1/72 Hasegawa Grumman F-14D Tomcat

by Eric Bade

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  United States of America Independence Day 2006 

 

The venerable F-14 Tomcat fighter is being pushed out of the US NAVY Carrier decks at a very fast pace by the Super Hornet.

The Tomcat is one of the most formidable aircraft ever built. It is a formidable technical achievement, but also one of the most famous and widely recognizable aircraft in military airpower. It owes its fame to its operational capacities and because it starred in two motion pictures : “The final countdown” and “Top Gun”.

The F-14D is the latest version of the Tomcat, with improved engines, avionics and radar and new NACES ejection seats. 

My original aim was to build one model Tomcat for each squadron that flew it. I changed my mind to a more moderate short term plan to build one model of each version of the F-14. I had already build two F-14As and a B from of Hasegawa boxes. One F-14A in VF-84 markings and one F-14B in VF-102 were featured in an ARC article (http://www.arcair.com/Fea1/301-400/Fea353_F-14_Bade/Fea353.htm

This model completes my quest for F-14 versions but I for sure will build more of the hasegawa Tomcats

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MODEL 

All my current Tomcat builds are based on “new tool” Hasegawa models. I had built one Monogram, one Airfix, one Academy, two old mould Hasegawa models and a Fujimi Tomcat previously and were As. This F-14D is my fourth “new tool” Hasegawa (nearly twenty years in age now) following two As and a B.

The Fujimi model can be alternative but I believe that the Hasegawa model offers more airframe options and is far more accurate than the Fujimi model which looks too skinny to me. Furthermore, moving to F-14B and D versions it simply turns out that the Fujimi offer it no match for Hasegawa. Fujimi did not get it quite right in the engine area (B and D versions) and did not update their cockpit area (D version).

Hasegawa has the stance of the real thing. Some consider it is over-engineered and some adjustments are difficult. I don’t remember my first Hasegawa Tomcat (a VF-31 F-14A build in 1991) was such a pain and my second one – and anyone thereafter - was a pleasure to build. I have future plans for Tomcats in 1/72nd (one at launch, an Iranian machine and a VF-31 F-14D) and all will be Hasegawa kits.

BUILDING 

Building started with a huge session of gloss white painting. It was used on landing gears, wheel hubs, wheel doors inner surfaces, wheel wells and adjacent fuselage surfaces.

I then turned my attention to the front fuselage, especially the cockpit. Hasegawa did a reasonable job here and provides new instrument panels and seats. Building a Lantirn equipped Tomcat I had to update the rear instrument panel with a square PTID (after completion I found out my PTID is a bit small – I’ll know better on future projects) and a joystick on the left side console. Some details were added and True Details NACES ejection seats replaced the box items. Beware the True Details NACES are a bit small and I needed to raise them a bit with plastic card pieces. I also added the canopy breaker horns over the head rests. Cockpit base colour is dark gull grey FS36321, consoles and instrument panel details were then painted a very dark grey/black. Then instrument faces were painted gloss black. When the basic cockpit painting was completed I used small dots of white, light grey, red and yellow mostly to give life to the cockpit. Seat pan was painted black with green and tan cushions and grey-green, brown grey belts and silver, red and yellow details.

Before I cemented the front fuselage parts together, I cut the IFR probe well out in the right front fuselage part. I then built the well itself from plastic card. Ithe IFR was later built from stretched sprue

The rear fuselage builds easily. Some attention is exercised on the adjustment of the rear end of the fuselage (the beaver tail as it is known) to the main fuselage. I favoured the upper alignment of the parts for the simple reason that the lower joint is hidden below the fuselage and between the engine nacelles. It happened that in the end my lower joint was nearly as good and the upper one.

Rear fuselage completed, front fuselage completed, it was time to join both. This is were you have to be careful on this model. It is not that difficult but it needs care. I put all my attention on the quality of the upper joint again here. I achieved quite a good joint at the cost of a 0.5 mm (0.02 in) step on the opposite, lower front/rear fuselage joint.

It was quite easy too file but I of course lost surface detail (I forgot to talk about the superlatively sharp, fine and accurate panel lines of Hasegawa Tomcats – I believe they remain unsurpassed today). I restored as much detail as I could and the rest was covered by Phoenix pallets. 

You can continue building fuselage and details. Wings are built as sub assembles as they are designed to be added at the end of model construction. This is far easier for painting.

Engines are added. There is a nice and deep intake trunk with first stage compressor blades visible far inside from the intake side. The exhaust is well detailed too with deep burner cans and rear fan disks.

Each small GE open engine exhausts come as 6 part models in the Hasegawa boxes and needs care to end as circular parts. When they were built I added this stripes of plastic card inside the exhaust to detail and build up the area.  

Landing gears were detailed with thin fuse wire as brake lines. I also added rings on landing gears  and stretched sprue details on main landing gears. Chrome paint was brushed on oleos and when all this was done a thin wash of paint was brushed on all these white parts to add depth.

Building the model was completed with the addition of all antennas and probes. Some were replaced with thin plastic card. I also added the hemisheric GPS antenna that was added on later Tomcats on the fuselage spine from the tip of a 1/72nd scale AIM-9 sidewinder missile. 

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PAINTING AND DECALING 

I had a hard time deciding the livery I wanted on my F-14D between a VF-31 CAG (Felix the cat on a black tail band), Hi-Viz VF-101 complete with the Grim Ripper and Low Viz VF-2. When I received my VF-2 TwoBobs decals I went for the low viz aircraft. I also wanted a weathered machine, as Tomcats can be after some time at sea. 

I painted the model with Gunze acrylic paints. FS36375, 36320 and 35237 are available in their range and I just painted the model in complaince with instructions; I then started to alter basic colours on some panels. Main camouflage painting : over.

I then covered panel lines with an application of thin irregular lines of 1 to 2 mm (0.05 to 0.1 in) of maskol. Once done I sprayed a very dark mist of paint over the Maskol lines (very dark, very thinned, very thin – just a bit wider than the Maskol lines). This was to depict the way some US NAVY weather with new paint application and under mechanics boots.  

Then it was time for decals. I actually used both TwoBobs and Efrain Fernandez decals, the later for the Bounty Hunters stripes around front fuselage and fins. This is because they are the silk type and translucent, so they adapt more easily with camouflage main colours, whatever paint brand you’ll use. This doesn’t mean TwoBobs decals are not perfect, they are, but I believe I would need some colours testing to get the best results. I had painted my model before I received the very new TwoBobs decals. 

Once all decals are set in position and dry I painted a light layer of matt varnish. In the past, I used to airspray overall layers of varnish. I later found out that this conceals my weathering efforts. I now carefully airbrush very thin layers of matt varnish. I do not need to cover up all surfaces, leaving matt or satin areas : real aircraft have different sheens on different places.

When this is done wings are added to the fuselage. All lights are provided as transparent parts. They are carefully cemented in place (what the part numbers as they are sided) then painted with translucent paint.

Landing gear edges are painted red with a permanent ink marker. I find this is easier and sharper than using red paint and a brush. They are then cemented in place.  

I then just had to add the glove pylons and LANTIRN pod to complete what is, I believe, the best model in the 1/72nd scale of what still is my favourite jetfighter. 

Eric

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Photos and text © by Eric Bade