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On 11/11/2019 at 10:18 PM, Zactoman said:

 

 

Front_ends_zpsl7pgvnnc.jpg

With the AMK and Tamiya sitting side-by-side, one area that immediately caught my eye was the forward fuselage. The AMK looked bigger. At first I thought it was just the darker plastic but then I put on my glasses (no joke... :coolio:).

 

Nose_top_dims_zpskf3ciuda.jpg

Some may say it's just a few thousands of an inch, but there's also a difference in the taper and curvature of the front end. The AMK just looks thick (and it's not just the forward fuselage).

 

The AMK cockpit opening and canopy is wider as well. Here is the Tamiya rear canopy sitting on the AMK kit. Note the amount of plastic visible on each side of the Tamiya canopy.

AMKwTam_canopy_zpsxm2bp6zk.jpg

 

The canopy arch is also different.

Arches_zpsbtxdkoxv.jpg

 

The AMK rear canopy has two parting lines as has already been noted. The plastic looks nice and clear without distortion. As nice as it looked, the Tamiya canopy is amazingly clear and completely distortion free, possibly the best canopy I've seen.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do all this work comparing kits to reality.

 

I appreciate the work and effort that went into engineering both the Tamiya and AMK kits. Tamiya's work does closely mimic reality in 1/48 scale.

 

I did look at a lot of photos of real F-14s. I like this one as a reference to compare the both kits front sections to. It sure is a beautiful airplane.

 

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Fighter Jets | Global Military Review

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Thanks for those shots @Zactoman.  For me I'm still trying to convince myself to love the Tamiya nose : (     Just for comparison purposes....it's this curvature below that I'm still straining to see on the Tamiya but is readily apparent on the Hasegawa.   I was wondering if you notice it on the AMK?   The Hasegawa nose makes me believe that there's a radar dish housed in there.

 

40345780660_55a20e77cb_b.jpg

 

40345780540_5bdfd6094b_b.jpg

 

28279988848_8926dbdfdd_b.jpg

 

I once wanted to graft the Hasegawa nose onto the Tamiya but there'll be a 2mm step to fix -- they were different by that much so it was just impossible to do.    I don't want to go back to a Hasegawa just for the nose, though, and make all those corrections around the model -- the Tamiya kit is just so much easier to build.   Gtypecanare did mention that Tamiya had access to the original Grumman blueprints and your comparisons put my mind at ease.  I'm just curious to know, though, if you notice any such curvature on the AMK nose?   It might be something that doesn't show on plan views.

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46 minutes ago, crackerjazz said:

I once wanted to graft the Hasegawa nose onto the Tamiya but there'll be a 2mm step to fix -- they were different by that much so it was just impossible to do.  

 

:hmmm:Jazz, where exactly is this 2mm step difference between the Tamiya and Hasegawa kits located at? I don't think it's at the radome, right? Is it aft on the forward fuselage?

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On 10/30/2019 at 2:26 PM, Zactoman said:

 

 

 

 

Edit: Added rear lines, resized AMK pic to match Tamiya pic

So I'm seeing that the aft fuselage between the vertical stab and the fuselage side of both parts is steeper in angle on the AMK part and flatter on the Tamiya part but the difference is more pronounced toward the front than toward the rear? Is that what you're pointing out? And how's this look on the real thing since to my knowledge the Navy never flew Tamiya F-14s? 

Edited by Space Tiger Hobbes
Please delete.
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21 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Yes at the base of the radome. 2mm difference measured vertically.  So you can't just saw off the Tamiya nose and replace it with the Hasegawa one-piece radome. 

 

So, then I'd split the Hasegawa radome in half, horizontally, in order to add the 2mm difference with plastic card stock, instead of sanding/levelling the step on the AMK kit, that is. 2-mil is a lot to tangle with.

How do you think that would work? 

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You meant the Tamiya kit.  Sorry I wasn't clear -- it's the Hasegawa nose that's bigger.  The step will require sanding down the sides of the cone to make it fit the Tamiya so it's a scary proposition.  My half-built Hasegawas have their noses glued on already and I don't have any spares for testing, unfortunately.   I'm kinda thankful for that, actually, as I don't have the skills at the moment to pull it off.  It has to be done right as changing the nose changes the entire face.   

 

49064366203_80e6483a5e_o.jpg

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On 11/12/2019 at 7:43 PM, flanker27 said:

I was thinking the same, havent heard back from Vicki since a week ago. I am going to wait another week before emailing them about it.

 

Vicky sent an email this am with a tracking number. It will probably take one or two days before the number shows up in the tracking system. Then we can watch as the kit sails, or flies into our mail boxes - finally.

 

Hope every Indiegogo backer gets their kits soon too.

 

:smiley-whacky034:

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20 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

It has to be done right as changing the nose changes the entire face.   

