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First WIP here on ARC for me, so if I don´t follow the correct procedure, feel free to enlighten me.

When Hobbyboss released their Tomcat I was tempted to get one. I'm one of those guys who feel the need for anything, if it comes with a nice boxart and looks shiny and new. Last time I built a Tomcat was the Italeri 1/72 kit back in the late 80-ies. However, I calmed down and said do myself, "-Erik, Tomcats are not really what you need to add to your huge pile of unbuilt kits right now, you have loads of projects already." But then I saw a picture of an Iranian cat carrying a HAWK missile, and this really tipped me over the edge.

I researched the web for suitable decals and found a set from HiDecals that gives you several Alicat alternatives, including the newer grey/blue scheme, as well as a pair of nice NSAWC alternatives. The set does not include stencils, but since the Hobbyboss F-14A is from the same time period as the Iranian F-14A, and the kit includes stencilling, I think I´ll be all right.

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The decals

To find suitable HAWK missiles for the project was a little bit more difficult. I found three different kit, all OOP and all unavailable. But Lucky model had a Wolfpack set with decals, refuelling boom and its bay and finally a pair of HAWK missiles. This set is listed as OOP by Wolfpack, but Lucky Model lists them as "Available", which means that they don´t have the stuff, but probably can get it. So I ordered the set, the Tomcat kit and some goodies in the form of Aires cockpit and exhausts that were labelled for the HB kit.

Unfortunately it looks like I'm not going to get any HAWKS, so I either scratch them, or, more likely, skip them and go for a war load of 3-4 Sparrow missiles, 2 Phoenixes and 2 Sidewinders.

I started the kit by taping together the main components to see the fit, and to see how much of the splendid aires cockpit that had to be removed. I was also doing some easy stuff, like gluing the wings together and gluing the air brakes shut. This was a mistake as it would turn out.

The wings are built up from six parts, upper side, under side, slats, a two piece flap and a thin part I thought was the trailing edge of the wing, just in front of the flaps. The instructions tells you to place the part in this way, so I did. The kit instructions also tells you to drop the flaps, which I did not want, but I thought that was just a matter of gluing the flaps on at a desired angle later.

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This was mistake number one. Apparently that part is a lid, that opens up in to the wing when the flaps are dropped, and covers the hinge when they are fully up. I guess they let air through from under the wing to help keep the boundary layer smooth over the flaps when they are deployed. Too bad I found this out two days after gluing the wing. Fortunately I had not yet glued tha flaps in place, but I still wanted them upp, so I had to resort to violence.

I managed to pry one of those lids of without doing too much damage, the other I had to pluck away in small, twisted pieces. But no worry, plasticard to the rescue.

The resulting damage:

wings-600x400.jpg

As you can see, I had to replace two hinges, and the entire lid. I will chop it up in the correct lengths later.

Mistake number two was to glue the airbrakes while having the fuselage parts taped together for dry fitting - the glue seeped out and attached the upper and lower beaver tail together.

beaver-600x400.jpg

It will make some of the work with the glove vanes, main gear bays and wings a bit more difficult, but I think it´s not so serious, just plain stupid..

I did make a few things "right" also. I am happy with how the seats turned out - the aires seats are real gems. This is the first time I use Aires products, but I guess it´s not the last.

bangseats-600x398.jpg

I am also fairly happy with the cockpit so far. It´s not finished yet. I plan on adding some more weathering, and as you can see, the turtle deck and coamings need some paint too.

pit-600x400.jpg

Net very visible from this angle is that I had to remove a fair bit of resin from the front right corner of the cockpit, since I had to make room for the refuelling probe bay.

I was not planning on any super detailing project - but the cockpit is so detailed I just feel I need to create the illusion that the rest of the aircraft is equally detailed. First out for some extra treatment is the nose gear bay. I used Anders Isakssons 1/32 scale build as a reference for the details, but I kept it a bit simpler. Also, HB includes a fair amount of details on the walls already, so I just added some pipes to get a better 3d-effect.

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ngbay-600x400.jpg

Well, this was what I had to show this far.

/E

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A sparkling first post, Erik!

