Great Wall Hobby 1/72 F-14A - Now Bandwagon 202

[jacques caroff]

Thanks a lot.

[Jon020]

This post will be a continuation of the last, addressing the ongoing painting that’s been managed when time allows.

In the last post, I’d applied some of the fuller base layer to the main upper surfaces, and to ensure everything looked to be harmonising, I popped the clean wings on just to check that there was nothing jarring – too clean or mottled on either part

Wings/fuselage paint coverage comparison by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Attention then moved to the nose section and depth (or opacity) of colour was carried on, gradually building tone in each panel, and across the panels in a generous application of thin paint layers. At this stage some of the panel lines are jarring a bit and some focussed attention with the airbrush, and in stubborn cases with a thin brush, would come later... but I was aiming for a mottled look (per photos of the real airframe).

Forward fuselage paint texture coming along. by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The underside was treated to a similar approach to the upper surfaces giving a good covering using thin coats of paint, but retaining some of the mottling and focussing on individual panels when I thought it appropriate... with some more work to do here later

Underside initial coat balancing out by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I then moved back to the upper fuselage, adding some very pale (or white) areas that I then toned back later – representing repaired and repainted/faded areas of work... some randomness followed later.

Upper surface variations by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Then it was time to take a break from the main body and the Mission Models paints and break out the Alclads and have a go at the Exhaust cans. These were adhered to a cocktail stick (using some humbrol maskol in a soft pva glue type of way) and given a coat of Steel to begin with. I then applied a layer of pale burnt metal to the main body (not the exhaust ring that I masked) along with some Magnesium, hot metal sepia and Jet exhaust to tone the front most edge down a little.

Exhaust cans metal colours ... steel and hot metal masked by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Colours used at first stage – with a little randomness thrown in, but working from photos to slowly build up tone.

Initial colour set by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

That was all put asides whilst I pondered what to do with it next. More to come.

So, I then turned my attention to the other end o the aircraft and the nose cone. This is black... and has a full antiglare panel in matt or flat black... so not the same. In addition, the radome is “black” but the panel behind the radome is also black ... but similar to the antiglare panel; I presume it went matt/flat in the same was as the antiglare panel as it’s on metal, whereas the radome isn’t of course... and possibly painted using a special paint. Note that F-14D 164603 that was painted in the retro livery, had it’s radome painted black, but not the panel behind it, so the colour demarcation is slanted on that rather than vertical as it was on the A models until they went lo-vis.

I didn’t want to paint this black either, as that’s too much... and scale needs representing (lighter due to scale). So I added some white into the mix, with a 7:1 of black to white.  Masking was undertaken using Tamiya tapes ready for a coat of the “almost black”.

Note that the upper and rear frame of the windscreen also need masking, but the fornt lip and lower edge will be black.

Nose cone and anti glare panel masking by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Some trepidation on unmasking and it didn’t look too bad. Until that is... I realised I’d made a mistake and followed the panel lines and not noticed that the antiglare panel was broader. It was an equivalent to a case of measure once, cut twice. Doh!

Initial application (to wrong shape) by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I took out the old academy transfers (which has an antiglare panel in the transfer set) and traced and applied to a sheet of adhesive paper (post-it) and applied this to the right position on the nose. Yea, I’d got it wrong...

Initial masking planning for correct shape anti glare panel by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

This was then fully masked (or masked enough) to allow a lighter “black” to be applied to represent the faded anti glare panel, and cut so that the vertical panel could also be toned.

Masked... ready for dark grey (faded matt black) by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The “black” this time was a more faded shade... I found that back to white 8:3 mix was about right in this case... slowly built up and unmasked carefully, it looked like this.

Corrected shape anti glare panel by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

And an overview of the model at his stage. Some tidying would be needed in the corners, but it wasn’t too bad. The slightly lighter shade did, in my opinion, look ok.

Overview of faded/worn fuselage appearance by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Meanwhile, that other project was coming together too... a little distraction to focus on something else doesn’t hurt

Progress with the parallel project by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I realised that the kit panel join under the intake lip wasn’t actually a panel line, but a seam that i should’ve closed up a while ago. I’m learning – and the next GWH kit should be easier.

I applied some odourless superglue to the seam (I’d not filled the outer seam at this stage), then sanded and checked... sanded, checked... and so on.

