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F14D Black Lions or Bounty Hunters? Help deciding 😫


Fletch0311

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Cast your votes - I'm torn between the Black Lions and the Bounty Hunters for the Tamiya 1/48 F14D and need help deciding which to go for.......but I need to make a decision before I commit to the build.

 

I like them both equally, however I am leaning towards the Bounty Hunters by the slightest margin just due to the more exciting tail decals - but every time I decide in my mind which to go for I see the other one and I'm back to square one again! It's like trying to pick your favourite twin.....and I have twin girls so that normally changes depending on which one is in the best mood! 

 

Thanks 😎

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If you gi for kit decals, I would vote for Black Lions.

 

For Bountyhunters I would choose a toned down scheme ;)

 

 

Edited by exdraken
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11 minutes ago, Parabat said:

Black Lions would be great, just don't put any Phoenix missiles on it as they were phased out by the 2006 cruise.

Thanks for that, I'm not an expert at all and it will be an out of the box build so I'll keep an eye out for that. To be honest I tend to build Star Wars and Movie related kits so this is a new venture for me. Cheers 

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An equitable solution, if thery're both the same overall grey:  Black Lions on on side, and Bounty Hunters on the other.

As I've just done with this Airfix Hawk,

74 Squadron Tiger on port side

Airfix_Hawk48_FS.jpg

and 100 Squadron Skull&Crossbones on stbd

Airfix_Hawk48_FP.jpg

 

Just to save you from Sophie's Choice!

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33 minutes ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

An equitable solution, if thery're both the same overall grey:  Black Lions on on side, and Bounty Hunters on the other.

As I've just done with this Airfix Hawk,

74 Squadron Tiger on port side

Airfix_Hawk48_FS.jpg

and 100 Squadron Skull&Crossbones on stbd

Airfix_Hawk48_FP.jpg

 

Just to save you from Sophie's Choice!

They're different greys which makes the decision harder 🤔 

 

 

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On 27/05/2020 at 06:51, Doom3r said:

Bounty Hunters. Btw, are you going for hi viz or low viz?

To be honest, I'm not sure. This is my first go at an aircraft. I am not an expert (rivet counter) on all the finer details. My go to is Sci-Fi and movie related stuff - mainly Star Wars. 

 

I am opting for an 'out of the box' build using the livery schemes provided and following the paint guide as much as possible. If they are Hi or low viz schemes then so be it. But forgive my naivity - is there a big difference that I need to consider? 

 

Thanks for your help

😎

 

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Just build it out of the box, you will be fine.and satisfied!

 

Hi viz means high visibility - big colorful markings- as provided for most schemes in the box - just if you are really interested ;)

 

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2 hours ago, exdraken said:

Just build it out of the box, you will be fine.and satisfied!

 

Hi viz means high visibility - big colorful markings- as provided for most schemes in the box - just if you are really interested ;)

 

Thanks 😁

 

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If this is your first aircraft, I'd probably go with the high visibility VF-2 scheme because it's quite impressive. It's a great example of the very striking and colourful unit markings that US Navy aircraft carried over the years, today they are confined to one or two aircraft per squadron but in the '60s and '70s they adorned every aircraft.

Personally I have many Tomcats and I have both the most colourful and most drab markings represented, but if I had to choose only one I'd always go for the colourful options.

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On 6/1/2020 at 4:36 AM, Fletch0311 said:

To be honest, I'm not sure. This is my first go at an aircraft. I am not an expert (rivet counter) on all the finer details

image015.jpg

As people mebtioned  it means high and low visibility schemes. On this picture hi viz aircraft is in the front and lo viz in the back.

 

As far as rivet counting though: from what I hear (I have built only Hasegawa and Academy and have Hobbyboss in the stash so cannot speak for sure) that unlike Academy or Hobbyboss Tamiya's offerring is pretty accurate for the US cat.

Edited by Doom3r
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Pretty simple to me: if you go for the Delta as a fighter go for VF-2, if you want to depict her as multi role / Bombcat go for the Lions.

The Lion scheme in the kit may be pre-Phoenix retirement but it still represents a Delte of the very late 90s, i.e. mainly mud mover missions / load out, while the VF-2 markings depicts the birds some time around early to mid 90's where pure air/air loads would be more common due to LANTIRN integration not before late '95 the absolute earliest. VF-103 where the first to trial the LANTIRN with VF-31 being one of the first Delta equipped units receiving LANTIRN around mid '97.

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2 hours ago, bushande said:

Pretty simple to me: if you go for the Delta as a fighter go for VF-2, if you want to depict her as multi role / Bombcat go for the Lions.

