Tamiya 48th scale F-14A

[Gekko_1]

OK, here goes my version of the popular Tamiya F-14A Tomcat. I'm doing it in the markings of VF-142 Ghost Riders in their 1981 low-vis scheme from the old Microscale Decal sheet 48-217.

 

Controversy and confusion kick off right from the get go! Microscale, with their usually vague painting instructions contradict each other in how the jet should be painted!


I thought an ancient copy of Scale Aircraft Modelling June 1983 Vol. 5 Number 9 page 403 may have been of some help....................

 

..........but the article seems to copy Microscale's instructions!

The problem here is that I believe both Microscale and Scale Aircraft Modelling have got it wrong in their illustrations. The scheme in question appears to be the then brand new (for 1981 that is) low visibility blue/grey scheme of FS. 35237 top, FS. 36375 mid section and FS. 36495 underside. This very scheme has been slightly better documented by a couple of VF-143 Pukin Dogs Tomcats as seen below.


https://deskgram.net/p/1825662876444855523_3230508708

So, the search began for any colour photos of Bu No. 159452. My initial search, several months ago, found nothing. But a more recent search uncovered a very poor quality colour image that seemed to confirm my hunch.

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1048472
 

But, there are still unanswered questions! If anybody else is able to source any more colour photos of this particular jet I'd really like to see them.

Anyway, so on with the build.......


The cockpit is good enough out of the box. All that really needs adding is aftermarket seats. I'll be adding Quickboost seats from set number QB 48-754 for the EA-6B Prowler. As far as I'm aware they are the same seat as fitted to the early F-14A Tomcat, and you get 4 seats obviously, so enough for 2 Tomcats!

I'm trying to build the kit in a way that avoids as much masking as possible. So I have painted the inside and outside of the nose section before gluing. This way I'm hoping I won't have to mask off the cockpit and undercarriage bay.

Part number H6 the cockpit frame was painted Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black, then dry brushed with light grey. This will simply slot in to place once the nose section is finished.

An example of ease of use and speeding things up a little can be seen here with parts D18 and K1 and K2. I assembled K1 and K2 then glued them to D18, then went about cutting off the antenna and cleaning up the join line. Doing it this way made it all a lot easier to handle. Next the unit will be sprayed FS. 36495 and glued directly to the model.

The panel on the side of the jet was filled with a styrene and Tamiya glue mix, then sanded. Perfect! Also take note of the fuselage mold line that needs to be removed prior to painting!

More filling required on the nose section. This time using Mr Dissolved Putty. I really like this stuff and can highly recommend it.

Also, there are two more sections of mold line that need to be removed. As indicated by the black marker and red arrows..............



On the intake ramp parts I glued part E13 to part D4 whilst holding parts D4 and E10 together (not glued) with mini clothes pegs. This aided painting later on.

 

Parts G56, A5, A6 and B12 were all added to the lower fuselage section as well as the two E13 & D4 glued parts. This entire unit was then painted Stynylrez white primer.

K14 and K15 were glued to their respective intakes and sprayed Stynylrez white primer. This section (not glued yet) is a drop fit onto the lower fuselage section. Such is the quality of Tamiya engineering!

Next will be completing the front fuselage section and painting the lower fuselage FS 36495 in its various sub assemblies.

Cheers

Richard.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by Gekko_1

[whiskey]

Really nice watching this come together. I think this is already the most detailed build I have seen so far of the Tamiya Tomcat.

[Nikolay Polyakov]

Your building process looks great Richard! Amazing painting technique and amazing results.

 

Cheers!

[fewr9fkr9595]

Lovely stuff so far Richard! 

 

I know what you mean about the 36495 bellies of these initial tps schemes and the vf143 jets (sister sqn) also wearing them. 

 

I have the 1/72 version of that microscale sheet. No crew names provided though. Are there any on the 48th one?

 

That pic you linked is one I have bookmarked to aswell a while back when looking into building this jet. A couple other things I noticed when making notes are possibly some spares/replacement parts in white - The main u/c bay door and drop tank pylon. 

 

Keep up the good work! 

 

Tony

 

 

[Gekko_1]

Just found this amazing photo of Pukin Dogs 107. I wonder if that is my jet Ghost Rider 202 (or 207?) in the background to the left of the Sea King?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beechhawker/8583325030/

One thing the above photo has proven to me is that I'm going to have to adjust the Mig Ammo US Navy colours quite a lot! Lightening them by at least 20% maybe 40%! Keep in mind that that top side colour on 107 is FS. 35237, which is way lighter than what I'm used to seeing. And compare the drop tank and wing glove pylon colour to the main wheel hub!

