Jump to content

1/18th scale JSI F-14B Tomcat conversion


Recommended Posts

Greetings all,

This has been quite the project and would not have been possible without the following people for all their help, suggestions and, ideas. Without their support, this would not have been possible.

To JSI for creating the 1/18th scale Tomcat even with it's spots and all.

To Marek, may he rest in peace. His amazing talents inspired me to take on this project. His craftsmanship was second to none. Hopefully you approve Marek.

To Brian Plesica, of "FIGHTERTOWN DECALS", for upscaling the markings for a custom sheet. Without the markings there would have been no point in going ahead with this project.

To Dan Teker for reaching out to Brian Plesica and getting he and I together.

To Janos Carpenter for generously donating the necessary parts that I needed to create a "BOMBCAT." He's a super person and, an even better friend.

To my buddy Ted Dyer for his hard work in casting me the resin rear Phoenix pallets, four bomb racks and, the four MK-83' s to make this Tomcat unique in this scale. Thanks also to Ted for reaching out to his friend Pete Nuskey, a very talented machinist, who drilled the holes at the proper angels for the two inch acrylic rods.

To Nathan Horchem for the resin GE F110 engine nozzles.

To Nick Williamson, of FOXThre3Customs, for our long phone talks and his encouragement, thanks brother.

To Brian "OOMPA" Marbrey for supplying me with reference pics of my jet, answering MANY questions, sharing his modeling expertise and,  his vast knowledge of the Tomcat, thanks bud !

To Chuck Sawyer and Marcell for their tip on the walkways. The Rust-Oleum textured spray worked awesome and looks the part for this scale.

And last but not least, my two long time good friends and modellers, Duane "BUZZ" Lockwood and Ed "Gunny" Miranda. BUZZ made me my aluminum Alpha probe for the nose and helped out with the aft end fuselage shape for the B/D model. Their friendship, countless hours of support and suggestions helped me see this project thru to completion, thanks guys !!

And finally, to ALL the members of ARC who followed this never ending re-build. There are so many very talented builders on this forum who do amazing things with plastic. Thank you for all your encouraging words and support which helped me to see this thru to completion. I am humbled that you showed interest in my work.

There were a lot of good days and bad days with this project. More time away from the bench than at it but, I was determined to stick with it and get her finished. It was definitely a labor of love and just my little part to help keep the Big Fighter's spirit alive. I'm very proud to have created such a unique piece and tried to do the 'ole girl justice.

Thanks to everyone, enjoy the pics.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

 

IMG_6219_zpskuwyijmp.jpg

 

IMG_6248_zpsqlpqm3uf.jpg

 

IMG_6238_zpsjjodvyt2.jpg

 

IMG_6220_zpss0d2ly1j.jpg

 

IMG_6221_zpsbvfsevsk.jpg

 

IMG_6250_zpsiuvclggp.jpg

 

IMG_6242_zps3xmunfg0.jpg

 

IMG_6241_zpsmgzu3bdp.jpg

 

IMG_6240_zps2oiax75x.jpg

 

IMG_6237_zpsemresl54.jpg

 

IMG_6229_zpsk5pgk6bm.jpg

 

IMG_6231_zpsgilwdosm.jpg

 

IMG_6235_zps0ia8b28n.jpg

 

IMG_6236_zpsig2bmoeq.jpg

 

IMG_6233_zpsehvhyxpa.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Aigore said:

It's been a privilege to follow this build from start to finish it is outstanding!

Thanks Aigore, I really appreciate that.

53 minutes ago, crushkill said:

Man this was a fun ride, almost sad it’s over. She’s beautiful 

Thanks, it is bitter sweet.

35 minutes ago, freshnewstart said:

I agree with above.

Simply and amazing thread you created in progress forum.

Outstanding result, and very cool pictures. YOU DID IT!!

Thank you SIR :salute: for the ride along.

Jesper

 

Thanks for following along Jesper, much appreciated.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Edited by A-10 LOADER
Link to post
Share on other sites

My Gawd that is beautiful!!  Awesome build and so worth the long time frame.  That weathering looks absolutely spot on and real.

 

Congrat's Steve.  You are a Master! 

 

Tiny suggestion:  Buff up those exhausts with a little Tamiya oil stain so they don't look so shiny.  If you don't like the look, it comes off with water.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Edited by chuck540z3
Link to post
Share on other sites

She's a beaut!  Great job Steve.

 

Another suggestion.  Can you take a photo of the jet along with something that can show the relative size of this big bird?  It would help everyone understand the huge scope of the work & what you've been able to accomplish.

