DaveJL Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Hello all, As I'm building another final cruise F-14 (see here), I thought I'd refurbish one of my earlier attempts at the venerable Hasegawa F-14 kit alongside it. Before: Wasn't bad in terms of build and paint, but my varnishing skills were crap and I think my all round skills have improved. You can see that the tail decals have disintegrated due to lack of a top coat. Stripped off all the parts ready for the paint to be removed. Amazingly, everything came off nicely! The bits: Aftermarket already on the kit: Aires Cockpit MAW covered GE-110's Master brass pitot tube Wolfpack Bombcat Update set Wolfpack GBU-38 Hasegawa GBU-12 & AIM-9 I'll be salvaging all of the above and adding a new set of Steel Beach FOD covers and of course, new decals: 164603 was the 711th out of 712 F-14's built and the last to fly with the US Navy. Delivered on May 29th, 1992, the jet served with VF-124 until 1993 when it was transferred to VF-2. It then flew with VF-213 from late 1997 and saw action in Operation Enduring Freedom as 'Blacklion 101.' After dropping 56 bombs and using the F-14's cannon in anger for the first time, it was transferred to VF-101 in 2002 then to VF-31 in late 2003 were it remained until it was flown to Republic Airport in Farmingdale New York, bringing an end to 36 years of USN F-14 operations. It is now displayed at the Northrop Grumman factory in Bethpage, New York. Dave Edited May 15, 2013 by DaveJL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Stripped it down with a generous helping of Fairy Power Spray last night: Not too bad. Some areas need a clean up with filler and sanding but other than that, it's ready to be re-painted, starting with some of the paint that was removed from the cockpit. More to come. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Done a bit of tidying up and just about ready to begin the re-painting. Added a blob of filler to recreate the GPS dome as I don't have a spare: Once that is sanded to the correct shape, i'll re-spray the wheel bays and tidy up the cockpit before priming. More to come. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted May 15, 2013 Author Share Posted May 15, 2013 Going a different direction with this one.... Instead of doing 164603 (which i'll build for the 'splendid cats' GB later this year) i'm going to build 163898 during Iraqi Freedom in 2003. I'll be using TwoBobs decal sheet 48-055 'Felix in the fight' along with a fresh set of Black FOD covers, which are on their way from the states. Here's a pic of '898: This will be only my second 'low viz' Tomcat. The scheme has appealed to me for two reasons: 1. The amount of ordnance dropped by the jet during OIF 2. The heavy weathering on it!! Updates soon. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozzy19 Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 This build (or should I say rebuild) is moving at a positively glacial progress for you! That said, it's progressing nicely. Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted May 15, 2013 Author Share Posted May 15, 2013 Haha, thanks Sean. Just waiting on a few parts arriving, plus i'm working on another for the Swing wing GB. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 Tomcat not really my thing but looks an interesting subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Cracked on with this the past few weeks and this is how she sits this evening: Ready for a gloss coat and decals as soon as I attach and mask off the windshield. Looking forward to weathering this thing as 104 was filthy to put it mildly! More to come. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted June 16, 2013 Author Share Posted June 16, 2013 Decals on: Sealed in with a coat of varnish ready for a panel line wash, which I hope to get done tomorrow. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Wash on: And off 30 minutes later: Antennae, fuel tanks, pylons and LANTIRN added before sealing it all in with a flat coat: Wings and stabilisers ready to be attached: Landing gear has also been attached and will be left for a few days to cure. Next up is to add all the landing gear doors and start the weathering. More to come. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mireson Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Wow, How does that wash work, what have you used, that is just awsome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNoAF Aerobatic Team Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Brilliant work, mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Cheers guys. Wow,How does that wash work, what have you used, that is just awsome The wash is from Flory Models. Once the gloss has dried, you just cover the model in it with a paint brush, leave to dry for 25-30 minutes, then wipe off with damp kitchen roll. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mireson Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Many thanks, Gotta get some of that Cheers, Malc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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