1/48 - Grumman F-14A/B & D Tomcat by AvantGarde Model Kits (AMK) - F-14D released

[t15dja]

Wing swing mechanism yes; flaps, slats & spoilers no = Tamiya

Wing swing mech no; flaps, slats and spoilers yes = AMK.

 

You pays yer money and you takes yer choice!

 

Me = AMK anyday!

Edited September 25, 2018 by t15dja

[Hewy]

Wings forward, everything hanging out, ready to land pose😍

[t15dja]

👍👍

[Homebee]

On display at the E-day 2018 - The AMK's US Ordnance Set#1 alongside some of the Tomcat sprues.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2182946561777684&set=gm.2294229607285344&type=3&theater&ifg=1

 

 

See also here: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/285277-amk-148-f-14/&do=findComment&comment=2930934

 

V.P.

Edited September 29, 2018 by Homebee

[Homebee]

 Source: https://youtu.be/r5C4ehMtYZU

 

 

V.P.

[Nocoolname]

Thanks Homebee! Although their balloon seems to have been burst somewhat by the GWH announcement ‘and’ the continued delays to its release. 

[Muzz]

4 hours ago, Nocoolname said:

Thanks Homebee! Although their balloon seems to have been burst somewhat by the GWH announcement ‘and’ the continued delays to its release. 

The balloons definitely not burst for me and still highly anticipating the release but even I have to admit now that this release is turning into a total farce!

 

[Nocoolname]

8 hours ago, Muzz said:

The balloons definitely not burst for me and still highly anticipating the release but even I have to admit now that this release is turning into a total farce!

 

Indeed! I think it is the oddest 'reveal' for a thing I've ever come across. 

[Nocoolname]

I'm really curious about their wing designs. Am I right in thinking they've offered both swept forward and aft options but as fixed positions (judging by the two central brackets on offer)?

[hairystick]

20 hours ago, Nocoolname said:

I'm really curious about their wing designs. Am I right in thinking they've offered both swept forward and aft options but as fixed positions (judging by the two central brackets on offer)?

There are 3 fixed positions: 2 swept back (1 fully swept in-flight + 1 "oversweep" as stowed/parked on deck) and one fully forward (take off/landing positions).

The swept forward position has full flaps, slats and spoilers positionable (which some other manufacturers omit).

[Nocoolname]

37 minutes ago, hairystick said:

There are 3 fixed positions: 2 swept back (1 fully swept in-flight + 1 "oversweep" as stowed/parked on deck) and one fully forward (take off/landing positions).

The swept forward position has full flaps, slats and spoilers positionable (which some other manufacturers omit).

But presumably you need to make the decision as to which option to go for before you build? My mad engineering brain would like to combine the detail of the 'everything out' option with the sweep mechanism available in the Tamiya kit, perhaps with some cheeky custom etch or 3D parts to make the surfaces movable, allowing for different poses throughout the life of the kit. But then my mad engineering brain has a habit of overreaching itself.

[Tiger331]

I will, almost certainly, buy at least one of these (though I am more attracted by some of the schemes worn by the A+ and especially B variants). I may have bought more but for the announcement of the GWH kit. I will await judgement on the latter since my experience with their 'superbly engineered kits' has been less than happy (with the exception of the T-33). There is no doubt that the surfaces and details on the GWH kits is outstanding and I do like their rapid response to fixing any accuracy issues (with the F-15 and MiG-29 in particular). Unfortunately they are let down by poor fit (in spite of the plaudits lauded on their kits by reviewers) and my experiences with AMK are far happier. Whether either Tomcat fit matches the fit and engineering of the Tamiya kit remains to be seen. I just hope there is room for all three in what I believe will be a crowded market, given that many Hasegawa owners still appear to look at their kits through decidedly rose-tinted glasses. I like most of the releases from both AMK and GWH and I really hope they don't take too much of a dent in funds for future projects. I cannot think helping that GWH could do better by capitalising on their superb Sukhoi Su-35S by producing the whole Su-27/30 family, which would finally see off Academy and the more recent Hobbyboss kits. 

