Top Gun F-14s - Tamiya 1/48

[crackerjazz]

Continuing my partially-started build of the two F-14s.   Here goes nothing.   You can do this!  (psyching myself)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some weathering and decaling reference shots.    I tried to adjust the lighting as they look so dark in the film you can't see the weathering patterns too well.   

 

 

 

 

 

Why do the walkways look very light-colored?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the airbags look brownish in color instead of gray.  Wondering if there's an FS color for that walkway shade.  Or is that just an effect of the warm hues in the film?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It'll be a challenge to weather for me that's for sure.  I still don't know how you guys weather an F-14 so easily.   

 

[phantom]

Did those a couple years back. Nice fun to paint planes with all the panel touch ups.

 

[eraucubsfan]

Awesome start!!! 

[crackerjazz]

Thanks, phantom, that was an inspiration!  eraucubsfan, thanks, hope I could see this through to the end : )   

 

Extracted the cockpits from my abandoned Hasegawa F-14s.   Moving the seats and figures to the Eduard/Brassin cockpits.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will figure out how to mask the helmets without having to remove the figures from the seats.   Looking through the decal set I couldn't spot any helmet decals for Iceman and Slider          Wouldn't those have been the more important helmets to include than Cougar and Merlin's?

Edited January 31, 2021 by crackerjazz

[Brian P: Fightertown Decals]

Helmet markings are included for Maverick, Goode, Iceman and Slider. We never included any for Cougar and Merlin. 
 

In your picture between the 2 different VF-213 badges I see Slider’s blue bolt and left and lower is his helmet badge.

-brian 

Edited January 31, 2021 by Brian P: Fightertown Decals

[crackerjazz]

I must be blind!    Sorry, yes I do see them now, thanks Brian!  When I looked at the instruction sheet and saw helmet drawings close to where it says "Merlin" I assumed right away that it was Merlin's helmet  

[crackerjazz]

Some progress on my build. The Eduard/Brassin cockpit gives instructions about which areas to shim underneath the tubs.  It also instructs to cut the middle bar of the sill to make room for the RIO's coaming.   In hindsight I think should have left the sill's middle bar intact and later on maybe just carve up a notch under the RIO IP to fit it in.  The middle bar of the sill is important as it holds the cockpit sides together to match the canopy width -- if you want the canopy closed, that is.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cockpit is wider than canopy.  Test fitted the sill.  Had to shave off a lot of material from the sides of the resin pit to correct.  An original, uncut sill part would have made it easier to see how much material to remove.  My mistake was that I already cut both in one go.

 

Replaced the side wall resin fabric covers with some very thin Japanese paper and simulated some folds in the fabric : )   Kinda hard to see though  : )

 

 

 

After fixing cockpit width. I'm happy enough.    Maybe next time, though, I'll use the original cockpit tub with some of those 3d printed panels Andrew Deboer used in his build.

 

 

Still have to shave off some material to fit the coaming in but I'm happy overall.

[eraucubsfan]

How is the Eduard/Brassin set?  I picked up the Big Sin one up with the weapons for cheap.  

[crackerjazz]

I like it.  It has decals for instruments so it's more work but at least the lower half of the pilot's IP is there.   Aires' photo etch doesn't include the lower half where the fuel gauge is. 

[phantom]

Excellent front halves of the planes!

[crackerjazz]

Thanks, phantom!

[Thadeus]

Oh You're going to have a lot of fun painting these two. Awesome work on the cockpit.

[Geoff M]

Good progess.  Ready for more!

 

Geoff M

[crackerjazz]

Hi Geoff, thanks! : )   Thanks, Thadeus!  Yes, can't wait to start painting.   It'll be twice the fun : )   But twice the dread, too I guess .    I still find painting/weathering the scariest part of modeling - and it makes or breaks the model.

 

I've closed up the nose gear doors.  I don't think the doors were meant to be built closed as there were gaps to deal with on the bigger doors.  

 

There's no ledge for the doors to sit on except for the rear one.    I had to fashion something and it was a game of sanding areas here and there - enough that all sides sit flush but not too much that they'd sink lower than the surrounding areas.  I would sometimes press on one end  the other end would see-saw upward so I had to hold down or pull up an area at a time and glue as I go.   It was a tricky affair -- good challenge but I'm glad it's over.  Maybe someday there'll be an easy way to do this.  A wheel well just for closed doors would be a welcome kit option.

