Italeri or Academy 1/48 F14A...

[RiotRolo 314]

Good evening everyone,

 

I've been thinking about buying a F14A to add to my stash, its always been an aircraft that I have liked but have never got round to building or buying a kit.

Primarily in terms of the fit of both kits, what would you guys recommend, the Italeri or Academy F14A?

 I plan on buying aftermarket decals so thats not an issue. I just need to know which is probably the better kit, im guessing the Academy one however have seen some mixed reviews for both. 

 

Thanks,

Ryan

[Parabat 1,655]

Out of the two, Academy. Have a look around though, you may be able to pick up a Hobby Boss for not a lot more than an Academy Tomcat.

Or, treat yourself and get a Tamiya F-14.

[Wafu 1,296]

I’d agree with Parabat, neither is a good option, in fact the Academy kit of the Tomcat is the only kit I’ve binned halfway though building, literally threw it away. 
Parabat is right, look for the Hobbyboss offerings, maybe even a Hasegawa one, or save and get either the Tamiya or AMK version. It’s only my opinion but the Tamiya Tomcat is the best by a long way.

 

Just found this on eBay, not mine by the way...https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/193484338773

 

[Giorgio N 9,290]

If you're interested in a good fitting easy to build kit then I'd suggest not buying a Tomcat ! The shapes of this aircraft invariably result in an assembly that is more complicated than with other types.

If however you do want a Tomcat, something that I fully agree on (no model collection is complete without at least one), then of the options you are considering the Academy kit is slightly better. It also generally better from all other aspects.

As others have said before, if you can find a HB kit for the same kind of money, then it's a good option. Personally however I've never seen the HB kit going for the same money as the Italeri or Academy kits.. the one in the link above is at a great price and I'd nab it myself if the seller delivered to my country (he does not). At the same time on Ebay I've seen the original Academy kit going for £20 or less and Italeri kits going for a tenner. The Academy "Bombcat" issue is invariably more expensive and at that point probably not competitive with the HB kit.. at least if you can live with the shape of the HB intakes.

If you add another £10 to your budget you could hunt for a second hand Hasegawa kit, that is superior to all except the Tamiya kit... but it's not an easy build. Not because fit is necessarily bad, but the wasy the kit is designed means having to swear somewhat to get everything together, and if fit and ease of construction are your main concern you may not like this.

 

[bushande 220]

Isn't the Academy kit the one with the too fat nose and the too smal windshield?!

I would refrain from the Academy.

[whiskey 442]

If you're still trying to keep it under a certain budget I'd go with the Monogram versus any of the other options. Just look at Darren Roberts contributions in Hyperscale, FineScale Modeler, etc.

[Giorgio N 9,290]

Since the OP stated:; "Primarily in terms of the fit of both kits, what would you guys recommend, the Italeri or Academy F14A?", it's clear that fit is the aspect he's more interested in.

The Monogram kit may be nice in certain aspects but fit isn't really its strong point.

The Academy kit may be inaccurate in the nose, but in terms of fit is better (or less worse) than the similarly priced competitors

Edited June 4, 2020 by Giorgio N

[SouthViper 18]

All depends on what  do you really want.

In 1/48, I  believe the old  F-14A from Hasegawa is the name even for today's standards, flaps and slats down,

M-61 Vulcan bay, very nice cockpits, open air brakes and  Right dimensions .

The HB kits have some serious errors in inlet shape.

The OLD Monogram/Revell looks good but in fact has shape problems around nose, radar, cockpit.

Tamiya is new, I do not know about its shape accuracy, very recommended.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies 12,850]

The Tamiya kit is glorious, if the budget will stretch.

[SleeperService 3,533]

On 5/28/2020 at 9:06 AM, Giorgio N said:

If you're interested in a good fitting easy to build kit then I'd suggest not buying a Tomcat !

The wisest advice I've read in a while. I was told at a show relatively recently that if I wanted a Tomcat buy 3. The third one would be the keeper, the second finished but not happy with it, and the first abandoned part way through....then I got an Academy kit cheap and had another nervous breakdown soon after. I don't think that was a coincidence.

[alt-92 3,474]

16 hours ago, SleeperService said:

then I got an Academy kit cheap and had another nervous breakdown soon after. I don't think that was a coincidence.

Just dug up the original Academy Puking Dogs kit - considering the instructions can best be interpreted as 'suggestions' for assembling a 3D puzzle, you might very well have a point there.