Gap filling with odourless superglue by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Once sorted, I applied some initial grey to check cleanliness, then added some dark ghost grey for some tonal variation... seen here... then applied a mottled and then fuller coat or few of Light Gull ... before being happy (but clearly not sufficiently to remember to take a photo)

Filled, smoothed, dark ghost grey underlayer by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

So back to those exhaust cans... Apologies for jumping around a bit, but it was the order of my build. I’d masked the mid band and applied some transparent red and blue to the darker forward part of the cans, then applied some jet exhaust to tone it all down... then removed the masking and applied a bit more to blend it all a bit further and de-bling those mid bands. The colouration was to reflect heat staining, and in natural light it looks quite good – just tricky to photograph.

Completed exhaust cans (open) ready for coaming colour by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The last part to tackle on these was the side coamings... so some careful masking was applied and then some colour in a mottled and then fuller fill, to match the rear fuselage of the aircraft.

Masking the coaming by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Masked by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Exhaust can test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Overview... black nose to shiny exhausts by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

And then finally, for this post today, more masking... the perfect Sunday afternoon task when the DIY jobs are finished, house tidied and washing done... and walk got in for some fresh air. The antislip panels and wing airbags (or whatever they’re called). I like to paint these all with some texture (or colour variation). I know some like textured paint for the anti-slip panels, and I’m sure that’s really good in 1/32 or maybe even 1/48, but in 1/72 it’d probably be out of scale. A more-matt finish is probably better for this scale. So... masking undertaken

More masking by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Colours used were mainly dark ghost grey and tyre black (a dirty “greeny” black) and then some black... and white to add lighter tones. I started with the wing air bags as these need to look quite dark on this model (compared to my previous builds) so these started with the darkest mixed tone. I then lightened this a little, adding a drop or two of dark ghost and white, and added this along the ridges of the air bags. I then used this mix as the base coat for the anti-slip panels. A further lighter shade was mixed and applied again to each – the air bags and then randomly to the anti-slip panels... to add variation to these base tones. I’ll add some oil brush dots and blend later, once these are all sealed.

Base colours by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

So there we go – it’s getting there and I’m quite pleased with the overall balance of colours and wear/fading without being overly-dirty that can often result.

Wing bags and anti slip panels added #1 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Wing bags and anti slip panels added #2 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Wing bags and anti slip panels added #3 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Wing bags and anti slip panels added #3 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

So.. that’s all for now... hoping to carry on as and when time allows. Any questions, please fire away, and thanks for reading.

Jonathan

[Jon020]

A further brief update having unmasked the wings (that had had the corroguard leading edge applied on Saturday... using Alclad aluminium) and undertaken a quick test fit.

and here is the other wing set. The slats are just pushed in so not fitted tightly or positioned correctly... and the red is far too bright, but that will all be toned down with a dark wash... but I think it'll all look ok.

 

Cheers

Jonathan

 

 

[Jon020]

Apologies.... I forgot the rear view....

lots of tidy up and detail painting after some aqua gloss to go down next.

Jonathan

 

 

[keefr22]

That's some cracking paintwork Jonathan, all coming together very nicely! Those exhaust cans are rather impressive too!

 

Keith

[Jon020]

On 25/01/2022 at 22:59, keefr22 said:

That's some cracking paintwork Jonathan, all coming together very nicely! Those exhaust cans are rather impressive too!

 

Keith

Thanks Keith. Each of my Tomcat builds has used Mission Models paints, my first time using these paints; previously still using humbrol enamels... each one has been an experiment, and practice seems to be helping me get me what I was aiming for, this time I think the application was better... I'm getting there!

Similar with the Alclad on the exhausts... this time taking it easy but applying a few mixed shades in stages and some masking working to photos in daco book (and other references) along with some transparent shades (after talking to the Alclad team at SMW Telford) ... and still practicing but the impression of heat staining is there. I think some matt coat afterwards will tone this nicely... I hope. But yes, an experiment again, and each one I'm happier with than the last.

Thanks for your comments.

Jonathan

[hugogo]

hi Jonathan, that is good progress that you are making. the pre- and post shading looks impressive! being busy with a GWH tomcat project myself I am very impressed with the fit as well. I wonder how you will like the decals.

Good luck!

 

hugo

[Jon020]

4 hours ago, hugogo said:

hi Jonathan, that is good progress that you are making. the pre- and post shading looks impressive! being busy with a GWH tomcat project myself I am very impressed with the fit as well. I wonder how you will like the decals.

Good luck!

