F-14 Tomcat Group Build idea...

armorman:

I've got a question - are we going to keep posting here, or start a new one?

Everyone else: I'm building the Hasegawa 1/48 F-14A, and the instructions have you remove notches out of the very rear section of the "beaver tail", step 20. Does anyone know why this is?

I'm off the the Aircraft Resource Center to look at walkarounds.

A Tomcat freak be me!

I may try to make a new one with some Thermaform after I get all detectable signs of the seam out. It will be a trick to get it to look right. Just frustrating. Cheaper kits have better canopies. Most of the photoetch parts are for the cockpit so I will have the canopy open anyways.

Mark, I've been there with that kit- I just had to polish it out and it looks fine. Still a pain in the as@! I'm rockin' and rollin' now!

Got my cat out and started making a list of paint and material that Im going to need. Im probably going to start on the office tonight and get that set so that I can be ready to set and seal the Hull and get it primed in a couple of days.

Man, I should have looked at all the parts for the F-14 much earlier!!!!! The main canopy has a very ugly seam that runs the whole length!!!! Now I am going to have to try to polish this thing out. You can feel it with your finger. Now why would a very high quality model company allow this on their kits???? Just venting!!

i havent even started mine yet. i still got to finsh my helo for the attack helo group build that started 2day but i cheated a litte bit i started on thru with mine and i am about 60% done with it. rob

Happy New Year's, y'all! I have not started yet but I will tonight. I will begin with the Hasegawa 1/72 kit then work up to the Monogram stuff. It is a balmy 5F here and I am ready to slam some plastic together. Since I do not have a digital camera (yet), my progress photos may be infrequent. My 1/72 Cat will have the wings out and all the parts hanging down. I need to order the 1/72 weapons kit to get the Sidewinders, Sparrows and Phoenix missiles. Typical kit from Hase and no weapons!!!!!!

Almost finished !!!


Neah, just joking... did some work on the office today and I have started putting together the left wing, flaps and leading edges will be down.

Clear for take off lets rock and roll!!!!!!!!!!!

okay Reggie this is what I have found and it's not much- try this link- www.store.yahoo.com/internethobbies/justplanstuff15.html - It is a section 13inX16in. May not be big enough for what I want to do much less help. I'm doing the elevator with the 'Cat's wings swept, missles on the cart, and both pilots standing there. That's the plan. It may end up being squat front gear on the scratchbuilt catapult. That's the backup plan. I see a lot like that though so I am hoping to do something different.

Good morning everyone and Happy New Year! Well, I just pulled out my kit and TwoBobs decal sheet for VF-11 Red Rippin' Muthas and gave everything a quick look over. Mine will be the CAG bird but the other option is quite nice too; it's the CO's bird with the 75th Anniverary wreath on the tail. Since I'm still a little hung over from last night, I may not actually start 'til this afternoon. I'll try to post some pics of my project later. In the meantime, if anyone is looking for F-14 reference sites, here's two of my favorites: anft.net/f-14 and scaleair.com

Happy New Year all! The good news is I was D.D. last night so after the champagne had bubbled the sweetie off to bed at 1AM, I did some more work on the cockpit. So far I have the cockpit tub and the seats shot with some resin primer that I'll say will be completely dry in the next 10 hours or so. Once that is done I'll begin the sludge washing and detail enhancements. I gotta say that this Black Box cockpit is simply stunning though. So far after some dry fittings, it seems to fit pretty good- we'll see tomorrow perhaps.
Reggie- check out Squadron for that carrier deck- I think they had one in 1/48 by a company in England. I'll look as well since I think the hobby budget can afford one. If I find it I'll post the link.
Alrighty boy's man your 'Cats and lets see some progress!!!!

Reg:

Just blow up your 1/144 scale deck to 1/48 scale! Should be simple...

What is your time GMT? I know that England is +5 hours ahead of U.S. eastern time...Germany is +6.

One more question, Reg...how old are you?

Gute Nacht all, its 11:11 on new year's day here. i have just finished drooling all over the instructions of my has 1/48 cat and i have written down all the correct paint callouts so i dont end up shooting the wrong paint on things.

i have posted this question before, i think ill ask again. im looing for a base sorta like what i got in my 1/144 dragon tomcat kit, with a catapult, a section of deck and blast doors for my cat, i think it would make it look more complete. i have seen 1/32 resin doodads, does anyone make them in 1/48 ? i think DanCooper will be interested in this too.

Guten Morgen all, and happy new year's!! I hope everyone had a safe new year celebration. And greetings to Reggie in Singapore. I must say your postings bring great amusement...I always look forward to reading yours.

Got going last night...worked until about 1:00 am when the wifey came home w/ a sleepy 3 year-old and an asleep 18 month-old. It's 8:30 ish in the morning, everyone's asleep, and I'm headin' to the basement. Yee-haa!

