1:72 Hasegawa F-14D Super Tomcat VF-31 Last Flight

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

Well, I'm finally getting started on this - I hope I have enough time to finish! After spending a lot of time fixing the inaccuracies in my last build, I've decided that this one will be pretty much OOB.

 

So this is the very nice Hasegawa F-14D kit in 1:72 scale. It has some nice features, including photoetch cockpit and canopy details. My plan is to build this as the plane from VF-31 that flew the "last flight." Which is not, by the way, the aircraft depicted in this kit, even though that's what it says on the box. That one was supposed to do the ceremonial last flight, but a maintenance failure required a different plane to be used. The actual "last flight" aircraft is depicted in the Revell 1:72 F-14D kit, from which I will borrow the decal sheet.

 

In any event, this should be fun, as VF-31 is definitely my favorite Tomcat squadron. Felix Rules!!

 

 

I have the Aires resin cockpit for this kit, but I'm not sure I'll use it. The Hasegawa kit pit is pretty good, and I may save the resin set and see if it will fit in the Revell kit (whose pit needs some help). This F-14 will also be part of a larger "side project" that I've been working on over the last few decades, and that is to build a representative model of every USN Squadron aircraft type that was adorned by Felix the Cat. This goes way back to biplane days...

 

Cheers,

Bill

[arnobiz]

Looking forward to seeing this one finished, good luck with fitting the Aires cockpit though (I ended up only using the instrument panels, the tub was too much of a pain to fit )

Arnaud

[Navy Bird]

arnobiz said:

Looking forward to seeing this one finished, good luck with fitting the Aires cockpit though (I ended up only using the instrument panels, the tub was too much of a pain to fit )

Arnaud

 

Thanks, we'll get out the power grinder and the respirator, and we'll make it fit!!

 

I know what you mean though, it seems like they should be able to make these resin cockpits fit without much sanding. Wonder why they're always so much wider than they need to be?

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Dermo245]

Good one Bill, look forward to your build.

As a matter of interest, just how many different plane types did Felix fly on?

Cheers,

Dermot

[Navy Bird]

Dermo245 said:

Good one Bill, look forward to your build.

As a matter of interest, just how many different plane types did Felix fly on?

Cheers,

Dermot

 

Hi Dermot,

 

My list (which may not be complete) includes: Boeing F4B, Grumman F3F, Grumman F4F Wildcat, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F9F Panther, McDonnell F2H Banshee, McDonnell F3H Demon, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, and Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-18 Super Hornet.

 

Britmodellers, feel free to add to my list if I've missed something!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Giorgio N]

Welcome aboard Bill !

After having enjoied your recent "Frankenlightning" I'm looking forward to see what you'll make of the Hasegawa Cat !

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

First, thanks Giorgio!

 

Second, I just learned that my facts are wrong. Or what I thought were facts are wrong. The scheme shown in the Revell 1:72 F-14D kit is NOT the plane that flew the "official" last flight at the Tomcat Sunset ceremony. The correct plane is VF-31 AJ107 BuNo 164902. (AJ102 BuNo 164904 was supposed to fly, but it broke down.) The scheme on AJ107 is a lovely, boring grey on grey on grey. At least Felix is on the tail.

 

Heck, even the bird on top of the Hasegawa box was never intended to make the last flight. It was there just for looks. Here is AJ102 which was supposed to make the flight:

 

 

And here is AJ107:

 

 

So what to do now? I can go for the boring low vis scheme and have my "official" last flight of Felix model. Or I can continue with the scheme from the Revell kit, which is more interesting. Or I could find some other, really cool F-14D scheme. Did VF-31 ever do the black nose/red tail design on the F-14D? Thoughts?

 

I know that the official last flights are just for ceremony, and there are flights that have occurred afterwards. I also just found out about an F-14 flight towards the end of 2008, it being a ferry flight to bring a Tomcat to a museum. That was two years after the Tomcat Sunset ceremony!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Giorgio N]

Did VF-31 ever do the black nose/red tail design on the F-14D? Thoughts?