 

hugo

Hi Hugo. I agree that parts of the kit do go together well, but others are, how can I put this, slightly complex in terms of number of parts items ate broken down into... landing gear for example. Some mistakes are disappointing, but so far fixable. I'll reserve judgement until the end. It's why they need to be tackled before buying more (although ahem, that didn't stop me)

Transfers. Yes. Hmmm. At this stage, the only items that would have been used would have been the cockpit panels. When I was making my academy kit, my mate Brian was experimenting with a few kit cockpits (and resin ones) to see how they compared, using the transfers in some cases. The academy ones settled very well, but the GWH ones just didn't fare so well. Even with Daco strong. The Quinta studios offering was good timing for this build, so I went that way. The other transfers are there but I'm unlikely to use them (early VF1) and my plan is to use the Hasegawa Atlantic sqns set for this vf-31 bird. 

Colour wise, the hasegawa ones look good and I was a little suspicious about the colouring of the GWH ones... and may not even use the insignias... but I'll get to that.

The hasegawa ones look a little thick, but I've read of no concerns being raised when used... and the fin on the GWH is quite close to the broad shape of the hasegawa so only a little trimming is needed.

But yes, we'll see.

Fingers crossed... as always

Cheers

Jonathan

[jacques caroff]

Outstanding.

Bravo Mister Jonathan.

[Parabat]

Thos is excellently done, great work on what seems a challenging kit. One thing that sticks out a bit to me, is you removed the ALR-45 fairings on the glove vane/intake intersection, but retained the ALQ-126 fairings on the underside of the glove vane. I always thought that they were an 'all or nothing' on the later A models?

[Jon020]

1 hour ago, Parabat said:

Thos is excellently done, great work on what seems a challenging kit. One thing that sticks out a bit to me, is you removed the ALR-45 fairings on the glove vane/intake intersection, but retained the ALQ-126 fairings on the underside of the glove vane. I always thought that they were an 'all or nothing' on the later A models?

Hi. Thanks for the comment.... I always work on the basis of observation... and careful observation at that. The Daco book is quite good showing these in close up, and noting the absence of the leading edge fairing of the AN/ALR-45 on "early" A models, although it doesn't explain what it means by "early"... so I resort to photos of the actual aircraft I'm modelling. There are photos of bandwagon 202 (in the right period) in a number of publications including the detail and scale colour and markings series... along with other squadron aircraft in this period; these all show the two underside fairings, but not the leading edge one. In fact, this is my third A model that I've build in this configuration... again, carefully checked in each case...Miss Molly of VF111, and Wichita 103 at the time of its kill claim during the gulf conflict. 

Again... there are plenty of photos if these two too.

So.... I have seen photos of all three fairings per side, and of course none ... And a check of the right fairing on the beaver tail is needed coincidentally with this too 

EDIT: Actually, I've just browsed Tomcat Alley, and the only photos I could see in there with three fairings on each side were B models. So maybe that's the distinction... A models got them when upgraded to A+ (or B). 

Good....I've learnt something new too. Great!

Hope that helps... and I hope the evidence I've pointed out helps clarify this.

Cheers for the comment

Jonathan

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by Jon020
Tomcat Alley results

[Parabat]

24 minutes ago, Jon020 said:

Hi. Thanks for the comment.... I always work on the basis of observation... and careful observation at that. The Daco book is quite good showing these in close up, and noting the absence of the leading edge fairing of the AN/ALR-45 on "early" A models, although it doesn't explain what it means by "early"... so I resort to photos of the actual aircraft I'm modelling. There are photos of bandwagon 202 (in the right period) in a number of publications including the detail and scale colour and markings series... along with other squadron aircraft in this period; these all show the two underside fairings, but not the leading edge one. In fact, this is my third A model that I've build in this configuration... again, carefully checked in each case...Miss Molly of VF111, and Wichita 103 at the time of its kill claim during the gulf conflict. 

Again... there are plenty of photos if these two too.

So.... I have seen photos of all three fairings per side, and of course none ... And a check of the right fairing on the beaver tail is needed coincidentally with this too 

EDIT: Actually, I've just browsed Tomcat Alley, and the only photos I could see in there with three fairings on each side were B models. So maybe that's the distinction... A models got them when upgraded to A+ (or B). 

Good....I've learnt something new too. Great!

Hope that helps... and I hope the evidence I've pointed out helps clarify this.

Cheers for the comment

Jonathan

 

Always good to learn something new anout this, quite right as you say to refer to pics of the craft. I've kind of focused on B and D Tomcats, which either have all three (B) or (D) just the ALR-45 on the intersection. 

