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Tamiya 1/48th F-14 Sept 2016


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Changed my mind. Those definitely do not look like daily doors - they are too big and extend too far forward to be the panels commonly seen hanging open on the F-14. (You know, the one the pilot would look into on his walkaround as if he understood what was in there.) If you look at the forward nacelle parts, they have the openings in them for the main landing gear strut brace. This opening is right at the aft end of the part, but on the real plane, there is a fair distance between the opening and the daily door. So I'm not sure why they made those parts separate. It will certainly facilitate opening the daily doors...

Something else I noticed while gazing at the test shots: the nose landing gear well has an extended piece at the aft end whose purpose I can't figure out.

I am really feeling like the nose and fuselage sprues were left out of the display because Tamiya did some innovative things with them that they just didn't want to reveal so early.

Can't wait!

Yeah, I thought those panels looked like "daily" doors. If so, it would be a great detail to be able to show those open.

Edited by andrew.deboer
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That nose gear well extension is probably for the retraction strut that is attached to the back of the nose gear and extends back into the fuselage. When the gear is down it slides up into the fuselage.

Mvc-010s.jpg

EDIT: Thought you were talking about the hold-back bar.

Edited by Swordsman422
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Something else I noticed while gazing at the test shots: the nose landing gear well has an extended piece at the aft end whose purpose I can't figure out.

It looks to me like it's just a spreader to ensure proper geometry of the fuselage parts as they come together.

-Gabe

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Actually, the aft nose gear well extension was missing from the built-up cockpit parts. The section I'm talking about is part of the gear well ceiling, and extends aft and downward from the aft end of the cockpit tub.

That nose gear well extension is probably for the retraction strut that is attached to the back of the nose gear and extends back into the fuselage. When the gear is down it slides up into the fuselage.

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Oh... Sorry, misunderstood. I think Gabe might be right. It's some kind of spacer/alignment aid. We don't have fuselage sprue shots yet, but I am willing to bet the fuse is split up by quarters. Left/right for the nose and top/bottom for the pancake. The panel where the front fuse meets the pancake is a bit more apparent than the rest of the panel lines.

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changed my idea... it seems a great kit (am I wrong or it's the 1st time we can appreciate these "seals" in 1/48 scale Tomcat kits? :rolleyes:/> )

vqtoc0.jpg

What I've heard is you get two sets of the wing glove seal and airbag seal. And both are removable after assembly.

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changed my idea... it seems a great kit (am I wrong or it's the 1st time we can appreciate these "seals" in 1/48 scale Tomcat kits? :rolleyes:/> )

vqtoc0.jpg

Yes, the first time in kit form, I believe... in any scale

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I also like the figures. All of my subjects are in-flight, so a crew is required. I'm an avid collector of Navy flight gear from 1965-2005, so I'm very familiar with how the crew is supposed to be dressed. I think this might be the first time in an 1/48 F-14 boxing that the pilot and RIO are wearing proper and period-appropriate gear. Every other F-14 boxing in this scale that even have crew figures they have been wearing 1970's USAF equipment. It could be argued here that the headwear the Tamiya crew has (HGU-33/MBU-14 combo) would not be appropriate for mid-70's Tomcats, but telling the difference between a period-accurate APH-6 with visor housing cutouts and cast bayonet receivers from a stock HGU-33 would be nearly impossible in scale. And while the MS22001 mask vs. the MBU-14/P are very different in 1/1, in 1/48 the details are close enough that you paint both green and you'll be alright so long as you don't put a black dot on the nose for the MBU's amp block.

Don't mind me. This is just how I count my rivets.

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looking at those pictures, I don't know why so many critics. The kit has a lot of detail, it's a really nice model kit. I want at least 3. Then wait to for the AMK F-14 kit that for sure will be a great one too.

Edited by joscasle
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Why would you need photos to change your mind? I was sold after new and tamiya. The tomcat part was just gravy.