 

Just a thought     

[ICMF]

7 hours ago, hairystick said:

The swept forward position has full flaps, slats and spoilers positionable (which some other manufacturers omit).

 

More specifically, the swept forward position has the option of either full flaps, etc. or the clean (flaps closed) wing.

 

Which makes it kind of a bummer that the wing bracket they've designed is fixed.  Since it's the first F-14 kit that's ever included separate 'clean' and 'dirty' wings, and those wings slide on to large tabs, it would theoretically be possible to swap them out if you get bored with looking at one particular configuration in your display case.  Sure, most people would probably never do it, but it'd be cool to have the choice, and it'd be really easy to tool - instead of tooling the entire wing box assembly three times, just split the tabs off.

[hairystick]

On 9/30/2018 at 2:32 AM, Nocoolname said:

But presumably you need to make the decision as to which option to go for before you build?

That appears to be the case.

On 9/30/2018 at 9:52 AM, ICMF said:

Which makes it kind of a bummer that the wing bracket they've designed is fixed.  Since it's the first F-14 kit that's ever included separate 'clean' and 'dirty' wings, and those wings slide on to large tabs, it would theoretically be possible to swap them out if you get bored with looking at one particular configuration in your display case.

Quite true. The manufacturers should point this option out in their instructions.

I've got the Hasegawa one with opened wings and slats, flaps deployed, but sadly it doesn't fit in my display cabinet. Having the ability to sweep would be rather handy!

[guillaume320]

My plan is to get the AMK kit and build it with the wings in oversweep position, and try to use the other set of wings with everything down as un ‘upgrade kit’ to alter the configuration of the Tamiya model ... Hopefully the wings will be interchangeable without too much drama 🙏🏻

[Nocoolname]

27 minutes ago, guillaume320 said:

My plan is to get the AMK kit and build it with the wings in oversweep position, and try to use the other set of wings with everything down as un ‘upgrade kit’ to alter the configuration of the Tamiya model ... Hopefully the wings will be interchangeable without too much drama 🙏🏻

Yea, but isn’t it frustrating that we have to go to these lengths? 

[guillaume320]

55 minutes ago, Nocoolname said:

Yea, but isn’t it frustrating that we have to go to these lengths? 

Yes, frustrating maybe, but let’s try and make the most out of those new fantastic models coming out... We are spoiled really 😇

[Masinissa]

O.K. swingers.

 

There's much discussion of the fact that AMK does not have poseable wings. Why should it? This isn't a toy like the old Monogram 1/32 P-51 that had a springs in the bomb pylons with a lever so you could release the bombs and it also had a dial under the fuselage to raise and lower the landing gear - cool stuff. Would you pay $100 for a kit like that today? No.

 

I'm sure it would be nice to swing with the wings, but it's unfair to the work AMK has done. They don't consider their effort to be a toy. Should they have spent another 200 years making the flaps and slats poseable just so you can swing the wings? No. Will you be able to use the dirty wings on the Tamiya kit? Who knows. KASL makes a set of aftermarket dirty wings for the Tamiya kit for a premium price (too beaucoup for me). You won't be swinging those little doggies.

 

AMK appears to have made a real winner here of the F-14D which includes Furball decals! (Huzzah! AMK saved me $20!) There's three options for the wings. Your choice. If you build the kit with fully deployed slats and flaps you will never be able to play with the wings. Only with clean wings can you do this (Thanks Tamiya and Mr Hobby Boss. Boo Mr AMK?). 

 

AMK has been hard at work developing this kit and it seems like they started it in the Cenozoic Era. We are about to get a really nice F-14D (nitpicks - and there will be nitpicks - aside. )

 

We'll soon have a third kid on the block making a F-14, but it's the A model. Will GWH swing the wings? There will be a set of dirty wings for sure.

 

I already have preordered the AMK kit. It will arrive during Australian Spring/Summer . I've got an Eduard Danger Zone boxing of the Hobby Boss F-14A in progress and 2 Fw-190As and a Bf-109G and 109F in progress. Plate's full. I can wait for the F-14D. When I get to it I'm building it with dirty wings!

 

Down Under Summer is coming!

