LeVi Tophatter

Going from the previous Mistubishi Zero collaboration, there is almost no chance that this kit will be sold as a 'regular' release sadly. The concept of the Finemoulds/Model Graphix combo was to produce the best possible 1/72 kit package at a fairly reasonable price, this collaboration was deemed as the most economical way of doing it... Maybe if Finemoulds ditched Model Graphix and made their own box and instructions, the price may come down a great deal!!! . Seriously though, kudos to both groups, it's one of those 'Bugatti Veyron' moments that practically all major manufacturers won't do these days. The only real downside is that the superb magazine is pretty much all in Japanese... Anyway, to give everyone a taster of what's coming, I've managed to find a review of the Finemoulds/Model Graphix Mitsubishi Zero. Brings back memories! I think the only real 'let down' with this up and coming F-14D will be the rather predictable VF-2 or VF-31 CAG decals... Enjoy the review!

Well... This is going to be just like the Finemoulds/Modelgraphix Mitsubishi Zeros - ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! In all honesty, it will be well worth the total cost, as the packaging, kit and magazine included are superb. I do remember that if you wanted a kit box for the sprues (for whatever reason), you had to cut it out of the magazine!!! Think of this as a 1/72 Wing Nut Wings kit of sorts... No exaggeration, I can't believe the details.

Nice pic, the red scheme is a bit gaudy though... Still it would be a nice option in this new kit. Anyway, in the true spirit of online forums, wouldn't it be nice if this new F-20 was followed up by this 'family member'...

No probs. Keep mangling Singapore and Saudi Arabia together, RSAF for both... Good job I didn't say Republic of Saudi Arabia Air Force... D'oh!

Hi. I've not seen an IDF/AF F-16C carry the 'squared off' fuselage spine operationally... The IDF/AF F-16D's do carry the 'squared off' fuselage spine but they come in two distinct variations found on three aircraft variants: F-16D Block 30 'Barak' (0XX serials) 'Big Mouth' intake and General Electric engine/nozzle. Features the 'Squared off' fuselage spine with the 'bulbous' extended parapack fairing. This fairing flows off from the width of the standard F-16C/D tail, so just use a suitable plasticard extension sanded to shape... F-16D Block 40 'Barak II' (6XX serials) The same as above F-16I Block 52 'Sufa' (4XX and 8XX serials) 'Small Mouth' intake and Pratt and Whitney engine/nozzle. Features the 'Squared off' fuselage spine with no extension but a whole load of lumps and bumps. Just use the standard F-16C/D tail mated to your custom 'squared off' fuselage spine... There are of course many finer details but as you just wanted to capture the look in 1/144 scale (and quite rightly so!!!) this is pretty much what you'll need to do... I personally would use the new Trumpeter 1/144 F-16B/D kit as it's more than acceptable for your build. Bit pricy for 1/144 but looks immeasurably better than the Dragon 1/144 F-16B/D kit with its squashed looking intake and canopy. Happy building. Edit: Oh yeah, the following also use the same 'Squared off' fuselage spine as the IDF/AF F-16D Block 30 'Barak' and Block 40 'Barak II' aircraft: Royal Singaporean Air Force F-16D Block 52 'Small Mouth' intake and Pratt and Whitney engine/nozzle. Features the 'Squared off' fuselage spine with the 'bulbous' extended parapack fairing. This fairing flows off from the width of the standard F-16C/D tail, so just use a suitable plasticard extension sanded to shape... NF-16D VISTA Block 30/40 hybrid Either 'Big Mouth' intake and Pratt and Whitney engine/nozzle or General Electric engine/nozzle. The 'Squared off' fuselage spine is the same as the above.

