear bays, yet we mess them all up with weathering and rarely ever look at them again once the model is upright on its wheels. I’d rather spend all my time on the stuff we can see, like the fuselage, cockpit and weathering. Anyway, here it is. Not exactly award winning, but it sure beats the kit detail. Now I can get the cockpit into the front half of the fuselage. Edited April 29, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rom Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Good job! It's detailled enough! as you said, we won't see it anymore... But you can add some colors... for example, the big pipes are sand/brown... Keep the pictures coming!!! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dax Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Excellent solution to the injection marks, I like that idea a lot! What did you use for the larger piping? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Good job!It's detailled enough! as you said, we won't see it anymore... But you can add some colors... for example, the big pipes are sand/brown... Keep the pictures coming!!! Thanks. I've got some pics with the pipes white, so I think I'll leave them alone. They probably should be sand/brown, but they do get repainted once in awhile I guess. Edited March 30, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Excellent solution to the injection marks, I like that idea a lot! What did you use for the larger piping? Larger piping is plain old electrical wire with plastic coating. Medium pipes are solder with Tamiya tape (trying to duplicate insulation) and the small ones are plain old copper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Wolfpack Burner Cans and Masking Tape I’ve noticed in other builds that the Wolfpack airframe conversion is a little funky and the fit is not the greatest. Now that Teknics is long gone, it’s all we have in 1/32, so we should be happy I guess. One thing I’m not happy with is the Wolfpack burner cans for the GE-110 engine. They’re WAY too short! Here’s a couple of pics below of the Wolfpack can versus the one on the Tamiya F-16 CJ, which was my last build. Note how the length and shape of the blades are way off. There’s no way I’m using these on my Tomcat. Sooooo, I just ordered a couple of sprues from Tamiya for the F-16 cans instead. If anyone else is interested, you need 2 sprues of “Kâ€, Part # 0116022 PER can, so you really need 4 sprues if you’re doing an F-14B/D. On another topic, I found in the Tips and Tricks section that someone found a cheap alternative to Tamiya tape. The tape that the can is sitting on is called Shurtape Razor Edge Gold or 60-Day Shur-RELEASE and it’s IDENTICAL to the Tamiya tape for a fraction of the cost. The Shurtape specs are found on their website here: http://www.shurtape.com/Default.aspx?TabId...p;DisplayType=1 I found mine at Sherwin Williams, but I think you can find it at other paint stores. It cost me about $5 for a huge roll of ¾†tape, about the same I would pay for a much smaller Tamiya one. It won’t replace Tamiya tape in the small sizes, but it’s nice to have a cheap alternative when you’re masking off larger areas. Edited April 29, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Wolfpack Burner Cans and Masking TapeI’ve noticed in other builds that the Wolfpack airframe conversion is a little funky and the fit is not the greatest. Now that Teknics is long gone, it’s all we have in 1/32, so we should be happy I guess. Boy, is that an understatement!!!On my GB `Cat, i used the Wolfpack fairings, man what a battle they were!! I did find that the fairings are almost a perfect fit for the ancient Revell kit, you would almost think they were made for the Revell kit. Your comments on the cans is right on, too!! I ended up using the cans from the Teknics conversion, maybe i should order the Tamiya cans instead. Looking forward to the rest of your build, it`s coming along nicely. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Boy, is that an understatement!!!On my GB `Cat, i used the Wolfpack fairings, man what a battle they were!! I did find that the fairings are almost a perfect fit for the ancient Revell kit, you would almost think they were made for the Revell kit. Your comments on the cans is right on, too!! I ended up using the cans from the Teknics conversion, maybe i should order the Tamiya cans instead. Looking forward to the rest of your build, it`s coming along nicely.Don Thanks Don- I was actually referring to your build when I called them "funky" ;) You've done a great job of getting them to look good, so maybe I can too. My only reservation with ordering the Tamiya cans is that I don't know what their diameter will be relative to the Wolfpack fairings. One way or another, I'm sure I can get them to work. This project is starting to add up with 1/2 