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I have a Tamiya F-14A in the stash and was wondering what all I'd need to make it into a jet from the late 80s to early 90s as opposed to the 70s. I believe certain parts around the gun changed at some point just don't know when and what other external changes occurred. 

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Depends on what airframe and the year. I believe the first big thing was addition of the tall TACAN antenna on the spin. Then the gun vent got changed to the NACA type found later in life on all tomcats. IIRC all the remaining jets after 94 ish got the ECM upgrade too. That’s what I can recall off the top of my head I’m sure others will chime in too. 

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Tail stiffeners are lacking on the original Tamiya kit as well. You will need those (if you choose) for a older A-model Tomcat. 

 

 You can buy the Tamiya D-model sprue trees separately that have the updated gun vent panel and tails. See the thread below. 

 

 

Cheers

Collin

Edited by Collin
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Another option to consider is to sell your A, and get a D. Then do a back conversion from there. Please see here:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/303452-148-tamiya-f-14d/&do=findComment&comment=2974580

 

If you start with a D, you only need Sprue K from the A kit (can order from Tamiya), and a few other after market items. Most of the after market you would need to buy anyway if you want to go from Tamiya A to a late A. 

 

This is my plan and I know Tamiya USA has recently stocked new sprues for sale. I just have too many other projects in the pipeline, so I may as well wait to see if Tamiya comes out with a late A.

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12 hours ago, Hornet14 said:

Thanks guys. Looking at a VF-51 jet from 89 right now so I'll do some more research on that particular airframe.

 

For that time frame, it would probably be a Block 125 updgrade. Steel Beach makes a set that you can find "here" . If your specific jet doesn't have the ECM antennas, then you'll just need a TCS pod and tail stiffeners. Either way, you will also need the newer style wheels. There are a number of aftermarket companies that have the later wheels. Quickboost makes a TCS pod, but you can use the SB one if the Quickboost isn't available, or you can use one from a Hasegawa kit, though it is visibly undersized. For the tail braces, SB makes a vinyl set and there are other companies that have resin and PE. You can also order the tails from Tamiya. 

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On 12/27/2019 at 11:03 PM, achterkirch said:

Depends on what airframe and the year. I believe the first big thing was addition of the tall TACAN antenna on the spin. Then the gun vent got changed to the NACA type found later in life on all tomcats. IIRC all the remaining jets after 94 ish got the ECM upgrade too. That’s what I can recall off the top of my head I’m sure others will chime in too. 

 

This would be more for a late A. In the late 80's, the only changes would be the tail braces, wheels, and TCS pod. There were many with the ECM upgrade, but you could still find quite a few that still didn't have it. I've even seen pictures of the original 7 grill gun vent into the late 80's. If he's wanting VF-51, I would image more than likely he'd need the things listed above. 

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3 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

 

This would be more for a late A. In the late 80's, the only changes would be the tail braces, wheels, and TCS pod. There were many with the ECM upgrade, but you could still find quite a few that still didn't have it. I've even seen pictures of the original 7 grill gun vent into the late 80's. If he's wanting VF-51, I would image more than likely he'd need the things listed above. 

Ya he didn’t say which unit or a specific year year so I was generalizing. 

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If you are doing a bird from the 89/90 time frame I would worry about the NACA gun vents (unless you find a pic of the aircraft having them at that time).

 

The reason is because that change didn't come out until late 88/early 89 (the A+'s had them installed during modification/build before the change hit the fleet) so it is highly unlikely that your bird had them since the change had just been issued and it would have taken a few months for the kits to be in the supply system.

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