Farewell F-14 Tomcat Group Build - Start now, ends 12/31/07

LastPriest,

Nice philosophy.  I also try to challenge myself in life's endeavors, and certainly when it comes to model building.  I had no idea that you were so new to modeling as your work is outstanding for someone of your experience level.    I have been building kits for about thirty-six years now, although my building slowed quite a bit during my time in the Navy.  Fortunately, my wife is a good sport, and really did not get mad at all when I told her how many kits are in my stash when I sorted them out this past summer (just short of 900 at that time).  Anyway, the more you build, the better you get, and the more you come to expect of yourself.  It is a hobby, so please make sure that you keep it "fun" as it is called a "hobby" and not called "work" for a reason.  Enough on that though as I am probably boring you now.

With my kit, which it sounds like is the exact same kit that you are building, I only used a small amount of Mr. Surfacer 500 on the fuselage seams.  I spend a lot of time aligning parts and take my time gluing them with Tenax so that I minimize the need to fill spots later.  This is rarely avoidable completely, but I seem to run into fewer problems than I typically hear of others having, even with the same kits.  Even though I have experimented with some other liquid glues, I keep going back to Tenax. 

A tip from my build; I did not glue the tails or wings into place, just inserted them.  The fit is tight enough that they do not move, and the benefits are that I did not risk messing up my paint with glue, and if I have to move the kit, I have the option of removing those parts to fit the plane into a smaller area.   Just something to think about.

Decaling is done....

Here is a couple shots of both my Tomcats....

Nice clean builds btp2k2, much cleaner than I usually do. I use weathering to cover up my deficencies in skill.

Hobbies are supposed to be fun, and torturing myself into being the best is fun for me for some reason. My first coach was a retired marine so that may have something to do with it. here we have puttied, primered and preshaded. Also a WIP shot of the engines. That darn seam gets worse the more I tried to fix it so I just left it be before I disfigured pieces too much.

Enjoy, well you dont really have to but I would prefer if you did

More Power Scotty wrote:

Wirraway, I built the kit several years ago as a gift, and I can tell you that just about ANY plane with tricycle landing gear is going to tend to set tail-heavy.  I have learned that it is best to leave the nose cone off and then fill it with the necessary weight once you know what is needed.  A "clean" aircraft with no ordinance will of course require less than a fully loaded one.  Another trick that I use is to "stick" everything together without the use of glue (insert wings, tail, stabilizers, etc. where they belong) and lay the ordinance on top of the wings then figure out what weight is needed forward by setting loose fishing weights up front and adding and removing them to find the right balance.  Always go just a little heavy to play it safe.  On my Tomcat for this build, I actually have the weights installed in front of the cockpit tub, and I used the weights designed for pinewood derby cars.  Late advice for this build, but hopefully some things for you to consider about in the future.

I attached the undercarriage today- thankfully it sits on its nosewheel without any weights- and that is with wings swept or extended- so looks like I got out of jail on this one

Here is my Academy F-14A Tomcat. It is pretty much OOB with the exception of CAM Decals VF-102 Diamondback markings, and the engine nozzles which were liberated from a Revell F-14 kit.

This build represents a couple of firsts for me. This is the first time I have used Future, it also represents the first time I have done a wash. I have learned a couple things from this build......put one two coats of future to seal in the decals....I lost a decal (luckily it was just a data decal...no markings), and also put on landing gear and stores after the wash, because it made it difficult to wipe the wash with those pieces on.

So...without further ado...

Got a couple coats of paint down. Got a new compressor for christmas, before this I was using a little POS testors compressor that had no uniformity of air pressure and no regulator. Hard to get good results when you spend your time guessing your paint onto your subject.

This one has a tank and built in pressure regulator. That means unfortunatly now I have no excuse for my poor results. I didnt realize how tan light gull gray looked allthough that decreases with each coat.

All together I am very happy with my new setup, its good to have good tools. 

Last Priest,

Looking good so far!  You are correct about the tool comment.  My Dad used to tell me that you should buy the best tools you can afford as they will pay for themselves, and he was right!  I was using a 5 gallon air tank that I added a filter and regulator to for several years, but two years ago I upgraded to a small Craftsman model that has a compressor with a small tank that is completely enclosed in a plastic shell.  It is perfect for what I use it for, and I do not have to carry it to the basement when the tank empties.  Anyway, the better tools will always outlast the cheap stuff as I have proven on many occasions.

I was wondering if that is your 1:1 scale project in the photo.  Mine is about to turn 18.  Believe me, time rushes by with them.