Another F-14 Tomcat Question !

[Tiger331]

I'm not an expert on F-14 Tomcats but I would like to know if you can use either of the current Hobby Boss kits (F-14A and F-14B) as a basis for the later F-14D Tomcat ?. I'm quite happy to adapt existing F-14D improvement/conversion sets designed for other makes of Tomcat but need to know if I can use either of the Hobby Boss kit first........since they don't seem to be releasing the F-14D as far as I can tell.

Thanks

Tiger331

[Giorgio N]

You can use the HB F-14B kit to build an F-14D as both have the GE F-110 engines. However you will need a few new bits, mainly:

- New instrument panels and some modifications to the consolles plus a proper HUD

- New ejection seats

- New chin sensor, with the characteristic D version double sensor (TV & IR) in place of the single TV sensor of the A and B.

lus the usual bits and pieces depending on the timeframe etc. (antennas, pods, and so on)

For the cokpit, the best solution would be to adapt an existing resin set, be it Aires or Black Box. This will include everyhing you need.

Not sure if there's any aftermarket sensor though you might be able to exchange your pod with anyone who's building the revell D into a B.

Have a look on the Tomcat STGB in this forum and you'll see examples of both versions

[M4rk]

Chances are Hobbyboss will release a D model within the next year anyway I expect, depends how patient/ambitious you are I suppose.

[dfqweofekwpeweiop4]

Without wanting to hi-jack the thread too much but it's reminded me of a question I have about the Hobby Boss F-14's. I would like to know in both 1/72 and 1/48 what the kits are like, how do they stack up against the opposition? I know generally Hobby Boss kits are nicely detailed and engineered but sometimes are hit and miss with accuracy.

thanks

Mike

[jenshb]

One problem with the HobbyBoss kits that makes them unappealing to me is the air intakes seen from headon. The upper and lower lips should be essentially parallel, whereas the HB kit has a noticeably steeper angle on the upper lip than the lower - the Hasegawa kit is pretty accurate in this respect. Add to that, the lower corners are also sharp, wheras they should have a radius. The Hasegawa intakes aren't perfect in this respect, but better than the HB kit. The HB must be easier to assemble than the Hasegawa kits, but the soon 25 year old kit captures the look of the Tomcat better, and for that reason I would never consider buying one. What others do is up to them...

Jens

[TOPGUN-ROB]

One problem with the HobbyBoss kits that makes them unappealing to me is the air intakes seen from headon. The upper and lower lips should be essentially parallel, whereas the HB kit has a noticeably steeper angle on the upper lip than the lower - the Hasegawa kit is pretty accurate in this respect. Add to that, the lower corners are also sharp, wheras they should have a radius. The Hasegawa intakes aren't perfect in this respect, but better than the HB kit. The HB must be easier to assemble than the Hasegawa kits, but the soon 25 year old kit captures the look of the Tomcat better, and for that reason I would never consider buying one. What others do is up to them...

Jens

Pretty much agree with everything here, Jens. Those intakes are the sole reason I'm staying away from Hobby Boss (and its Trumpeter bigger brother for that matter - at least until Zactoman releases his 1/32 intakes). Being that Hobby Boss and Hasegawa Tomcats sell for basically the same price (although I've found Hasegawa Tomcats for way cheaper), it just doesn't make much sense dealing with incorrect intakes and all other host of issues. Yes, Hasegawa Tomcats aren't perfect or an easy build, but they sure do look way better once completed

My humble opinion only, of course.

Rob

Edited February 23, 2012 by TOPGUN-ROB

[dfqweofekwpeweiop4]

Pretty much agree with everything here, Jens. Those intakes are the sole reason I'm staying away from Hobby Boss (and its Trumpeter bigger brother for that matter - at least until Zactoman releases his 1/32 intakes). Being that Hobby Boss and Hasegawa Tomcats sell for basically the same price (although I've found Hasegawa Tomcats for way cheaper), it just doesn't make much sense dealing with incorrect intakes and all other host of issues. Yes, Hasegawa Tomcats aren't perfect or an easy build, but they sure do look way better once completed

My humble opinion only, of course.

Rob

I take it you mean the 1/48 when you say they are the same price? I've noticed That Hobby Boss and Hasegawa 1/48 Tomcat are around £50 give or take (Full price that is) and that Tomcats by Academy and Italeri are juts over £20. Is the Hobby Boss Tomcat better than the cheap ones by the likes of Academy/Italeri?

