Jump to content

1/72 - Grumman F-14D Tomcat by Great Wall Hobby


madcat911

Recommended Posts

Got one on the way. 

Looking through the decal stash and found a suitable repliscale sheet - 

Mine will be done as NM 204 from vf194. 
 

A tps line bird with 7 vent panel and early tail but with the later tailfin stiffener plates. So will be using the greyed out ‘not for use tails’ off sprue p-1 shared with the regular tail & GE cowl parts etc. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand how for some of us seeing the same markings proposed again and again can be frustrating, particularly for those who are seriously into Grumman's big cat like I am.. and I know @Tony Oliver is as much a Tomcat lover as I am and maybe even more ! So I agree with you that it would be nice to have some different markings.

At the same time I can understand how companies prefer to go with "safe" options that would be of sure impact on the lesser dedicated fans and really VF-1 early markings are among the ones that are guaranteed to catch the eye ! So I can't blame model companies for giving us the usual high visibility VF-1, VF-84 and the likes but maybe they should try to make both fields happy, for example here GWH could have included a third option for a standard line bird in TPS, er even a reserve aircraft.

 

A more serious matter is that aftermarket decal companies seem to have shied away from 1/72 scale in the last few years while focusing on 1/48. Today I can find many more 1/48 options than 1/72 ones for a Tomcat. Hopefully this recent wave of new Tomcat 1/72 kits will push decal producers to give us some more options, hopefully not forgetting aircraft serving in the '80's and '90s that today seem totally forgotten. More so as grey markings on TPS aircraft are very hard to reproduce with "home-printing".

Edited by Giorgio N
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

Hopefully this recent wave of new Tomcat 1/72 kits will push decal producers to give us some more options, hopefully not forgetting aircraft serving in the '80's and '90s that today seem totally forgotten.


Watch this space mate! 
Hopefully by the spring if I can pull my finger out...

 

This decal project of mine has been too long in the making now. About a year and a half, started on it in May 2018. Plus all the research before that...


1 dozen tps line A birds (including 2 reserve sqns)

Just working on the stencil sheet now...

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

I can't blame model companies for giving us the usual high visibility VF-1, VF-84 and the likes but maybe they should try to make both fields happy, for example here GWH could have included a third option for a standard line bird in TPS, er even a reserve aircraft.

Still waiting for some companies doing VF-32 OIF cruise. Academy, if you're listening, you got all the equipments for F-14B Bombcats, you know what to do.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Tyas said:

VF-32 OIF cruise


After doing A’s first and then B/D ‘missile’ jets, I want to do bombcat sheet of selected (read ‘under represented’) variants/squadrons.

One of them I really want to have is actually a ‘B’ swordsmen. 
In terms of research so far for this sqn - happy with a few of the modex/buno’s. The problem is they all seem to have had crew names painted on the canopy but those aren’t really discernible in any pictures I have come across so far. 
This is down to them painted in grey and/or with a fancy joined up type script, as opposed to black stencils (block type) usually seen on other squadrons. 
I have found a grainy picture of one which must be during cruise work ups as its fairly clean and doesn’t appear to have the names on yet. The downsides is that you can’t then build it up as a dirty tooled up warbird...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...


So this turned up from china today  - a quick 5mins and comparing to what I can remember of my D kits (not to hand) 


BE8-CA6-F8-0-A5-C-4871-BE92-3-B5590-F9-B

 

Here are pictures of some of the new parts to make the early A version. 
 

A few interesting points - 


New sprue with 7 vent panel (wrong grill detail at rear needs filling in) and the fuselage insert panel without plate around RIO’s step. 


Two early beavertail and tailfin (all stiffener detail engraved?) sprue P’s are provided, one with parts gated off/not moulded. Can’t see a difference on initial scan of them. Labeled wrong in instructions as Q. With only one shown? Need to mind their P’s and Q’s as that one is still provided for ‘normal’ beaver tail for vf41 option. This has tails with larger stiffener plates and redundant GE cowls/shrouds on it.  


Instructions are lazy, cad images show different part numbers but still a D cockpit with its hud and RWR box on top of rear coaming , naces seats etc. 


A second ‘A’ or B cockpit sprue provided too with a PTID for RIO for later versions. As is stands with the not for use parts one could make a late A Bombcat with whats in the box. 
 

Phoenix’s still labelled as Aim-54A on sprues but no longer have the Proximity fuse bumps on them like the missiles in the D kits came with. So these are C’s which should have came with the D kit. Decals stripes are in segments as if they were to go in between said bumps.  
 

No ejection handles for GRU-7 seats. Disappointing considering most major kits provided them either etch or plastic. Yet they slide mold the end of the early beavertail to make the fuel dump pipe hollow?

 

Sorry again the pics haven’t uploaded in order but you should get the idea of what they’re about. 

 

13-B223-DA-28-B0-4314-A2-CD-69-F564-D7-C
 

41668-F38-85-DB-422-E-A022-7-AB72529-EDF

30-A8-E787-0624-4883-B688-74-A1-D49-EFA6


3-ECD0921-5-AE8-48-B5-A24-C-298-E0370653


48152-F83-3369-4668-BC95-0-BE1782-B27-EC


52-C2643-E-6-EE6-4363-ABF0-FE8-DE1-DDBE5


5961779-C-D6-BC-41-DC-834-A-DD0-B5-B6-B4

7-C5-AE2-BF-DE12-46-F8-BEE8-AE1-BFBEDF8-


7-D7-FFE7-C-16-FF-4-FC7-BB62-43-A5-BC1-F


7-E1-F3-A7-C-1589-4-C17-BF7-D-A55765-EB5

80867879-54-C0-4-E3-D-BAF8-1-A9-DBA8-F3-


85-D79-E48-76-F8-4905-9-D0-C-086545-A7-E


866-FCD5-C-3671-4274-9-D85-CC7483-CD7-A4


9901-E47-A-572-C-48-C7-AB30-8-CD435-D309


A415-A6-A5-2-BA2-4-E4-C-AC10-ACA7-E85-B8


A424-D64-C-25-C3-46-C5-9-F39-32135-F08-C


CF782737-FCFB-4-AA9-B93-C-86-DD2-CD20-BE


D5-D6-B2-CF-B442-4195-AAE6-135-F87078-C4


D6-D4-F929-0633-4-D60-AD8-B-0872-E122494


E2282-DB9-C1-F5-46-FD-8-DD0-A6468-F76565


 

