VFA-103guy

Dave- The F-14A and F-14B's (aka F-14A+) prior to 2003 had the HUD image projected onto the front windscreen, and it was not a traditional HUD like what the F-14D had. As you stated, the Sparrow/HAWK HUD was introduced to the F-14B fleet with VF-103 in 2003 and it was a true HUD.

Nice work Dave! Great collection too!

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.

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.

Nice work Dave!! Great attention to Vandy 1's details!!

Bill- Really nice work on the cockpit! I think Jasmine Models may have covered the D markings in 1/72.

Bill- Thanks! yes, I wrote an article a while back on how to achieve the finish, but I'm re-writing it. I was using an Aztec airbrush when I built this kit, and I've since switched to a Pasche. Hopefully I'll get the article re-posted, but feel free to drop me a PM and I'll see what I can do to help.

LOL...dude I have reputation to uphold...always start 'em, never finish 'em.

I'm not participating in the GB, but I thought you guys would like to see one of the tomcats I've been working on for a loooong time. I probably should get around to finishing it one day. 1/48 Hasegawa kit, Verlinden GRU-7A ejection seats, VF-Decals VF-103 final cruise decals, Avionix PTID screen in the RIO's pit and Fukuya pitot tube on the nose. Amazingly all I have left to do is add new bomb racks (don't ask me what happen to the originals that were on it) on the fwd Phoenix pallets, the glove vane nav lights, and a final flat coat should have her finished off. Just have to find the time and motivation to do it. Enjoy..

Nice work as usual Andy! Glad to see your tomcat production line is still going!

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

You guys are more than welcome!

Glad to be here, thanks! Right you are about the TPS being a minefield..being a decal manufacturer myself makes me really look at that kind of thing closely. When I was running VF-Decals, I made more calls to Oceana than I care to mention..lol. Fortunately, I had a lot of great contacts within the paint shops who really went out of their way to help out. You should have been with me when I was out shooting VF-31 and VF-213's tomcats after the final combat cruise. VF-31 had invited me to come out and document their tomcats, and I spent 3 days taking walk arounds. VF-31's TPS schemes were pretty simple, but VF-213 was an entirely different story..lol. Every jet they had was something different. The only thing consistant about 213's line jets was they all had the same 35237 skunk stripe that stretched from the nose and stopped at the panel just behind the GPS dome. The back end of the skunk stripe was squared off, which was unique only to VF-213's tomcats. Yes you are correct! I can't recall what year it was, maybe around 1991-1993, VF-84 had a very unique TPS scheme. The 35237 stretched down to the middle of the fwd fuselage and had a hard edged demarcation line, while the rest of the aircraft had soft edges between the colors.

RNoAF- Glad to see you are using the old VF-Decals VF-31 sheet. That was my company and that was one of our best sheets we'd ever done. However, I would recommend using some different CVW-8 badges. Ours were a little oddly shaped and there are replacements out there readily available. The pics you posted from airliners is not the CAG from the 2006 combat cruise, but are from a later date in 2006. The VF sheet features the jets as they appeared in March 2006, 3 days after the squadron's home coming. If you need pics of Tomcatter 100, please let me know. I took walk arounds of all of VF-31's jets after their home coming.

Gents- If you haven't seen my Tomcats 101 article, have a look here: Tomcats 101 I took each variant of the F-14 and broken it down in a simple format so anyone can follow it. Giorgio has posted some good solid information regarding the color schemes, but I should mention that a lot of how a squadron would apply the TPS scheme would vary from squadron to squadron. VF-103 had a very unique version of how they applied the TPS scheme to their tomcats for example. The Lt Ghot gray that would typically be seen going all the way to the tip of the nose was curved just fwd of the TCS chin pod on VF-103's jets. The only exception was Vic 107, and that jet had been a transfer from VF-101 just before the squadron left to go on their final tomcat cruise. Also, the LTS or LANTIRN pods were 36118 as Giorgio mentioned when tomcat squadrons first started getting them, but by the end of the F-14's career, they were mulit-colored with 36118 parts and 36375 parts. I've posted several pics of the pods in my article, and I hope you guys find it useful. Here's a hot of a VF-103 F-14B taken by CPT Dana Potts former CAG of CVW-17 showing Vic 110 with the overall 36375 pod.