My reasons need to be the same as everyone else? If it will satisfy you, the first set of photos were "ho hum" (for me), and after seeing more and some additional details, I became more impressed and decided "yes I want to buy this." Sheesh

"Tamiya" and "new" aren't automatics for me. I don't have unlimited funds. In addition, I choose very carefully where I spend my money. But I'll seek your counsel in the future.

Edited by jester292
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Yes, the first time in kit form, I believe... in any scale

Hasegawa has optional inflatable seal parts in the 1/72 Tomcats, for wings in either the oversweep position or swept forward. I'd be surprised if their 1/48 doesn't have them as well. They're not interchangeable as the wings aren't meant to move on those kits, but they do depict the bags in the right configuration for the selected wing position.

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Hasegawa has optional inflatable seal parts in the 1/72 Tomcats, for wings in either the oversweep position or swept forward. I'd be surprised if their 1/48 doesn't have them as well. They're not interchangeable as the wings aren't meant to move on those kits, but they do depict the bags in the right configuration for the selected wing position.

I think what's being referred to is the row of sealing plates above the bag. It's a small detail that has been missed on Tomcat models up to this point. Some have asked why people wouldn't like this kit. It's going to be a great kit, and the surface detail looks fantastic. For me, the big question is the wheel bay and cockpit detail. The wheel bays are pretty basic, which wasn't necessarily disappointing, per se, but rather didn't seem to meet the expectations of what Tamiya has been doing lately. They aren't much of an improvement, if at all, over the Hasegawa bays, except if they fit better. The side instrument panels likewise seem to be soft on detail. Now, to be truthful, neither of these really matters in the end, at least to me, since it will be sitting on a shelf and neither area will be particularly visible. I think some people are reading into unmet expectations as being critical of the overall kit, even with the whole wing flap. Did you see what I did there? :rolleyes:/>/> I would imagine that if you ask anyone who loves the Tomcat if this is a good kit, 99.9% will agree it is. The .1% that don't are hopelessly destined to be disappointed by any and all model releases. :D/>/>

Edited by Darren Roberts
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I think what's being referred to is the row of sealing plates above the bag. It's a small detail that has been missed on Tomcat models up to this point. Some have asked why people wouldn't like this kit. It's going to be a great kit, and the surface detail looks fantastic. For me, the big question is the wheel bay and cockpit detail. The wheel bays are pretty basic, which wasn't necessarily disappointing, per se, but rather didn't seem to meet the expectations of what Tamiya has been doing lately. They aren't much of an improvement, if at all, over the Hasegawa bays, except if they fit better. The side instrument panels likewise seem to be soft on detail. Now, to be truthful, neither of these really matters in the end, at least to me, since it will be sitting on a shelf and neither area will be particularly visible. I think some people are reading into unmet expectations as being critical of the overall kit, even with the whole wing flap. Did you see what I did there? :rolleyes:/>/>/> I would imagine that if you ask anyone who loves the Tomcat if this is a good kit, 99.9% will agree it is. The .1% that don't are hopelessly destined to be disappointed by any and all model releases. :D/>/>/>

Ah. I'm not that big of an F-14 aficionado as some, so I haven't paid that much attention overall. I've never built a 1/48 Tomcat except for a pair of Monogram ones back in the 80s, and don't have any in the stash in any scale. This one looks like it will do quite nicely for the single example I plan to build, though, so I'm looking forward to the release.

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I think it's unlikely Tamiya will change its mind about the flaps and slats when it's only a minority who are taking issue with it. Wouldn't this mean coming up with a new set of molds?

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There's little point. flap/slat options are nice, sure... but in all the Tomcat models I've ever built (numbering somewhere between 20-30 at last count), I've only ever built ONE with the flaps/slats dropped, and that's because the customer asked for it that way. It isn't as huge a deal for the Tomcat because majority of the time it was on the ground, the wings were swept (which means slats/flaps were up)

I get people wanting the choice, I just don't see how it could be considered a deal-breaker for the kit, especially given how nice the rest of the kit looks at first glance.

I'm sure I'll wind up getting at least one of each (tamiya and AMK), the ultimate factor is probably going to be whoever provides the better price point.

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