Building which Blocks from Tamiya's F-14A's

[viper730]

I am looking to build BuNo 160654 NL 205 from the Furball VF-111 Sheet.  On looking up the BuNo. It's a  Block 100 Aircraft. I think I'm good with the Tamiya kit and adding a TCS pod under the nose. My problem is the Tail Stiffeners. I found only one photo and it's hard to see the details on the tail. Would a this A/C have them?  Any help Is GREATLY Appreciated.

Cheers

B

[achterkirch]

I believe it has the later style ones. https://www.cloud9photography.us/keyword/Original high res museum quality VF111 Sundowners military airplane pictures for sale/i-ZWQ7RsV/A

 

https://www.cloud9photography.us/keyword/Original high res museum quality VF111 Sundowners military airplane pictures for sale/i-w75cLVQ/A

Edited April 23, 2018 by achterkirch

[Darren Roberts]

I'd say you probably need the newer style braces.

[gtypecanare]

The F-14D kit will have the new brace, but that is tentative.

[Brian P: Fightertown Decals]

16 hours ago, gtypecanare said:

The F-14D kit will have the new brace, but that is tentative.

Really hope so. What's the point of an F-14D if it doesn't? That's like not updating the wheels to at least the standard post 1978 hubs. (But then again they released the 1-32 1994 and Black Knights version and never did update those things) It needs all new tail pieces, not just PE parts where you have to sand down the current parts and add PE parts. The old tails went away in 1977 and were out of the fleet by 1981. Any F-14 post 1978 should have those pieces. Really the Tamiya A out of the box is only good for a post-original boat tail, pre-tail stiffener jet. 1975ish-1978ish. Love the kit, but this release was very limited in what you can build. 

 

Brian 

Edited April 24, 2018 by Brian P: Fightertown Decals

[Brian P: Fightertown Decals]

7 hours ago, viper730 said:

I am looking to build BuNo 160654 NL 205 from the Furball VF-111 Sheet.  On looking up the BuNo. It's a  Block 100 Aircraft. I think I'm good with the Tamiya kit and adding a TCS pod under the nose. My problem is the Tail Stiffeners. I found only one photo and it's hard to see the details on the tail. Would a this A/C have them?  Any help Is GREATLY Appreciated.

Cheers

B

From 1982? You absolutely need the tail stiffeners and standard wheels. Neither of the old styles were still in the fleet by 1982. 

Brian 

[achterkirch]

Here’s another pic that shows the tail stiffeners clearly.  It’s the new style for sure.  

https://www.cloud9photography.us/keyword/Tomcat/i-3KwG9w6/A

[viper730]

11 hours ago, Brian P: Fightertown Decals said:

From 1982? You absolutely need the tail stiffeners and standard wheels. Neither of the old styles were still in the fleet by 1982. 

Brian 

Great Info So I'll Add some wheels. Curious can you give us some hints as to what decals are on the horizon... 

 

15 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

I'd say you probably need the newer style braces.

Thanks Darren. So Last night when I was  painting the Instrument Panel Hoods I thought a more detailed part with the canvas covers might be right for Steel Beach to sell. It's one of the small things Tamiya could have done a bit better. 

 

7 hours ago, achterkirch said:

Here’s another pic that shows the tail stiffeners clearly.  It’s the new style for sure.  

https://www.cloud9photography.us/keyword/Tomcat/i-3KwG9w6/A

Thanks for the all the Great Links ...I was looking at them for a good while. 

[Janissary]

I have a very similar question about the tail stiffeners. I am interested in this particular Ghost Rider 201 (from http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=74614):

 

 

I don't know the exact time frame but this is likely to be '85-'87. So based on Brian's 1982 remark, this must have the tail braces. Can any one confirm?

 

More critically, I was reading the following:

https://modelingmadness.com/review/mod/us/usn/fighter/gar14a.htm

 

There, it is suggests that any F-14A with the TCS pod would essentially have the tail braces installed at the depot update. Search for "hard to see sometimes" in the link. My question is whether this is a sure way of telling if the braces exist or not. This would be very convenient obviously, but wanted to pass this by the experts here. 

