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F-14A and B weapons colors


diegohoff

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Hello to all. I am currently building two Hobbyboss F-14 Tomcats. The first one will be an A model un Sundowners colors, the second is a B model un Jolly Rogers scheme. The question here is: wich colors are the missiles? I see real pics of the weapons un white and other un some kind of grey, but can't find the correct ones for my builds. Hope you can help me.

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Colour would depend on the missile variant and this would then depend on the timeframe.

Sidewinders before the AIM-9L were in white while the AIM-9L and following were in Grey FS 36375. The head was in a weird very dark metallick grey/green, better checkk for pictures to understand the colour.

 

Sparrows up to the AIM-7E variant included were in overall white. The radome was a light grey or dirt white. With the AIM-7F all wings became a dark dull steel colour, again checkk for pictures to understand what I mean. The radome remained in very light grey (the colour of the ceramic material it was made of). With the AIM-7M the body bevcame grey FS 36375 while wings and radome did not change. The AIM-7F also got a grey body in the early '80s

 

AIM-54As were in overall white, although again the radome was usually a slightly different white. The C variant featured a grey FS 36375 body with an off-white radome.

 

I should mention that for all missiles it was possible to see combinations of grey and white parts. This happened when for some reason parts from different production batches (and variants) were mixed. Not necessarily common but did happen.

 

Now timeframe: early Tomcats would have used white missiles. The AIM-9L arrived at the end of the '70s and the AIM-7F in the late '70s and started "turning grey" in the early '80s. The AIM-54C joined the fleet in 1986.

Of course earlier missiles could be seen after the introduction in service of the more recent variants, so consider the dates above only as indicative. Depending on when your VF-111 cat is represented, you may use some or the others. It's easier for the F-14B as by the time this variant was introduced all missiles were grey

 

 

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25 minutes ago, Electric Indigo said:

Are there any color standards for the end caps/nozzles of those missiles? It's always dificult to find images from the back.

I'd say they are mostly dark red/ brown if live missiles. It 7is the direct view on the solid fuel rocket motor!: divergent nozzle

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You have missed the important bit, live missiles would have a 2" yellow band around the warhead and a 2" brown band around the rocket motor denoting High and Low explosive content.

 

Selwyn

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2 hours ago, Selwyn said:

You have missed the important bit, live missiles would have a 2" yellow band around the warhead and a 2" brown band around the rocket motor denoting High and Low explosive content.

 

Selwyn

 

In reality I have deliberately omitted a lot of other important bits...

The Phoenix missiles in particular feature a lot more colour details. For a starter live missiles have two yellow bands and two brown ones on the relevant sections. Then before the radome they feature a narrow ring left in natural metal, Last but not least, all sections apart from the radome feature two narrow black bands showing the lift points.

On the Sidewinders there's the detail of the "rollerons"on the rear wings, that are left in natural metal, on the Sparrows there are 4 longitudinal black stripes on the guidance section....

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15 hours ago, Electric Indigo said:

Are there any color standards for the end caps/nozzles of those missiles? It's always dificult to find images from the back.

 

ldqCCpX.jpg

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On 5/18/2021 at 3:24 PM, Giorgio N said:

Sidewinders before the AIM-9L were in white while the AIM-9L and following were in Grey FS 36375.

Very early production Limas were white. 

 

Pic added. And one that shows both white and grey ones mixed: here.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

Edited by Hook
Added links to photographs
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9 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

 

In reality I have deliberately omitted a lot of other important bits...

The Phoenix missiles in particular feature a lot more colour details. For a starter live missiles have two yellow bands and two brown ones on the relevant sections. Then before the radome they feature a narrow ring left in natural metal, Last but not least, all sections apart from the radome feature two narrow black bands showing the lift points.

On the Sidewinders there's the detail of the "rollerons"on the rear wings, that are left in natural metal, on the Sparrows there are 4 longitudinal black stripes on the guidance section....

I missed out most of this on purpose as well,  This subject is actually part of my day job!

 

Selwyn

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, really impressed with the replys. Really good stuff. Well, thanks yo all. Since my Tomcats are from the 90's I think the missiles will be grey. Ando I hope to add another features as well. Thanks again to all.

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