Tomcat build

[grobber]

Hi All

A Newby here. I figured I would jump in with a tomcat build that I am starting

I will be using a Hasegawa f-14, Aries cockpit. Blackbox update set and fightertown decals




First time building one of these, that is a lot of sprues

 

[JMac]

Cool. I'll be following along with you, I hope to tackle a Tomcat sometime in the future.

 

[Quaralane]

What scale is that one? Looks like it'll be a good build

 

[schweinhund227]

going to town hey ? NICE Bird !

 

[spud]

this will be nice. im not a fan of jet power aircraft but it will be nice to watch

 

[ModelFreak72]

Ah the last of the Grumman cats! Beautiful aircraft, can't wait to see it come together!

 

[FW190A-8]

That looks like a good kit grobber. Now exactly where in that bird did they fit the Rolls Royce Merlin engine and Propeller?
Good luck with the build. We will look forward to seeing her come together.

 

[Myke]

Welcome to the Herd Grobber. Good choice of kits!!

 

[grobber]

What scale is that one? Looks like it'll be a good build

1/48


Ok so I am underway with my tomcat build, first time I have taken a stab at one of these and to make my life “easier” I am throwing in an Aires Cockpit. No do not get me wrong it looks beautiful with really rich details, but from what I have read and my dry fitting it is going to be a tight squeeze.
So I start out with the front fuselage, these is some gorgeous detail on the top of the cock pit, I guess where the canopy locks so the top ridge on the fuselage need to go.





This sort of shows a before and after



Next the tub of the cockpit, look and the beautiful RIO panel



Pretty huh?

So I start looking some references guess what at some point the F-14B’s where updated and they this square panel. Like this.



What’s a boy to do, I could pretend I did not see it but I have AMS and a black box bombcat update that has this piece. So what I need to do is somehow merge these pieces. So I get this idea have you ever seen the movie Faceoff? Basically John Travolta and Nick Cage swap faces. I cut off the Joystick thing for later



Then do the “face off”



The lovely round radar screen was removed and voila



Next cockpit painting, here are the pics















Later back to do some modelling


Rob

 

[Quaralane]

Nice detailing in that office.

 

[Myke]

Great work on that cockpit. At first I thought it was PE for the instruments.

 

[schweinhund227]

Nice touch! Updating the cockpit was a tough choice but nice results! Awesome!

 

[JMac]

Beautiful work in the cockpit, what scale is the kit?

 

[Chris S]

WOW, Thats a busy looking cockpit !!!...great work ,and nice job with the face off thing ;D

Chris.

 

[ronrod62]

Great work in the cockpit

 

[13aceofspades13]

nice detailing, very impressive.

 

[ModelFreak72]

Another awesome cockpit! Great work!

 

[Hodges]

All you'd have to do is drop a little goose and maverick in there and I'd be fooled!

great job

 

[grobber]

Ok next installment on the Tomcat. Last I left this I had just painting up the cockpit next the minor detail of fitting that thing in, think of it like a size 11 foot in a size 8 shoe. So before I started I got the front wheel well together, get all my obstructions together.



After bunch of sanding grinding and a bit of cursing everything came together more or less



A couple of gaps in the front and back





After a bit of filling and grinding here we go.



Now the main fuselage, before moving ahead with this we need to build up the intakes the involve eliminating some gaps and ejector pin marks





To help the intakes fit to the fuselage I added some plastic to act a guide overall it worked well



I am happy to say the intakes did not need any putty however the rest of the fuselage will



Next mating the front and back fuselage I have heard horror stories about this and dry fitting things did not look good. One thing I realized is the back of the front piece is solid. If I cut this out I could add some guides help with the fit





I went this route and overall not a bad fit, it will need a bit of putty and sanding but not too bad





Last bit did the wing they are a little over engineered but not too bad to put together



Rob

 

[Quaralane]

Nice progress, and good approaches to your problems