Goose- Lots of good answers here, and I hope you found my tomcats article useful. I tried to keep the break down of each variant as simple as possible, but if you need further explination, drop me a PM. Since VF-103 tomcats are kind of my area of expertise, here's some additional information for you. VF-84 was cleared to drop both the Mk-82 to Mk-83 series dumb bombs. To my knowledge, they were not cleared to drop the Mk-84, but I could be wrong there. They were never cleared to carry LANTIRN aka AN/AAQ-14. VF-84 had disestablished in 1995, and VF-103 adopted the history and traditions of the Jolly Rogers. So,VF-103 went from being the Sluggers to the Jolly Rogers. As previously stated, VF-103 (when they were the Sluggers) was the first fleet squadron to debut LANTIRN (later referred as LTS by most of the pilots and RIO's I know), but VF-103 as the Jolly Rogers were the first fleet squadron to take LANTIRN to sea. VF-84's typical loads towards the end of their time were 2 Mk-82's, 2 AIM-9L/M Sidewinders and 2 AIM-7 Sparrows. VF-103 (as the Sluggers) never went on a combat deployment with LANTIRN, however their jets were configured with the AIM-54 adapter on the left glove pylon, and LANTIRN on the right. VF-103 (as the Jolly Rogers) did do a combat deployment over Bosnia in 1996-1997, and their typical loads were 2 MK-82's, 2 AIM-9L/M's, 1 AIM-54 (the AIM-54 adapter on the left glove pylon), and LANTIRN on the right. By 1998-1999, VF-103's loadouts had changed and the AIM-54 adapter had been removed from under the left glove pylon and replaced with the AIM-7 adapter. Hope that helps..

Nick, that is one OUTSTANDING looking F-14! Excellent work!!

Awesome!!