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

Thanks for sharing these pictures Tony, very useful

A quick question: are the proper shrouds for the TF30 engines included ? I've read somewhere that GWH mistakenly offered only the D versions.


Yes G mate you can see them in the 4th & 5th last pictures from the bottom. All one piece. 

I prefer the separate cowling/fairing set up ala hasegawa & finemolds.  
Just makes the paintjob easier. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Tony Oliver said:


Yes G mate you can see them in the 4th & 5th last pictures from the bottom. All one piece. 

I prefer the separate cowling/fairing set up ala hasegawa & finemolds.  
Just makes the paintjob easier. 

 

You're right there, don't know why I assumed these were the ones for the D but looking at them with more care they are the TF30 ones...

Agree with you on the separate fairings, would be a much better solution. In any case this looks like a neat package, will get me one of these for sure. The availability of the early beavertail is also a good selling point, will make building an early Tomcat much easier and I have a few decals in the stash for these

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Andrew said:

Thanks for the pics and your insights, Tony.

 

So you get two early beavertails and one standard beavertail?

 

cheers,

 

Andrew.


Yes Andrew mate. There are two early beavertail sprues in the box labelled ‘P’ 

One has some parts removed/not molded - p&w cowls and small stiffener plate tailfins. 

I can’t see a difference between anything on them less said parts not being on there.  Not sure if it was packed in error? And the parts diagram only shows one early beavertail sprue with all parts molded. No picture of the reduced part count one. See pic 2&3 in post #57 above. 
Also the parts diagram has these beavertail sprues P & Q mixed up. 
Q being the sprue from their first F-14D release. This is included for the standard beavertail as fitted the Vf-41 decal option. Also on this sprue Q (P-1 on diagram) are the GE F110 cowls and tails with large stiffeners which are greyed out not for use. 
 

Hope that makes sense! 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Tony,

 

That all makes sense and you'd said that in your first write-up, but I couldn't see the sprue Q in any photos, so I just wanted to double-triple-absolutely confirm the presence of the standard beavertail.

 

thanks muchly.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Andrew said:

Hi Tony,

 

That all makes sense and you'd said that in your first write-up, but I couldn't see the sprue Q in any photos, so I just wanted to double-triple-absolutely confirm the presence of the standard beavertail.

 

thanks muchly.


No worries mate. My fault for only photographing the new or different sprues compared to the D kit, rather than all of them that are in the box. 
 

Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/27/2019 at 12:37 PM, Tony Oliver said:


Watch this space mate! 
Hopefully by the spring if I can pull my finger out...

 

This decal project of mine has been too long in the making now. About a year and a half, started on it in May 2018. Plus all the research before that...


1 dozen tps line A birds (including 2 reserve sqns)

Just working on the stencil sheet now...

 

I will stay tune for that amazing new decal sheet(s)!!!😎

 

Regards

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎27‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 15:45, Tyas said:

Still waiting for some companies doing VF-32 OIF cruise. 

Doing the same with VF-32 F-14s from Op Desert Storm, only the CAG aircraft has been done, but I would prefer a line aircraft and a TARPs one at that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Looks like they are re-releasing the D in a ‘special’ vf-31 sunset boxing. 

 

Nothing special really as GWH decals ain't the best and these markings have been done to death by nearly everyone...
 

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/preorder/2828-172-us-navy-f-14d-vf-31-sunset-farewell-flight-w-special-decal-.html?utm_source=AMMO+NEWS+ENG&utm_campaign=c346c8c866-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_21_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b3a458374c-c346c8c866-425634425&mc_cid=c346c8c866&mc_eid=036b750830

 

Also the colour callouts are a bit suspicious on the decal layouts diagrams too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn't seem like a lot is special indeed but I do spy on those miniature pictures 4 new O sprues with bomb rack and TER as well as a B sprue with GBU-12s. Still can't make out any LAU-138 though.

Perhaps the next D boxing will finally be complete.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, gota said:

Doesn't seem like a lot is special indeed but I do spy on those miniature pictures 4 new O sprues with bomb rack and TER as well as a B sprue with GBU-12s. Still can't make out any LAU-138 though.

Perhaps the next D boxing will finally be complete.


Good spot!  I didn’t bother scrolling through all of the images. 
There is a lantirn too on its own sprue. 
 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/23/2020 at 8:43 AM, Gremlin said:

1 dozen tps line A birds (including 2 reserve sqns)

Just working on the stencil sheet now...

Looked on the internet and couldn't find what I was looking for. What does "tps" stand for, please?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, SAT69 said:

Looked on the internet and couldn't find what I was looking for. What does "tps" stand for, please?

Tactical Paint Scheme

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Just turned up from china 🤗
 

Got lucky, bought off ebay for £42 on 17th of June so just over two weeks to get here. No charges/tax came straight through! 

 

Will get up some pics and thoughts of whats in the box later on tonight... 

 

Tony. 
 

C3273-F25-85-DB-4-BDE-A6-CE-78-B5802140-

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...