Black Lion Appears

[Tomcat-Lover]

Here we go. I have been a member of this forum since last January, so needles to say that I am a new member to the forum and new to Modeling and new to Photography. I have been watching other members in their IPP threads and watched to see what they are doing on their builds, any mistakes that I should expect in the kits etc. This is the 3rd model that I have built and I am trying some scratch building as well (pray for me). I got a lot of suggestions on how to build the Trumpeter F14 D Tomcat and I will take all that advice, and any advice that someone can give me during my build.

I just got my camera last friday and it is a Canon T4i. The last time I had a camera was in the 90's and we were still using film. So needless to say I am new to photography as well. But I got the camera to take pictures of my models and also to get some cool pictures of the planes at Nellis Air Force Base.

So without any further waiting:

* Aires F14 D Tomcat cockpit set

* Aires F14 D Tomcat exhaust nozzles

* Avionix GBU-16 Navy/Marines 1000lb bombs

* Eduard F14 D exterior set

* Eduard F14 D armament set

* Eduard F14 D Undercarriage set

* Wheelliant F14D Tomcat Weighted wheel set

Stuff I am still waiting for that is arriving today

* Eduard F14 Placards

* Verlinden US Navy Top Gun Pilot (2)

* And other kits that I have ordered (Trumpeter F14 D tTomcat, A10 warthog and F16 Falcon all 1:32 scale)

And the other things that I am ordering is from from Japan and they will take a little longer to get:

* Wolfpack Bomcat Update set

* Wolfpack F14 Boarding ladder

These are the things that I am including with the Tomcat. They are aftermarket kits that I have never built before so here we go.

[EX_Birdgunner]

As a fellow Tomcat lover this looks like it will be fun to watch. :popcorn:/> Can't wait to follow your progress.

Denis

[Manuel J. Armas S.]

Awesome I have the same camera and almost the same kit...

I want to see That F-14D Tomcat soon...

[Tomcat-Lover]

Because I had to wait until I got my kits today, I started to work on the easy things that I can do until my kits arrive today so I took the weekend to do some things that were easy to me.

New camera

Here are the parts that I have so far:

* Wheelliant Tires:

I started with the easy things to do which was the tires. Here are the Wheellant tires out of the box, then primed.

[Tomcat-Lover]

If the pictures come out BIG....sorry I am having problem with my photobucket account(trying to resize the picture) and applying the pictures. I'm new to photobucket as well... :bandhead2:/>/>

[Fred]

Tomcat Lover,welcome to the forum(s)from dreary Central NY state.

Good subject!

I'm sure you'll develop a followng here!

[EX_Birdgunner]

Those wheels have wicked detail. I just might have to get some for my Tamiya F-14B conversion waiting in the stash. I already have the cockpit and airframe conversion sets.

Pics look good.

Denis

[Tomcat-Lover]

I agree with you Denis the detail is amazing.

Now I painted the tires with Mr. Color Flat Black:

Then the "Rims" with Mr.Color Flat White:

Then I applied the wash:

[Tomcat-Lover]

More When i get home and when I open my boxes for the Kits that are already at my house. My kid confirmed it with me when he got home from school!! <_</>/>

[sharkey]

Awesome! I'm going to buy this kit very soon. I heard its very complex though. What do you think?

[Tomcat-Lover]

To get back to the tires. I always try dry brushing but sometimes it don't work out for me. I tried my best and dry brushed the tires with a light grey.

Then these pictures are the final result for the Tomcat wheels.

Now I would say that I added something to the tire on the left and dented the rim to show usage....but that would be a lie.

I think I grabbed the rim wrong when I removed the resin block.

[Tomcat-Lover]

I just got home and I saw my Tomcat.

Now remember, this is only my third model, and I did two 1:48 scale kits, but because I plan on scratch building (a little), and because I am getting a little later in age, 1:32 scale kits I prefer. So when I got home and looked at the kit......I was wondering what did I get myself into. To say the kit is BIG..... is a understatement.

Here are some pictures of the kit (I know that you guys have seen it before) and I remember that I ordered 2 Verlinden 1:35 scale Top Gun Pilot fighter pilots. I was wondering if I wanted them to stand next to the plane or sitting in the plane for my diorama. But that is looking way too far ahead.

peer

Also I got another kit. The Trumpeter A10 Warthog. But that is is for another day.