[Calum]

16 minutes ago, Masinissa said:

O.K. swingers.

 

There's much discussion of the fact that AMK does not have poseable wings. Why should it? This isn't a toy like the old Monogram 1/32 P-51 that had a springs in the bomb pylons with a lever so you could release the bombs and it also had a dial under the fuselage to raise and lower the landing gear - cool stuff. Would you pay $100 for a kit like that today? No.

 

 

Has there really been much discussion?  I've seen one guy at ARC whinge about it, but he's pretty much whinged about everything on this kit the whole way through so he's hardly worth listening to.

Edited October 1, 2018 by Calum

[Uncle Uncool]

3 hours ago, Calum said:

Has there really been much discussion?  I've seen one guy at ARC whinge about it, but he's pretty much whinged about everything on this kit the whole way through so he's hardly worth listening to.

Yeh, Calum, but that's precisely the reason why the AMK F-14D thread has reached up to 113 pages on ARC! It was 85% drama 'til I gave up following "they're" thread. It's nothing like that here on BM if you cared to check.  Critique is quite a different matter on here; it's a lot more constructive and much less dramatic.

Edited October 1, 2018 by Uncle Uncool
"Calum" takes just one single l

[Nocoolname]

TBH I think @guillaume320 put it best about our being spoiled with all of these kits. We've literally never had it so good. In fact its so good the only thing I could complain about is 'over-choice' which would be an utterly daft complaint. 1986 was when I first really took to the Tomcat due to a certain film and the choices I had available to me then were the 1/72 Airfix kit (too basic and toy like for me even back then), the 1/48 Monogram kit (lots of fun) or the 'Mahoosive' 1/32 Tamiya kit that was way out of my price range (until it was a Christmas gift the following year). At that point I never saw the Revell 1/32 kit and hadn't even heard of Fujimi. 

 

Now alongside the above we have the Hasegawa (still great even if a bit long in the tooth), the Academy (not as good as the Hasegawa but more fun - like a scribed version of the Monogram kit), the HobbyBoss (tons of detail and options including, arguably, some detail that shouldn't be there), the Tamiya (a work of 3D art to my eyes that makes up with ease and precision of build what it lacks in the options compartment) and now the AMK and GWH kits are on the horizon, both of whom have an excellent pedigree for providing kits riddled with options and detail. And unlike 1986 I can afford them all. I'm going to get the lot and then play around with all of the parts and see what kind of a fully-armed and operational Franken-cat I can come up with! 

 

It's alive!... ALIVE!!! 

 

 

[Masinissa]

7 hours ago, Calum said:

Has there really been much discussion?  I've seen one guy at ARC whinge about it, but he's pretty much whinged about everything on this kit the whole way through so he's hardly worth listening to.

Please read the posts in this discussion and you'll see plenty of talk about the non poseable wings. 

[Uncle Uncool]

Non-poseable wings are quite okay, me'd say. What is it about poseable aspects of a kit your sheilas get to play on and on, and over again until you get home one day to find that poseable feature on your kit broken, on the floor and trampled over afterwards?

A canopy, an access panel, a screw, etc... (not to speak about the KASL flap & slat set I grafted onto my Monogram cat that she toyed with until she broke).  

[fewr9fkr9595]

Yeah. Do people want a static scale model or a toy?

 

No real way I reckon can you get posable wings that can be ‘dirty’ too. Any mechanism that allows movable flaps to then sweep the wings will be over scale or simplifed to give strength. 

 

Scale model for me please. 

 

Perhaps if I was twelve and wanted to hang it from my ceiling I might’ve felt different. 

 

Whats next - polycaps so the wheels can roll? 

[Ka-Efka]

1 hour ago, Tony Oliver said:

Yeah. Do people want a static scale model or a toy?

 

No real way I reckon can you get posable wings that can be ‘dirty’ too. Any mechanism that allows movable flaps to then sweep the wings will be over scale or simplifed to give strength. 

 

Scale model for me please. 

 

Perhaps if I was twelve and wanted to hang it from my ceiling I might’ve felt different. 

 

Whats next - polycaps so the wheels can roll? 

Too bad this forum only allows to like a post only once...