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New Tamiya 1/48 Grumman F-14 (A, Late A, D) Tomcat


Robert

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It truely does not, I expected large slide molded parts, extreme guality of details and clever breakdown of parts- this would have been considered underdetailed two decades ago let alone in 2016.

Huh? From the last batch of photos, it is obvious that the main fuselage part and intakes are molded using slide-molds. No more vague detail on the engine bay panels and fiddly separate gear bay parts ala Hasegawa.

What exactly do you mean when you say the kit is under-detailed? What features would you expect to be included? From what we've seen so far, it looks like the kit is on par with Tamiya's own F-16C range in terms of quality and that F-16 kit is still considered to be the best in the market.

Mark

Edited by madcat911
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Fair enough, but by todays standard even F-16 is a bit outdated ( none the less its still very good kit do not get me wrong ), Firstly I would expect to see every rivet, fastener etc...surface treatment compared to their 1/32 kits, taking into account truely superb toolings from GWH and AMK as benchmarks what modern 1/48 tooling should look like....

Edited by Thomas V.
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Personally i think the mouldings, from the pictures anyway, look spot on and as mentioned above and elsewhere, if this is anything like their F-16 kit, it will be great.

As i'm sure will AMK's D model when it arrives. I'll be having several of each no doubt.

Dave

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No moving surfaces? At all? Seriously?

Their wing has A LOT to show off!

They might be heading for the a simple, easy to build kits, but if this means simplifying and eliminating detail and options provided, then sorry but not good enough for me.

Hobby Boss is a fair enough alternative to that direction.

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No moving surfaces? At all? Seriously?

Their wing has A LOT to show off!

They might be heading for the a simple, easy to build kits, but if this means simplifying and eliminating detail and options provided, then sorry but not good enough for me.

Hobby Boss is a fair enough alternative to that direction.

Ok. Noted.

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ooowwww that looks a bit good! :D

Can't wait for this one to come out now!

The tomcat has some very different shapes to it, not your usual fuselage with wings, so it was always going to be an 'interesting' parts breakdown! I like the idea of the separate intake lip, that's a nice touch. :coolio:

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Fair enough, but by todays standard even F-16 is a bit outdated ( none the less its still very good kit do not get me wrong ), Firstly I would expect to see every rivet, fastener etc...surface treatment compared to their 1/32 kits, taking into account truely superb toolings from GWH and AMK as benchmarks what modern 1/48 tooling should look like....

Modern tooling doesn't mean we have to have rivets -not everyone wants them in 1/48th scale and thankfully Tamiya keep rivets to 1/32nd.

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No moving surfaces? At all? Seriously?

Their wing has A LOT to show off..

Why? 99% of Tomcats on the ground are parked with moving surfaces locked up, exactly as Tamiya has moulded the kit. So they are catering for that rather than the 1% undergoing maintenance. I applaud them for that

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Modern tooling doesn't mean we have to have rivets -not everyone wants them in 1/48th scale and thankfully Tamiya keep rivets to 1/32nd.

Yes. I believe that a modern tooling is one where the surface detailing is sharp and regular on all curved areas of big parts: in the Tamiya F-14, edge of wing gloves or area along engine fairings and rest of fuselage junction. Also the raised/recessed surface detailing is perpendicular to the surface, not angled. For example, if 3-axis CNC is used and rivet details are represented, rivets closer to the edges will be elliptical unless inserts are used.

Edited by Laurent
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Why? 99% of Tomcats on the ground are parked with moving surfaces locked up, exactly as Tamiya has moulded the kit. So they are catering for that rather than the 1% undergoing maintenance. I applaud them for that

The fact that most of their time on earth have all panels and the hood closed means absolutely nothing for someone that wants to build a high detailed kit.

If all the companies follow this example then we return years back.

I hope this is not the case for Tamiya. Her 1/32 zero made us so happy. Imagine the same kit with no detailed engine (just a nicely looking cap) and no dials (just a nicely done decal) and so on.

No gens. From Tamiya I expect much more than a good fit when all parts are glued in the closed position.

After all this is 1/48 we are discussing about, not 1/144!!!

Edited by DIO
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Does this mean we've run out of truly new subjects for kitting? Would rather be very happy to see some of the 'Formula One of the air' birds produced in 1/48 scale rather than another Tomcat. Granted, we may be assured that Tamiya may well produce the most build-able & accurate F-14 to date. Was hoping for something more 'cutting edge'... modern armor in 1/48 scale even (please!)

