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Which Hasegawa F-14A in 1/72?


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I'm interested in a Hasegawa F-14A in 1/72 and am trying to decide between the older Kit #00544 (Atlantic Fleet F-14A) or what I believe to be the newer Kit #00955 (VF-41 Limited). I'm familiar with the Atlantic Fleet kit from several years ago. Does the VF-41 Limited kit have any drastic improvements over the Atlantic Fleet version?

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I'm interested in a Hasegawa F-14A in 1/72 and am trying to decide between the older Kit #00544 (Atlantic Fleet F-14A) or what I believe to be the newer Kit #00955 (VF-41 Limited). I'm familiar with the Atlantic Fleet kit from several years ago. Does the VF-41 Limited kit have any drastic improvements over the Atlantic Fleet version?

I think it's all the same plastic. For my money, if you're doing an early A, the Fujimi kit has it all over the Hasegawa kit...

J

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Yep they are the same kit. Way cheaper "normally" getting the 00544, especially if you are going aftermarket decals. i haven't built up a Fujimi F-14a so cant comment on that. The Hasegawa kit is awesome though, lots of detail even if you are building OOB. Cheers

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I can't speak to the ease of building the newer Hasegawa molds, but I have built one of the Fujimi kits, and it built up very well. Looking at the Hasegawa kit in the box, it appears that the Hasegawa kit might be a little tricky around the engine nacelles, but the Fujimi kit built up with almost no problems. You can see my build log here:

http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=218974&st=0&p=2081504&fromsearch=1entry2081504

HTH

-Dave

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Everything the Hasegawa kit is in trickiness to assemble, the Fujimi kit isn't. It's very straightforward and very accurate. It looks every inch (every 2.54 cm) the part. :)

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I think it's all the same plastic. For my money, if you're doing an early A, the Fujimi kit has it all over the Hasegawa kit...

J

Hi,

Mike,

I don't know the kit numbers well enough to advise you. But, as other have said here, there are two generations of 1/72 Hasegawa F-14A available concurrently. The older one with missiles, raised panel lines, fewer parts and generally a cheaper price. The newer one without missiles, with recessed panel lines, higher parts count and higher price.

The parts count bit can be relevant, because if the box is sealed, it is a way to see which generation it is. The newer one has around 197 parts.

Jennings,

For an early F-14A, the Hasegawa kit without missiles has desirable parts: J14 (very early gun gas vents panel), J6 (nosecone without pitot tube) and J7&8 (tails without reinforcement plates).

Every one also includes J15 (more modern gun gas vents panel) J5 nosecone with provision for the pitot tube and J9&10 (later tails with the plates).

I don't know if they have F-14A's with the NACA gun gas vent panel, but the part does exist because they have it in their F-14B and D kits.

Cheers, Stefan.

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Jennings,

For an early F-14A, the Hasegawa kit without missiles has desirable parts: J14 (very early gun gas vents panel), J6 (nosecone without pitot tube) and J7&8 (tails without reinforcement plates).

Every one also includes J15 (more modern gun gas vents panel) J5 nosecone with provision for the pitot tube and J9&10 (later tails with the plates).

I don't know if they have F-14A's with the NACA gun gas vent panel, but the part does exist because they have it in their F-14B and D kits.

Cheers, Stefan.

Stefan,

Hasegawa does have A boxings with NACA gun vents, as most A models got updated eventually.

Boxings like Tophatters, Black Aces bombcat (IIRC), VF-154 (lots of boxings) for example include the N2&N7 parts (NACA vents).

As for accuracy, I always read that Hasegawa was more accurate than Fujimi. Never built a Fujimi F-14 so I cannot tell.

But I can agree that Hasegawa F-14s are a pain to deal with if you're not used to them. :D

But once you know, it becomes easier and easier.

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Thanks to all for the insight......after some more research, I may be rethinking the A model and looking at the D. I presume the same comparisons apply between Hasegawa versus Fujimi? I seem to have read somewhere that the Fujimi can actually build as an A or D model out of the box. If so, that combined with weapons and easier build may overshadow the lack of rivets since the panels are still engraved.