 

49064366203_80e6483a5e_o.jpg

 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:My wife ought to suffer watching this! She'll surely get mad. Her sweet heartthrob... :rofl: 

 

20 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

You meant the Tamiya kit.  Sorry I wasn't clear -- it's the Hasegawa nose that's bigger.  The step will require sanding down the sides of the cone to make it fit the Tamiya so it's a scary proposition.  My half-built Hasegawas have their noses glued on already and I don't have any spares for testing, unfortunately.      

 

 

I've ordered spares from Hasegawa on a couple occasions, so I might as well try grafting a Hasegawa Tomcat nose onto my future Tamiya kit once I get it. Didn't order it yet in the hope that the AMK kit came out with its known issues fixed. :rolleyes:   

Are the Tamiya and Hasegawa noses that off? I'd have never thought that it was the old Hasegawa nose the one which resembled the real thing more closely. :hmmm:It's good to know. I've ordered a couple of clear part sprues from the Tamiya kit in order to replace the windshield on both my Hasegawa kits. 

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1 hour ago, Hubbie Marsten said:

Are the Tamiya and Hasegawa noses that off? I'd have never thought that it was the old Hasegawa nose the one which resembled the real thing more closely. :hmmm:It's good to know. I've ordered a couple of clear part sprues from the Tamiya kit in order to replace the windshield on both my Hasegawa kits. 

 

I haven't seen any definitive comparisons regarding the nose cone. I'd hold off chopping up a Tamiya kit just yet.

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1 hour ago, Hubbie Marsten said:

I'd have never thought that it was the old Hasegawa nose the one which resembled the real thing more closely. :hmmm:

 

Just my observation but I'm no Zactoman :)   For the difference I'll have to measure again but just to illustrate -- in the picture below I used a line drawing from a Japanese book to compare as the drawing resembles Hasegawa measurements somehow.  I overlayed the Tamiya forward fuselage just to show the difference and what corrections you may have to make if you do graft noses.  Do keep in mind Tamiya used original Grumman plans as gtypecanare mentioned, so it could well be possible that the curvature I'm looking for is inherent only to photos taken of real F-14s and may be difficult to replicate on 1/48 models with camera distortions being different.

 

42068827072_88d385495f_b.jpg

 

 

 

 

Edited by crackerjazz
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On 11/10/2019 at 1:33 AM, masanissa said:

I love it when we talk dirty about wings! :whistle:

I am exploring the other body parts now, slowly making my way to the hips... :coolio:

 

I've kept pretty busy lately so haven't found time to post any new updates on my progress. I have been gathering data, just need to compile it into something meaningful.
I've received several PMs and e-mails about the kit, my analysis, your analysis, questions and comments. Sorry I haven't had time to reply. I'll get to them eventually...

 

On 11/13/2019 at 5:31 AM, crackerjazz said:

For me I'm still trying to convince myself to love the Tamiya nose : (      Just for comparison purposes....it's this curvature below that I'm still straining to see on the Tamiya but is readily apparent on the Hasegawa.  

I don't have the Hasegawa kit for comparison, but the Tamiya kit matches the Grumman drawing (almost exactly) in both top and side views. It was hinted that they had loft lines and possibly blueprints, but the more I study the kit the more I suspect that they may have scanned the actual aircraft.
I don't know the origin of the Japanese drawing you are using, but from what little I can see of it, I can say that it's got problems and I wouldn't trust it much.
Here are pics of the Tamiya nose in similar angles to the photos you posted:

Tamiya_Nose_1_zps7drfwyeb.jpg

 

Tamiya_Nose_2_zps0boklzhx.jpg

 

11 hours ago, foxmulder_ms said:

In Tamiya, we trust. Even under microscope, it has that crispy.. buttery.. angel tear lubricated smoothness due to alien-AI infused machining technology.. 😄

It's beginning to feel like that.
One thing that has really impressed me is how precise every little detail is. Pretty much every rivet and panel line is perfect and crisp. The part fit is outstanding, mostly due to the fact that the edges  and mating surfaces are just as precise as the surface detail.
It's unfortunate that they didn't go the extra mile and incorporate the extra level of detail (that I know they are capable of) in the cockpit, gear wells and exhausts.

 

:cheers:

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And now for something completely different...

 

Found this really excellent graphic that explains what the various parts of the F-14 are. I finally have a good understanding of the F-14...

:whistle::naughty:

zaEZqm0

 

Never knew the F-14 used the Deluxe Turbo Encabulator. You learn something new every day.  :thumbsup2:

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1 hour ago, habu2 said:

Deluxe was part of the A+ upgrade....