 

Thank you. 

[GW8345]

I won't take everything in that article as accurate, I notes several technical inaccuracies in that article.

[viper730]

The following is from the F-14 FAQ posted on Z5. after the post by Brian I kept looking and looking and when my brain started working again I remembered the FAQ there

So 1st thing check the BuNo and see how it came from Grumman then the time frame for "possible Mod's" but based on the picture its I see Tail Stiffeners and wing glove ECM Blisters but w/o knowing the BuNo Boat Tail ECM??? And a Huge Thank You to Darren Roberts for posting this originally👍

D-Rob  Steel Beach Resin   Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,471

F-14 block list Here's a quick and dirty listing of all the F-14 block and BuNo's along with a description of what they looked like in regard to chin pods, ECM gear, gun vents, etc. I had fun perusing some books, and was kind of surprised to find how many Tomcats carried the early style gun vent. There are definitely some "never say nevers" in pictures, also! Hopefully this trivial information will be of some aid. F-14A-60 (158612 158619) F-14A-65 (158620 158637) F-14A-70 (158978 159006) -- no alpha probe -- early beaver tail -- IRST/ALQ-100 chin pod or just ALQ-100 -- 7-holed gun vent -- Notes of interest: 158621 had the short gun muzzle with no gun vent. Some jets had the 7-holed gun vent replaced by the standard 2-holed gun vent later in life, even while retaining the original beaver tail. They also received the nose alpha probe later in life, even if they didn't have a Block 135 upgrade. F-14A-75 (159007 159025) -- no alpha probe -- early beaver tail -- ALQ-100 -- 7-holed gun vent -- Notes of interest: Many of these jets retained the early beaver tail and gun vent throughout their life. Some were upgraded to Block 135 and had the standard beaver tail installed. They also received the nose alpha probe later in life, even if they didn't have a Block 135 upgrade. F-14A-75 (159421 159429) F-14A-80 (159430 159468) -- no alpha probe -- standard beavertail -- ALQ-100 -- 7-holed gun vent F-14A -85 (159588 159637) -- no alpha probe -- standard beaver tail -- ALQ-100 -- Notes of interest: The early 7-holed gun vent was installed up 159611. Starting somewhere within 159612 - 159615, the standard 2-holed gun vent was installed. The first definitive picture is of 159615.  F-14A-90 (159825 159874) F-14A-95 (160379 160414) F-14A-100 (160652 160696) F-14A-105 (160887 160937) F-14A-110 (161138 161168) -- standard beaver tail -- nose alpha probe -- standard 2-holed gun vent -- ALQ-100 F-14A-115 (161270 161299) F-14A-120 (161416 161445) -- ECM blisters under glove vanes and beavertail -- standard beaver tail -- nose alpha probe -- standard 2-holed gun vent -- ALQ-100 F-14A-125 (161597 161626) F-14A-130 (161850 161873) F-14A-135 (162588 162611) F-14A-140 (162688 162711) -- TCS/ALQ-100 chin pod -- ECM blisters under glove vanes and beavertail -- standard beaver tail -- nose alpha probe -- standard 2-holed gun vent F-14B-145 (162910 162927) F-14B-150 (163215 163229) F-14B-155 (163407 163411) -- TACAN antenna -- ECM blister on left nose gear -- ECM blisters on sides of intakes -- NACA gun vents -- GE F110 engines -- TCS/ALQ-100 chin pod -- standard beaver tail -- nose alpha probe F-14D-160 (163412 163418) F-14D-165 (163893 163904) F-14D-170 (164340 164604) -- dual IRST/TCS chin pod -- new cockpit layout and seats -- TACAN antenna -- ECM blister on left nose gear -- ECM blisters on sides of intakes -- NACA gun vents -- standard beaver tail -- nose alpha probe -- GE F110 engines -- ECM blisters under wing glove removed Overall notes of interest: The above info is how they came out of Grumman. As the airframes aged,many were upgraded to Block 135 standards. Late in life, A's began being upgraded with the ECM gear found in Bs. This means the only way to tell the difference between a late A and a B is the engine  nozzles and the glove vanes (As had them, Bs didnt). The early 7-holed gun vent/beavertail arrangement could be found up to as late as 1989, if not even into the early 90s with the reserve squadrons.