Thanks again,

Mike

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Now, if you decide to go with a D, I believe you are pretty much stuck with Hasegawa if you are worried about accuracy. Fujimi does do D model kits, but I believe I have read/heard that they didn't update everything to make a completely correct D. I believe the main issue has to do with the area around the engine nozzles. Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong though. There are lots of good marking options out there for the A model cats. Take a look at the new FCM sheets for VF-111 and VF-114 for one. I think the main area where a Hasegawa A would win out would be for the very early A model birds, like the Vf-1 and VF-2 first cruise. Straight A's stayed in service for a very long time. If you do go with the Fujimi A, I highly recommend the Aires exhausts. I typically build OOB, but for me, these were a must because they looked sooo good compared to the kit exhaust.

-Dave

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+1 to Jenning's comment. Not only is it more accurate, the Fujimi kit has a full weapons load out, an engine display and is significantly easier to build.

I wanted to comment on this. I have several cats in the stash...mostly Hase, but a couple of Fujimi ones as well. I am having some problems with the Fujimi cat I am currently building.

The first issue is the fit of the intake trunks/engine housings. They come in two halves, split longitudinally. So, you get pieces splitting the intake right in the center at the lip and running the length of the trunking all the way to the aft tip of the burner cans. That in itself is a questionable design choice because if the potential for introducing trunk width and allignment issues. Anyway, the idea is that you build up the burner cans, then assemble the halves of the intake trunk/engine housing around them(there are tabs there for all of this), presumedly setting the appropriate diameter/curvature of the assembly. Then you mate each intake/engine assembly to the upper half of the fuselage. So here is the problem....the outer edge of the aft engine housing, which conforms precisely around the burner cans, does not align with the top outer half of the aft fuselage. I am talking about the area right aft of the "air bladders cushion" and back. There is a big step up there. I puttied to fair it in, but, it should not be a problem to begin with.

Speaking of the bladders, there is a problem with them also. I am building this with full wing sweep. The wing sweep "air bladders" are too tall, pushing the wings up out of alignment with the rest of the fuselage. I am in the process of sanding the leading edge of the bladder down so the wings will drop down and sit straight. And before someone who has built asks, yes I did use the right set bladders.

The only cat I have built prior to this one is the old Hase cat from the late 70's. Although I have several newer tool Hase ones, I chose to build a Tamiya example first because it has a rep as an easier build the the Hase cat. So far it is not working out that way for me, but I will overcome the problems. I just wanted to point out that there are potential construction issues with the Tamiya cat.

Still on the fence about whether to make it VF-84 80's scheme or VF-111.

Edited by DutyCat
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The two basic toolings Hasegawa made of the Tomcat come in different size boxes - the bigger box is for the "new tool" recessed panel line kits. The "Old tool" kits are numbered in the E series (if you get the modern releases, the names to look out for is "F-14A High Visibility" and "F-14A Low Visibility", those are the most common old-tool kits I've seen.

The "new tool" kit was released in several different versions during the first couple of years. First out, I think, was the "Wolf Pack" box, which has decals for VF-1 and possibly VF-2.(I don't remember, I never owned that kit but I spent years looking at it at the shop...). Next were the "Atlantic Fleet Squadrons" and "Pacific Fleet Squadrons", which were just what it says on the tin - these kits had *HUGE* decal sheets with an enormous amount of options, including both black and a gray-tail version of VF-84 in the Atlantic Fleet box.

The fourth boxing is the first one I did get for myself, and that was the F-14A+ "Super Tomcat", which had GE engines, an extended flight data probe, and decals for the Super Tomcat demonstrator/prototype. You can't *quite* build a production F-14B from this kit, it's missing some of the bumps, but it came close.

After that, the kit has been added to over the course of the years. Here's some of the stuff I know is in some boxings, but not in others:

* Very early beaver tail

* NACA gun vents (these were not in the Super Tomcat kit)

* Interim gun vents (these *were* in the Super Tomcat kit, I'm not sure if they're appropriate for any other F-14)

* IRST chin pod (as opposed to the TCS)

* IRST/TCS dual chin pod (only in F-14D kits)

* HUD (only in F-14D kits, though the glass for it is in most later kits due to the clear sprue itself being updated)

Hasegawa's kits from that era were all sold completely without armament - the only stores in the kit are TARPS and drop tanks, though it has stores adapters for both Sparrow and Phoenix. Depending on the exact kit and timeframe you wish to portray, you may end up needing as many as three different weapons sets just to get all the bits for one aircraft (though there'll be parts left over): Set II for an early Tomcat (this set has Sidewinders of most types, early Sparrows, and a full set of Phoenix missiles); or sets V, VI and VII for a late model bombcat (V has late model Sparrows and Sidewinders, VI has laser guided bombs and bomb rack adapters, VII has BOL rails, LANTIRN and the adapter for the pod). It's possible that some of the boxings contain a single set VII sprue, which is enough for one aircraft - I don't remember if the Diamondbacks F-14B box I got had one or not, or if that was just the F-16CG special boxing I got at the same time.