Quite a few Squadrons operated the F-14D: VF-2 Bounty Hunters, VF-11 Red Rippers, VF-31 Tomcatters, VF-101 Grim Reapers, VF-124, Gunfighters, VF-213 Black Lions, VX-4 Evaluators, VX-9 Vampires and various NAWC detachments... VF-2, VF-31, VF-213 and the 'Black Bunny' hog the limelight as they were essentially the last F-14D squadrons/operators. Sadly there doesn't seem to be much demand for the other 'forgotten' users of the F-14D for some bizzare reason, you could get away with custom printing some of them though... Logical, for the Vulcan itself, I would get hold of Profimodellers turned brass/photo-etch barrels and some extra detail for the breech block and bay might be found on the various Eduard photo-etch sets. Some images that may be of some help: F-14 gun bay and ammunition bay F-14 engine access panels (TF30 equipped F-14A) and another I remember a guy from Japan properly sorting out Tamiya's 1/32 scale Cat, although he converted it into an F-14D there is a lot of good info on general detailing, including sorting out the intakes. Have a looksy here, click the 'How to Build' link. It's such a good build, it now lives in Tamiya America's HQ...

Absolutely. Add to that VF-103 for F-14B's and VF-31 for F-14D's. Yawn... VF-24 Fighting Renegades are an often neglected squadron, Fighter Town Decals did a decent sheet at a fair price. Bit of a shame the earlier F-14A and later F-14A+ desert schemes were never followed up...

YES, YES, YES!!! I absolutely adore the F-20, it would have made a superb Air Defence Fighter, much more suitable and economical than the F-16ADF... I'll definitely be buying one of these. The Monogram kit is good but a bit long in the tooth, I wonder if anyone will tool a 1/48 X-29 for company...

More an observation than an argument, I would have though it to be very expensive and time consuming altering moulds for raised surface detail (possibly the reason Hasegawa didn't scribe the fuselage of the 1/72 A-10 kits after permanent A-10A LASTE and A-10C fuselage mods) Personally, I don't think the tooling has changed at all, it may well look worse in photo's than in the 'flesh'... The detailing is seriously nice for the scale too. Test shot (Orange Hobby): Production kit (Hyperscale): Images credited to their respective owners. (Will remove if not allowed). I'll wait for the inevitable F-35B and F-35C from Hasegawa, as they've taken the logical approach of including the RAM areas as decals. No hassle with refining raised panels and no extra expense of buying paint masks... Each to their own!!!

Wow, those MiG's smoke as much as the big old B-52...

If the sprues and construction process are to go by, then yes, they are the recessed panel line Fujimi kits!!! The main wheels on sprue A appear to have Fujimi's 'trademark' mismatched width... I bought a couple of these fujimi kits many years ago just for the boxart, plus they did a photo-recon 109 variant that I though was quirky. It still is a nice kit IMHO, despite all the newer toolings...

HB haven't done the appropriate 'all metal' wings for the later F4U variants they've churned out... . Other than that, it's a pretty nice and well detailed kit, in the plastic...

Great, clear, sharp shots Jinxman. Thanks for sharing!!! Bit of a surprise to see a JASDF pilot wearing a USAF lightweight helmet (1st pic), never seen that before. Always stuff to learn...

Good point, the USMC regularly operates fixed and rotary winged aircraft from both U.S. Navy 'Amphibious Assault' (AV-8B, AH-1, UH-1, CH-46, CH-53, even OV-10's for trials) and conventional Aircraft Carriers (F/A-18A+,F/A-18C). The A-10 needs a fairly long 'run-up' and can't be catapulted (much to the dismay of some Generals...)

Well, 'our' media coverage is certainly doing it's job of impartial, informative reporting... Again, pure hysteria. I'm much more worried about my local Library being bulldozed for more rental apartments. (not a political statement) . Anyway, just for a bit of nostalgic balance (and any reason to post F-14 pics): 1979. VF-51 escorting a Tu-95 (the type about to unleash Armageddon on our shores) . The daily rags could easily confuse the radomes for 'nukes'... . 1978. VF-51 escorting an An-12 Cub (of all things), this time from the Russians perspective... Very nice, rare photo and I'm sure it was an interesting day for all involved. Credit due to the original photographers. (edit: included photo dates)

Yeah, Mirage 2000 alright. The hysteria generated buy these fairly common events is something to behold, some geniuses seem to think were on the brink of WWIII... Jeysus!!!