The Lion scheme in the kit may be pre-Phoenix retirement but it still represents a Delte of the very late 90s, i.e. mainly mud mover missions / load out, while the VF-2 markings depicts the birds some time around early to mid 90's where pure air/air loads would be more common due to LANTIRN integration not before late '95 the absolute earliest. VF-103 where the first to trial the LANTIRN with VF-31 being one of the first Delta equipped units receiving LANTIRN around mid '97.

 

The VF-2 markings included in the Tamiya kit and shown above were only introduced after Lantirn and air-ground weapons were integrated in the unit Tomcats: Lantirn arrived in 1997 but that style of markings was introduced in late 1998. The aircraft depicted in the Tamiya sheet (163804) became VF-2s CAG plane in 2000/2001

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18 hours ago, Doom3r said:

image015.jpg

As people mebtioned  it means high and low visibility schemes. On this picture hi viz aircraft is in the front and lo viz in the back.

 

As far as rivet counting though: from what I hear (I have built only Hasegawa and Academy and have Hobbyboss in the stash so cannot speak for sure) that unlike Academy or Hobbyboss Tamiya's offerring is pretty accurate for the US cat.

Nice, thanks. It's obvious what it means but until you see it then it all makes perfect sense 🙈

 

The picture is great, so thanks again

 

 

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If it were my choice? - pick one squadron, build the model in those markings, buy another Tamiya Tomcat, and then build that one in the other squadron markings.  Display both completed models side-by-side.🙂

 

The 1/48 Tamiya F-14D is much easier build than the Hasegawa, Academy, and Revell-Monogram F-14 kits.   There's no denying that it is not inexpensive, but the kit engineering what you're paying for.   In the time I could finish building a Hasegawa F-14, I could finish 2 Tamiya equivalents.   The decrease in number of building roadblocks will allow you to build more.

 

Using a racing analogy - the first Tamiya F-14 is your "warm-up lap" and the second one is your "lap for time".🏎️   

Edited by John B
Grammar and spelling.
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On 09/06/2020 at 18:05, John B said:

If it were my choice? - pick one squadron, build the model in those markings, buy another Tamiya Tomcat, and then build that one in the other squadron markings.  Display both completed models side-by-side.🙂

 

The 1/48 Tamiya F-14D is much easier build than the Hasegawa, Academy, and Revell-Monogram F-14 kits.   There's no denying that it is not inexpensive, but the kit engineering what you're paying for.   In the time I could finish building a Hasegawa F-14, I could finish 2 Tamiya equivalents.   The decrease in number of building roadblocks will allow you to build more.

 

Using a racing analogy - the first Tamiya F-14 is your "warm-up lap" and the second one is your "lap for time".🏎️   

I've pretty much finished the build part and primed it as of this afternoon. I read so many reviews and comments of how well the kit goes together and thought 'yeah yeah we'll see' but boy it's good, just slots in to place.

 

I have made it all buttoned up tho, so no landing gear (I'm having it on a base in flight), and the landing gear doors are a little clunky and don't fit too well....but it was designed to be wheels down so no grumble there - and still loads less jiggery pokery than you'd expect on any other kit!

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16 minutes ago, Fletch0311 said:

...I have made it all buttoned up tho, so no landing gear (I'm having it on a base in flight), and the landing gear doors are a little clunky and don't fit too well....but it was designed to be wheels down so no grumble there - and still loads less jiggery pokery than you'd expect on any other kit!

A well-respected modeller at my club said something to the effect "Tamiya kits are simply made to fit together in a certain way.  It doesn't matter if it's a plane, armor, car, or ship kit - they will fit in the way Tamiya intended for it to be displayed."    After playing with the Tamiya F-14 Tomcat, P-51 Mustang, A-1 Skyraider, F4U Corsair, Spitfire V, F4F Wildcat , Honda NSX, and Honda CRX kits, I have to agree with that statement.  If they intended for the hatches to be closed, flaps lowered, or gear extended, it all fits very nicely.   If they included an optional part, it will fit as intended.   I've been able to pre-paint and decal major sub-assemblies on Tamiya kits with the confidence they will fit at the end.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/usmc2841sgt/Skyraiderlaidout.jpg

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  https://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal3/2901-3000/Gal2962-USMC-Bibay/03.jpg

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I'm eager to see how your F-14 turns out. 🙂

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  • 3 weeks later...
18 hours ago, SAT69 said:

Maybe off topic, but, Beautiful Skyraider!

Its a credit to the engineering that Tamiya put into the designing their kits.  The only non-standard thing I did for the Skyraider was add a little resin detail piece under the canopy and change out the Vietnam-war era pylons & droptanks for Korea-war era ones.  I really did paint, decal and seal the major assemblies before brought them together at the end.  I remember that the cowl/engine and landing gear assemblies are held in place simply by friction!   If my hands of stone and fingers of sausage can achieve a decent result with a Tamiya kit, that's testimony to the kit itself!

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