They sure did ! Have a look on this page, you'll find the CO plane had exactly that scheme.

http://www.gertkromhout.com/web-content/Ga...t%20Cruise.html

And as this was the scheme carried on the last ever F-14 cruise, it is still quite significant historically

[Navy Bird]

Giorgio N said:

They sure did ! Have a look on this page, you'll find the CO plane had exactly that scheme.

http://www.gertkromhout.com/web-content/Ga...t%20Cruise.html

And as this was the scheme carried on the last ever F-14 cruise, it is still quite significant historically

 

Thanks - looks like there was quite a variety of Felix schemes on that cruise: The CAG bird, with black tail and yellow circle with Felix, the black nose/red tail, and the boring low-vis planes. Looks like they're all some variation of TPS greys, no overall gull grey birds. Gives me choices to think about!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[VFA-103guy]

Bill-

Tomcatter 101 made the actual "last flight" from NAS Oceana on October 4, 2006.

It was flown in these markings:

Tomcatter 101 final departure

Here's a close up of the tail markings

[Navy Bird]

Vagabond Decals Brian said:

Bill-

Tomcatter 101 made the actual "last flight" from NAS Oceana on October 4, 2006.

 

Thanks Brian! My original plan was to build the plane that flew the ceremonial last flight on September 22, 2006 as part of the official Tomcat Sunset ceremony at Oceana. I know that there were other, later flights, most of them to ferry the aircraft to a museum, etc. And, of course, the Iranian Tomcats that still fly occasionally.

 

I've had a look around the web, and photos of the VF-31 F-14D that has the black nose and red tail all seem to be the same plane, "101." But since I have an F-14A in that red/black scheme I'll probably go for the CAG bird from the Revell kit for this build. It will make a nice transition to the VFA-31 Super Hornets (which are in my stash waiting for me to stop typing and start modelling!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

I've made some progress on the cockpit. I spent quite some time filing, grinding, and sanding to make the Aires resin cockpit fit inside the Hasegawa fuselage. It's a lot of work, as was pointed out, but it can be done! I gave the pit a coat or two of Gunze H317 Dark Gull Grey, and then I hand-painted all of the detail using the smallest brush that I could find (10/0). This made my eyeballs go crossed, but they've since popped back. A quick wash of dark grey and black, and I think we have a reasonably nice start for a 1:72 Tomcat! There is just so much more detail in the resin replacement part than in the kit components! Once the bang seats and the extra photoetch gets added, it will be quite busy indeed!

 

 

 

I think the next task will be the intake trunking and ramps. I'm torn 50/50 about whether to model the wings forward with slats and flaps down, or to model them swept back. Personally I think the F-14 looks best with the wings swept, but I don't know how well the slats and flaps will fit when I try to glue them in the "up" or retracted position. To find out, I have to trim off all of the slat actuators, which means there would be no going back! Has anyone built this kit with the wings swept? How did everything fit?

 

 

Cheers for now,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Vagabond Decals Brian said:

Bill-

Tomcatter 101 made the actual "last flight" from NAS Oceana on October 4, 2006.

It was flown in these markings:

Tomcatter 101 final departure

Here's a close up of the tail markings

 

Hello mates,

 

Does anyone know if these markings (that Brian has so kindly provided a picture for) are available in 1:72 scale? I have an old Microscale sheet with the black nose/red tail scheme but it's for an F-14A, not an F-14D. Plus, the tail codes are different, etc.

 

Thanks,

Bill

[VFA-103guy]

Bill-

Really nice work on the cockpit!

I think Jasmine Models may have covered the D markings in 1/72.

Edited February 22, 2012 by VFA-103guy

[Navy Bird]

Thanks, Brian! I had not heard of Jasmine, but they have an eBay store and the shipping is only $4 from China to the US. I'll give them a try.

 

Next, I've been cleaning up the amazing amount of flash that was on this model, and doing some dry fitting. I've built the Hasegawa Tomcat many times, but I've never built one with the wings swept. So as I was dry fitting today, I learned that you can't do that with this kit. There are provisions for wings forward (flaps and slats down) or the wings in the oversweep position (with slats and flaps retracted). If I want the wings in the normal full sweep postion, I'll need to do some modifications to the wings. Has anyone else done that?

 

I may do the oversweep - it's different, but to be honest it doesn't look as sleek as when the wings are in normal full sweep.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[periklis_sale]

its coming along nicely mate!

keep the photos coming!

:clap2:

[Giorgio N]

Cockpit looks great Bill ! Yousure know how to paint small bits like those in that cockpit.

I have to say my Cat suffers from some flash too, guess that even the hasegawa moulds are now showing their age (these kits have been around for many many years).