It also confirms that the tip of the nose is part D1 and not part D2!

And the fin tip yellow is narrower than is shown on the vague Microscale Decal instruction sheet.

The colour of the air bags (parts B14, B15, B13 and B16) is a light grey and really shows just how 'blue' these early Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS) colours were, compared to today where they seem far less so.

I wonder if the nose cones of these early TPS painted Tomcats was painted separately? The tones of the colours seem ever so slightly different?

The inside of parts E27 is white, as you can see on Tomcat 107 in this photo.

I'll say it again, amazing photo!

Richard.

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by Gekko_1

[Gekko_1]

6 hours ago, Tony Oliver said:

Lovely stuff so far Richard! 

 

I know what you mean about the 36495 bellies of these initial tps schemes and the vf143 jets (sister sqn) also wearing them. 

 

I have the 1/72 version of that microscale sheet. No crew names provided though. Are there any on the 48th one?

 

That pic you linked is one I have bookmarked to aswell a while back when looking into building this jet. A couple other things I noticed when making notes are possibly some spares/replacement parts in white - The main u/c bay door and drop tank pylon. 

 

Keep up the good work! 

 

Tony

 

 

 

No, no crew names Tony.

Yes the main u/c bay door for sure is white (good spotting!) and yes the drop tank pylon too, but the front section of it looks to be grey?

Also, what do you think is going on with the leading edge of the fins?

[whiskey]

Looks like a pretty well mixed bag on that carrier deck. Some non tps Tomcats off to the left of the picture and check out the front fuselage on the upper right, three colors going on there!

[Devo]

5 hours ago, Gekko_1 said:

Just found this amazing photo of Pukin Dogs 107. I wonder if that is my jet Ghost Rider 202 (or 207?) in the background to the left of the Sea King?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beechhawker/8583325030/

One thing the above photo has proven to me is that I'm going to have to adjust the Mig Ammo US Navy colours quite a lot! Lightening them by at least 20% maybe 40%! Keep in mind that that top side colour on 107 is FS. 35237, which is way lighter than what I'm used to seeing. And compare the drop tank and wing glove pylon colour to the main wheel hub!

It also confirms that the tip of the nose is part D1 and not part D2!

And the fin tip yellow is narrower than is shown on the vague Microscale Decal instruction sheet.

The colour of the air bags (parts B14, B15, B13 and B16) is a light grey and really shows just how 'blue' these early Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS) colours were, compared to today where they seem far less so.

I wonder if the nose cones of these early TPS painted Tomcats was painted separately? The tones of the colours seem ever so slightly different?

The inside of parts E27 is white, as you can see on Tomcat 107 in this photo.

I'll say it again, amazing photo!

Richard.

 

Good pic. I would go for that aircraft 114 with the TPS nose cone and gull grey scheme just to different.

[Andrew]

Hi Richard,

 

I'm guessing you've seen this photo of Ghostrider 207, taken the same time as the AG107 photo you found? It suggests that 207 is the jet seen in the background of the 107 photo; Bu No of AG207 is 159591. At the extreme left of the 207 photo is what I take to be the nose of Pukin Dogs 105, it also definitely lacks the nose pitot. I also note that 207 has a white drop shadow on the nose modex, not immediately apparent when seen in  the background of the AG107 shot.

 

Sorry if this adds nothing to the discussion.

 

Andrew.

[MarkSH]

Definitely a kit to aspire to, so I'm really enjoying watching someone detail their efforts so exhaustively. Please keep it up its great stuff.

[fewr9fkr9595]

10 hours ago, Gekko_1 said:

 

No, no crew names Tony.

Yes the main u/c bay door for sure is white (good spotting!) and yes the drop tank pylon too, but the front section of it looks to be grey?

Also, what do you think is going on with the leading edge of the fins?

 

Hiya, 

 

yeah defo has a lighter grey on the fin leading edges. Not very tidy at the base though. 

36375?

 

I was going to suggest that the leading edges along with the white modex shadow and yellow fincaps were a way of distinguishing the plane from the line birds as the executive officers mount, 202. As in the third most important plane in the sqn after the cag and co (presumably who were still gull with colour insignia at this time) but that idea doesn’t seem relevant after seeing 207 with its white drop shadow and yellow caps too. 

 

Perhaps on this jet they were left in coroguard when it was painted from gull to tps, then the corroguard painted over a while later? As in maybe 202 existed for a brief timeframe in tps with coroguard on tailfins, then they later painted the leading edges which different/fresh paint. 

