Janissary Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 After countless hours of studying both Tamiya and Hasegawa Tomcats, I decided that I like Hasegawa's better! But, I just can't find conclusive answers to a few questions I have about the 1/48 Hasegawa F-14A, and Tomcats in general, so seeking your advice. (1) When parked but not under maintenance, is it at all possible that the top and bottom airbrakes between the tails remain ajar ever so slightly (i.e., not flush with the fuselage)? Are there any pics out there showing this (to gauge how open it could be)? (2) Like the airbrakes, could the gun cover and the neighboring panel (parts A15 and E20 here: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10034530/70/12) be open under its own weight and simply dangle slightly away from the fuselage? Or is the natural, unbolted loose position (without the prop rod) still flush with the fuselage? I can't find any pics. (3) Is the TARPS pod always hung on the starboard side or can it be on either side? (4) When the TARPS is attached, could the other side still have the rear Phoenix pallet attached, or is that not possible? (5) For the Hasegawa Tomcat, when the two halves of the exhausts cans are put together (step 19 here: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10034530/70/4), how visible is the seam especially through the open nozzle? Thinking of getting the Aires cans, but just wanted to see how the kit looks like. Or is there a way to hide the kit's seam in a clever way? (6) Do you recommend Aires cockpit over the kit's cockpit? (7) Has anybody tried fitting Aires cockpit for the HobbyBoss kit into Hasegawa? Does it fit? (8) How about the Aires wheel wells? Are they worth the pain of getting them in? Thank you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 6 hours ago, Janissary said: After countless hours of studying both Tamiya and Hasegawa Tomcats, I decided that I like Hasegawa's better! But, I just can't find conclusive answers to a few questions I have about the 1/48 Hasegawa F-14A, and Tomcats in general, so seeking your advice. (1) When parked but not under maintenance, is it at all possible that the top and bottom airbrakes between the tails remain ajar ever so slightly (i.e., not flush with the fuselage)? Are there any pics out there showing this (to gauge how open it could be)? A: not that I know of (2) Like the airbrakes, could the gun cover and the neighboring panel (parts A15 and E20 here: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10034530/70/12) be open under its own weight and simply dangle slightly away from the fuselage? Or is the natural, unbolted loose position (without the prop rod) still flush with the fuselage? I can't find any pics. A: not a clue, really (3) Is the TARPS pod always hung on the starboard side or can it be on either side? A: only the starboard side, a tomcats needs modifications to be able to carry the pod, wireing and stuff. (4) When the TARPS is attached, could the other side still have the rear Phoenix pallet attached, or is that not possible? Different mission profile, phoenix are for fleet defence so carrying a TARPS a Tomcat only carrying sparrows and winders for self defence. For display purposes the pallet could be fitted but not operationally. (5) For the Hasegawa Tomcat, when the two halves of the exhausts cans are put together (step 19 here: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10034530/70/4), how visible is the seam especially through the open nozzle? Thinking of getting the Aires cans, but just wanted to see how the kit looks like. Or is there a way to hide the kit's seam in a clever way? A: The aires cans are a wee bit too small for the gawa kit, I pur a strip of plasticard as a distance to make them fit (6) Do you recommend Aires cockpit over the kit's cockpit? A: Oh yes! (7) Has anybody tried fitting Aires cockpit for the HobbyBoss kit into Hasegawa? Does it fit? A: wouldn't be surprised if it's the same pit :P (8) How about the Aires wheel wells? Are they worth the pain of getting them in? A: I think so....wasn't that muchnwork getting them in (a dremel is a good tool) Thank you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Every modeler has their own opinions. If you like the Hasegawa Tomcat better, that's totally okay. With that said, I just can't fathom how you like Hasegawa over Tamiya. If it's because of the open speed brakes, dirty wings, etc., I can understand a little bit. With those exceptions, the Tamiya kit thumps the Hasegawa kit in every area. But again, the enjoyment you get from building a particular kit is all that matters. In regards to your questions, I've got answers to a couple of them. I've never seen the speed brakes ajar. If they are, it would be almost imperceptible in 1/48 scale. I see where you're going with it, though. You're overcoming the poor fit issue. I do the same thing with Hasegawa A-4 speed brakes. I've also never seen the gun covers hanging loose. Others may know more, though. The cockpit is one of Hasegawa's weak points. You can go the resin route, but I've found that colored PE is just as good. Who looks into the cockpit when it's sitting on a shelf anyway? :-) The wheel bays, while nice, are a pain to put in. Again, when it's sitting on the shelf, no one will ever see them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neeko Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 The aircraft pictured are Ds, but what I write should hold true to A and B aircraft as well. Sometimes the upper speed brake doesn't lay totally flat when the aircraft is at rest. Bottom ones were always flush from my experience. Not saying they were never prone to droop, but for as much time as I had spent underneath them, I never noticed it. The way the fasteners were on the hinged