I never actually worried about the sweep, but I see what you mean and I agree it wuld be good to pose the wing at the standard maximum sweep. Guess the best way to do it is to enlarge the slot in the wing for the overwing position, so that it will make possible to fix the wing in the other position.

Edited February 23, 2012 by Giorgio N

[Navy Bird]

Thanks, Giorgio!

 

Man, I tell you, this kit is a pig. Lots of flash, a lot of plastic warping, bad fit just about everywhere...you name it. I don't recall the earlier copies of this kit (that I built back when the moulds were new) were anything like this. I guess the moulds haven't aged well or something. No shake and bake here!

 

Anyway, I'm just about ready to paint. I'll post some pictures after the basic TPS is on. I've decided to do the CAG bird, AJ100, wih the black tails seen on the last cruise, using the transfers from the Revell kit. Revell would have you paint the plane in the three-tone TPS (35237, 36320, and 36375) but pictures very clearly show that it was painted in the two-tone TPS (36320 and 36375). So that's what it will get.

 

It appears from the photos that the CAG markings are much "fresher" than the rest of the airplane. Perhaps they were new for the last cruise. Accordingly, I'll attempt a down and dirty TPS with nice and clean CAG markings. Should be an interesting contrast!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[VFA-103guy]

Thanks, Giorgio!

Man, I tell you, this kit is a pig. Lots of flash, a lot of plastic warping, bad fit just about everywhere...you name it. I don't recall the earlier copies of this kit (that I built back when the moulds were new) were anything like this. I guess the moulds haven't aged well or something. No shake and bake here!

Anyway, I'm just about ready to paint. I'll post some pictures after the basic TPS is on. I've decided to do the CAG bird, AJ100, wih the black tails seen on the last cruise, using the transfers from the Revell kit. Revell would have you paint the plane in the three-tone TPS (35237, 36320, and 36375) but pictures very clearly show that it was painted in the two-tone TPS (36320 and 36375). So that's what it will get.

It appears from the photos that the CAG markings are much "fresher" than the rest of the airplane. Perhaps they were new for the last cruise. Accordingly, I'll attempt a down and dirty TPS with nice and clean CAG markings. Should be an interesting contrast!

Cheers,

Bill

Nope, that jet was a 3 tone TPS. Got more paint information from VF-31 than I ever cared to imagine. The demarcation lines between the dk and lt ghost grey on the fwd fuselage literally are subtle, but they are there. The dk ghost grey actually goes down a little further on the side of the fuselage than normal.

Also, there are 2 versions of the CAG bird.

There is the Final Combat Cruise markings which appeared on the jets while they were flying OEF/OIF missions.

Then, there are the final tomcat markings where VF-31 had a bunch of awards on the tails, and a few other makings changes.

Edited February 26, 2012 by VFA-103guy

[Navy Bird]

VFA-103guy said:

Nope, that jet was a 3 tone TPS. Got more paint information from VF-31 than I ever cared to imagine. The demarcation lines between the dk and lt ghost grey on the fwd fuselage literally are subtle, but they are there.

 

Hi Brian,

 

OK, I believe you! The demarcation lines that are shown in the Revell kit for the three-tone TPS are definitely not on the aircraft. It is possible that the Revell instructions are not correct, of course! Specifically where the color on the side of the forward fuselage extends back almost to the beginning of the wing stiffeners. The photos I have of AJ100 show a demarcation line that is almost vertical and is located right about where the intakes begin. (Which is right where the two-tone scheme that some of the planes wore had it.)

 

Do you have a reference for what the proper demarcation lines are? I would appreciate it, thanks!

 

Was my guess about the "fresh" CAG markings on the tail reasonable? They look very clean compared to the rest of the plane!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Hello again Brian!

 

I sharpened up my old eyeballs, and I can see what you're saying. I can see the demarcation line betwen 36320 and 36375. Not sure how I missed that!

So here is a picture of AJ100, with the demarcation lines that I can see circled and labelled. Is this correct? What I'm not sure of is the line between 36320 and 36375 along the back by the word "NAVY."

 

 

I'll wait until I hear from you before I commit any paint to plastic!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[VFA-103guy]

Hello again Brian!

I sharpened up my old eyeballs, and I can see what you're saying. I can see the demarcation line betwen 36320 and 36375. Not sure how I missed that!

So here is a picture of AJ100, with the demarcation lines that I can see circled and labelled. Is this correct? What I'm not sure of is the line between 36320 and 36375 along the back by the word "NAVY."

