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USN VF-74 Be-Devilers F-14B Adversary Tomcat - 1/48


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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Here’s a link to my In-Progress build - http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=207998.

Edited by JohnS
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Thanks for the kind comments.

Here's one last photo showing the Tomcat put to bed.

 

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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 by JohnS
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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.

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"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 by Darren Roberts
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"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. :doh: I did get it right during the build though. :rolleyes:

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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.

 

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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 by JohnS
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  • 2 years later...

Wow John! Great to see this old build has crossed the finish line. Great paint work and phenomenal build sir :thumbsup:  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 :cheers:

/Jesse

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