In the late 70’s Vf142 had a period of not quite all over gull (a low white demarcation) with corroguard still present on all leading edges of flying surfaces (think hooded skull superimposed over AE code on outer fin markings), when just about everyone else had gone to full overall gull with just wing leading edge having corroguard.

Just a wild stab in the dark which doesn’t make sense when in some these other pics you can see full gull ghostriders with solid grey tails. (No corroguard) 

 

Also, 

 

The modex of 114 (gull with the tps nosecone) would suggest its a vf143 bird. 

 

Tony

[Christer A]

I got a Tammy Tomcat in the stash and some nice VF-111 decals ('cause sharkmouths is almost as cool as Felix the Cat) and whenever I open one of these topics I'm intimidated by the wealth of knowledge needed to make a passable job out of it...

 

 Anyway, from what little I know I can surely say that it looks excellent so far!

Edited September 24, 2018 by Christer A

[Gekko_1]

5 hours ago, Andrew said:

Hi Richard,

 

I'm guessing you've seen this photo of Ghostrider 207, taken the same time as the AG107 photo you found? It suggests that 207 is the jet seen in the background of the 107 photo; Bu No of AG207 is 159591. At the extreme left of the 207 photo is what I take to be the nose of Pukin Dogs 105, it also definitely lacks the nose pitot. I also note that 207 has a white drop shadow on the nose modex, not immediately apparent when seen in  the background of the AG107 shot.

 

Sorry if this adds nothing to the discussion.

 

Andrew.

 

Thanks Andrew! Missed that.

This photo is awesome and answers a lot of questions about the scheme. 😍

 

Cheers

 

Richard

[Gekko_1]

2 hours ago, Christer A said:

I got a Tammy Tomcat in the stash and some nice VF-111 decals ('cause sharkmouths is almost as cool as Feliz the Cat) and whenever I open one of these topics I'm intimidated by the wealth of knowledge needed to make a passable job out of it...

 

 Anyway, from what little I know I can surely say that it looks excellent so far!

 

Never be intimidated. One learns by doing, not theorising. So take that first step and go for it. Lots of people to learn from on this site.

[Andrew]

10 hours ago, Gekko_1 said:

.... answers a lot of questions about the scheme. 😍

Always happy to help research Tomcats, but as if to demonstrate that I like questions more than answers, here's another photo of 159591 AG207, taken ashore just a few months earlier - note that she is in overall gull grey, not TPS (and with seats!). Obviously re-painting into TPS occurred some time after this photo but probably before Ike sailed for her Atlantic voyage - perhaps your 159452 AG202 TPS paintscheme is of a similar age? It doesn't seem too weatherbeaten (excusing replacement bits...).

 

A stray thought about the different appearance of the radomes in many of these pictures - could it be the case that the underlying surface of the radome (which is necessarily different to the majority of the rest of the airframe) and its specific requirements for preparation is throwing the appearance of the colour used? I guess I'm suggesting that what we see as different (radome vs. the rest of the airframe) is completely natural if we consider how different the underlying surfaces are. Of course, I'm sure that there is equal likelihood that radome and airframe may not remain together for long (assuming that they were painted at the same time) and that the opportunity for disparity rises exponentially.

 

Anyway, I'm still looking for more pictures of 159452 on that 1981 cruise.

 

cheers, Andrew.

[Gekko_1]

15 hours ago, Andrew said:

Always happy to help research Tomcats, but as if to demonstrate that I like questions more than answers, here's another photo of 159591 AG207, taken ashore just a few months earlier - note that she is in overall gull grey, not TPS (and with seats!). Obviously re-painting into TPS occurred some time after this photo but probably before Ike sailed for her Atlantic voyage - perhaps your 159452 AG202 TPS paintscheme is of a similar age? It doesn't seem too weatherbeaten (excusing replacement bits...).

 

A stray thought about the different appearance of the radomes in many of these pictures - could it be the case that the underlying surface of the radome (which is necessarily different to the majority of the rest of the airframe) and its specific requirements for preparation is throwing the appearance of the colour used? I guess I'm suggesting that what we see as different (radome vs. the rest of the airframe) is completely natural if we consider how different the underlying surfaces are. Of course, I'm sure that there is equal likelihood that radome and airframe may not remain together for long (assuming that they were painted at the same time) and that the opportunity for disparity rises exponentially.

 

Anyway, I'm still looking for more pictures of 159452 on that 1981 cruise.

 

cheers, Andrew.

 

Well, what a goldmine that site is!