 

 

The easiest one to attach was the narrow door on the rear.  It slides into place really nicely.   I had to scratchbuilt one for the 2nd Tomcat -- I was looking for the part and saw the nose gear parts were gone from the sprue.   Then I remembered I gave them away to a fellow modeler in need of the parts to replace his broken nose gear.   Didn't realize one of the parts was the door.

 

 

 

A little sanding should do the trick.   Or I could leave them as is for realism  : )   You know how sometimes the doors are a little wonky in places on real aircraft, heheh.   Honestly, though, they look really good in person.   It's the blown up pictures and the lighting makes them look off  -- excuses, excuses : )

 

 

Just the steps and ladder doors to go...

 

 

And that's about it : )   Really enjoying this so far.   That forward fuselage is looking like a nice Tomcat in flight now : )     Will have to cut off those attachment points for the chin pod.  The Tomcats in the movie used TCS pods and I picked up these great-looking ones from Quickboost:

 

 

 

I just found out that the Eduard/Brassin RIO coaming blocks the canopy from closing down fully.   Will try to figure out how to trim down the sides without destroying the looks -- it's the edges of the canvas cover that are hitting the canopy frame.

[eraucubsfan]

looking real good,

 

But remember if you screw up just this much, you'll be building a diorama of a Zvezda C-130 full of miniature rubber dog sh*t leaving Hong Kong  

 

 

[crackerjazz]

I had better start practicing then  : )

 

I tried joining the forward fuselage to the main body.   David Aungst was right in his Aardvarks F-14 article that the forward fuselage just slides into the main body without any issues so that they can even be painted separately.   It's good advice and will make it easier to paint the intake area next to the forward fuselage as it will be rather deep to reach easily.  Then maybe just touch up the joint after.   But they do join really nicely.  And this kit does build like a dream.  I was skeptical about the Tamiya nose shape at first having been used to the Hasegawa shape but it looks like they were right after all.   Now I understand what they say that once you've built a Tamiya you just can't go back.   It's just one pricey kit but really worth it.

 

I haven't glued the forward fuse on yet.  Just fooling around to see how the model looks mounted.  

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by crackerjazz

[Geoff M]

Looking good.  That is a good display, Tomcat escorting a Corsair.  Waiting for more.

Geoff M

[crackerjazz]

Thanks Geoff!  

 

Some purr...ogress..

 

I had to shave a lot of material from the sides of RIO coaming to make the canopy close.   I think for future closed-canopy Tomcats, I'll just use the cockpit parts OOB and get some of those purrty Quinta Prod decals.  Also removed the moulded-on grab handle.   Will use the one from the Tamiya kit as it comes as a nice separate part and it will be easier to form the RIOs hand around it.

 

There's an area, too, that I didn't really like the look of -- the lower edge of the canvas boot looks too solid, like the edge of a concrete slab.   I tried shaving off a little material from the edge but it didn't help much.

 

So I folded and glued some Japanese paper and cut a thin slice then "hemmed" the edge of the canvas boot.  I made sure not to lay it on too straight and make it look a little more organic like I see in the Daco book.

 

 

Not that it's really visible, heheh.  Anyway....

 

I lost Goose's hand to the carpet monster and will have to make a new one holding the grab handle.

[Geoff M]

I think Goose looses more than that!  Looking good.

 

Geoff M

[Red Dog]

Looking good, the hand on the handle really adding to the natural pose of the crew in their office. 

[eraucubsfan]

Lovin this!! 

[Mr.Happy]

crackerjazz,

 

This is going to be a awesome and interesting build.

 

I’ll be looking forward to your updates on this build for sure.

 

Take care, .....and DANGER ZONE!!! 
 

Mr.Happy 
 

[crackerjazz]

Thanks, guys! : )   

 

I thought I've lost the file but I found it, whew!   I was trying to make a 3D model of those little indicators with glareshields under the windscreen.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The right hand side ones are a little different in that the glareshield on top isn't separate and it doesn't have that little box but at 1/48 the difference isn't noticeable so I just made a pattern for the left hand side one.   I use the 3D model to create templates and print them on paper then I glue them onto styrene sheet and cut them up.  I then peel off the paper pattern before gluing the parts together.

 

 

 

 

[FASTEAGLE107]

😲 Only one word : stunning !

[MA Cooke]

Amazing.