In 1/72 I've noticed the prices are much closer as you can get Revell, Hobby Boss, Academy and Hasegawa Tomcats for between £15-£20 or so. Which is best out of these?

thanks

Mike

[Giorgio N]

I take it you mean the 1/48 when you say they are the same price? I've noticed That Hobby Boss and Hasegawa 1/48 Tomcat are around £50 give or take (Full price that is) and that Tomcats by Academy and Italeri are juts over £20. Is the Hobby Boss Tomcat better than the cheap ones by the likes of Academy/Italeri?

In 1/72 I've noticed the prices are much closer as you can get Revell, Hobby Boss, Academy and Hasegawa Tomcats for between £15-£20 or so. Which is best out of these?

thanks

Mike

Mike, in 1/48 the HB kit is way better than the academy and italeri offerings, they are at very different level. The only problem with the HB kit is the accuracy, mainly in the intakes as others have said.

In 1/72 the situation is different, as the HB kit seems to be comparable to the revell offering and way below the level of hasegawa and fujimi. I've yet to see the 1/72 HB kit, but if you look at the F-14 STGB we are running in the group builds section you'll see a couple of them. From what I've seen I'd rate the revell kit as the best of the cheap Tomcats.

Now you mention hasegawa kits being available in the £15-20 range: these are likely to be the old mould kits, that are still not bad but are not on the same level of the new mould ones. The old mould has raised panel lines and are comparable with the other kits mentioned above. The new mould is a totally different story but it's also more expensive, with no box available below the £30 mark and some going over £40.....

The fujmi 1/72 kits are also very nice and can be found from £25 up

[jenshb]

Shapewise, I've heard good things about the Italeri kit, but it is rather sparse in detail. The Academy kt has engraved panel lines, but has a rqther misshapen nose. In 72nd, my favourite is again Hasegawa for the shapes and good level of detail, but that kit has fit issues like it's bigger brother.

Jens

[Mike V]

Correct, as the Academy entire front end is hideously inaccurate. Even the old Fujimi and "original" Revell kits are better shaped than Academy. In the 48th F-14 line, Italeri (though not a great Tomcat kit) is better than Academy and Fujimi; ranking 4th in the overall F-14 kit line up

Edited February 24, 2012 by Mike V

[JMChladek]

The 1/48 Academy kit is mainly a recessed panel line copy of the Revell/Monogram kit. Its lower nose issue is the main reason modelers knock it, but if you back fill the nose with Milliput and grind down the bulge just in front of the nose gear bay flat and the corresponding nose (you'll wear through the plastic in the process, which is why Milliput is needed), the profile looks A LOT better. The kit surgery can be accomplished with a Dremel with a sanding drum and some finer grits of sandpaper to clean up in less than 20 minutes or with a coarse sanding stick in a little longer time. And for the record, except for that lower bulging, the Academy nose is NOT hideously inaccurate. The upper nose profile looks maybe slightly off from Monogram's up top but once the lower nose is improved, the looks are much better. Fujimi's kit nose is MUCH worse by comparison as it is very bloated vertically.

Other issues it has include a nose that has to be rescribed due to inaccurate panel lines and some very slight shape issues on the aft spine (it seems to flatten out a little too quick). But, IMHO it builds into a very nice Tomcat for the price (and a resin cockpit or resin parts designed to fit a Revell/Monogram kit will fit it just fine without many problems). The Bombcat issue is the one to get as it has both two grill and NACA gun vents and a full set of air to air (Phoenix, Sidewinder, Sparrow) and air to ground options in the kit. So you can practically do any era of Tomcat from the kit, with the possible exception of the earliest jets with the original wide beaver tail (Hasegawa is the only company to offer a Tomcat with that option). Only thing you would need to do for the pre-1980 Tomcats (or Iranian ones) is to remove the reinforcement plates from the tail fins. The original issue kit with the air to air option only doesn't have those plates. The intake trunks can also be a pain to clean up (the Monogram intakes have exactly the same problem) but a set of Steel Beach vinyl intake covers from Sprue Brothers will solve that.

I built one of these and have two half built. They look great when done and even my first one (built before I knew about the lower nose issue) looks like a Tomcat to me. Only mod I did to my first model was the nose rescribing and alter the contour of the forward windscreen's lower frame to make it a little more accurate (again, Monogram's windscreen has the same problem):

Edited February 24, 2012 by JMChladek

[Giorgio N]

I have to dig out the Hasegawa, monogram and fujimi 1/48 kits to check if the japanese Cat radome will fit on the others... if so I might make few resin copies and use these.