I am starting with the rear fuselage, meaning the main gear bays, then the intakes. I am waiting for funding to purchase an Aires cockpit, decals, and a cockpit set for my Hasegawa A-7D.

David Aungst has an excellend series of articles on building Hasegawa's 'Cat, here's the link:

http://www.kitparade.com/features01/f14constructiondwa_3.htm

He had quite a bit of fit problems with the intake ducting into the intake trunks, as well as the intake trunks onto the bottom fuselage. My kit is a "reworked" one, because so far, my intakes are fitting together quite well. I do have mold lines and seams running amok in my ducts, and I'm taking suggestions on how to fill and sand these (I don't have long, spindly fingers).

My main gear wells went together without incident, as did the rear fuselage halves. One mistake: when painting all the gear bay pieces white, I forgot to do the inner surface of the top fuselage half, which when assembled is the "ceiling" of the main gear bays. D'OAH !! I applied a sludge wash to all the gear bay pieces before assembly, and upon assembling the fuselage halves, found my mistake. A lot of that detail will have to be re-done after I shoot the unpainted part of the bays.

I won't post any photos unless requested, I don't want to use up server space.

Happy building!

Reggie, I'm pretty sure the wings would be swept back during taxiing. Don't wanna wipe out any other planes with those huge wings.

im about to start on my cat and i just cant decide how i want to do it, the 1/48 hasegawa kit has a huge number of options. i dont think i want a maintainence kinda thing, i was thinking about displaying it as if its taxiing towads the catapult. now here is the question, are the wings swept or deployed as it taxis to the catapult ?

"Tomcat call the ball", it's almost time to pop the lid and build an F-14.
a peak of my project F-14


"Ghostrider your clear for takeoff"

Happy new year

Chuck
Fly Navy

Woo-Hooooo!

At about 9:45, at the dreaded party, our 16 year-old (who is autistic and has numerous other handicaps) announces that he's tired. My wife looks at me with the "OK, take him home, let him go to bed, and you can work on your model airplanes."

So it's 10:20 ish, and I'm headin' downstairs...and I will again when my wife gets home later...

Now that I'm finally "allowed" to start my cat, I've got another project going. Once I've finished another build I'll start it along with my current project. Or maybe I will star it anyway (knowing me, that's probably what will happen). I'll be able to have a look at some decals next week too, so I'll know what bird I'll be doing.

robert - apart from one very short trip to kentucky, this yankee has never been down south, but would sure like to one day

I know most of you have already seen this guys work,but for those of you that have not ,it is absolutely stunning,to say the least.Anyhow I thought I would post this for everyone to check out to get us 'Fired Up' (as if we weren't already !)

Here's the link:
http://www.naritafamily.com/howto/F14D/photo_frame.htm

Anyhoo,most of all, I wish you and your family a wonderful and prosperous New Year !!

Later on.......

Hey, where I am it's 1 am, so that meens it's to start....(although it would probably for the best if I waited a few hours to get sober )

I will go and do the New Years' thing, but then hit the Cat tomorrow. It is cold here. About 11F now with a 25mph wind. Supposed to get colder as the days go by with lows around -10F and our highs at 10F. Great model weather. Everyone have a Happy New Year!

OK, it's Friday Dec. 31, almost 1700 hours EST (U.S.A.), and I'm trying to weasel out of going to a New Year's party so I can start my 'Cat. Trust me, I'd MUCH MUCH MUCH rather be at my desk in the damp, dank (but NOT dark) basement than where the rest of my family will be tonight.

The family hosting the party has a huge house (over 5500 sq. ft.) and half of it is the "great room" where all the festivities will take place. Hardwood floors, hard walls and ceilings, no artwork or furniture to act as sound baffles. There will be six children under the age of 5 there...ugh. My wife visits there fairly often, our two girls (ages 3 and 18 mos.) play with their two boys (4 and 2), and the noise level is somewhat like that "SCREEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHH" of the Blue Angels solos pilots when they take turns "surprising the crowd" with a 300 ft. buzz in full afterburner. And I'm expected to socialize and visit with people I either don't know or don't really care to socialize with...all whilst the six drape-apes are running around like Blue Angels solo pilots....

Can y'all tell that I DO NOT want to go tonight? Can you?? My 'Cat kit is lonesome down on my desk...it needs paint, and glue, and attention from me.

Well my wife will drag me kicking and screaming.........

okay, okay- I've started mine a day early!!! I'm working on the seats now because i know tomorrow will be a day of healing and rest-(hehehehe) LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!!

like your humor reggie yeah i know watch what you type on here to, oh by the way your in a place i wolud love to come and see one day

lure the cat out of the closet with some Whiskas, much easier than dragging sorry but i just had to pull that one

is it time to start yet? i got most of my helo done about 55% done for the attack helo group build. so is it time to start on the cat yet?? need to drag it out of the closet and look at it,