For those building Gypsy 207 Mig Killer

[Darren Roberts]

I found an interesting little tidbit about Gypsy 207. I was looking at the picture in Tomcat Alley and realized that the gun vent is the early style that went along with the original beaver tail. The BuNo is such that it had the standard beaver tail, but the only way to get the early style gun vent is in the VF-1 Wolfpack Hasegawa kit, which doesn't come with the standard beaver tail. For most, it won't matter, but I thought it was an interesting little fact about the aircraft.

[doctorpepper]

for the grill vents, you could get airwaves canopy etched set for f-14.. it's meant for italeri tomcats, but it does have that grill bit B)

[Darren Roberts]

Doesn't Gypsy 207 have the ECM bulges on the intake and the beavertail though???  Some photos of other VF-32 Tomcats from the same cruise have them from what I can tell.

Nope, no ECM blisters. In fact, one of the a/c has the original beaver tail, and that was in 1989. I hadn't realized those had hung around for so long.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Darren Roberts

[Darren Roberts]

for the grill vents, you could get airwaves canopy etched set for f-14.. it's meant for italeri tomcats, but it does have that grill bit B)

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

[MathmanAHS]

The Hase Bicentennial kit (1/48) has the vents and the old beaver tail included. At least the one I used for my ealry VF-41 bird last year did.

[Andy Mullen]

You should really build in 1/72, as the Atlantic Fleet Squadron has all the necessary bits <_<

[StevenJ]

Are you saying the 1/72 Atlantic Fleet boxing has all the parts necessary to build an early style F-14A? So if I have the decals already, I could then build a 1975 VF-1 Wolfpack bird with that kit? Are any of the other 1/72nds like that?

[Andy Mullen]

Are you saying the 1/72 Atlantic Fleet boxing has all the parts necessary to build an early style F-14A? So if I have the decals already, I could then build a 1975 VF-1 Wolfpack bird with that kit? Are any of the other 1/72nds like that?

Steven, I shall be completeing an early VF-1 (1975 USS Enterprise) on my next phase of building using the Atlantic FS kit. You also have the old chin pod as an option in the kit.

I think the only other 1/72 kit that is capable of being made into a very early F-14A is the Airfix. However, there are no gun vents (only decals) and no nose pitot, oh of course all raised panel lines.

HTH

[Bullet101]

Andy, the 1/72nd atlantic fleet boxing comes with the mid style beaver tail, although it does have all the vents and stuff, IIRC all hase 1/72nd kits come with these parts.

The only kit that allows you to build a 1975 bird with the early style tail is the wolf pack boxing. See here for the differences in the tails: http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-detail-beavertail.htm

And the fujimi Bounty Hunters kit is the only one that allows you to build the modified early style beaver tail as seen here: http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-detail-beavertail-05.htm

Edited February 18, 2005 by Bullet101

[Andy Mullen]

Ooops my bad I had forgotten about that style. I thought only the prototypes had them and the production ones that had them were refitted before deployment

[Bullet101]

Hase Early beaver tail:

[Bullet101]

Fujimi early beaver tail, which most were modified to at sea before the introduction of the mid style tail.

[Darren Roberts]

You can actually still get the second beaver tail (without the dialectric panels) from the Hasegawa kit. You simply cut away the dialectric panels, fill the gap/seam with putty, and you've got the second beaver tail that's in the Fujimi kit.