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Here's my first offering, and I apologize for the late start. I had business elsewhere on the continent in the post 2 weeks and have only just returned this morning. And the profile...This will be an NMF aircraft. I'll start in tonight, I hope. --John

Hi all, here's the latest completion. Was supposed to be for a group build here but I lost some mojo along the way! Not my best and I'd definately get the Tamiya kit if I were to do another! Use Hi Decal decals that performed well. Thanks for looking 20210425_145000 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20210425_145011 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20210425_145037 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20210425_145043 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20210425_145048 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20210425_145054 by bryn robinson, on Flickr

Well I can't resist any longer! I tried not to but resistance is futile, or so it seems. Despite already building for another GB I just have to build a Phantom. So here is my entry. I am going to build the Hasegawa RF-4E as an RF-4EJ of the JASDF. I bought this kit second hand last year and some of the interior has been sprayed black but no construction has taken place. The kit I have is for a special scheme Luftwaffe RF-4E and a picture of the box is below. I am not a huge fan of these schemes and would like to do an actual service aircraft and for a long time I have liked modern Japanese aircraft, especially their RF-4E's with their unique colour scheme so I intend to build mine to look like the aircraft below. A good friend of mine who has built a couple of JASDF is hopefully coming to my rescue with some decals, but if not I think I have enough to do one in their original grey and white colour scheme. And if that's a complete failure I know I have some markings for an IRIAF RF-4E, nothing like keeping your options open is there! Don't expect stellar advances with this as I am already building for the French GB and have tentatively promised them another (I seem to have zero will power lately!) but I shall hopefully make a start later this week. Thanks for looking. Craig.

Hi, here's a few pics of my current WIP. Nice kit but not without a few fit problems. Thanks for looking. FF

Hi Guys, This is my first GB of this year. I will build a F-14A+ from Hasegawa. I will backdate it to a Iranian version. Here are some pictures of the content of the box. The boxart The Sprues And now the goodies This will be the first F-14 from Hasegawa and a major build for me with all these goodies. I hope the Cheers,