I really like what you´re doing to the wheel wells, it always pays to go that extra mile to spice things up!

Aires stuff is da hsit! The fit may be so so but the details are just exquisite!

Thumbs up, mate! :thumbsup:

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I'm not going the extra mile here, Janne, barely a few hundred yards or so.

Tomorrow I´ll go a 100 miles to be able to build the "perfect Lansen".. :-) 166 km is the distance between Kungsbacka and F7 Såtenäs, where I'll be shooting some close ups on their A32's and J32's.

Thanks for your support!

/E

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I'm not going the extra mile here, Janne, barely a few hundred yards or so.

Tomorrow I´ll go a 100 miles to be able to build the "perfect Lansen".. :-) 166 km is the distance between Kungsbacka and F7 Såtenäs, where I'll be shooting some close ups on their A32's and J32's.

Thanks for your support!

/E

You have way too much free time on your hands <_<

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Erik, great to see you around - and with a HB Tomcat too! :thumbsup:

Looks like you're off to a good start and I'm looking forward to see this one unfold.

Good decision to model the flaps/slats retracted. While I feel the HB wings are a bit more accurate when compared to Hasegawa (when built in an 'all out' configuration) the HB kit does introduce a whole other set of problems with fit etc.

Keep it up! :)

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Great Start Erik :thumbsup:

We seems to have more than one thing in common.

I too have a Persian Cat planned for the future.

So I'll be watching your build with great interest.

:cheers:

/Bosse

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Erik, great to see you around - and with a HB Tomcat too! :thumbsup:

Looks like you're off to a good start and I'm looking forward to see this one unfold.

Good decision to model the flaps/slats retracted. While I feel the HB wings are a bit more accurate when compared to Hasegawa (when built in an 'all out' configuration) the HB kit does introduce a whole other set of problems with fit etc.

Keep it up! :)

Those flap hinge covers actually fit perfectly when placed as they should be, when the flaps are retracted. I spent the evening yesterday repairing my mistakes.

I managed to save the wings. This one has got a new hinge cover:

DSC8366-600x398.jpg

I also filled the ugly seam on the flap with super glue. Super glue and accelerator are my new two friends.

Those two friends also helped me with the ugly seams on the fins. I also removed the stiffener plates on the fin top. The fins need some new engraving, but that will be another day.

DSC8360-600x398.jpg

DSC8361-600x398.jpg

I also spiced up the nose gear some, but I´m not happy with the result, so it might come off later.

Now I've spent a whole day covering the A32A Lansen from top to bottom, and I have 600+ photographs to go through, so there will be nothing more done for a while.

Thanks for your interest and kind words, guys!

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Good save, Erik! And sorry, I was a bit unclear earlier. Yes, everything fits just fine as long as you model the flaps/slats retracted. It's when you pose them extended the trouble start. :wacko:

How'bout that Lansen, huh?

Good job on the walkaround pics, should really come in handy for anyone building the new Tarangus kit.

Must say that as much as I like anything Swedish being released this was not my preferred subject. Now, had it been a Viggen... :rolleyes:

Edited by Anders_Isaksson
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Hi Erik

If I where you I would not be to unhappy about not getting any HAWK missiles on it, I you are building

it in "Asia Minor" scheme as used during the first gulf war, the typical warload was 2 or 4 AIM 54 + Sparrow and Sidewinders

The Iranian Tomcats have 80 confirmed kills, many using the AIM 54

I will follow your thread closely since I have an Iranian on my build list

Greeting from Denmark

Bo

Unfortunately it looks like I'm not going to get any HAWKS, so I either scratch them, or, more likely, skip them and go for a war load of 3-4 Sparrow missiles, 2 Phoenixes and 2 Sidewinders.

/E

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I haven't managed to get that much of build-time in the last days, but yesterday I finished the nose gear bay. It is probably the most detailed nose gear bay I have ever built.. I should have coated the bay in glosscoat before adding the wash - it turned out a bit more brownish than I wanted (it´s slightly more yellow than what the camera tells you). But those desert airstrips really makes the birds dirty, right?

