1:48 Academy F-14A Tomcat

[Wing_Nut]

12/12/09 Update: Yes, it's not a typo, this is the ongoing build thread of my Academy F-14A for the 2005 Tomcat Group Build. I stopped and started so many times that when I started again, I decided I would not post my progress until there was no doubt that I would see this through to the end. I have maybe 3 hours of work left, all touch up stuff but by the time I finally get all of the progress work typed up and posted, I'll be 100% finished!!

I had to read through all of the postings, yet again, to remember where I had left everything and it was quite a trip down memory lane. For those of you who have visited and commented from the beginning, my humble thanks for stopping back. Reading your comments again has been very motivational and inspiring. If you remember where I left off, jump on ahead.

Anyone reading this for the first time, I hope it gives you hope that you don't have to be fast to finish, just persistent and a bit stubborn. My Tomcat's story begins here, a long time ago, in a group build far, far away . . . B)

b

***********

I started my Tomcat back in February as part of the Tomcat Group Build but work/family situations as well as my own motivation dropping off, kept me from finishing in time. I attended Atlanta Nationals in July and between the exceptional workmanship on display and getting a chance to meet fellow ACR members, I returned home highly motivated (and quite a bit lighter in the wallet :blink: ). By this time the Tomcat Group Build had long since ended and I could no longer update my "work in progress" pics under the same thread so I have decided to start a new one.

To begin, I'm building the 1:48th scale Academy F-14A Tomcat. Having never built a Tomcat before, I can't offer an opinion of this kit compared to the Hasegawa kit but so far it's been a great kit to build and the price was half of the Hasegawa kit. The kit is being built primarily OOB, the only additions being scraps of plastic and wire and a set of SuperScale VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" decals.

"The journey of 1,000 miles (or 100 parts) begins with a single step"

I started my Tomcat back in February as part of the Tomcat Group Build but work/family situations as well as my own motivation dropping off, kept me from finishing in time. I attended Atlanta Nationals in July and between the exceptional workmanship on display and getting a chance to meet fellow ACR members, I returned home highly motivated (and quite a bit lighter in the wallet :blink: ). By this time the Tomcat Group Build had long since ended and I could no longer update my "work in progress" pics under the same thread so I have decided to start a new one.

To begin, I'm building the 1:48th scale Academy F-14A Tomcat. Having never built a Tomcat before, I can't offer an opinion of this kit compared to the Hasegawa kit but so far it's been a great kit to build and the price was half of the Hasegawa kit. The kit is being built primarily OOB, the only additions being scraps of plastic and wire and a set of SuperScale VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" decals.

"The journey of 1,000 miles (or 100 parts) begins with a single step"

Edited December 23, 2009 by Wing_Nut

[Wing_Nut]

Practically every aircraft kit i've ever built starts with constructing the "office" and this one is no different. Using a copy of Squadron's F-14 WalkAround, I added a few additional details to the kit ejection seats.

And through the magic of time-lapse photography, this is how they turned out:

[Wing_Nut]

I didn't take photos of the cockpit tub prior to painting because there was nothing of note to show. The only additions to the cockpit are pieces of film, cut to fit the displays, otherwise it's just paint.

[Wing_Nut]

The nose wheel well needed to be constructed and attached to the bottom of the cockpit tub prior to gluing the fuselage halves together. I added a few bits of plastic to help cover ejection pin marks:

And here it is primed and ready to assemble:

[Wing_Nut]

For the textured coverings in the cockpit i used tissue paper, water and white glue:

Once dried, i painted this with acrylics:

[jug-junkie]

That is flippen impressive, can't wait to view this one as it unfolds, great pit there wing nut.

Geoff

[Wing_Nut]

Thx Geoff :blink:

Dealing with the seams around the cockpit area was not too bad, just time consuming.

Once the seams were filled and sanded, i rescribed the panel lines that weren't there to begin with.

[Wing_Nut]

I added some wire and Tamiya tape to the struts:

I am always surprised how much of a difference adding just a couple bits and pieces makes to the overall look.

The F14 WalkAround book was invaluable (but the DACO book would have been world's better . . . . i've had it on-order since January :blink: )

[Wing_Nut]

After priming and 3 light coats of white paint:

I will give these a coat of gloss before any washes are applied.

[Wing_Nut]

The kit exhausts aren't too bad but there is zero detail on the inside of the nozzles. The first thing i did was thin down the lip of the exhaust nozzles (they were about 1 foot thick according to scale :blink: )

I thought of scribing the detail but that sounded like too much effort so instead i cut strips of evergreen plastic and glued it in place, giving the "impression" of additional detail. I wasn't going for accuracy here, just wanted something more that "smooth as a baby's bottom" look.

[geedubelyer]

:huh: OOB?......hmmmm

But seriously SUPER-DETAILED right?

This is excellent work Wing_Nut

The detail painting on your 1/48th cockpit is incredible. How you manage to keep the painting so crisp and neat defies all of the laws of.......well,.......painting small things :o

The detail on the undercarriage and bays really jazzes the kit up and is a vast improvement.

Thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to the next update.

