ANovaScotian Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) Hey All Today I present Academy's 1/72 F-14A Tomcat finished as a what-if CF-14 of the Canadian Armed Forces. In the late 1970s the Department of Defence was looking for a replacement for the CF-101 Voodoos and CF-104 Starfighters that were starting to show their age. The aircraft that made the short list were the Panavia Tornado, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15 Eagle, Mirage 2000, F/A-18 Hornet, and F-14 Tomcat. The list was eventually whittled down and the F/A-18 Hornet was chosen as the winner of the New Fighter Aircraft competition. Over 30 years later the Hornets are still going strong, but like the Voodoos before them, they too are soon do for replacement (a highly controversial and much debated topic). The F-14 was struck from the list as it was deemed too expensive in the numbers required; a conclusion the US Navy had already come to. According to some internet sources, Canada had offered to purchase the Iranian Air Force's fleet of F-14As for a bargain-basement price after the post-revolution US arms embargo had left them grounded. Due to political reasons the offer was declined. Whether this is true or simply hearsay, I don't know, but what I do know is that it makes for good modelling inspiration. I give you Tomcat "123" of 441 Squadron, Canadian Forces Air Command (Didn't have enough zeroes to do "100" ) The Academy F-14 is a pretty nice kit. The build is relatively straight-forward with the only problems being at the nose to rear fuselage join. Panel lines are sharp and deep enough to hold a wash well, except around the nose where they are a little soft. The cockpit is not the most detailed but with the addition of some True Details seats looks presentable under the canopy. With careful gluing the wings are still functional after assembly, but will scrape the paint off the wing surfaces, so are best glued in your favourite position. The AIM-54s are from the kit, with the Sparrows and Sidewinders coming from a Hasegawa weapons set. If I were to do this again, I would probably replace the forward AIM-54s with Sparrows so as not to hide the False Canopy. The model was painted with Model Master Light Ghost Grey and Medium Grey, these being the closest matches to the colours used in the CF-18's camouflage, with Gunship Grey used for the "False Canopy". Exhausts were done in Humbrol Metalcote Gunmetal, with a gentle spray of MM Jet Exhaust on the inside. Decals were from the excellent Canuck Model Products sheet "CF-18 Hornet - Symmetrical Scheme" to depict the aircraft as it would (may) have appeared in the early 1980s. Seriously, these are hands down the BEST decals I have ever used. Thanks for looking and keep on whiffing! Regards, ANS Edited June 16, 2015 by ANovaScotian 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilfish Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Love it! Just bought this same kit to do as a replacement for my recently retired RN Whif Tomcat. Watch this space.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight_Flyer Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 A very nice "what if" Tomcat. I was actually thinking if the false canopy would be painted and then I saw it Personally, I would agree with the omission of the Phoenix missiles. I speculate they would be regarded as too expensive and their effectiveness would be questioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Great idea,Looks superb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Great looking whiffer, Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janremco Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Great story and build, very good looking. Wouldn't that be nice if the Canadians had flown the F-14 in Europe back in the late eighties/nineties? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANovaScotian Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Great story and build, very good looking. Wouldn't that be nice if the Canadians had flown the F-14 in Europe back in the late eighties/nineties? Definitely would have been different, that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiRho Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Looks 'believable' enough. What more do you need in a model? Nice finish. I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 A very nice version, it really hits the mark Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 The best wifs are those that look real and yours certainly does, great build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reini78 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 sweet what-if! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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