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

[Mark Strasser]

Fantastic!!!

Mark

[Paintychops]

On 28/05/2021 at 13:36, spruecutter96 said:

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 again for all of your kind comments. In regards to what spruecutter96 said, I guess my original intentions for this were somewhat different to the end result. I had planned for a more cleaner build, but a few errors, those ******* decals (remember kids, just say no) & a tendency to get overly carried away led to a more weathered look. But I am glad to hear that I'm still in the realms of believability.

What you said makes perfect sense. I'd find it hard to believe any aircraft carrier has a dedicated team of 24/7 cleaners just for the aircraft alone. Either that or there's a lot of poor sods on punishment postings..! 😅

[David H]

For only your second adult model aircraft i think it looks splendid.

 

The Tamiya F-14A is brilliantly engineered, but it doesn't change the fact that the Tomcat itself has a very complicated shape with a lot going on. Lots of things that get in each other's way, especially at the end game. Knowing exactly when to paint, decal, and install the vertical fins is a perfect example. Having said that, Tamiya has made it about as easy as its gonna get.

 

Having built a few of em, i can say there is definitely a learning curve to benefit from, and Tomcats 2 and 3 were a lot easier. Not a lot faster though; those planes are encrusted with servicing stencils. Almost as bad as a Phantom.