I look forward to seeing this build continue, excellent work and finish.

[npirnia]

1 hour ago, Parabat said:

Thos is excellently done, great work on what seems a challenging kit. One thing that sticks out a bit to me, is you removed the ALR-45 fairings on the glove vane/intake intersection, but retained the ALQ-126 fairings on the underside of the glove vane. I always thought that they were an 'all or nothing' on the later A models?

Hello,  

 

The fairings that Jon removed were for the ALQ-126 upgraded ECM that was first fitted to manufactured Tomcats around 1981 (~Block 120 or 125) and later airframes. In the 90s, most remaining F-14As received these as well by 1995 and all F-14Bs were built with them.

 

The fairing at the joint of the glove vane is for the ALR-67 and not the ALR-45. The ALR-67 was a new RWR first fitted to the F-14B (initially designated the F-14A+) and then retrofitted to some F-14As in the late 90s that were expected to serve into the early 2000s (mostly aircraft from VF-154 and VF-211).

 

The ALR-45 was the original RWR fitted to the F-14A (a few really early blocks had the similar ALR-25) and it was only upgraded for a small number of the total F-14As produced.

 

The “lumps and bumps” on F-14s can be pretty confusing since the F-14 was very heterogeneous during its service life and the fleet was upgraded inconsistently.

 

Best,

 

Nick

[Parabat]

7 minutes ago, npirnia said:

Hello,  

 

The fairings that Jon removed were for the ALQ-126 upgraded ECM that was first fitted to manufactured Tomcats around 1981 (~Block 120 or 125) and later airframes. In the 90s, most remaining F-14As received these as well by 1995 and all F-14Bs were built with them.

 

The fairing at the joint of the glove vane is for the ALR-67 and not the ALR-45. The ALR-67 was a new RWR first fitted to the F-14B (initially designated the F-14A+) and then retrofitted to some F-14As in the late 90s that were expected to serve into the early 2000s (mostly aircraft from VF-154 and VF-211).

 

The ALR-45 was the original RWR fitted to the F-14A (a few really early blocks had the similar ALR-25) and it was only upgraded for a small number of the total F-14As produced.

 

The “lumps and bumps” on F-14s can be pretty confusing since the F-14 was very heterogeneous during its service life and the fleet was upgraded inconsistently.

 

Best,

 

Nick

Cool, I was going with the naming of the ECM provided by the MATS site, with its ECM walkaround identifier page here - http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-detail-ecmfairings.htm

[Jon020]

25 minutes ago, npirnia said:

Hello,  

 

The fairings that Jon removed were for the ALQ-126 upgraded ECM that was first fitted to manufactured Tomcats around 1981 (~Block 120 or 125) and later airframes. In the 90s, most remaining F-14As received these as well by 1995 and all F-14Bs were built with them.

 

The fairing at the joint of the glove vane is for the ALR-67 and not the ALR-45. The ALR-67 was a new RWR first fitted to the F-14B (initially designated the F-14A+) and then retrofitted to some F-14As in the late 90s that were expected to serve into the early 2000s (mostly aircraft from VF-154 and VF-211).

 

The ALR-45 was the original RWR fitted to the F-14A (a few really early blocks had the similar ALR-25) and it was only upgraded for a small number of the total F-14As produced.

 

The “lumps and bumps” on F-14s can be pretty confusing since the F-14 was very heterogeneous during its service life and the fleet was upgraded inconsistently.

 

Best,

 

Nick

Excellent.... thanks Nick. Every day is a school day 👍🏼

[Jon020]

Good evening all.... is it really a month since my last post? I'll need to do a full write up sometime later this week. 

Spare time has been somewhat scarce so I've kept away from the laptop and writing up progress and a little time on sorting some of the markings, using a mix of the kit transfers, some from a furball stencils set and, if absolutely necessary some from the hasegawa Atlantic sqns set which take a bit of setting but are needed for this subject.

So... just a pair of photos. One to illustrate the variations of light gull grey achieved nob my first three Tomcats ... which I'm quite pleased with.

 

Another shows the first selection of transfers on the fuselage... still a work in progress.

A full update will follow...  promise.

Jonathan

Edited March 6, 2022 by Jon020
Photo fix

[David H]

Okie Nance would love it (pilot, BANDWAGON 202).

 

-d-

[Jon020]

39 minutes ago, David H said:

Okie Nance would love it (pilot, BANDWAGON 202).