So with 159591 207 we see it here in 2nd MAY 1981
Observations: seems to be missing its starboard fin tip. White drop tank and Phoenix pallet. Heavily faded Light Ghost Grey with what looks like an initial TPS nose cone in FS. 36375 and FS. 36495?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147668976@N06/40959444904/

 

10th October 1981, now in the new early version of the Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS)
Observations: mismatched nose cone. White main landing gear door. FS. 35237 touch-ups on FS. 36375 fins, which also have a slightly lighter colour leading edge.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147668976@N06/40959443994/

And 2nd of October 1982 almost a full year later in a very weather beaten state! What an amazing documentation of a single F-14A during my favorite time period!
Observations: heavily patched-up paint. Confirms that the top colour is in fact FS. 36375 as with previous photo. The FS. 35237 turtleback section is now so heavily weathered and faded that its very hard to see, but we know its there from the previous photo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147668976@N06/40959441124/

 

 

And! 105 from the Pukin Dogs, now with the fin painted(dog, AG and IKE), as apposed to the other photo which shows it blank! This photo also confirms what I thought to be the case, that being that the inner fin of these VF-143 Tomcats have FS. 36375 and FS. 35237 on the outer fin. White Phoenix pallet, main gear door and drop tank pylon.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147668976@N06/40959437934/
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beechhawker/8583325030/

As for the radomes, since I've yet to see one in that early TPS scheme that matches the airframe its on, leads me to believe they've been painted separately. The difference in tone may be because of a different paint needing to be used over the fiberglass?

Thanks, yes, any pics of 159452 circa 1981-82 would be amazing to see!

Cheers

Richard.

[Gekko_1]

Based on some of the recent images found of the two Squadrons that were trialing this Tactical Paint Scheme during 1981 I now have a much better idea of what I need to aim for colour wise. Because of that I've begun mixing paint (my other obsession) and re-spraying..................

The new mixes are as follows:

Revised FS. 35237-
A.MIG-210 FS. 35237 Gray Blue - 10 drops
A.MIG-203 FS. 36375 Light Compass Ghost Grey - 3 drops.
A.MIG-224 Sky Line Blue - (small dot as shown in photo)
Vallejo 059 Matt Varnish - 4 drops.

Revised FS. 36495 - 
A.MIG-209 FS. 36495 Light Gray - 10 drops
A.MIG-047 Satin White - 4 drops
Vallejo 059 Matt Varnish - 5 drops.



I'm happy with the revised FS. 36495 but will lighten the revised FS. 35237 a little more.

The FS. 36375 seems pretty good at this stage so I will leave it as it is for now.

Richard.

[Gekko_1]

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark! I've just noticed the gun vents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😲😭

Too late to change that now.

What anybody else contemplating this era of Tomcat will need is this..............



Quickboost - Nr. QB 48 800 - 1:48 F-14A Tomcat gun cover -early for Tamiya. 

[Gekko_1]

Here I'm preparing the white Stynylrez Primer parts for spraying the FS. 36495 Light Gray. All areas that need protecting are painted using watered down Vegemite. I love using Vegemite for this sort of masking. Non toxic, water soluble, you can thin it with water to whatever consistency you want and once ready to remove can be done so using warm water.

And I masked out the fan blade hubs too



Masking tape will be used on the intake ramp areas once I'm ready to paint.

 

Richard.

[Bigdave22014]

Vegemite 😨

Does that not leave a stain?

[Gekko_1]

20 minutes ago, Bigdave22014 said:

Vegemite 😨

Does that not leave a stain?

 

Nope. With warm water and a soft brush it just dissolves away, no staining. I've been using it for many years, never had an issue.

[Gekko_1]

I decided to lighten the FS.36495 Light Gray a little more.

Revised FS. 36495 - Version 2
A.MIG-209 FS. 36495 Light Gray - 10 drops
A.MIG-047 Satin White - 6 drops
Vallejo Matt Medium 70.540 - 5 drops.

 

Now I'll let that dry for 24 hours.

 

Richard.

[Gekko_1]

Vegemite removed with warm water and a soft brush. No issues, no problems, worked fine.

 

Here's the intake trunking just sat in place, not glued.

 

Richard.

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

At last, someone who has found a use for Vegemite.  Marmite for eating, Vegemite for blocking paint: seems about right.

 

 

[All Pommy joking aside, interesting idea that clearly works; she’s looking good!]

[Gekko_1]

Swing wing mechanism put together. Its pretty straight forward.



Lots of bits and pieces to get ready for painting!


Richard.