 

John

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
17 hours ago, chuck540z3 said:

My Gawd that is beautiful!!  Awesome build and so worth the long time frame.  That weathering looks absolutely spot on and real.

 

Congrat's Steve.  You are a Master! 

 

Tiny suggestion:  Buff up those exhausts with a little Tamiya oil stain so they don't look so shiny.  If you don't like the look, it comes off with water.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Thanks very much Chuck, that means a lot coming from you. Ya know, I thought about using the oil stain on the exhausts but, since their Alclad, I didn't want to ruin them.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Link to post
Share on other sites
17 hours ago, JohnS said:

She's a beaut!  Great job Steve.

 

Another suggestion.  Can you take a photo of the jet along with something that can show the relative size of this big bird?  It would help everyone understand the huge scope of the work & what you've been able to accomplish.

 

John

 

 

Your right John, I wanted to have me in one of those shots, for scale but, no one else was home at the time. I will do that to give the jet scale. From the carpet to the tip of the Alpha probe the display measures 68 inches tall.

Thanks for the kind words too John, much appreciated.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Link to post
Share on other sites
12 hours ago, dylan said:

that's just fantastic

 

3 hours ago, Tgoetz said:

Wow!  Thanks for sharing.  

 

1 hour ago, Rodney said:

Amazing!!!

Thanks very much guys, very much appreciated.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Link to post
Share on other sites

Steve,

 

Congratulations, you've done a spectacular job! The finished model looks incredibly realistic and the pics were definitely worth waiting for. I'm surprised how accurate the overall shape is considering how big the model is. You've done the big girl justice..............now what's next???

Link to post
Share on other sites
11 minutes ago, wardog said:

Steve,

 

Congratulations, you've done a spectacular job! The finished model looks incredibly realistic and the pics were definitely worth waiting for. I'm surprised how accurate the overall shape is considering how big the model is. You've done the big girl justice..............now what's next???

Thanks wardog, I really value your opinion.

I guess I'll keep with the Grumman theme and get back to my 1/48th scale Revell-Monogram A-6E TRAM that I started @15 years ago before life got in the way. Of course she's no where near yours but, I just hope that I can still work on that scale after working on the Big Cat.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, A-10 LOADER said:

Thanks very much Chuck, that means a lot coming from you. Ya know, I thought about using the oil stain on the exhausts but, since their Alclad, I didn't want to ruin them.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

 

The Tamiya pastels will not harm Alclad- or any other paint for that matter.  Although they feel greasy, they dissolve in water, so they can be easily removed with water.  Try some on a test piece and I bet you like the look. 

 

Again, Awesome build!,

Chuck

Link to post
Share on other sites
21 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

Superb build. Excellent work.

Thanks very much.

20 hours ago, JohnS said:

All I can say is "WOW"!  :clap2:

The display is quite impressive when you see it in person.

20 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

NOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very, very well done. You should be extremely proud of your accomplishment.

Thanks Darren, appreciate that.

19 hours ago, FAR148 said:

About damn time! It's not like it's a 1/18 scale... HaHa! No really, Very Cool Steve :thumbsup:

 

What's next for your work bench?

 

 

Steven L :wave:

Thanks Steve.

I guess I'll keep with the Grumman theme and get back to my 1/48th A-6E TRAM that I set aside @15 years ago, when life got in the way.

17 hours ago, chuck540z3 said:

 

The Tamiya pastels will not harm Alclad- or any other paint for that matter.  Although they feel greasy, they dissolve in water, so they can be easily removed with water.  Try some on a test piece and I bet you like the look. 

 

Again, Awesome build!,

Chuck

Good to know Chuck, thanks for the tip.

16 hours ago, GW8345 said:

Beautiful Tomcat!!!!!

 

Very Nicely Done.:thumbsup:

 

GW

Thank you GW.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/25/2018 at 10:01 AM, A-10 LOADER said:

Thanks wardog, I really value your opinion.

I guess I'll keep with the Grumman theme and get back to my 1/48th scale Revell-Monogram A-6E TRAM that I started @15 years ago before life got in the way. Of course she's no where near yours but, I just hope that I can still work on that scale after working on the Big Cat.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

Can't go wrong with an A-6 and with your skillset, tackling the beast should be no problem. If you ever have a need for reference photos, let me know, I have a ton.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Most impressive! 

 

I too have followed this from time to time, but the end result really succeeded to blow my mind! 

 

Would have needed a banana for scale although even without it I can imagine it's enormous size. 🍌

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...