 

-d-

I've just added his name to the canopy rail... Once it's all done some proper photos will be sorted 👍🏼

[Jon020]

Good eventing. I thought it was time that I posted a bit of a catch-up update after my brief post last week.

So, where to start. Work has been quite busy, we had some time away with friends (which was nice) and I seem to have damaged my knee (which is a bit aggravating) … and I have managed a bit of work on BW-202… focusing my spare-distraction time on that instead of writing updates; sometimes it’s good to get away from the computer. So, after Christmas, I spent some time browsing the Reedoak website as I fancied some more figures to go with the models… I think there should always be more figures than aircraft… and I’m working on it. I ordered a fair selection of items and selected these two to clean up first, to accompany this model once finished… along with the figure sat in the read cockpit previously cleaned up; I might clean up a standing pilot figure.. but I haven’t yet. Anyway… these are lovely; painting them will be fun (!)

New figures from Reedoak by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The other non-aircraft item is the stores. As previously mentioned (I think) I’m not looking for a ship-based load-out, but a NAS Fallon set-up. Hence the dummy Sidewinder and ADMI pod. The Sidewinder is from the GWH kit, or maybe from a spare kit as I think I used all of the ones from this kit on my Academy F-14 build. I could have left the fins off, as sometimes the dummy units do not have them, but the photos I worked from did. This was primed and then the main body (except the nose) sprayed white ( as a base) and then I masked the end off and coated that with a mix of Alclad Stainless Steel and Jet exhaust. Once dry, I masked the metal areas and applied a mix of Mission Models MMP-122 Bright Blue (Mecha) and white … and then shaded a darker mix (with a drop of black) around the raised edges, followed by a slightly lighter mix (again) on the main flat and raised edges… all with the airbrush on a low pressure. I then noticed that the fins should have been white (!) so… after leaving it a few days, I masked the body leaving just the fins and sprayed those white. A little clean up afterwards was all that was necessary.

The ACMI pod, or AN/APX-95 TACTS pod, is from the Hasegawa Aircraft Weapons set:V (US Missiles ad Launcher set)… these can be picked up at a reasonable cost every now and again … worth watching out on a certain bidding site. The decals wouldn’t suit the particular configuration I had in mind… but I found a solution in the end. For this, I mixed a suitable orange using Mission models MMP-101 Insignia red and MMP-007 Yellow which I applied over a suitable coat of primer. Some highlights were applied, but they’re more subtle. Once dry, I masked the end and applied the black MMP-047, and then when this was dry, I brush painted some Alclad Stainless Steel to the rear part of the air data probe nozzle, finishing the front section of this off with a Molotov pen once all was dry.

Stores. AIM-9L dummy and ACMI pod by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I’d got to the stage where I could unmask the bays previously covered up on the fuselage (not the cockpit – not yet!) so the masking for the gear bays, refuelling probe bay, cockpit crew access ladder bay and airbrake bays, could all be removed, carefully, and put away for the next one.

I then decided to try a test fit of the undercarriage, on the basis that it was last test fitted before any paint was applied. The nose gear was first, and went in with a bit of a wiggle. The retraction strut is missing here, and that will go in once the leg is fully installed. A test fit showed that it would be fine, just a bit tight.

Nose gear test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The main gear also went in ok – port side shown here. Note the wire for holding it while it’s painted. Looked ok – but gear legs and main gear bays were pre-paint detailing at this stage.

Main gear test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I also did a test fit of the doors… they wouldn’t stay in place on their own (without glue) but at least they would fit ok afterwards. I recall that I had issues with this on my first two F-14s; this once seemed a bit more refined.

Gear test fit and all the doors by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

A test fit of the airbrakes was also conducted… looking very red at this stage as they’ve not been detail-painted yet, but the test fit showed they’d sit quite nicely, fully open.

Airbrake test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Back to the main gear again … and a wash (or two) and a little detail painting and they look a little better. For the wash, I used Mig PLW deep grey panel line wash.