To get the best results when building the new tool kit, you'll need brush-on cement, lots of patience, and the proper build order, which is *not* the one from the instructions

* Assemble the intakes and glue them to the bottom of the fuselage first, using brush on cement. Keep the pressure on and force the parts into place if neccessary, to avoid seams and having to modify bits.

* When the forward fuselage is assembled, glue the bottom and top halves of the fuselage to the front section separately, without gluing them together with each other first. After these seams are dry, work your way backwards and glue the wing glove seams, then the after fuselage sides. This eliminates the both the "nose up" problem that comes from following the kit procedure, *and* the stairstep or crevice that forms when doing it the way outlined in some of the online instructions.

I've built two of these kits like that, and I didn't have to remove a scrap of plastic beyond the flash and sprue gates, nor did I need to fill any seams. (and the shape was correct, too, no kinked "throat" or "neck".)

Another issue to look out for: On one of the two kits, I had problems with the fit of the cockpit PE, but not the other. At this point I can't remember which was which, though.

I hope this doesn't scare you away from the kit - it's one of the most expensive builds out there in 1/72 due to the amount of extra stuff you need to get; and it's very finicky with the fit, but it *is* possible to get as perfectly accurate a Tomcat as you could hope for in this scale without putty or sanding if you do it *just* right, and it's *sooo* satisfying when you do...

SP

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To get the best results when building the new tool kit, you'll need brush-on cement, lots of patience, and the proper build order, which is *not* the one from the instructions

* Assemble the intakes and glue them to the bottom of the fuselage first, using brush on cement. Keep the pressure on and force the parts into place if neccessary, to avoid seams and having to modify bits.

* When the forward fuselage is assembled, glue the bottom and top halves of the fuselage to the front section separately, without gluing them together with each other first. After these seams are dry, work your way backwards and glue the wing glove seams, then the after fuselage sides. This eliminates the both the "nose up" problem that comes from following the kit procedure, *and* the stairstep or crevice that forms when doing it the way outlined in some of the online instructions.

I've built two of these kits like that, and I didn't have to remove a scrap of plastic beyond the flash and sprue gates, nor did I need to fill any seams. (and the shape was correct, too, no kinked "throat" or "neck".)

Another issue to look out for: On one of the two kits, I had problems with the fit of the cockpit PE, but not the other. At this point I can't remember which was which, though.

I hope this doesn't scare you away from the kit - it's one of the most expensive builds out there in 1/72 due to the amount of extra stuff you need to get; and it's very finicky with the fit, but it *is* possible to get as perfectly accurate a Tomcat as you could hope for in this scale without putty or sanding if you do it *just* right, and it's *sooo* satisfying when you do...

SP

Sebastian,

I have around 15 Tomcats to go in my stash and I will actually try your method for the next one.

And I agree with what you said on building a Hasegawa F-14. :thumbsup:

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The two basic toolings Hasegawa made of the Tomcat come in different size boxes - the bigger box is for the "new tool" recessed panel line kits. The "Old tool" kits are numbered in the E series (if you get the modern releases, the names to look out for is "F-14A High Visibility" and "F-14A Low Visibility", those are the most common old-tool kits I've seen.

The "new tool" kit was released in several different versions during the first couple of years. First out, I think, was the "Wolf Pack" box, which has decals for VF-1 and possibly VF-2.(I don't remember, I never owned that kit but I spent years looking at it at the shop...). Next were the "Atlantic Fleet Squadrons" and "Pacific Fleet Squadrons", which were just what it says on the tin - these kits had *HUGE* decal sheets with an enormous amount of options, including both black and a gray-tail version of VF-84 in the Atlantic Fleet box.

After that, the kit has been added to over the course of the years. Here's some of the stuff I know is in some boxings, but not in others:

* Very early beaver tail

* IRST chin pod (as opposed to the TCS)

SP

The Wolf Pack (K-40) is with decals for 4 planes: VF-1/100, VF-1/111, VF-14, and VF-32. It's the only one i know to come with dielectric beavertail panel (a streamlined one for no. VF-1/111) since I had all the hasegawa tomcats early models (K-38 Atlantic Squadrons, K-39 Pacific F.S., K-14 Low Vis, and K-14X High Vis)

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