Regards, Robert

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AMK's undirect answer to Tamiya. But for the moment and contrary to the Tamiya kit, the AMK's 1/48th F-14 is just a project/announcement and a lot of buzz.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/avantgardemodelkits/

12107056_530453427119489_896768469635666 Avantgarde Model Kits Two types of wings. One fully closed one with option of slats open.

V.P.

Edited by Homebee
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Does this mean we've run out of truly new subjects for kitting? Would rather be very happy to see some of the 'Formula One of the air' birds produced in 1/48 scale rather than another Tomcat. Granted, we may be assured that Tamiya may well produce the most build-able & accurate F-14 to date. Was hoping for something more 'cutting edge'... modern armor in 1/48 scale even (please!)

Try to put yourself in producer's shoes. Let's say that a high-end 1/48 Percival Provost would cost 30kUSD to tool and that retail price is set to 30USD. Producer gets something like 8USD once shops and distributors get their slice of cake. This means that 3800 kits would have to be sold to cover the investments. Would a 1/48 Percival Provost sell 3800 in one year or even two years ? I strongly doubt it. 1500 perhaps. If the producer doesn't have other products that have reached breakeven to finance further projects, he'll be stuck with his Provost for years. I believe that producers do such kind of calculations and that this explains the "kit redundancy".

Edited by Laurent
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Does this mean we've run out of truly new subjects for kitting? Would rather be very happy to see some of the 'Formula One of the air' birds produced in 1/48 scale rather than another Tomcat. Granted, we may be assured that Tamiya may well produce the most build-able & accurate F-14 to date. Was hoping for something more 'cutting edge'... modern armor in 1/48 scale even (please!)

Regards, Robert

To add to Laurent's comment, we should also keep in mind that Tamiya has rarely really been the most adventurous manufacturer when it came to choose aircraft subjects. Most of their catalogue consists of "classics", well known subjects that are guaranteed to sell. The Tomcat is one such subject.

For more unusual subjects, the various short run companies from Central Europe or the new wave of Chinese manufacturers are your best bet

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The fact that most of their time on earth have all panels and the hood closed means absolutely nothing for someone that wants to build a high detailed kit.

If all the companies follow this example then we return years back.

I hope this is not the case for Tamiya. Her 1/32 zero made us so happy. Imagine the same kit with no detailed engine (just a nicely looking cap) and no dials (just a nicely done decal) and so on.

No gens. From Tamiya I expect much more than a good fit when all parts are glued in the closed position.

After all this is 1/48 we are discussing about, not 1/144!!!

You know, I think that's the first time I've ever heard a plea for a manufacturer to cater for those who want to produce inaccurate models!

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The fact that most of their time on earth have all panels and the hood closed means absolutely nothing for someone that wants to build a high detailed kit.

If all the companies follow this example then we return years back.

I hope this is not the case for Tamiya. Her 1/32 zero made us so happy. Imagine the same kit with no detailed engine (just a nicely looking cap) and no dials (just a nicely done decal) and so on.

No gens. From Tamiya I expect much more than a good fit when all parts are glued in the closed position.

After all this is 1/48 we are discussing about, not 1/144!!!

Profoundly disagree! I would much rather have a basic (and cheaper) kit to which I can then decide what extra detail to add rather than an all singing all dancing one where most parts are hidden or consigned to the spares bin.

Andy

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The fact that most of their time on earth have all panels and the hood closed means absolutely nothing for someone that wants to build a high detailed kit.

If all the companies follow this example then we return years back.

I hope this is not the case for Tamiya. Her 1/32 zero made us so happy. Imagine the same kit with no detailed engine (just a nicely looking cap) and no dials (just a nicely done decal) and so on.

No gens. From Tamiya I expect much more than a good fit when all parts are glued in the closed position.

After all this is 1/48 we are discussing about, not 1/144!!!

Ok. Noted.

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Some new info. Seems they did a 180 with regard to the exclusion of weapons.

Tamiya Thursday Tomcat News:

* Weapons will be included, 4x AIM-9, 4x AIM-7, and 4x AIM-54.

* IRIAF markings to be included, with markings from VF-84 and VF-2.

* Parts for the IFR (In-Flight Refueling) probe and bay will be included.

* Pricing is set and to be announced.

Source: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=292870&pid=2811988&st=400entry2811988

Mark

Edited by madcat911
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Agreed nice choice of colours is it going to be under 50 quid though ??

Guy

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