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1/48 Tamiya F-14A VF-84 "Jolly Rogers"


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Like many folk, lockdowns signalled a return to modelling for first time in over 20 years. Unlike my teens where I would brush paint everything, I invested in an airbrush and spent time watching YouTube videos and trying to learn how to use it. I initially tried to build a Tamiya Porsche 911 Turbo without much success but used that as a paint mule to practice airbrushing on.

I then decided to build a Tamiya F-14A after reading good things about the kit. 6 months or so later and I have finally finished (apart from needing to polish the canopy).

 

Kit was painted with a mix of Tamiya and Mr Hobby Acrylics. Weathering was a mix of Ammo by Mig Dark Grey and Light Grey Panel Washes, and Abteilung 502 Raw Umber, Black and Faded White Oils. Seats are kit seats with Eduard seat belts and decals. I had bought the Brassin seats but couldn't get the hang of folding and attaching the brass parts to the seats. 

The skunk stripe and the walkway were airbrushed rather than using the decals. The final coat was a 2:1 mix of flat clear and semi-gloss clear. 

 

Now for the bad - I knocked off the small aerial that hangs from the nose pod and can't find it. Removing the canopy masking today I discovered a crack on the right hand side of the windshield. 😢

 

There are areas I know I could have done better but overall I am fairly pleased with how this turned out. 

 

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To build a model so very well after a 20 year absence from the hobby is truly commendable. I'm definitely impressed!

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First model in X years you say,??

I am mighty impressed!

Hope to see more here soon! :)

 

 

For PE, you need some patience... kind of a meditating thing... but sometimes worth it!

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Nice work mate. I'm in a similar position to you newly returning to the hobby after 20 years and teaching myself to airbrush. This is giving me hope for my first project

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I'm actually very insisted in doing one of the Tamiya F-14 kits.  How did you find it to work with? I'm also reforming to the hobby after 20 years and learning to airbrush so I'm very inquests to hear the perspective from someone in a similar position 

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6 hours ago, Gidge said:

I'm actually very insisted in doing one of the Tamiya F-14 kits.  How did you find it to work with? I'm also reforming to the hobby after 20 years and learning to airbrush so I'm very inquests to hear the perspective from someone in a similar position 

 

The Tamiya kit is excellent. If you take your time then there will be no real issues. 

I watched a couple of YouTube build videos to get an idea on how it went together. 

 

I painted the forward and rear fuselage sections prior to joining them. This made the painting around the intakes easier. 

 

However if you are doing this, ensure you properly test fit everything before painting. I didn't really and was left with a small gap on one side of the fuselage join and less than 1mm gaps when I installed the exhaust housings. Having painted everything prior to joining this made it harder to try and rectify these issues. 

 

The Tamiya acrylics are good for starting out on. There are some good YouTube videos showing how to thin them. They also spray well in general. 

 

 

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