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Revell 1/32 F-14A Tomcat (Revival)


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So theres a bit of a story behind this build. A friend of the family that i used to build models with found this gem that I was building prob some 15 years ago in a half completed state if thats what you want to call it lol. The cockpit was terrible, putty mess all over and crappy glue joints so i ripped it apart...shows how bad the old glue was that i used! Managed to get most of it apart but the ejection seats were stuck in pretty hard so I left them. Other then that ill be repainting and basically starting from scratch and try and salvage this pretty bare bone kit and will be building it gear up. Heres a few pics of the cockpit before and after this week of work on it and the damage to the wings that ill be repairing :)

Heres how the kit came back to me

24249703430_466c128db4_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24462904731_4c82f8de0f_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

23918455213_083d0a81dc_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24462944941_40f60cc170_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24436967942_ae0783a3e8_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24436979692_32d26626ec_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24436928502_bd71522358_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

23918432003_6f4276b945_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

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Thanks for the comments! It's pretty bare bone for parts..won't take long to get the bulk together but since it's a big scale and the wife has already given me crap for so much spending on kits this year lol I'm gonna try and do some riveting and make the outside look a little more accurate and make this one take a while. After seeing the 1/18 scale tomcat I believe from A-10Loader i now want to improve as that was a huge inspiration!!

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That good old Revell kit is actually a nice kit (the later release that is) and can be made to look very nice, as you are now proving.

Right down by one of the intakes it's stamped 1987. Is this the first release or the later one?

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Excellent progress! That must be a later release because I built a Revell 1/32 (the Wolfpack one) in 1982 just like the one pictured here -- Man how time flies.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/140062-revell-4712-grumman-f-14A-tomcat

I also remember building the Revell 1/48 (with some real shape issues) after seeing The Final Countdown in the theatre and being enamored by the fighter plane with swing wings and skull and crossbone markings.

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=16609

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So far I have been focusing on the nose section. Once glued together I installed the front bay doors and started to tackle some filling and levelling off. Had to remove a fair bit of material on top of the nose, near the gear doors and around the nose cone. Needed a bit of re-scribing but nothing major. I also gave the targeting pod a sand and re-scribe as it had raised panel lines. Other then a few simple lines up till now i haven't done much for re-scribing and am gonna take a crack at adding some panels and such where its missing. Crossing my fingers I don't get cat scratches everywhere lol...well thats it for lame jokes haha heres some updated pics. Back to the bench! Also any tips are welcome on the Tomcat or scribing tips :)

24518814752_dea195bbe3_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24600977256_88cc257822_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

23999032554_0ccfb1ae1b_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24331630570_cbcfae454c_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

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Excellent progress! That must be a later release because I built a Revell 1/32 (the Wolfpack one) in 1982 just like the one pictured here -- Man how time flies.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/140062-revell-4712-grumman-f-14A-tomcat

I also remember building the Revell 1/48 (with some real shape issues) after seeing The Final Countdown in the theatre and being enamored by the fighter plane with swing wings and skull and crossbone markings.

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=16609

Time sure does fly! The kit itself seems pretty good but defiantly doesn't compare to todays standards of 1/32 kits out there. I almost enjoy a bit of a blank slate so i can challenge myself with some scratch building and adding details

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One more quick update for the day. Added some panel lines under the nose and gave a crack at some rivet work. Already learned a bit after the first few panels I attempted. First thing I realized is to take my time and not get in a rush. Anyone have any pointers for me?

24605725376_2522a36f9e_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24523546482_53c96f93de_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24336365370_9512046de6_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

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Another small update. Been busy adding riveting to the top section and started on the wings. Hard to find close up pics of the wings and top fuselage section on the tomcat to see where exactly the riveting is dominant but I've found a few pics and along with A-10LOADER great 1/18 tomcat build thread which I'm using as a reference as well since its so well done :thumbs: Ive added a few panel lines there were not there and will be filling in some wrong ones and adding a few on the wings along with more riveting. Im loving the detail it is adding to the kit and hope it turns out once painted. Few spots I've yet to get to due to the joints to be made first around the nose and fuselage joints. This is my first crack at the riveting and scribing and I'm a little concerned about the rivet holes being slightly raised. Anyone have any tips to deal with this or it this the norm?