I'll wait until I hear from you before I commit any paint to plastic!

Cheers,

Bill

Hi Bill!

Everything on the fwd fuselage that you have marked is spot on. The sides of the intakes are all 36375. 36320 is only used on the fwd fuselage area.

Here's a shot of the demarcation line of the aft end you were needing.

[Navy Bird]

VFA-103guy said:

Hi Bill!

Everything on the fwd fuselage that you have marked is spot on. The sides of the intakes are all 36375. 36320 is only used on the fwd fuselage area.

Here's a shot of the demarcation line of the aft end you were needing.

 

Thanks, Brian! I wondered whether the "demarcation line" on the side of the intake was real or just a shadow, especially since it didn't seem to continue farther back. One last question - how about the inside of the intakes? I have several photos that clearly show that they are grey to start out with (looks like 36375) but then change to white part way in (hard demarcation line). Is that what your references show as well?

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Hello mates,

 

Here are a few more photos from the build. First, I painted the engine faces that will be at the end of the intake trunking. Nothing fancy, just some Alclad steel and a slight wash.

 

 

I then assembled the intake trunking which was painted white inside. There are also some nice adjustable ramps that Hasegawa provides with the kit, and you get to add these along with some actuators. None of this, of course, will ever be seen again once you close up the fuselage! Well, not entirely true, you can see some of the ramps and if you look through the vents on top of the fuselage you can see the actuators. I painted the inside of the forward portion of the intakes FS36375, which seems to match photos that show the inside of the intakes changing from grey to white as you move farther in.

 

 

You'll also notice in that last shot I've put the glove vanes back inside where they belong! Next, I closed the fuselage and got out the tube of filler! I mentioned before that this particular kit had a lot of flash and some warpage. I did my best to get things lines up but I still needed a lot more filler than I'm used to. I filled in the seams left from the glove vanes since they would be pretty ugly if I left them there, and the pictures I have seem to indicate that the glove was very smooth through that area. Oddly enough, the beaver tail went on nicely, and won't require any filler at all.

 

 

 

I then started work on the engine nozzles and afterburner. I decided to use the ones that came with the kit rather than buy an aftermarket resin set. The design is interesting in the kit, as the individual exhaust "petals" are attached one a a time. This is required to get the interesting shape they have. Much to my surprise, on the inside of each petal were two small holes that serve no useful prupose!! Are you kidding me??

 

 

And of course in addition to the two holes, there is also a big honking ejector pin mark on each one as well! Well, the holes will have to be filled, and the ejector pin mark sanded off. Arghhh. Maybe I should buy the aftermarket set!

 

After a few hours (probably an exaggeration) of sanding, I have the fuselage basically assembled and aligned, with the seams corrected.

 

 

 

I left the inflatable wing seals off of the model until later. Dry fitting of the parts show that they fit really well, so I'll paint them separately and add after the fuselage painting is finished. I modified the slot in the hinge portion of the wings so that the wings can be posed in either the normal fully swept position or in the oversweep parking mode. To allow this change after the model is complete, the wings will not be glued to the fuselage. But this should not be a problem! Here is the full sweep position:

 

 

I've also decided to leave the exhaust nozzles off until later. To do that, you also have to leave off the small fuselage extension flap that covers up part of the outboard side of the exhaust. So I will need to take care to ensure that those flaps match the rest of the fuselage painting. I will tack them on temporarily, and then remove prior to installing the exhausts.

 

I've ordered some pilot figures from a company in Belgium that a fellow Britmodeller told me about. I've also ordered a small (HO scale, or 1:87) US flag. My intention is to model the Tomcat like a picture that I saw recently. The F-14 was taxiing back to park, the pilot was waving to the crowd (must have been at an airshow or maybe the Tomcat Sunset ceremony) and the RIO was holding a small US flag out of the open canopy. It's a neat picture, so I'm looking forward to recreating that.

 

That's it for now! Be back with more soon, as painting is about to get started!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[AndyC]

I've also ordered a small (HO scale, or 1:87) US flag. My intention is to model the Tomcat like a picture that I saw recently. The F-14 was taxiing back to park, the pilot was waving to the crowd (must have been at an airshow or maybe the Tomcat Sunset ceremony) and the RIO was holding a small US flag out of the open canopy. It's a neat picture, so I'm looking forward to recreating that.

That sounds like a great idea for a small dio Bill! Good work

Andy