F-14A ‘Iranian Air Force’ Hasegawa 1:72 In the 70’s, Soviet Mig-25’s were freely operating over Iranian territory and the IIAF didn’t have anything to deal with these high altitude high speed intruders. With the political situation very different in that era, they started to look for an interceptor to challenge the intrusions and the US was very interested to support them. After thorough flight testing of many aircraft by Iranian pilots, the Tomcat won in a final choice between it and the F-15, possibly because the incredible AIM-54 Phoenix giving it a long range intercept capability. A loan to Grumman of $75m by Iran probably saved the F-14 programme too due to the US government withdrawing its funding. 79 aircraft out of the 80 planned were delivered to Iran and this was completed by 1979 including many the Phoenix missiles. The aircraft was essentially the same aircraft as supplied to the US Navy less some of the avionics and had the later TF-30-414 engines that dealt with issues surrounding compressor stalls. Iranian Tomcats were to prove their worth in the 80’s in the Iran / Iraqi war when they were put into combat with great success against a variety of adversaries including Mirage F.1’s, Mig-21’s, Mig-23’s and more with claims that over 160 aircraft were shot down. The challenges faced by Iran’s Tomcat fleet were not just from capable adversaries but from the political environment, in particular an arms supply embargo from the west. Despite these challenges, Iran still operates the F-14 today and through reverse engineering and possible supplies from other countries such as Israel, it’s expected to remain in service for many years. In fact, it’s believed to have more aircraft serviceable now than in the 1980’s which is a considerable achievement. The Kit The kit is the second incarnation produced by Hasegawa as far back as the 80’s so this isn’t a new moulding but is generally regarded as still being the best kit on the market. It comes packaged in the usual way for Hasegawa, the photographic artwork being quite stunning in my opinion. In the box you find a lot of plastic. 10 light grey sprues, 1 clear sprue and a sheet of etch make this a pretty comprehensive kit with 195 parts. My first impressions are mixed. There is a lot in the kit and very nicely detailed too, however, perhaps the moulds are getting tired now as there’s a lot of thin flash around which will add to the time in preparation during assembly. Fortunately, it seems to of been restrained to the larger parts, the smaller more delicate parts haven’t suffered as much. Another challenge is that the instructions provided are for a US Navy kit. As such, there are several alternative parts such as the pod under the nose which went through several evolutions all of which are included in the kit, and whilst it may be obvious to some how the Iranian aircraft were configured, I’m sure not everyone will know. Only an additional decal and painting guide is included for the Iranian version. A great feature is the fact that the cockpit, slats and flaps can all be displayed in the open position. Assembly starts traditionally with the cockpit. Here the side and quarter panels as well as the ejection handles all get treated to some finely detailed etch. In the reviews I’ve done on Hasegawa kits in the last 12 months, they generally lack detail in the pit with over simplified seats, but this kit is certainly one of their better efforts. The seats come in no less than 5 parts with nicely detailed side panels and have seatbelts moulded in to the cushions. The instrument panels are also pleasantly detailed allowing some intricate painting to bring out the detail. Something to be aware of however if you have a critical eye for detail is that the cockpit is that of a US machine, the current Iranian Tomcats have a different layout from looking at pictures on the net, most notably being two displays side by side rather than one above the other. The fuselage make up consists of a font section that houses the cockpit, a centre section made in top and bottom halves then the rear end housing the airbrakes. Surface detail on the fuselage is refined and crisp with panel lines and rivets being included, although appearance is let down by flash around the edges of the parts. The nose includes a pilot access ladder and foot plates that can be open or closed. The kit is quite complex in assembly and whilst I’ve built the 1/48 kit many moons ago, this kit seems to off more in terms of features despite being much smaller so may not suit beginner skills. The intakes are designed very well including the variable inlet ramps and full internal intakes right up to and including the engine fan. The assembled intakes mate on to the lower fuselage half which is previously mated to the upper surface. Exhaust assembly is again quite complex with 8 parts per exhaust that require assembling, however the effort is worth it with some pleasant detailing in both the internal and external surfaces. The undercarriage is beautifully detailed and captures the shape and intricacy well. Two nose gear options are included given that it’s the US Navy kit – normal or compressed as you would see it when lined up on the cat, however as the Iranians don’t operate from carriers, this wouldn’t be appropriate here. The main wheels come with separate hubs to aid painting but be aware that there are two types so reference to photographs will be needed. From my observations, it looks like hub part 19 is the correct type to use. There are some slight ejector pin marks on the front inside tyres although these should be easy to correct. Assembly of the wings look straight forwards, although you need to decide on your sweep configuration. If you decide to have the wings swept, obviously you will need the flaps retracted but you will also need to cut a part off the internal locating mechanism where it sits in the wing glove. As with the fuselage, surface detailing is superb although yet more flash is present. The nose section according to the instructions, simply fits to the centre fuselage, however Andy Mullen who has accumulated considerable experience with this kit can offer far more than I can to building the kit HERE. Hope you don’t mind me linking to this Andy ? A comprehensive amount of clear parts are included in the kit. Wing tip, tail and wing glove navigation lighters are all catered for, so keep them well away from the carpet monster ! The canopy and windscreen are beautifully clear, however as normal, there is a fine seem along the canopy centreline that needs to be sanded out. The canopy gets a good dose of etch, the rear view mirrors and locking mechanism along the base give a boost of detail to an already busy cockpit. Now for the weapon load....or lack of. Considering the original kit came with the mix of Sidewinders, Sparrow and Phoenix, all of which are included in the instructions (as though to rub salt in the wound!) Hasegawa have omitted the lot. I find this very disappointing. The Iranians reputedly used the Phoenix in anger on many occasions as too the Sidewinder (although the Phoenix were probably expended years ago) , so this looks like a cost saving exercise. The drop tanks are included, but none of the pictures I’ve seen show them being carried. If you do get a set of weapons from somewhere, fortunately, all the pylons are included as they are on the included sprues. Decals The decals appear to be of very good quality. Very sharp in register and good colour, they should finish your model off very well. From what I can see, the markings never changed when the camouflage scheme changed, so you should be able to do the classic sand / brown / green scheme if you prefer. A good set of cockpit detail decals are also included if this is your preferred method of detailing, but the detail on the plastic parts will need sanding off to use. Markings are included for 3 aircraft; 3-6042. 3-6043, 3-6077 displayed in the paint guide in the latest scheme as worn in 2012. Conclusion It’s widely agreed that this is the best F-14A kit on the market with good exterior and interior detailing. I’m sure the livery will be a popular choice too, however it’s not a perfect package. Plenty of flash on the larger parts will create some extra work for you and if detail is important to you, some research will be necessary to choose the right options contained in the box. A big disappointment is the lack of missiles in the kit considering the retail price is for a premium kit. That said, I’m pleased to have this in my collection as it’s an aircraft I’ve always wanted to build. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for