Parabat

Fantastic stuff, that PE really adds so much to the plane.

Got some work done rectifying the intake ramps. Trimmed off the raised portions on the forward ramp, glued it flush to the inner part. The rear ramp had it's actuator shortened by about 3mm, then it was all glued in place. Wheel wells went well (alliteration ahoy!) until I got to dry fitting the intakes and trying to place the inner bay part... Crystal maze! I also realised that some surgery was necessary on the intake mouths inside the plane, otherwise it would get in the way of the part. Still with me?! I ended up gluing the inner bay part to the edge of the intake sidewall, placing some plasticard behind to maintain alignment. There are still minute gaps, but a bit of white plasticard glued strategically, should obviate the obviousness of these(excuse the language, I'm going round the bend). Would I invest in Aires wells next time? I might, but it has been rewarding seeing it come together so far. First ramp in place. (Despite the WI's supply of pegs, the wing gloves STILL didn't stay stuck, so the filler was out in force) Ramps in place. You can just make out the second ramp actuator. Closer up. There are slight gaps either side of the ramps, but I can live with this. Gaps... The inner bay part is on the bottom(the white part above the intake side wall). Surgery to the intake... So that it fits like this...

Crumbs Don! That is quite something! I thought I was doing well with a resin seat and a bit of PE for the cockpit! In your hands it shall be a masterpiece!

Stuck the fuse halves together... Needed the worlds supply of pegs! It really needs pressure for a good seal around the wing gloves, and it's hard to apply pressure to the rear of the aircraft as the load bearing surfaces are on the outside only. So far... The afterburner/exhaust petals painted with my gold/met black/alu mix, pre-shading and finishing. Next up will be altering the intake ramps to better simulate a parked Tomcat. Hasegawa offer it displayed like THIS when it should look like THIS.

Possibly... The parts fit extremely well together, but the tolerances are tight, so could get it wrong. The exhaust petals are testament to this, had to remove paint from the sides of the petals so they would butt up against each other without gaps or forcing them in. So far so good!

Thanks tank152, It's not a fall-together kit by any means, but I've done a bit of research and watched a few of DaveJL's builds , so am aware of the pitfalls (I hope!). It's challenging, but it seems to be going well. I'm enjoying it, looking forward to getting the VF-2 markings on her! Already contemplating buying another F-14D...

Gets my vote for one of the best, craziest and most compelling projects! Outstanding!

Bit more done today and yesterday. Built up the 'House of Cards' undercarriage bays, added a side stick to the RIO's port console(taken from my Canberra kit), added some side panels made from sheet styrene to the RIO's office and picked out some detail in the nose undercarriage bay. RIO's office with sidestick and added panels. Canopy jettison grip made from kit's GRU-7 seat handle. Nose gear bay (detail is a bit indistinguisable thanks to the flash!) Main gear bays.

Uhm... Pre-painted is paint the.seat, then add the painted etch. Up to you, if you feel the each colour doesn't match the paint you're using, then do it the way you want.

Good discipline masking those panels off in the cockpit! Looking great so far, keep up the good work.

Nice work on the engine, I'll be trying your paint technique in the future I think!

Blimey, those undercarriage bays have come up a treat. Looks amazing tank152, liking the spent cases chutes too,very subtle, but adds a lot.

Looking good... That Neomega cockpit is pretty tasty! Like the 'patchworking', very effective. I might have to copy your idea with my F-14.

Yaaah! Have just read Dave Aungsts' build, apparently they're wrong anyway (as Hasegawa have them, it's in supersonic flight) so I face the added challenge of correcting them! Even he suggested using FOD covers!

Hi all, Started my F-14D a few days ago. (I've still got three in the stash Kev1n, so I'll still be in the GB with a 'fresh' cat!). Hasegawa F-14D pt12 TwoBobs OIF F-14D VF-2, Wolfpack Design F-14 Bombcat Update, Master brass pitot. Reference material; I've never built a Hasegawa F-14 before (built the 1/72 Academy YEARS ago, did not come out very well), I had a F-14A+ (1/72, VF-74) in the stash years ago, but swapped it. Initial thoughts are it is a very well detailed kit, there are a lot of things which I am grateful for. The seats are actually pretty well detailed, comparing them to the Avionix/BlackBox seats that I'll be using. Cockpit is ok, I'm using the kit cockpit for this build. Some of the panels are not great fitting... Dave Aungst was right! I'll be using A/M cockpits on the next ones, but I'm reasonably happy with the fit and detail I've got here. I've got the MDF F-14 by Andy Evans and the Squadron F-14 Walkaround to consult (along with all on BM!) as I progress on my build. Research has revealed much I was quite inspired by DaveJL and his Tomcats, and bought this very kit off a fellow BM member at Telford! I digress. Here is the progress so far; Cockpit (still going to add throttle, paint 'pickle' buttons and add side stick in RIO office) Avionix/BlackBox SJU-17's awaiting paint. I had to add small 'horns' to the RIO's seat. I also added the kit handles to the front of the seat pan. This was the first resin I've ever cut, so I was bricking it! Turns out it's not hard really... Intakes aren't as bad as people sometimes make out. I still have a teeny seam, but it's good enough for me. After burner rings. I painted these with a mix of Gold, Metallic Black and Aluminium (Humbrol 16, 201and 56), then used Flory Dark wash and left it (didn't rub off excess). Pretty happy with the look. Parts layout so far... And with a 1:48 F1CZ for scale! The F1CZ has by no means a small jetpipe, but you could live in the F-14D's! Thanks for looking, hopefully this doesn't stall now I've started posting!

Looking good boet! Good stuff if that is your first plane, nice Tomcat.

Lovely stuff, looks superb so far. Lovely plane.

Yee-hah! Great to see this, already you're adding so much more to it! Excellent start so far, great flaps, very nice work. Judging by your Dora, this is going to be another cracker!

Coming along nicely, pity the kits need so much work.

Absolutely brilliant! Followed the.build, the RFI pics really show her off well! Lovely stuff tank152, she is a beautiful Dora.

Fan-frigging-tastic! That black and white shot looks like a real pic from a '60s book! Inspired and inspirational, you leave us with no excuses now for lack of details!

Love it! That Hawk is looking great already, keep at it!

Excellent work I thought it was 1/72! Nice one.

Lovely weathering, love the grey Intruders. How did you find the build? Any major dramas? A-6E is on my list of to-do planes! Are you going to load her up with armament?

Looking excellent Don, you're getting really good with this weathering lark! You can see you've put a lot of thought into all aspects of each aircraft, it's immense.