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The nose gear itself was also painted. Looks quite OK I think,. Not a masterpiece, but passable. I drilled out shallow holes in the solid square piece of plastic where those indicator lights are placed. When I painted the oleo alclad crome I painted this part too, then filled with tamiya transparent red, yellow and green (actually blue+yellow since my green had dried up). It looks OK, would have looked great if the masking had been better. Got to touch that up. Will glosscoat then do pin washes instead, so that the gear is more white than yellow.

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Nose gear bay in position

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I also, of course, positioned the cockpit, and it was no easy job. Fortunately those canopy latch parts that HB provides for the sills covers most of the mess up, but there are some large gaps between the fuselage and the aires turtle deck that needs filling. The gaps are probably mostly my own fault. I sanded the fuselage sides in preparation for the cockpit, but I don´t think it was really necessary.

DSC9022.jpg

To be continued...

/E

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That wheel well is, I´m sorry to say, gorgeous!!

Looks like you could squeeze in some plasticard strips bewtten the airframe and the cockpit, would make the gap go away without putty :D

LOoking good I have to say, I´m really itching to get my Alicat going as well.

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Yes, I also think that plasticard is the way to go. I also forgot to mention that I am currently working on the intakes. I´ll give the latex paint method a try here, as soon as I got it to a good basic finish. There is some plasticard treatment needed there too.

/E

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Good work, looks great so far. :thumbsup:

Did you notice how HB designed the nosegear assembly so that it must be installed at the same time as assembling the bay itself?

I choose to ignore this and left the problem of installing the nosegear afterwards for later. Looks like you did the same?

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Yes, I will cut of the two pins on the sides of the nose gear, I think it will be stable and firm enough anyway. Did I say that I "stole" the nose wheel bay detailing from your 1/32 build? Anyway, I used your pics as references (together with some B/W pics in an old D&S book). Not that my gear bay can match yours in any way, but it´s good enough for me. I can´t remember seeing how you did your bay on your HB cat?

/E

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Yes, I saw you were going to use my work on the Tamiya bay as inspiration. Like you I used the pics in the D&S book as reference, as the DACO book only show the later version. However, you might have noticed that I took some shortcuts here and there. :D

On the HB Tomcat I didn't bother and went with the kit detail... one time is enough! ;)

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Slow progress here, mostly due to lack of time.

I am fascinated by modellers who tackle each sub component as if it was a kit of its own. I don't claim to do that here, but with eight parts per landing gear leg, the landing gears of this kit almost IS a kit of their own. Since I added extra details to the nose gear and nose gear bay, I had to do the same here.

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The landing gear and bay as it comes out of the box

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Added some wires..

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..and paint, and a wash on the gear bay.

I noted on some pics I found on the internet that the gear bays did have a noticeable more yellowish tone than the legs. Not as much as in my example above, but anyway..

DSC9367-600x398.jpg

DSC9368-600x398.jpg

The finished main gear leg, and nose gear leg. They will be gloss coated before receiving a wash, since I want them to look cleaner than the gear bays. The main gear leg will receive a decal also.

Fixed the ugly spaces by the turtle deck.

DSC9369-600x398.jpg

Have also been working on the air intakes, starting to grow tired of them now. I suspect that they are good enough now unless someone uses a flash light. In that case Ill tell that someone what he/she could do with the said flash light.. :fight:

Thank you all for your nice comments and for your interest in this project!

/E

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I will go for Asia Minor, the sand, brown and green scheme. I think I´ll raid the nearest Tamiya paint retailer and see if I can find something that fits reasonably well. I´m not a colour fascist, so if it looks right it probably is right. I only got old colour photographs printed in rather poor quality in old books, scanned at low quality then shown on a hand held telephone screen (with "retina display"..)to guide me - so I am sure I´ll find something that will look all right.

Speaking of colours..

I have not found any good pictures showing the colour of the intakes. My guess it that the outer parts, with the ramps, are grey, and the inner parts are white. But it would be nice if someone could confirm this.

/E

PS I´m NOT a spammer, even id I DO say jehova.. or isomething.. Stupid forum engine

Edited by erik_g
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