F-14a Tomcat - Tamiya 1/48 - VF-33 Starfighters

[Paintychops]

Hello all, first post so hope this works. Thought I'd share with you this recently completed build of a Tamiya 1/48 F14a Tomcat. Most of it is OOTB with only Eduard wheels & decals by FCM added. Painted by mostly Vallejo acrylics, with various enamel & oil washes/effects by AK & AMMO Mig.

 

I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one, as it has turned out a but different to what I originally planned. I've made a lot of mistakes,  some of which will be fairly easy to spot, such as the decals on the missiles. It has ended up a lot more weathered, due in part to covering up botched varnishing sessions mid-way through the painting stages, & frankly horrific decals that were just as likely to split as soon as you looked at them (for info, if you've seen these decals on ebay & thought about buying a set, be like Zammo and just say no). Most I've managed to patch together, a few like the names on the canopy, I've had to put down to heavy scratching.

 

However, this is only the second aircraft I've painted in my adult life, my background being in Games Workshop miniatures, and despite all the various obstacles, I have loved putting this together, and eager to start on my next one (likely to be a 1/48 SU-35 by GWH).

 

Be great to hear your thoughts & opinions, good or bad! Thanks for looking.

 

[Blanketyblank]

That looks absolutely fantastic. 

[Xspace]

Great job on this Cat, weathering is spot on !

[SAT69]

I certainly don't see anything to complain about. The cockpit is extraordinary.  Beautiful work.

[dnl42]

That's fantastic! And as others already wrote, the cockpit is just extraordinary! 

 

You've done The Iron Works proud! 

[Gary Brantley]

Great looking Tomcat!  

[Gidge]

Looks fantastic! Weathering is pretty typical for a carrier based Tomcat or any other carrier based fighters of the era. Your background in miniatures really shows in the cockpit, that's just superb.

 

As for the mistakes, I wouldn't know you'd made any if you hadn't told us. You've certainly got more right than wrong. The curse of being a modeller is while others see the magic first, you see your flaws first because you know they're there. Don't beat yourself up about them, just learn from them and do better next time. After you've done a few more aircraft builds it might be a nice exercise to come back and do another scheme or the F-14D version of the kit to see how far you've come.

 

Any chance you could be persuaded to do a work in progress thread of the Su-35? That's a kit I'm interested in.

[Farmerboy]

I would hope you go back to your Games Workshop modelling, because you are making us ‘regulars’ look bad!🤣 Brilliant model and the painting is fantastic, good job!

[exdraken]

Gorgeous modelling!

🎉

[seanw]

That is superb! Really like the weathering.

Sean

[Paintychops]

Thanks for all your comments, I really wasn't expecting so much positive feedback! Very much appreciated though. Going forward I do plan on doing both GW models along with scale aircraft, & will continue to share/spam both on these forums. I will also be posting up some other previous finished works that may be of some interest.

 

In direct response to Gidge, I think that some of these pics actually help cover my mistakes (for once). The surface of the model is a bit uneven due to a dodgy varnish coat, & the fact that this 'craft seemed to attract dust like a magnet. Also my attempts to sand out the seam in the canopy did not go well. But you're right, the important thing is to learn from them & move on. Funny enough, I am planning on doing an F14d at some point in the future! Finally, yes I am planning on doing a progress thread on the SU-35. Everything is ready to go, just need to find the time...

[BerndM]

Awesome Tomcat. Also a great choice of markings.

[Gidge]

1 hour ago, Paintychops said:

Thanks for all your comments, I really wasn't expecting so much positive feedback! Very much appreciated though. Going forward I do plan on doing both GW models along with scale aircraft, & will continue to share/spam both on these forums. I will also be posting up some other previous finished works that may be of some interest.

 

In direct response to Gidge, I think that some of these pics actually help cover my mistakes (for once). The surface of the model is a bit uneven due to a dodgy varnish coat, & the fact that this 'craft seemed to attract dust like a magnet. Also my attempts to sand out the seam in the canopy did not go well. But you're right, the important thing is to learn from them & move on. Funny enough, I am planning on doing an F14d at some point in the future! Finally, yes I am planning on doing a progress thread on the SU-35. Everything is ready to go, just need to find the time...

 

Good Man.

 

If you haven't already set yourself up a Scale Mates account https://www.scalemates.com/

 

It's a fantastic resource for researching kits, suitable aftermarket accessories and completed projects that use them. Being able to tell the difference between a genuine new kit and a 30 year old one with cool new box art and a premium price tag will save you a lot of heartache. Also handy if you get stuck to be able to quickly and easily find people who've done it and ask for help.

[621Andy]

WOW!

[Paintychops]

4 hours ago, Gidge said:

 

Good Man.

 

If you haven't already set yourself up a Scale Mates account https://www.scalemates.com/

 

It's a fantastic resource for researching kits, suitable aftermarket accessories and completed projects that use them. Being able to tell the difference between a genuine new kit and a 30 year old one with cool new box art and a premium price tag will save you a lot of heartache. Also handy if you get stuck to be able to quickly and easily find people who've done it and ask for help.

 

Thanks for the tip, I shall have a look...

[Lord Riot]

Just the kind of post I hate! Your second ever aeroplane model and it’s already way better than mine and I’ve been doing it for years!
 

Amazing painting and weathering, I see no mistakes just a beautiful realistic Tomcat. Very very well done.

[Abandoned Project]

Hello and 

That is a gorgeous Tomcat!

19 hours ago, Paintychops said:

 

However, this is only the second aircraft I've painted in my adult life, my background being in Games Workshop miniatures

That is a good school to learn to paint in. Went there myself a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.

19 hours ago, Paintychops said:

be like Zammo and just say no

Showing your age there 

The interior is amazing, and so is the photographic presentation.

Bravo Sir.

[RMCS]

Superb 

[F-32]

I think it looks spot on, great job

[Adam Poultney]

Fantastic work! very skillfully painted

[Parabat]

That's brilliant, nice to see a lesser modelled scheme as well, that's come out so well. 

[Paintychops]

Thank you all again for the comments & likes. I have been somewhat taken aback by all the positive reactions to this!

15 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

Just the kind of post I hate! Your second ever aeroplane model and it’s already way better than mine and I’ve been doing it for years!

😂 I've just had a look at your work, nothing wrong with your painting skills there! & your build quality is far superior to mine 

 

14 hours ago, Abandoned Project said:

Showing your age there 

I'd like to think that there are some non-Brits who've read that & thought "what's a Zammo?" Maybe I'll use his mugshot as my display pic...

[russ c]

Great looking Tomcat there, really nice work

[spruecutter96]

This is only the second aircraft you've ever painted....!? Holy Moly! You have done a truly superb job, my friend. Obviously your experience in painting figures has translated to winged things very well, indeed. 

 

If anyone tells you that the airframe is over-weathered, then tell them from me they have no idea. I've seen shots of real F-14's that look like they've been thrown through the MIG-weathering warehouse backwards. I was reading the other day that US Navy regulations specify that all "at sea" aircraft are washed-down once a week. Judging by some of the Tomcats I've seen, this memo never got to the maintainers.  

 

Thanks for sharing with us.   

 

Chris. 

[redcap]

For only model aircraft No2 (or 20) this is nothing short of remarkable. You have a rare skill and eye for detail.

 

Gary