john53 Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Hello---am venturing into the world of small, I have an Academy F-4E in 1/144 and saw an Academy 1/144 F-14A cheap at Hobby Lobby. Is it as good as the Revell in that scale or does it too many fit issues. I remember the 1/72 Academy having a strange shaped nose. Thanks---John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flyer77 Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Hi, Saw this WIP You might find it useful... Cheers, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 The later Revell F-14 issues (apparently there have been various toolings) are in a different league. If you can find any of the three Goffy Model F-14A upgrade sets (weapons, wings and interior/canopy) you'll have one of the best 144 models anywhere! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skull Leader Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Of all the offerings in 1/144, the academy is by far the worst. Only vaguely resembles a F-14, minimal detail, and minimal weapons options Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 I first got the Academy--it was cheap and staring me in the face. Once I got it home, I went looking for the Revell and picked up their A and D boxings. I'll use the Academy for painting experiments... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john53 Posted April 6, 2014 Author Share Posted April 6, 2014 Thanks, it is still at Hobby Lobby, ordered a Revell D via the internet. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anders_Isaksson Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 I see Trumpeter now has a few 1/144 Tomcats out, has anyone examined one? I assume these are based on the larger scale kits from both Trumpeter and HB but any impressions would be nice to hear (read). :unsure: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 (edited) ^ I took some pics and posted an in-box review HERE on modellboard.net, but it's in German only. The essentials: Trumpeter basically did a good job. I'm not sure whether they've corrected the intake issue their 1/32 Tomcats suffer from, but the rest looks very much like a Tomcat. They've done a couple of things nicer than Revell. They included different forward fuselages to cater for the differences around the gun, included different seats, different wheels, three versions of chin pods, old and "BOL-rail" AIM-9 launchers, and different engines with correct shrouds respectively. The instructions are pretty vague. The kit includes some parts that would be correct for the aircraft of the decal options, but the instructions forget to tell you about the parts that should be used instead. Speaking of the decals, they're the one part they totally hosed (yeah, what a surprise, right!?). Ditch them and get Fightertown's decals instead. :thumbsup:/> Overall, the kit's very nice indeed. Here in Germany it costs about twice as much as a Revell Tomcat. It's up to the individual to decide whether the couple extra bucks are justified. I'm not going to throw away my Revell kits, but for some versions, I would definitely consider the Trumpeter kit. Edited April 6, 2014 by ChernayaAkula Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john53 Posted April 7, 2014 Author Share Posted April 7, 2014 I like the sound of the Trumpeter idea, can you get a B out of it and a Bombcat with Lantirn? That would be AWESOME!---John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anders_Isaksson Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 ^ I took some pics and posted an in-box review HERE on modellboard.net, but it's in German only. ... Excellent info, and thanks for the recap in english as well. I examined the HB 72nd scale Alpha when it was first released and from what I can see the intake issue is less obvious compared to the 48th and 32nd scale Tomcats, perhaps they did some tweaking - or not. Looks like I will get a Trumpeter 144th Tomcat soon. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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