[Darren Roberts]

3 hours ago, Janissary said:

I have a very similar question about the tail stiffeners. I am interested in this particular Ghost Rider 201 (from http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=74614😞

 

 

I don't know the exact time frame but this is likely to be '85-'87. So based on Brian's 1982 remark, this must have the tail braces. Can any one confirm?

 

More critically, I was reading the following:

https://modelingmadness.com/review/mod/us/usn/fighter/gar14a.htm

 

There, it is suggests that any F-14A with the TCS pod would essentially have the tail braces installed at the depot update. Search for "hard to see sometimes" in the link. My question is whether this is a sure way of telling if the braces exist or not. This would be very convenient obviously, but wanted to pass this by the experts here. 

 

Thank you. 

Someone SO needs to do this set of markings on a decal sheet. Every other set of markings for VF-142 has been done recently except this one. To me, this is the best looking scheme.

[Janissary]

IKR? I could wait no more so my plan after my Su-30 build is to do this with the Tamiya kit. Furball decals has the reaper (For the tomcat B) and the AG tail code. So I will use those. Everything else, I will source it from left over decals. I even found the Modex 201 in the Tamiya box decals, so I am good there! It has the yellow shadow I was so much looking to find. 

 

I am also planning resin seats (maybe), quickboost TCS, SB vinyl tail braces, and Hasegawa ECM bumps. The only thing that will be missing is the ECM on the beaver tail but I will scratch build that. I may just use an incorrect BuNo or print the correct one myself (if I can figure out what it is). So, I am ready to go! Is there anything else I am missing? 

 

More background / context: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/298647-hi-vis-decals-for-148-tamiya-tomcat-vf-14-or-vf-142-only/

 

Edited May 8, 2018 by Janissary

[viper730]

9 hours ago, Janissary said:

IKR? I could wait no more so my plan after my Su-30 build is to do this with the Tamiya kit. Furball decals has the reaper (For the tomcat B) and the AG tail code. So I will use those. Everything else, I will source it from left over decals. I even found the Modex 201 in the Tamiya box decals, so I am good there! It has the yellow shadow I was so much looking to find. 

 

I am also planning resin seats (maybe), quickboost TCS, SB vinyl tail braces, and Hasegawa ECM bumps. The only thing that will be missing is the ECM on the beaver tail but I will scratch build that. I may just use an incorrect BuNo or print the correct one myself (if I can figure out what it is). So, I am ready to go! Is there anything else I am missing? 

 

More background / context: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/298647-hi-vis-decals-for-148-tamiya-tomcat-vf-14-or-vf-142-only/

 

 

I bought the Digital Book By Bert Kinzey Tomcats Part1  The time frame of the photo is October 1987 and say This plane was one of the very few VF-142 A/C to remain in overall Light Gull Gray. Your planes BuNo is 162699 and that would make it a block 140 A/C. So Yes on all the ECM blisters. I also saw that it has the Rio's Boarding step re-enforcement. I won't post the image for copyright reason. I Highly recommend those 2 books. They are only 10.00 for the digital download or free if you build up Amazon points like I did. 

HTH

 

[picknpluck]

The tail stiffeners are clearly visible in that VF-142 pic. Look on the inboard side of the port vertical tail.

[dehowie]

Berts new F-14 books are simply fabulous.

Outstanding use of electronic medium..

[Janissary]

I have the Tamiya F-14A. I just ordered the SB vinyl tail stiffeners and QB TCS pod! Thank you all for the info.