 

Thanks for that clarification. I am a bit confused though as I cannot find any documentation on the "Deluxe" Turbo Encabulator. I know the original designs were explored in Britain in the 1940s and later formalized in a specification written up by GE in 1962 (HBK-8359).  But I thought the definitive work was not accomplished until Rockwell Automation took it over in 1977 for use in their transmissions as shown in the press release done by Bud Haggart. Later, the Retro Encabulator was developed and the Micro Encabulator was developed by PATH as a game changing global health technology. But nowhere can I find reference to the Deluxe version. Could this have been part of some classified development done by Grumman based on the technology exchanges that went on between the US and Britain during WWII?

Edited by Mstor
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1 hour ago, Mstor said:

 

Thanks for that clarification. I am a bit confused though as I cannot find any documentation on the "Deluxe" Turbo Encabulator. I know the original designs were explored in Britain in the 1940s and later formalized in a specification written up by GE in 1962 (HBK-8359).  But I thought the definitive work was not accomplished until Rockwell Automation took it over in 1977 for use in their transmissions as shown in the press release done by Bud Haggart. Later, the Retro Encabulator was developed and the Micro Encabulator was developed by PATH as a game changing global health technology. But nowhere can I find reference to the Deluxe version. Could this have been part of some classified development done by Grumman based on the technology exchanges that went on between the US and Britain during WWII?

The Deluxe Turbo Encabulator was installed under the highly classified F-14A+ Super-Duper Bad-Arse Airframe Change 6-14-1+.

 

You need a "Tippity Top-Sky High " security clearance to see the documentation for that Airframe Change. I would share it with you fi you know the unspoken/unwritten password and show me the never before seen hand shake.

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41 minutes ago, GW8345 said:

The Deluxe Turbo Encabulator was installed under the highly classified F-14A+ Super-Duper Bad-Arse Airframe Change 6-14-1+.

 

You need a "Tippity Top-Sky High " security clearance to see the documentation for that Airframe Change. I would share it with you fi you know the unspoken/unwritten password and show me the never before seen hand shake.

 

Of course I know the unspoken/unwritten password, and the never before seen Hand Shake, but the password may not be written or spoken, so I am silently mouthing it right now and I have just done the never before hand shake, behind my back, because it may never be seen... by anyone. So, obviously, I have met all requirements to see the airframe change documentation. You can send it to me using the absolutely secure Interocitor device, whose 2486 pieces are being set to you to assemble. Once assembled, you must speak to Exeter. If you can convince him not to kidnap you and take you to his planet, you can use the Interocitor to send me the file. Thanks in advance! :thumbsup:

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3 hours ago, Mstor said:

 

Thanks for that clarification. I am a bit confused though as I cannot find any documentation on the "Deluxe" Turbo Encabulator. I know the original designs were explored in Britain in the 1940s and later formalized in a specification written up by GE in 1962 (HBK-8359).  But I thought the definitive work was not accomplished until Rockwell Automation took it over in 1977 for use in their transmissions as shown in the press release done by Bud Haggart. Later, the Retro Encabulator was developed and the Micro Encabulator was developed by PATH as a game changing global health technology. But nowhere can I find reference to the Deluxe version. Could this have been part of some classified development done by Grumman based on the technology exchanges that went on between the US and Britain during WWII?


sorry I cannot say anything else without being subject to the Snowden Clause. 
 

Let’s just say AMK’s DTE is missing a few panel lines.....

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1 minute ago, habu2 said:


sorry I cannot say anything else without being subject to the Snowden Clause. 
 

Let’s just say AMK’s DTE is missing a few panel lines.....

 

Not to worry. GW8345 will be sending me info as soon as he can assemble his Interocitor. Not surprised, though, that the AMK DTE has accuracy problems. Lets hope Zactoman can shed some light on the issues there.

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On 11/5/2019 at 10:34 AM, masanissa said:

Indiegogo kits should go out soon . . . hopefully by the end of this week?

 

Received an email follow up from Vicky at AMK. Tracking numbers should be sent out as well.

 

From Vicky:

"Thank you for your confirm.

 

I will arrange all the kits send out as soon as possible. And also will give the tracking Number. Don’t worry.

 

 

Cheers" 

 

:pancake20bunny0xf:

 

Finally received an email from VICKY this morning with a tracking number. The kit is still in Canton international. Should take to 20-25 days to arrive.

 

All the comments from the crowd funders on AMK shitbook Official Fan page [mine(s) included] have of course been deleted by  AMK Official Fan Club's communist censorship.

 

I hope that the curtain will finally fall on this very bad play in a few days ...pity I will not have the promised T-shirt, I could have cleaned the scene with ... Just hope that my kit box won't be
 
signed by Sio !
 
Madcop.

 

 

 

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So according to your timeline, you should get your kit about two months after those of us who preordered? Shameful! 😔 You will probably receive it around the time the first retail kits arrive in stores here in the US.

 

Lesson I take from this, NO more pre-ordering or Go Fu** Me/IndieNOGo schemes for this boy.

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