24578423811_701d7fd38f_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24304274969_223898e938_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24376430980_3102be5272_z.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

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Adam,

Great job on the riveting and rescribing man! Wish I could get lines that clean! In regards to the raised rivets, to flatten em' out a bit, just take a few quick passes over it with some sandpaper, and shoot some compressed air over it to clear the dust.

Keep up the great work!

Cheers,

 

Edited by Banana11000
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Right down by one of the intakes it's stamped 1987. Is this the first release or the later one?

This is the later release, as it has better seats (and I believe landing gear) and VF-124 markings. The original release had very simple seats and other details and came with VF-1 Wolfpack markings.

Edited by Darren Roberts
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As Banana said, just run over them lightly with some sand paper. Just make sure you dont run over them too much or youll have to do it over again. Great scribing and riveting, keep up the good work!

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Adam,

Great job on the riveting and rescribing man! Wish I could get lines that clean! In regards to the raised rivets, to flatten em' out a bit, just take a few quick passes over it with some sandpaper, and shoot some compressed air over it to clear the dust.

Keep up the great work!

Cheers,

Thanks, wish I could take more credit but most the scribes were already there I have only added a few panels here and there. Tried the light sand and air and it worked great thank :thumbsup:/>/>/>

Colin

This is the later release, as it has better seats (and I believe landing gear) and VF-124 markings. The original release had very simple seats and other details and came with VF-1 Wolfpack markings.

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:/>/>/>

As Banana said, just run over them lightly with some sand paper. Just make sure you dont run over them too much or youll have to do it over again. Great scribing and riveting, keep up the good work!

Thank you kindly :thumbsup:/>/>/>

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Well this is prob my last update for a while as I'm heading out of town for work for a week or two. Finished the scribing and riveting on the wings for the most part. Had a few issues with the leading edge seam splitting a few times while riveting :bandhead2: but it seems to be good now. Filled a few lines and added a few. Went over it with a black wash just to get an idea of how it looks. Im pretty happy with the outcome just hope it pays off once painted. Im defiantly looking forward to my riveting tool coming in the mail, I'm starting to get a calis on my one hand from the pin vice lol. Next up will be the bottom of the fuselage for some riveting and scribing then I will join the halves together now that the wings are done.

24397161120_4cc42d0dd7_c.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

24397162500_09f439701a_c.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

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Amazing work as always Adam! Superb job on the riveting there. There's no WAY i'd be able to get riveting that straight and consistent without the use of a riveting tool!

Keep up the great work, can't wait to see more!

Cheers,

 

Edited by Banana11000
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Thanks for the kind words guys! The scribing has been pretty minimal so I can't take too much credit for that but it's been a great learning curve and I'm glad I finally decided to tackle some more of it and some riveting. I've been laying out markings then just laying down some tape and making a line with a needle in a pin vise nice and light pressure then taking the tape off and going over it with a scriber..been working ok for me..I sure learned to take time and light pressure was key

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Nice rebuild already. I have the same kit (with some tamiya bits) on my shelf too, in nearly the same condition. :( Got from one of my fellow modellers. Will try sometime to rebuild too. :) (But first have to deal with the 1/48 F-4 rebuild. :D)

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  • 1 month later...

Well after finishing up some other kits I got going on the Tomcat again. I gotta say I started strong but once it came to attaching the fuselage halves and the nose section the fit was brutal, partially due to the crappy work I did when I worked on this kit 15 years ago. Some pieces had been glue but broken apart so lots of sanding of filler and glue. Im at the point I wanna get it done sad to say. That being said I'm happy with the rivet and scribing work I learned and can't wait for another 1/32 jet. Heres where I'm at now! Got a base coat down of Dark Gull Grey as Im using the Cam Decals for VF-41 Black Aces. Ive looked all over the net and have only found a couple reference photos in this scheme as its based around 2000. Im assuming its a newer scheme and fairly fresh paint so the weathering will be minimal as it is in the pics I have found so I decided not to do pre-shading. Hope to get some more done on it this week :thumbsup:/>

25370973383_1b12f2ee62_c.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

25878931272_f29227d105_c.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

25382870663_102e803160_c.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

25378914264_93e89ed4b8_c.jpgUntitled by Adam Szendrei, on Flickr

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