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What is the best currently 1/72 F-14A Tomcat kit?


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I´m looking for a F-14A, what is the best currently in 1/72 scale? GHW, FineMolds, Hasegawa (1988 mold), HobbyBoss, Academy (new mold), AMK?

 

Thx and regards

Edited by McFly
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GWH i s the best, without any doubt. But also is the most expensive. FineMolds is almost as good as GWH one and is little cheaper. Academy (new tool) is also very nice and much, much cheaper.

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The Fine Molds kit has serious shape issues. The GWH is much better but also is expensive. Shape wise it's very close. Myself, I have a half dozen Fujimis, and maybe one Hobby Boss. I'm good to go with the Fujimis as they go to together well, and the shapes are right for an early pussy cat (only cat I care anything about). I have not seen it in the flesh, but the new Academy kits seem to be very nice.

gary

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There was a post in this form a few months ago, comparing the shape of wing in Academy/GWH/Hasegawa and Finemolds. I remember the conclusion is Academy and GWH are the most accurate ones, Hasegawa and Finemolds suffer the same error. Tried to search but couldn't find the link now.

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10 hours ago, Solo said:

Oh, that is surprising for me. Any details?

do a search on here, as the folks in the know caught it. I was taken by surprise by the data supplied. Think the thread was two or three months back. I was ready to spring for a couple Cats from Fine molds, but think now I'd just go with the new Academy kit. it has the parts to build the very early airframe as well as the later f14a.

gary

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5 hours ago, BraggPeak said:

There was a post in this form a few months ago, comparing the shape of wing in Academy/GWH/Hasegawa and Finemolds. I remember the conclusion is Academy and GWH are the most accurate ones, Hasegawa and Finemolds suffer the same error. Tried to search but couldn't find the link now.

Perhaps you're thinking about my pictorial digression ?

 

 

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I like the Italeri and Hasegawa kits myself....

 

Talking about the best kits of it though

 

What kits have

 

A wing that can be over swept back into the storage position without modification?

Wings with the LE slats, TE flaps down and the bags inflated with a 2 position option on the U/C legs?

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6 hours ago, ChesshireCat said:

what I remember most about it was the side by side comparisons with said to be accurate drawings.

The 1/48 Tamiya also matches well those drawings.

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I just built the Academy F-14A. The kit is very nice, but I don´t like that the wings can´t be swept "symmetrical" (there is no provision to link the wings together, like on - I think - all other kits) and the front landing gear is coming only in a "in-flight"-configuration (hydraulics are completely "released" and not weighted in).

 

 

HAJO

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5 hours ago, Hajo L. said:

I just built the Academy F-14A. The kit is very nice, but I don´t like that the wings can´t be swept "symmetrical" (there is no provision to link the wings together, like on - I think - all other kits) and the front landing gear is coming only in a "in-flight"-configuration (hydraulics are completely "released" and not weighted in).

 

 

HAJO

 

Are you sure about this? I compared the oleo struts of both the Academy 1/72 and Tamiya 1/48 models and they seem to be pretty close relative to their respective scales of course. The Academy one looks longer as it lacks the rods linking the drag brace to the launch bar.

 

50145802353_b14736eac2_b.jpg

 

Mark

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On 7/23/2020 at 10:48 PM, gb_madcat_sl said:

 

Are you sure about this? I compared the oleo struts of both the Academy 1/72 and Tamiya 1/48 models and they seem to be pretty close relative to their respective scales of course. The Academy one looks longer as it lacks the rods linking the drag brace to the launch bar.

 

50145802353_b14736eac2_b.jpg

 

Mark

but neither one is in a loaded state. They are as if they were headed to the crusher. A CAT launch bird will look a little different

gary

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On 7/23/2020 at 10:48 PM, gb_madcat_sl said:

 

Are you sure about this? I compared the oleo struts of both the Academy 1/72 and Tamiya 1/48 models and they seem to be pretty close relative to their respective scales of course. The Academy one looks longer as it lacks the rods linking the drag brace to the launch bar.

 

50145802353_b14736eac2_b.jpg

 

Mark

Those missing are actually the shimmy dampers.

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1 hour ago, hemspilot said:

If you want the compressed nose gear strut, you need to go Hasegawa or Fujimi (also its KA Models reboxing).

Nope.

10664900z4.jpg

Edited by Laurent
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3 minutes ago, Laurent said:

Nope to "you need to go Hasegawa or Fujimi". GWH.

Your choice, but both Hasegawa and Fujimi have the option for compressed and uncompressed nose gear struts, while not as detailed as the much morexpensive GWH.

Fujimi parts 78 and 79, Hasegawa parts 13 and 16, these ones with the shimmy dampers missing from the Academy kit.

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