Main gear bay- washed by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

A quick photo whilst I popped the wings and checked for a harmony between the shading on the fuselage and wings… seems ok. At this stage, I’d added a little aqua gloss to the fuselage and then added some panel lining. For the undersides, where grime accumulates, I used the Mig PLW deep grey panel line wash, as it’s a nice dirty colour. In other areas, I used the medium, and on the upper surfaces I used the light grey (except around the spine removal panels, where the dark grey was called upon again)

Underside check for harmony by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

A couple fo photos of the engine/exhaust combo. This is the Aires exhaust nozzle for the Hasegawa kit (they don’t do one for the GWH, but the size of this one is good). I tried the others I had in stock – Hobby boss and Academy, but they’re not the right size (they’re all different, but all still smaller than the nozzle for the Fujimi kit)

First photo is an overall exterior image; the second is looking down the pipe, where the Eduard PE is seen sat atop the rear fan spinner. The insides were painted with a mixture of warmer Alcalds – pale burnt metal giving the warm glow colour with some stainless steel and jet exhaust mixed in around the fan blades and in the tube to give a nit more depth. Having modelled this one with both nozzles in the open position, I wanted these to look reasonable as they’d be easier to see than if the nozzles were closed. Anyway, I think they’re good enough

Engine detail 1 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Engine detail 2 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

A few other details that were worked up to this point included the wheels and arrester hook. The main wheels are Armoury wheels (I like these for mid-life wheel depictions), the nose wheels are True Details (from a F-14D set) as I think these are the nicest resin nose wheels about. They were primed then painted white (MMP-001) then sealed with some aqua gloss and the hubs then masked. I sprayed the tyres using a slightly warm black mix using enamels (so I can clean them us slowly if here's overspray); is used humbrol enamels, using dark earth and black. Once sprayed and unmasked, the rims could be tidied with a cocktail stick softened in white spirit (a day or two after the pain had dried) and then any more black can be added with a thin mix, with a fine brush around the rim. Once dried for several days, I remasked the entire sides leaving just the tread faces and sprayed a thin mix of tyre back MMP-040, darkened with a little black MMP-047 to soften the running faces. It didn’t give the contrast I expected, but it’s there. I might lighten the areas between the treads with some powders later.

The Arrester hook was the kit part although I did detail this just a little by refining the hook attachment point, reprofiling it away from the body to make it separate. This might show up better in a later photo.

Bits that dangle by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

That was that…apart from a few tidy up items, all items were now ready for decals/transfers (call them what you will)… so a good couple of coats of Aqua Gloss went on all bits… some seen here in one of the two in-use drying/storing boxes for this model.

Ready for aqua gloss by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Decals

 I’d been pondering about how to approach the tail markings for a while. I was using the decals from the Hasegawa (Atlantic Squadrons) kit… and a good friend who previously spent a lot of time on here contributing a huge amount of guidance and knowledge to anyone detailing their 1/72 F-14s, that had inspired me at the time, and who has recently been on TV in a programme about his day-job, warned me that they were a little thick (for armour plating). I would be using a large one for the fins… or I could paint the insignia red and then use the separate Felix/bomb, Modex and USS Forrestal decals. I think, had I not yet fitted the fins, that I would have painted them. Having fitted them, the thought of getting the red slab and stripes masked and airbrushed without issue, especially on the insides, left me to wonder if the decals could indeed be worked. I had two sets of the decals (two atlantic sqn F-14 kits) so I took a spare fin out of the kit box and tried to apply a spare decal to it. Whilst I did damage it a bit, I found that by trimming the decal tight to the colouring and then by giving it a few coats of Daco Strong, and then leaving it a lone for at least a day, it would settle.. and where it didn’t (around the reinforcing strake), a slice with a shape blade and another application of Daco, did the trick... well, good enough for me. The photo shows a cruel close up prior to final tidying and settling.

Settling those thick decals by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I spent about a week working these on... one at a time and not rushing it. Some tidying up with some paint along the trailing edge was needed, but given that the Hasegawa kit has broad fins, these were a good fit and needed only about 0.5mm taking off at the upper end of the trailing edge.

Fins... done by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Once these were settled, aqau glossed, cleaned up and left alone for a bit, it was time to move along with the other decals. I start off with the big ones so that I can work the smaller ones in and around them to suit. I started with another trick one, the port side nose national insignia. I was intending to use a mix of the Hasegawa kit (thick) decals (only when needed), the GWH kit decals (when needed) and a Furball Stencil set (as these are really nice). The GWH kit has a star/bar national insignia cut away to sit over the crew access ladder bay, but the blue used is quite pale. I did try this, but I found that by lining the cut out with the hole, it left the star sitting too low for BW202; so I took it off an put it back on the backing paper to dry off. I then took one of the furball national insignia and added this… they’re quite thin and very crisp; it settled well with some Daco strong (and patience) and once it was dry, I sliced the opening with a sharp blade and removed the piece over the hole. I did not dispose of that, but I re-moistened it and added it to the back of the door behind the ladder. The bit I’d cut away was slightly smaller than the opening, but once on the door, hardly any edge was noticeable; it’ll be mostly hidden anyway. Good stuff that Daco strong! The only other item to address was cutting away part of the bar as it sat over the rear side probe plate (the other AOA probe).. but I’d not attempted that at the time of the photo.

