JohnS Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Here’s my representation of VF-74’s F-14B, BU No. 162919, Modex 101 prior to VF-74’s disestablishment ceremony in April, 1994. I started with the Hasegawa 1:48 F-14A Tomcat – ‘VF-14 Tophatters CAG’ model kit. As the build continued, the following aftermarket parts were added; Aires F-14B Cockpit Aires Wheel Bays Wolfpack F-14B/D Tomcat OIF Update set Wheelliant F-14B/D Weighted Wheels Hobby Decal Alpha Probe Steel Beach GE F110 Covered Nozzles CrossDelta Anti-Skid Walkways & Formation Lights Eduard Paint Masks Revell Cockpit Canopy Hasegawa Sidewinder Missile & TACTS Pod Wheelliant Navy Wheel Chocks Fightertown VF-74 Be-Devilers Devils Advocate Decals Hasegawa USN Pilots Eduard Remove Before Flight Additional Scratch Building Projects included the Chin Pod Camera, Yaw String, Canopy Guides, Canopy modification to clear Guides, Landing Gear Strut hydraulic tubing, miscellaneous Vent Louvers, ECS Exhaust Louvers & Plumbing, Air Bypass Ducts, Weapons Pallets, Air Conditioning Fans, Fuel Tank Pylons, Missile Rail Adapters, and the Arrestor Hook Mechanism. It has just received a new coat of camo paint on the top & sides prior to the squadron’s decommissioning ceremony. The squadron received a concession to full color markings on 101 (the CO’s jet) as a farewell gesture to VF-74 prior to its disestablishment. The underside of the actual aircraft was not repainted for the ceremony, except for anti-corrosion spot painting. The underside of the plane remained very dirty after a cruise on USS Saratoga in 1992. The ship was an oil burner causing the squadron’s aircraft to get very dirty. I’ve configured the model as an adversary aircraft. Most of VF-74’s F-14 adversary/aggressor Tomcats had their weapons rails, drop tanks, MXU-611 fuel tank racks, and Sparrow missile adapters removed, for improved maneuverability. I’ve added two LAU-7 missile launchers on each wing glove weapons station, with one inert training Sidewinder missile, and a TACTS pod on the port side. Here’s a link to my In-Progress build - http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=207998. Edited July 10, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Adam1818 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 She's a prize piece right there!! Very very nice!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fighting Eighty-Four Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Absolutely spectacular! That underside weathering and spot corrosion control painting looks so perfect. This is a fabulous build, thank you for sharing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 NOICE!!!!!!!! Good to see you finally knock this one out. Great job! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Again John, I want to congratulate you on an awesome build. The finished display looks great. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 20, 2016 Author Share Posted May 20, 2016 (edited) Thanks for the kind comments. Here's one last photo showing the Tomcat put to bed. The background photo in my Display Case post, & behind the display case in the above photo, is the Grim Reapers hanger at NAS Oceana. I took the photo in the early '90's, never thinking it would ever show up in a model build in 2016. Edited July 1, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 An absolutely triumph of a build, it was a pleasure to see the WIP. One of the best looking tails in the F-14 squadrons, this is an exceptional model. Bravo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 An absolutely triumph of a build, it was a pleasure to see the WIP. One of the best looking tails in the F-14 squadrons, this is an exceptional model. Bravo. :thumbsup:/>/> Thank you again, Parabat. Yes, VF-74 had very unique & distinctive tail art. When I was deciding on which squadron to build, I came across a photo of the 101 jet taken just prior to the squadron's disestablishment ceremony. The fresh camouflage paint job caught my eye. At the time, I didn't know much about the squadron & had only seen a few aircraft models for the squadron. So, I decided to attempt this build. As I researched 101, I learned a lot about the squadron's history. During the build, I received more information & advice from modellers who had served in the squadron and those who had seen the actual aircraft in person. All this made me want to build the best VF-74 Tomcat I could, to commemorate the squadron's 50 year history. For those interested, here's an abbreviated description of the squadron's history, from its establishment in 1944 to decommissioning in 