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F-14 Tomcat II Single Type Group Build


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You could also check for the Revell F-14. It looks OK in the box, is more easy to get and cheaper than the Fujimi too. Panel lines are recessed and will look OK after a coat of paint. Some nasty ejector marks in the intakes I remember. So if you cannot source a "cheap" Fujimi a revell might do almost as well.

Rene

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I'm searching evilbay for a Fujimi kit. I found one for £6.67. Nice! :D

Problem is... the postage is £30.03. :doh:

Have you tried Models For Sale or T.A.H.S as they both normally have stock of the fujimi kit at reasonable prices.

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There's not much wrong with the Revell F-14D - if that's what you finish up with.
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234910479-theplasticsurgeons-tomcat/page-2

F-14D_Farewell011.jpg

Fujimi does have slats and flaps though, so more poseable for :photo: photos.

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When I was a 72nd modeller, I swore by the Hasegawa kits. I built a few Revell kits, Fujimi kits and an Academy one but always came back to the Hasegawa kit. Can't comment on the Hobbyboss example as they weren't out back then!

Dave

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Not having built either kit but having owned both, I did a side by side comparison and came down in favour of the Fujimi kit for being, in my opinion, the better moulded kit. As such I sold the Revell on recently, I guess this GB might prove or even disprove my decision as being the right choice.

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The Revell kit is good, but the Fujimi one is much better. In some respects the Fujimi kit is as good as Hasegawa's ones ! I'd have no hesitation if I had to build an F-14, fujimi over revell any time. The german kit however has 2 big advantages: price and availability !

Different story however for an F-14D: here the fujimi kits are not as accurate because they have not reproduced correctly the fuselage part before the exhaust where they have kept the F-14A structure while the B/D are different. The revell kit is still inferior but has this part right. The fujimi exhaust cans though are really nice

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Enzo, I assume you're talking of 1/72 kits here: the Academy kit is say "inspired" by the Hasegawa old tool Tomcat with the addition of recessed instead of raised panel lines (quite nice). It's a kit with several interesting features, like a choice of chin sensors and a full weapon load. Detail is so-so, with decals in the cockpit and not much in the wheel wells. Accuracywise it's ok but not great, the mould only allows to build an original late production F-14A with the single-grills style gun gas vents. A mid production aircraft can be built removing the ECM bulges. The wheels however are the old style ones and should be replaced if anyone is into this kind of accuracy.

The plastic is good but every Academy 1/72 Tomcat kit I've seen suffers from a huge number of ejector pins in the most annoying places ! Clearing the parts and filling the recesses where these occur is time consuming and detracts from the overall enjoinment of the build. The fit is not bad, but we should keep in mind that no Tomcat kit is easy to build.

The decals on the original issue look good on paper, but are not great if applied on dark backgrounds. It's a pity as these represent a very interesting VF-51 CAG Aircraft. There is a more recent issue with VF-84, VF-41 and VF-101 decals, I've not tried these so can't comment. This sheet too offers some very interesting options including one of the Tomcats that covered the ill-fated operation Eagle Claw in Iran. The VF-101 aircraft is the famous "Moon Equipped", one of the first Tomcats to carry nose and tail arts.

The original Academy kit can be found very cheap, the more recent VF-84 edition is IMHO quite expensive for the plastic.

To be honest, I'd buy the Revell kit over the Academy ones

Edited by Giorgio N
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Count me in for this too please!

Probably a Hasegawa or Fujimi in 1/72. Or maybe even a Hobby Boss.

I might have bumped my head recently as I've decided to build just F-14s for next year.....a kind of one-man, one year, single-type build.

Dermot

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  • 3 weeks later...

Found a 1/48 Revell Tomcat, old enough to qualify to the recent Obsolete GB, anyone built one previously is it any good ?

Seems to have moveable wings although whether they still move after its assembled will be another matter !

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Is that an old box or a recent one ? If an old one, it's Revell's original Tomcat, IIRC the first ever to be issued in 1/48 scale. It's not a modern kit of course and shares the last position in the "top 1/48 Tomcat kits chart" with the Fujimi kit of similar vintage. It's not really good... Still, if you have it, it's worth building it anyway

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Thanks Giorgio

Joint last sounds like it was made for me !

I also have a kitech 1/72 version and the airfix one of the same scale but the advantage of the Revell is it a bit bigger so I can see what I'm doing.

What one are you going to build yourself ?

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Jockney, I'm not sure yet what I'll build. At the moment the plan is to try and build 2, both 1/72:

- a Fujimi A as one of the NSAWC aggressor aircrafts

- the very old Monogram A, that was actually patterned after the wooden mock-up. To be built... as the wooden mock-up ! Would make an unusual model

I have other Tomcats in the stash and could also build one of the several hasegawa kits, but if life keeps busy as it is now, I have to build as simple kits as possible i I want to finish something for a GB...

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Outstanding Giorgio

The idea of a wooden Tomcat is amazing, if you know how to do the wood effect I would be happy to learn from you as part of the WW1 build. Really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Cheers Pat

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Found a 1/48 Revell Tomcat, old enough to qualify to the recent Obsolete GB, anyone built one previously is it any good ?

Seems to have moveable wings although whether they still move after its assembled will be another matter !

Not sure which one you have...if it's the same as I had for the last Tomcat build...avoid...please see page 2 of the thread...http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234910727-148-revell-f-14d-as-a-vf-143-f-14b/ the fit is awful...good luck... :banghead:

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Pat, the mock-up fortunately for me was painted in the then standard grey over white scheme, so the model would look like a real aircraft. As a Tomcat fan I like the idea of having this "version" too. Besides, converting the Monogram kit even in a prototype would be a nightmare

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A good number signing up for this one!

I'm hoping to enter 2 of my 1/48 Hasegawa 'cats with less well represented markings!

Dave

I still have an aircraft to do from VF-194, but I think this time I will do an aircraft from VF-84, that was to have operated during Op Eagle Claw, the Iranian hostage rescue mission with coloured markings on the wing, that did not quite happen.

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