Gents- Glad you are finding the article useful! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Gents- I have this small series of articles on the 3 different variants of the F-14 pinned on ARC and Z5, so I thought it would be good to have them here as well. Tomcats 101 Part 1, The F-14B This is part 1 of a 3 part article I decided to write to help better educate the modeling community about the external differences of the 3 variants of the F-14 Tomcat. I will also be including modelers notes where necessary telling you what parts either in your kits or what aftermarket items you'll need to make each variant as the articles come out. I highly recommend that modelers purchase the DACO Uncovering the F-14A/B/D book. While it's coverage of the F-14A and it's different blocks/modifications is minimal, it's coverage of the F-14B and F-14D are superb. I won't be going into the history of the F-14, the history of different BuNo's, or the history of weapon systems or internal upgrades. That type of information is readily available through Torsten Anft's Home of M.A.T.S. F-14 site found here: M.A.T.S. F-14 Site Part 1. The F-14B (Upgrade) Let's take a look shall we. Our samples here, are F-14B 163217 (Victory 103) & F-14B 161435 (Victory 110). Both are F-14B TARPS UPGRADE jets and were equipped with the Sparrow/Hawk HUD. The Sparrow/Hawk Hud started coming on line in 2003, and was added to the remaining F-14B fleet. 163217 was one of the first VF-103 F-14B's to receive the modification. Both 163217 and 161435 started off life as production F-14B's, but were modified to carry TARPS in some time between late 2003 and early 2004. Like the remainder of VF-103's F-14B's, both jets were equipped with the PTID screen and LTS control stick in the RIO's pit. Starting up, the ECM fairings or RHAWS blisters. ECM fairings (next to the ejection seats and chin pod) are literally what set the F-14B appart from the F-14D and earlier block versions of the F-14A. Towards the end of the F-14A's career, A model Tomcats were fairly identical to the F-14B and had pretty much rec'd all of the external modifications except for the engines and the deletion of the glove vanes. **Modelers Note: All of the ECM blisters that are needed to build an F-14B are found in the Hasegawa 1/48 F-14A/B/D kits. If you're building a Revell F-14, Steel Beach Accessories has a resin update set with the blisters included. Here in photograph 1, on the port side, there are 4 ECM blisters. 1 on the left nose gear door, 1 located just fwd of the wing glove, and 2 located just under the wing glove area. Here in photograph 2, the ECM blisters on the glove vane area, are repeated on the starboard side. ** Modelers Note: When building either an F-14B or F-14D, you will need to fill the hole on the right nose gear door of the Hasegawa kit part or, if you're building a Revell kit simply remove the antenna. Photograph 3 shows the ECM fairing next to the fuel dump on the beaver tail. Also of note are the GPS dome, and the angles of the TACAN and UHF antennas. Here's a closer look at the turtle back and a better look at the antenna arrangement for an F-14B. Thanks to Dana Potts for this photo. Photos 4 and 5 show the ECM antennas on the aft ends of the horizontal stabs and the open position of the GE engine nozzels. Also of note are the horizontal stabs at rest, just touching the undersides of the wings. The F-14 went through a series of both chin pods and gun gas purge vents. The TCS chin pod was a prominent feature on both the F-14B and the F-14A. Also of note in this photo are the 3 NACA gun gas purge vents. These vents would appear on modified F-14A's, the F-14B and F-14D. In this next photo, some other main features can be seen. The LTS pod and pylon, the late style wheel hub on the main gear, the TACAN antenna, and the LAU-138 BOL rail. Another feature that was common on the F-14B was the strengthening plate located around the RIO's boarding step. This feature was hit and miss between the F-14A and F-14D. The F-14B's powerpalnt was none other than the GE-F110-400 engine. Craig Scaling is to be credited with this photo. Tomcats 101 Part 2, The F-14D The F-14D also known as the "Super Tomcat" is probably one of the easiest variants of the F-14 to become familiar with. The F-14D and it's variants included both new build F-14D's and F-14D R's which were rebuilt F-14A's that were converted to D's. Prominant features are the dual chin pod, NACES SJU-17 ejection seats, and of course the GE-F110 engines. We have a couple of examples from VF-31 and one from VF-101, so let's see what we have. Starting off, here are a couple of shots of a dual chin pod. The IRST portion of the pod is on the left side, while the TCS portion is on the right. There are a total of 6 ECM blisters on the F-14D. 1 on the left nose gear door (as shown above in the first photo), 1 on each side of the fwd portion of the glove vane, one on the top aft of the starboard tail, and one on the beaver tail next to the fuel dump. The glove vane blister on the port side can be seen in this shot of Tomcatter 107 below. Modelers Note: In this photograph, notice the small antenna on the right nose gear door is covered or filled in. When building an F-14B or F-14D, you will need to fill this in on the Hasegawa gear door and remove it from the Revell. In this photo, the TACAN antenna is visible from the side as well a clearer shot of the ECM configuration on the fwd glove vane area. Note the single ECM blister. Also of note, the pilot's SJU-17 has taller canopy breakers or "bat ears" than the RIO's seat. Also visible is the Sensor Slaving Panel affixed to the RIO's instrument coaming. Here's a shot of the ECM blister on the aft end of the starboard tail just below the light. Below are some random F-14D shots. Tomcats 101 Part 3, The F-14A This is the 3rd and final entry for the Tomcats 101 series. I was not able to document the F-14A until it's final days, so all I have are late model F-14A pics with all of the final modifications. Here we have F-14A 161612 from VF-101 . This F-14A was manufactured as a block 125 airframe and has all the latest modifications to include: NACA gun gas purge vents, TACAN antenna, PTID screen in the RIO's pit, and a GPS dome. Also, late modified F-14A's did not have the antenna present on the right nose gear door. Some, not all F-14A's had rec'd PTID screens in the RIO's pit. Even without the PTID, A's were still LTS or LANTIRN capable, but only if they had GPS. PTID just basically offered a clearer picture as opposed to the fishbowl or round scope. **Modelers Note: If building an F-14A as a bombcat, check your references concerning the PTID screen being present in RIO's pit. ** NOTE: ECM blisters are repeated on the right side of the glove vane area** The antenna configuration on the turtle back was also identical to the B. The smaller AN/ALR-50 antenna was removed and replaced with the GPS dome, however initially, some F-14A's retained their AN/ALR-50 antennas even when the GPS dome was installed. The F-14A was powered by 2 Pratt and Whitney TF-30 Turbofan engines. The nozzles of the TF-30 were typically poised as one open, one closed when the F-14A was parked on the ramp. Pilots would typically shut down one engine and taxi on the other, thus causing them to appear this way. Also shown is the ECM blister on the beaver/boat tail. Tomcats 101 Part 4, LTS (LANTIRN), ROVER, and other details Some random shots of the different color arrangements LTS pods were in. Below are some shots of the ROVER antenna that was added to VF-213 and VF-31's F-14D's. Nick Kessel quoted the following: "ROVER WAS UNIQUE TO VF-31 AND VF-213 FOR THE TIME FRAME OF DECEMBER 2005 TO FEBRUARY 2006 ONLY. APART FROM A NON-FLYING TEST AIRFRAME THAT WAS USED IN VF-101, NO OTHER SQUADRONS CARRIED ROVER. ALL 22 TOMCATS FROM THE FINAL CRUISE WERE MODDED." Thanks to Nick Kessel for the use of these photos

Glad to have helped out.

VERY Nicely done!!!

Nice work so far! The Big Ed set really brings that pit to life!

Tim- I'm not sure if you knew, but Fightertown Decals makes a great selection of decals for the F-14A that were LANTIRN equipped. They have decals available for VF-211, VF-154, and VF-14. They also have markings for VF-24 covered if you decide to go with a non LANTIRN build.

Great looking model Steve!!