[Wing_Nut]

This is excellent work Wing_Nut 

Thanks for the kind words geedubelyer.

  OOB?......hmmmm :lol:

I guess OOB to me is no aftermarket (decals excluded) and seeing as it's now a Group Build of one . . . me, I can bend and break as many rules as i want :o

Tires have always been a bit tricky for me, as far as getting that crisp edge between tire and rim. I tried something different this time and got very good results. First I painted the rims white. Then I took a VERY thin strip of Tamiya tape and carefully taped around the edges (both sides of the tire) of the rims (where the tire and the rim meet). I don't know if i can describe it clearly but the tape was basically on it's edge, wrapped around the outside of the rim leaving a very small lip of tape over the top of the rim. I then took a circle temple and found a size just slightly larger than the rim size and with a very sharp awl, i lightly traced the circle on Tamiya tape until it cut through. I then snuggled it into the encircled rim and because it was cut just slightly larger, I was able to get a very tight seal all the way around. For the side of the rim that is on the strut, i cut a small hole in the middle of the tape circle so i could stick a toothpick through (to hold while painting).

The green stuff around the toothpick is Mr Masking Sol Neo (but any masking agent would work) to seal up the center hole:

And here are the results:

I still have some oil washes and other assorted weathering to do in the not too distant future.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my build to this point, more to come . . . .

[Iron Eagle]

Those tires are very neatly done Wing_Nut! I always thought that those precisely painted tires add a little extra touch to the finished plane. I'd love to try out that method, if only I did not model in 1/72, where it is nearly impossible to do.

Good job again, looking foward to the result!

[fulcrum]

Excellent!!!!! This Academy kit looks like a Hasegawa one when it's in your hands!!!!!

Congrats!!!!

Greetings from Peru!

Edited August 22, 2005 by fulcrum

[Trojan Thunder]

Boy that is amazing work! I am amazed how good you have the kit pieces looking. How long did it take to paint the cocpit and seats?

:lol:

[jr_rules2]

Insane build! That's awesome super-detailing.

[Ken Middleton]

wow Brian, very impressive! Outstanding 'pit work, and I agree on those painted wheels - superb! How'd you get such a tight mask?

I look forward to more.

Cheers

Ken

[woodbeck3]

wonderful work Wingnut. I finished high school out in china lake in the 80's... Cats everywhere.

You caught the look on this build

[Wing_Nut]

Thanks guys <_<

How long did it take to paint the cockpit and seats?

Start to finish, maybe 5 or 6 hours spread out over a couple weeks. I would sit and pick at it, airbrushing a basecoat one night, laying down primary colors another and eventually getting to the detail painting where i could sit for an hour or two and just paint.

How'd you get such a tight mask?

I wrapped the Tamiya tape around the rims using tweezers that have a very sharp point. This enabled me to snug it down and then carefully work my way around the rim. The first one almost had me in tears because i kept pulling the tape away as i tried to move around the tire but i eventually figured it out and the last two tires went very quickly.

Thanks again for your comments, it adds fuel to the fire to get this Cat finished

[Ken Middleton]

thanks for the info Brian

[TomcatFanatic123]

Awesome work! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep posting pics. I've got two of these things sitting in the stash (one is a raffle prize I won in the GB ) and can't wait to get started. I especially like the job you did on the instrument panels. Truly amazing work.

Edited August 24, 2005 by TomcatFanatic123

[pminer]

Great work!!!!

About the ejection handles... What type of wire did you use and what size? Also...how did you get the bend for the handles themselves so precise?

Thanks in advance!

Paul

[Wing_Nut]

About the ejection handles...  What type of wire did you use and what size? Also...how did you get the bend for the handles themselves so precise?

Paul, I used 26 gauge wire for the overhead ejection handles and i used a paint brush handle (held in a vise) to wrap the wire around.

* * * * * * * *

I read a long time ago about using wire to secure missiles and bombs to the aircraft and tried it on my last build (F4J Phantom) and was very happy with the results. I ended up using LESS glue and got a stronger bond so i'm at it again with the Tomcat.

This is an overview of all the missiles and fuel tanks, all with various size wires super glued in place.

The most time consuming part of this, for me, is lining up everything so that the drilled holes match. Doing the under wing stores was very tricky as it took a lot of connections and needed to match up 3 parts in a straight row. Here's all the pieces for one side, unassembled:

And here are the parts together (this is without ANY glue at this point):

As you can see, the wires (I call them pins) create a strong connection even without the glue but once superglued in place, i no longer have any fear of lossing ordanance when traveling to a club meeting or show

[Steve Filak]

VERY nicely done, Brian! Amazing what a few strips of tape can do for those seats, and some real nice tight paint work in the cockpit as well. Looking forward to seeing this puppy as it progresses - outstanding work so far!

[Wing_Nut]

VERY nicely done, Brian!  Amazing what a few strips of tape can do for those seats, and some real nice tight paint work in the cockpit as well.  Looking forward to seeing this puppy as it progresses - outstanding work so far! :huh:

Thanks so much Steve. I must admit to using your ScaleAir site as a point of reference. It's an invaluable resource