a Teknics cockpit set, an Aires cockpit, Eduard stuff, Steel Beach stiffeners, Phoenix metal pitot tube & AOA sensor and the kit itself. Meanwhile, I've got another Teknics cockpit coming (still not happy with the canopy), another Aires F-14B cockpit coming (need to switch out my "A" instrument clusters) and now the new Tamiya parts. I've even got some Cross Delta stiffeners coming, just in case they're better than the Steel Beach stuff. All extra parts will go on my next F-14A project- or at least that's what I tell myself to justify all the extra expense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rube7361 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Wolfpack Burner Cans and Masking Tape I’ve noticed in other builds that the Wolfpack airframe conversion is a little funky and the fit is not the greatest. Now that Teknics is long gone, it’s all we have in 1/32, so we should be happy I guess. One thing I’m not happy with is the Wolfpack burner cans for the GE-110 engine. They’re WAY too short! Here’s a couple of pics below of the Wolfpack can versus the one on the Tamiya F-16 CJ, which was my last build. Note how the length and shape of the blades are way off. There’s no way I’m using these on my Tomcat. Sooooo, I just ordered a couple of sprues from Tamiya for the F-16 cans instead. If anyone else is interested, you need 2 sprues of “Kâ€, Part # 0116022 PER can, so you really need 4 sprues if you’re doing an F-14B/D. [Hey Chuck, I have a question for you? You said that you got your cans from Tamiya. I am actually in the same process with my build which is a B version. Did your order from Tamiya directly or did you go through your local dealer? and if you dont mind me asking about what did they cost for the parts.. just curious since i am probably going to have to do the same thing. plus i need a new windscreen for mine since i somehow misplaced it.. thanks Rube[/size][/size] Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 ]Hey Chuck, I have a question for you? You said that you got your cans from Tamiya. I am actually in the same process with my build which is a B version. Did your order from Tamiya directly or did you go through your local dealer? and if you dont mind me asking about what did they cost for the parts.. just curious since i am probably going to have to do the same thing. plus i need a new windscreen for mine since i somehow misplaced it.. thanks Rube I bought mine from Borgfeldt.ca since I live in Canada, but I hear Tamiya USA is the place to get parts for Americans. Hobby Link Japan has worked for me too. Each sprue was about $12 US so it will cost ~$48 which is expensive, but you can't beat those Tamiya cans for accuracy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rube7361 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Chuck, Thanks for the info.. That is a little pricey, but fpr what you pay for the kit itself and then all the after market stuff, there is no reason why not go all the way and make it look just right! I will definately be contacting Tamiya in the near future.. Thanks again Rube Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) Front Fuselage Now that my cockpit and front gear well is done, I’ve buttoned up the front fuselage and attached the nose cone. That radar stuff up front isn’t worth looking at. Here’s some pics of my progress so far…. One thing I always do at this stage is attach the front wind screen and putty up the seam. It’s one of the first things I look for on other models, because many attach this canopy part near the end of the build- and it almost always looks bad. Front of the glass was also tinted green… The other thing I did was discover CrossDelta reinforcement plates, made in Korea. I’ve heard of others using Steel Beach, which I installed, but compared to the CrossDelta ones they just don’t cut it. Here’s a pic of what the Steel Beach ones look like. Better than nothing, but very crude….. Edited April 29, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) And now the CrossDelta plates. No comparison- and it even comes with a nice thin set of walkways (on left) which are always a pain to create and paint. All the tail plates have rivets too. I also was busy cutting out the gun vents and that other vent at the top of the fuselage. Next, I’ll seal off the cockpit and wheel well with tape and get down to fine sanding and re-scribing the panel lines. This might give me the motivation to finally attack the rear fuselage with the scriber. Oh joy! Edited April 29, 2009 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jack-Swiss Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Wow,great progress mate...Lovely work done on this forwards fuselage!!! Cheers :huh: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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