panels did not lend themselves well to hanging freely un-propped like the doors on the Super Hornets. If they needed to be left loose and unattended for a bit, we "tacked" the panels back on by finger-tightening a couple of the fasteners down with the panel laid flat on the aircraft... like so: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janissary Posted June 29, 2017 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 Thank you very much gentlemen, your input answers all my questions. If I may add one more: When parked, are the intake ramps in the up (retracted) position? I thought that was the case, but from Neeko's last pic, it seems the ramps are down. Could they be in either position? Darren, I know my preference of Hasegawa over Tamiya is odd. Tamiya is certainly a better kit all around with fantastic detail. My Hase will be all clean wings and speed brakes (apparently now), so Hase does not have an advantage there either. If I can get through the Hase, my next Tomcat will most likely be a Tamiya kit. But like you guessed, there is an inexplicable future satisfaction I see with getting a Hase Tomcat under my belt. The Tomcat is my favorite aircraft, but I have never attempted this classic kit before. So the challenge is enticing to say the least. But I know how frustrating the kit is. I'd go into it knowing that I may give up in the middle. About the Tamiya kit... It's wonderful and all that, but I'm suffering from a Tamiya Tomcat fatigue (too many builds in such a short time) and from what I can see, it fits, ummm, perfectly, like legos! Sometime I wonder if that has taken away some of the enthusiasm I would otherwise have. Yes, it's odd. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neeko Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 The ramps can be manually dropped at shutdown or by the maintenance crews on deck. This was normally done prior to a jet going into the hangar, or to facilitate maintenance that required the ramps in the down position. Normal aircrew shutdown has the ramps in the up position, but it's not uncommon to see them dropped like in my pic above. You're not crazy for wanting to build the Hasegawa Tomcat in this day and age... I have several and have built a few. True, it feels like you'll never stop throwing parts on it while you're building, but the challenges are well-documented and they do look sharp when complete. Happy building. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 8 hours ago, Janissary said: Thank you very much gentlemen, your input answers all my questions. If I may add one more: When parked, are the intake ramps in the up (retracted) position? I thought that was the case, but from Neeko's last pic, it seems the ramps are down. Could they be in either position? Darren, I know my preference of Hasegawa over Tamiya is odd. Tamiya is certainly a better kit all around with fantastic detail. My Hase will be all clean wings and speed brakes (apparently now), so Hase does not have an advantage there either. If I can get through the Hase, my next Tomcat will most likely be a Tamiya kit. But like you guessed, there is an inexplicable future satisfaction I see with getting a Hase Tomcat under my belt. The Tomcat is my favorite aircraft, but I have never attempted this classic kit before. So the challenge is enticing to say the least. But I know how frustrating the kit is. I'd go into it knowing that I may give up in the middle. About the Tamiya kit... It's wonderful and all that, but I'm suffering from a Tamiya Tomcat fatigue (too many builds in such a short time) and from what I can see, it fits, ummm, perfectly, like legos! Sometime I wonder if that has taken away some of the enthusiasm I would otherwise have. Yes, it's odd. I hear you. Sometimes a challenge is the fun of building. As Neeko said, they look good when done, and you will have had the satisfaction of taming the beast. Well, it's not THAT bad! :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 I think the Hase is a joy to build, with a little thinking it fits almost as well as the Tamyia. The buildability of the Tamyia is amazing...you simply cannot put a part wrong, it's like lego. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janissary Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 Just one observation about the Tamiya kit: I find the radome tip to be a tad bit skinny / pointy. Has anyone else observed this? That first occurred to me while ago (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/292870-tamiya-148th-f-14-sept-2016/&do=findComment&comment=2801639) but having seen many built models, it seems to be there. The pics in the above link were to Tamiya FB page where they had the first pics of the built VF-84 bird. This is so minor to me that it has nothing to do with my pref of Hase over Tamiya. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fighting Eighty-Four Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 28 minutes ago, Janissary said: Just one observation about the Tamiya kit: I find the radome tip to be a tad bit skinny / pointy. Has anyone else observed this? That first occurred to me while ago (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/292870-tamiya-148th-f-14-sept-2016/&do=findComment&comment=2801639) but having seen many built models, it seems to be there. The pics in the above link were to Tamiya FB page where they had the first pics of the built VF-84 bird. This is so minor to me that it has nothing to do with my pref of Hase over Tamiya. I actually agree with this. I'm a huge Tomcat fan, and the Tamiya F-14 nose is just ever so slightly too pointy to my eye. I think the Hasegawa Tomcat actually looks more "right" in that area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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