Further decals were then added, the furball ones being used where suitable as they’re font was much, much crisper than any of the others I had to hand.

Nose, port side. Getting there by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

On the nose, the most prominent decals are the Modex numbers. For this, I was using the Hasegawa decals and again the challenge of thick decals presented itself. I started off by slicing around the decal as close to the printed bits as possible, to remove excess of the thick carrier film. For the port side, the additional complication is the position of the sharp pointy angle of attack probe. I took my photocopy of the decal sheet and cut out the modex number (the right one as they are handed) and aligned this with the location on the nose and worked out where the probe would be (checking against photos) and elected to separate the rear “2” of the decal and cut away just a little into its leading edge to accommodate the probe. I soaked the decal in warm water (recommended for the Hasegawa decals) and carefully positioned the two sperate decals around the probe, taking care to check alignment. Once in place with excess water removed, and given a bit of a press with a paper towel, I applied a good coat of daco strong, and walked away with my fingers crossed. Ok, so a second coat was required, but yes it did settle into the fine surface detail. So that’s good. The other side was slightly simpler as the Modex number went on as a single piece; the majority of the rest of the decals are added at this stage.

Nose decals mostly done by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Isn’t it always the case that you can suddenly notice a detail that had escaped your attention… especially when the instructions don’t highlight it? In this case, it was noticing that for a number of years, including the period my model was to represent, the VF-31 aircraft had red wheel hubs. I duly masked the wheel faces (I used an old circle template to cut out a 2mm dia circle from some Tamiya tape – I really ought to get a proper circle mask cutter) and with some additional bits, masked the faces.

Addressing the bit I didn't notice by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I applied a few light coats of MMP-003 red – a richer, deeper red than Insignia red, purely on the basis that in the photos it didn’t look like insignia red, then waited a little and unmasked.

Unmasked by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

These did need a little cleaning up, but using a lightly water-soaked small brush this was easily dealt with… and touched in with a fine brush and some paint too.

Cue cruel close up… awaiting a bit more of a wash:

Wheels by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

It was then time to get to work on the rest of the little decals, lifting/jacking points, tie down points, no steps, etc., working the undersides, upper surfaces, wings, doors and horiz stabs… a mix of decla sheets to support the work, but mostly from the Furball set.

Stencils.... lots. by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The stores didn’t escape this either. The acmi pod and Sidewinder had a few small white rectangles to depict, and these I cut from some spare white markings that were in the spares box; I think they were the serials from my old airfix phantom kit… but that didn’t matter. Being small and a bit thick, some settling with Daco Strong was called for. The ACMI pods are numbered, but the kit decals were white and “SN303” whereas the markings on the aircraft shown at Fallon were black and “626”, thus something closer to the latter was called for. With a stroke of luck I realised that my mate Brian, who had printed me some  decals for my Academy kit (which I did as Wichita 103) had provided me with plenty of spares, including the BuNo serial. That aircraft is 162603. That’s handy! Ok, these were perhaps just a little large, but close enough and whilst I lost a few in the process, I was able to slice away at 8 that did work and settle to conform nicely to the probe. Note here the paint detailing on both where some lighter metal bands have been applied, the roller flying control surfaces to the sidewinder fin tips and the seeker head.

Dummy sidewinder and ACMI pod decalled by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Wings and surfaces now shown all decaled-up… with a coat of aqua gloss to seal it all in place. I often have an issue at this stage as the varnish shows up any decal “glue” residue that wasn’t visible before. I tend to lightly sand this after the varnish has dried (with a 1500 or 2500 grade sanding sponge) and re-coat, which sorts it in most cases… some Tamiya polishing compound can work too, but take care not to get any residue in the panel lines as it’ll show up as it dries.