1994. A detailed version can be found at the following link - VF-74 Squadron History VF-74 was established on the 16th of April 1944 as VBF-20. The squadron was redesignated as VF-10A on the 15th of November 1946 and the devil's head insignia was adopted. The squadron was redesignated as VF-92 on the 12th of August 1948 and finally as VF-74 on the 15th of January 1950. During its 50 years, the squadron flew the F4U-1 Corsair, the F6F Hellcat, the F8F Bearcat, the F4U-4 Corsair, the F2H Banshee, the F4D Skyray, the F-4B Phantom II, the F-4J Phantom, the F-14A Tomcat, and the F-14B Tomcat. VF-74 was the first fleet squadron to receive the F-14A+ (F-14B) Tomcat in 1988, and the first to launch an AIM-54A from a F-14B. The squadron flew combat sorties during WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Libyan Operations Prairie Fire and El Dorado Canyon, and the Gulf War. The squadron was deployed on USS Forrestal when the Forrestal suffered an ordnance explosion and fires on July 29, 1967. VF-74 lost 42 enlisted personnel and 3 F-4's. Many squadron members were commended for their heroic actions fighting the fires. In 1985, VF-74 and VF-103 took action in the war on terrorism during the Achille Lauro hijack incident. VF-74’s first F-14 Tomcat cruise was onboard USS Saratoga in 1984, and its last F-14 cruise was also onboard USS Saratoga, in 1992. Following the last Saratoga cruise, the squadron took on an aggressor role, working with various Navy and Air Force squadrons. VF-74’s aircraft were painted in light ghost grey and medium grey Su-27 style camouflage during this time. Squadron VF-74 - BeDevilers was disestablished on April 30, 1994, after 50 years of service. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 (edited) "Following the last Saratoga cruise, the squadron took on an aggressor role, working with various Navy and Air Force squadrons. VF-74’s aircraft were painted in light ghost grey and medium grey Su-27 style camouflage during this time." Uh oh! You did it now. You just offended the sensibilities of hundreds of Naval Aviators. They aren't aggressors. They're Adversary. You don't want to bring Naval Aviators down to the level of the Air Force. That's just insulting! :lol:/> Edited May 21, 2016 by Darren Roberts Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 "Following the last Saratoga cruise, the squadron took on an aggressor role, working with various Navy and Air Force squadrons. VF-74’s aircraft were painted in light ghost grey and medium grey Su-27 style camouflage during this time." Uh oh! You did it now. You just offended the sensibilities of hundreds of Naval Aviators. They aren't aggressors. They're Adversary. You don't want to bring Naval Aviators down to the level of the Air Force. That's just insulting! :lol:/>/> My bad! You just can't trust what you read on the Internet. I did get it right during the build though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
murad Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Hello Baby. Lovely camo job Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I think you are the first modeler who I have seen tackle the dirty soot belly and MAN does it look good, especially the corrosion control spray bombs. That is a damn impressive build! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 (edited) Thanks for your comments, murad & Jay. Painting the dirty underside was a challenge. It's amazing how dirty those jets got on the older carriers. I used a photo of 101, taken during its last cruise in '92, as a guide. To achieve the dirty effect, I applied a coat of light ghost grey, masked the touch up areas with pieces of white & blue tac putty, and then applied a coat of the umber colour. That was followed with a dark wash & then soot & oil stains using Tamiya's Weathering Master kits. Finally, everything got a coat of matt clear. Edited July 1, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JesniF-16 Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Wow John! Great to see this old build has crossed the finish line. Great paint work and phenomenal build sir Wish I could've seen more pics of the progress, but I guess PB has left many great builds in the dust including this one. A few years late /Jesse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 2, 2019 Author Share Posted December 2, 2019 Hi Jesse. Wow, it's been a while, but still good to hear from you. I'm still upset about the PB experience, as are many others. Thanks for your kind comments. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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