tc2324 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 (edited) Just seen this on here and by chance I started to build my high vis F-14A about a week ago as part on my VF-111 collection so why not join in the fun. So now for the slight catch up and time to introduce you all to a certain Miss Molly. Now for the boring history bit..... F-14A Tomcat, BuNo 161621/NL 200 was a rare Tomcat for it`s day. It was often officially discouraged from applying nose art, especially pin ups, as it was deemed politically incorrect. This nose art was chosen as a tribute to Molly Sneed who had christened CVN-70 in 1980 at Senator Carl Vinson`s request as she and her husband had been his life long aides. 161621 was stricken in 2004. So I started by pre painting the cockpit section..... I know that some people are put off swing wing models as sometimes the wings just don`t want to `swing`. (No sniggering at the back please.....!) I remember a few Tornado`s and F-14 kits that have made me want to pull my hair out because they won`t do what their told and the manufacturers haven`t helped with their various assembly designs. Not so with this Academy kit. As the following pictures show, the fittings are very snug with everything staying put and not wanting to fall out. So snug in fact, even the wings are fixed into position which is very handy when putting the two fuselage half`s together. You eventually end up with this........, ........... but as you can see, `lacky bands, clamps and tape are still essential to ensure any gaps remain minimum. And then I had an interesting lesson in logistics and forward planning. First the logistics. Down to my last blobs of glue, which as you might gather is rather essential to model building. Then I noticed I`m all out of Tamiya masking tape which means a fair few bits can`t be done until next week when my order arrives. So...., I started looking at the bits I could do and this is where the forward planning went a tad wrong..., but in a good way..., kinda. I noticed that this kit comes with decals for the pilot figure helmets and I couldn`t resist. Usually I don`t do pilot figures unless it`s absolutely vital to the build itself. Unfortunately this meant a bit of troublesome work as you are supposed to put the figures in their seats prior to joining the fuselage together. Que an hour of frustration reworking the cockpit area. Anyway, here`s the results. Also completed the `sharks mouth` belly tanks...., So that`s about it and the weapons and u/c next. Edited April 21, 2014 by tc2324 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 good start on what is one of the most colourful and best known Tomcats ! Your timing was perfect for the group build, glad you're building your cat as part of this. The inclusion of the pilots is not a bad idea, the use of helmet decorations was a typical feature of USN units in those days and it deserves being shown in a model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 (edited) Thanks Giorgio. Principle spraying complete. A few usual `touch ups` needed, but other than that, decals are next. Edited April 23, 2014 by tc2324 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Lovely work on that cockpit! Good to have some nose art around here too. Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Before applying the decals, I would paint the area that stands below the wing at full sweep. This is in a kind of rubber and is a medium grey initially but gets dirtier with time. There are also a couple of details in natural metal: the area around the gun muzzle (actually more of a dark metal) and the leadind edge of the intakes lower lip. They are small details that however can be quite visible as shown by this picture of Miss Molly: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a380/edwinfan/VF111NL20020MissMolly2.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) Before applying the decals, I would paint the area that stands below the wing at full sweep. This is in a kind of rubber and is a medium grey initially but gets dirtier with time. There are also a couple of details in natural metal: the area around the gun muzzle (actually more of a dark metal) and the leadind edge of the intakes lower lip. They are small details that however can be quite visible as shown by this picture of Miss Molly: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a380/edwinfan/VF111NL20020MissMolly2.jpg Those are already done this morning Giorgio. In my head, they were the points classed as the `usual touch ups` comment in my previous post. Entirely my fault as I should have been more precise in my explanation but it was getting a tad late when I posted and my bed was calling me. Still, it`s good to know that members have you `covered` about such things..... Edited April 24, 2014 by tc2324 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 Lovely work on that cockpit! Good to have some nose art around here too. Dermot Cheers Dermot. One of the first decals I placed on mid morning was the nose art and it does give this F-14 a rather striking look. Although I`m not sure if the subject of the pin up looked as `glamorous`.....? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Sorry my misunderstanding ! These modern fighters always require a lot of touch-ups... Looking forward to seeing more pictures ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 That's coming along nicely, the crew look great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 That is quick progress, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 Thanks guys. Now for the next update and decals have improved the look of the kit and given it it`s own identity. I`m about half way through so far. And now for the bad news and a really awful bit of model making on my part. I used a spare canopy mask I had and this is the end result. As you can see there is run off`s all over the place and I very much doubt it can be fixed. My fault for using an old mask. So my next question is...., has anyone got a spare 1/48 two piece canopy they would like to send me as a replacement. Happy to send a few quid their way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Any use? http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/FNCV5348 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) Any use? http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/FNCV5348 Cheers for that and it maybe a plan B fix. Not sure I want to buy the whole set. Admittedly I`ll hold out to see if I can`t repair the canopy myself after a few tips from other forums or perhaps hold out to see if a spare turns up. I think I remember that some kits do come with 2 option canopy's so hopefully someone will go for the canopy down option. Edited April 25, 2014 by tc2324 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedman Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Were any of those tips "Fairy Power Spray"? I've used it for stripping canopies several times with no ill effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 Were any of those tips "Fairy Power Spray"? I've used it for stripping canopies several times with no ill effects. Never heard of that before? I`ll see if SWMBO has any and try it out. As for the rest of the build? Wash now complete, just need to add a bit of weathering to it and Molly`s just about done before I add the u/c, weapons, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedman Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I just give my stuff a quick spray, leave it for a few hours in a container then remove the resultant sludge with a toothbrush. I usually remove the sludge under a running tap so I can see what I'm doing, if it doesn't get it all off I just let it dry off and apply again. Once I'm happy that it's all off I give it a final wash with some washing up liquid. My A-16 was stripped of it's 20 year old enamel camo and rattle can varnish before a repaint. The canopy wasn't dipped in Clear/Klear, it was just buffed to a shine and as you can see, it's OK. Hope this helps Nice shiny canopy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyn Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 very nice work well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Ok, so here she is now with a full set of legs. Just the u/c doors, pitot`s and weapons to go. Oh..., and that pesky canopy FUBAR.....! While it does look a tad better than before, it`s still SNUFA in my eyes, so it will be replaced. Thanks to all with various fix suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 Pretty much completed, just waiting for the canopy issue to get resolved and then I can post the finished pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Good job, well done ! The model looks good, it's really a pity that the canopy got damaged. Hopefully you'll get a replacement before the end of the STGB. Another options might be trying to get a canopy from Revell, if they offer this service. Yes, the revell kit is not the same but since you'll be posing it open even if the fit it's not perfect it should not show. And Revell's spare parts service is likely to be more efficient than Academy's, at least here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 (edited) Good job, well done ! The model looks good, it's really a pity that the canopy got damaged. Hopefully you'll get a replacement before the end of the STGB. Another options might be trying to get a canopy from Revell, if they offer this service. Yes, the revell kit is not the same but since you'll be posing it open even if the fit it's not perfect it should not show. And Revell's spare parts service is likely to be more efficient than Academy's, at least here Thanks Giorgio. Another BM member has offered me a spare and is sending it to me. Hopefully this will be done by the end of next week. Edited May 2, 2014 by tc2324 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc2324 Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 Miss Molly is now complete with many thanks to Breaker for helping out with the canopy. More pics in the gallery. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Looking great ! Good to see a nice model of this very famous Tomcat in the gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 You could also try Tesco all purpose cleaner - strips paint from most plastic without damage, though might need some gentle 'persuasion' with a soft toothbrush... Build looks fantastic, BTW! Cheers, Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaker Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Excellent work with this one, glad the parts survived the post for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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