In all honesty the new R.F. Army logo does look quite good in 'low visibility' form or red/white as per some of the parade vehicles. That said it really can't escape 'corporate branding' feel, like the current U.S. Army logo, which looks like a football team logo... Bleh.

Really nice, Batman would love one of them... No idea how the driver is meant to turn his/her head though, maybe it's a 'scalextric driver'... !!! You'd need some serious sculpting skills to do it justice, or you can be ultra modern (lazy) and 3D print it...

I see, bit of a sad state of affairs though, it's just a model kit not a propaganda tool... The instruction sheet gives the cut red/white stars their definitive context, it tells a layperson like me that they are for Soviet era aircraft, not a current Russian Federation aircraft. With this in mind and after your explanation, it appears logical to show the stars in all their glory here. No problem or confusion. The cut red/white stars on the decal sheet pretty much have no context on their own, they could be for a former Soviet aircraft, a Russian Federation aircraft or indeed a current Belarussian aircraft... Then, the whole package tells us that the markings are for a Soviet era LA-7/9 kit (nice kit too), not a Russian Federation Su-27, MiG-29, etc. so there is no real need to protest in this way... This is why I thought they were cut to save space!!! The biggest problem is that it causes some grief when applying/aligning the stars on the kit!!!

Thanks very much. Makes total sense even though I got bored after page 3 and started playing Farm Heroes Saga... . I will read it in full one day. Going off topic slightly, I always thought it odd that despite not being very well loved by the powers that be, the A-10 was never sold/exported to compete with the Su-25 on the 'global market'.

Ha! That was the first thing I saw, not the blue and red bits... Strange how it stands out so much in a futuristic American fashion, wouldn't look out of place on an F-35... Anyway, I would say that the decals are not censored just cut up to save space as has been mentioned above. After all, the Soviet era stars are shown in all their glory on the instructions sheet, not blanked out with a generic shape as with Swastika's.

I like the A-10 very much but I must concede that it's usefulness is somewhat fading... Fast. I just can't see where it fit's in with the post cold war Air Force, low or medium altitude. On a slight tangent, B-1's seem to hang around for ages like some kind of marauding Vulture. Surely one of those 'Joint operations' ground teams plus a B-1 with a big belly full of little bombs/missiles could do the job of several 'low and slow' gunrunning Warthogs? Just a laypersons perspective, I know nothing of how this actually works.

They certainly go for far too much on auction sites in this part of the world, anything from £15 - £30, I kid you not!!! There are quite a few releases that have a wide range of bright markings but the MU-2A's in the anniversary markings are both the nicest, hardest to find and most expensive of the lot... Very colourful, nice kits.

Yep, those F-14 and F-16 kits are indeed the old Crown toolings which in turn appeared to be re-boxed by everybody apart from Dragon/Shanghai Dragon... Best left for Lil Johnny's rainy day... Another option for the Revell Germany 1/144 F-14A/B/D and F/A-18C/D would be the ACE Corp. re-boxes, they have a wider variety of decals and there are a few limited edition bundles such as the F/A-18C 'Chippy Ho' set that contains x8 kits and a massive decal sheet...

Right you are Nimrod. Revell released the F-104G (04060) and TF-104G (04008), which was nice of them. These modular moulds have a lot of potential, Revell could kit every variant of Starfighter with the way the tooling has been designed. Bit of a shame they've stopped with just the -104G's... Dassault Mirage F.1C: The only kit I could find was the Crown 1/144 kit, at the nearest LHS. This kit was later re-boxed by Mini Hobby Models, (Academy)Minicraft and Revell. I wouldn't say it's the 'best' but more the only one out there, decent recessed panel lines and detail but the form around the nose needs refinement through the old sanding stick.