Here is my 1/48th
scale Revell F-14D Tomcat. Despite years in this hobby this is the only model
I'm completely satisfied with! The tips I got from this site were invaluable in
making this kit. The kit is the old Revell tooling of the F-14D. I know it is
not as nice as the Hasegawa offering but it can still be built into a nice model
given some work - after all, who wants to build a kit that just falls together?!
I started by
re-scribing all the raised panel lines on the kit, using my carbide-steel
scriber and a metal ruler. Construction was fairly straightforward, but as I
wanted to depict my Tomcat ready to launch from bow cat one I cut off and
repositioned the horizontal stabilisers and dropped the flaps. I also built flap
actuators from scrap plastic. The only other external modification I made
was to cut off one of the
aerials aft of the cockpit, as I could not see it in any of my reference photos.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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The pilot and RIO
are from the Hasegawa deck crew set A, and both had to be modified for them to
sit properly in the cockpit. I built seat straps from Scotch tape with fuse wire
buckles. Other cockpit modifications include a photo-etch HUD from Flightpath,
photo-etch canopy mirrors and handles from the same source, and various other
small scratchbuilt details from scrap plastic.
On to the painting -
ignore Revells painting instructions, they are wrong! I used good old Humbrol
enamels (no.'s 126, 127 and 128, I don't know FS numbers sorry) applied with a
Badger airbrush. My first attempt at preshading wasn't very successful-so the
weathering on my Tomcat was all done with pastels. I also tried lightening some
panels with lighter grey pastels with moderate success. The weathering (mainly
by a happy
accident) was to my liking.
After consulting my
literature I gave my 'cat a full load-out of a two Sidewinders, a Sparrow, A
Phoenix, a LANTIRN pod and two GBU-24's (GBU's and LANTIRN pod were from
Hasegawa set D). Finally, the decals are for a CAG bird from VF-2 'Bounty
Hunters' on the USS Constellation circa 1998. I love the combination of low-viz
markings with colourful tails on this aircraft. The decals were from Aeromaster;
they went on quite nicely, but didn't take a matt coat very well.
All in all my best build, by a long way. I am currently building a large diorama
of the Constellation, which will feature this aircraft, two Hornets and a
Viking. Watch this space!!
James
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