[Tomcat-Lover]

And here is the beast as it lays across my carpet.

I think I will take the rest of the night and see what parts I want to attack next.

[Tomcat-Lover]

Awesome! I'm going to buy this kit very soon. I heard its very complex though. What do you think?

To be honest I don't know what to think. I think the kit is BIG, but I think the kit will be fine. I think the build will depend on the details and extra effort that you put in the plane. Are you going balls out and getting every aftermarket kit out there for the plane, or are basically doing it straight out of the box? Either way it will take you some time because it is so Big. I chose the "balls out" technique for this build and the aftermarket kits are little builds in themselves. Either way, the F14 Tomcat is my favorite fighter jet so I am in for the long haul.

Richard

[Tomcatfreak]

Please wait for the Zactomodels intakes! Great to see another big Tomcat!!!

[Tomcat-Lover]

Please wait for the Zactomodels intakes! Great to see another big Tomcat!!!

I probably will wait for Zactomodels intakes. Does anybody knows how long his intakes will go to production? I look at the thread but no mention of it.

[Tomcat-Lover]

I took the rest of the night to figure out what to start with next. Do I start with the cockpit? Do I start with the exhaust nozzles? NOPE, I will start with the landing gears.

It is easy, besides my mind still needs to get use to how big this kit is. Now in the past I remember looking at another member F14 build and he took off the plastic oleo and replaced them with aluminum and they looked real good. I had the aluminum parts to fit the oleo's and the right circumference and the right glue..................BUT I couldn't do it.

I know there will come a time to where i will have to cut a part in my kit but I am not ready for it. So I put the legs together. I took out the seams with Mr. Color Dissolved Putty. I love that product. It really makes the seams disappear. It is almost the same as Mr. Surfacer. Then I got some tape and masked the legs up EXCEPT the oles and then I painted the Oleo's Alclad Gloss Black. In preperation for the Alclad paint that I am about to add. More tonight.

[Tomcat-Lover]

Now, back to the legs:

Here are the pictures of the legs and how far I have gotten so far:

the seams are terrible and in ackward places to sand.

But I used Mr. Dissolved putty.

Then the legs came out good.

I applied Alclad Gloss Black to the oleo's of the landing gear.

Then last night I applied Alclad Chrome to the oleo's

When I look at the oleo's, I remember a fellow member telling me to make sure that I sand the part completely and with different grades of sandpaper, to make sure that the scratches are out before I applied any type of Alclad to it because Alclad tends to show all mistakes. I didn't remember to do that completely but the oleo's turned out very good. But I will remember his advice in the future.

[Brian P: Fightertown Decals]

Looking great! You really ought to get a set of the Fightertown Decals 1/32 Black Lions sheet. Even if you're doing the lion's head from the kit decals, pretty much everything on the kit sheet is off from fonts to size to colors. Unfortunately their aren't any in stock on the website but our distributors may still have some and you can track them down on the forums. :)

can't wait to see more!

-brian

[Tomcat-Lover]

I tried to go thru Sprue Brothers but they were sold out. But I am trying to use the lion head from the kit but use your decals overall. I think I should fine one soon. Thanks for visiting and hope to get some advise from you down the road.

[sharkey]

I think I would have painted the white part of the landing gear first. I read its not wise to mask the shiny alclads, the tape affects the color and shine. I dunno, just what I heard, maybe not.

[scapilot]

While Alclads are pretty durable, as a general rule, you kind of want to avoid any further contact with any of the high shines once you have gotten the set up as they're supposed to be. Simply for the fact that they are such reflective paints, the slightest mar at all in the surface can kill the effect.

[Tomcat-Lover]

Maybe I will wait to finish the legs first, then take off the tape to see what it looks like. If I have to repaint it, I will. But I have heard that the Alcald paints were able to be masked without it removing the paint. But we will see. Thanks fot the advice scapilot and sharkey, I will learn my paints once I use them more.

[scapilot]

No problem. For the most part, yes, they're extremely durable, especially compared to MM metalized paints which don't hold well at all if messed with afterwards. You have to seal them for good working play, but the high shines are just so damn delicate that they literally show any evidence of tamper.

[Manuel J. Armas S.]

Try with old TV antenna... the result is very impressive...