Big sticky out bits . Decalled by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

I then added the dirty wings and took a couple of pre-weathering photos

Dirty wings test fit, prior to weathering 1 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Dirty wings test fit, prior to weathering 2 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Here’s some of the other bits waiting some assembly later on. Evident is that the gear legs have had details picked out in colour and received a suitable wash. Although a little crude, aluminium self-adhesive tape has been used for the oleos and some straps. Note that the arrester hook has had the stripes decal added… cut into three sections to allow it to sit either side of the assembly struts… and subject to persuasion with some Daco strong… again – Cue more cruel close ups

Doors etc by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Nose leg by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Main gear legs by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Arrester hook by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Weathering

Well, this has started… and continues. My method of choice for this is to use small drops of oilbrusher (white, black, starship filth) or daler rowney Georgian oil (Burnt Umber in this case)… adding a few drops and allowing to dry off a little and then blend in with a brush (or three) using a mix of dragging and stippling action. In all cases with weathering, less is more. It’s easy to remove by blending out further with a brush, wiping away with a cotton bud, or wiping off with a little white spirit (once dry) and easy to add to if more is needed by repeating the actions or changing the colour. The wing root bags are a good place to start and these received a few placed dots of oil brusher colours that were then blended

Oil brusher weathering commences by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Work carried on focusing primarily on the anti slip panels on top of the intakes, the main upper deck areas where footfall would have left some scuffing and dirtying (but not much)… just enough to dirty the grey tones a bit, and the wings, where streaking from the hydraulics is always evident across the flaps and within the exposed bays that needed toning back with some filth… again, but not too much.

Walkways, weathered by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Wing glove and central area weathered by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Stbd wing and spoiler bay weathered by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Weathered overview.... not yet finished by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

The underside was also treated to some streaking, but not too much as these aircraft seem to be kept well and not allowed to get filthy like some of the other squadrons or periods of operational usage... but some leaking should still be evident, so has been captured.

Underside again by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

Finally… no it’s not a biplane, but it has two wing sets, so both sets were tacked to look “similar”.

Clean and dirty wings, weathered by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr

There’s still more to do. I need to tone down the nav lights and then seal the wings a bit before adding the wing root dirty areas (sweep areas) on both sets. The exhaust will be given a matt coat to tone them down, and the overall body a satin coat as befits the period.

I might have a go at fading the fin markings (red does fade doesn’t it) with some white oil brusher, but I’ll have a practice first.

That’s almost all for now… but as last BW202 is getting closer to the end. It’s taken a while. However, at this stage of the build, I think I’ve decided that the kit is worthwhile. Yes it has its challenges and errors and it takes a lot more building than other’s I’ve put together (the Academy is still the best there (so far)) but this one presents a lovely product at the end. I’ve made mistakes (all part of the learning process), but hopefully I’ve learnt enough to do better on the next one.

Fingers crossed eh!

Thanks for reading.

Jonathan

[billn53]

That's some amazing work!

[David H]

Looks very very nice, Jon. The one photo i looked at when i did my "Bandwagon" was taken when the plane was on display at Offutt. It was so clean you could have eaten off it.

 

-d-

[keefr22]

That's a tremendous update Jon, some more excellent work and the jet is looking stunning!

 

Those Reedoak figures are excellent and I've been meaning to get some for quite a while - must get around to it! One thing, and this is purely out of interest as I have no idea of the answer - if the jet is shown as being ashore at Fallon, would the guys as shown in the picture be wearing flight deck gear? Apologies if they're actually meant to go alongside a different model. 

 

Keith

[Jon020]

21 hours ago, keefr22 said:

That's a tremendous update Jon, some more excellent work and the jet is looking stunning!

 

Those Reedoak figures are excellent and I've been meaning to get some for quite a while - must get around to it! One thing, and this is purely out of interest as I have no idea of the answer - if the jet is shown as being ashore at Fallon, would the guys as shown in the picture be wearing flight deck gear? Apologies if they're actually meant to go alongside a different model. 

 

Keith

Hi Keith. Thanks for the kind comments and for noticing one aspect that is worthy of further explanation. I guess, I was suggesting that the aircraft was ashore at Fallon with this load-out... and I'd spent some time looking at photos and trying to convince myself that the Reedoak figures would be ok for this, that I would find photos of ground crew in full "at sea" gear, but alas... not really. I alternatively sought through the figure sets to see if any were offered in the less-dressed against the elements look, but I didn't find any - but I was only looking at US Modern figures now that I think about it 🧐 so further searching may be worthwhile. 

Again... I did find a photo of a VF31 aircraft on the deck of the Forrestal with a dummy Sidewinder fitted (that's all) ... so would it be likely that one may have a TACTS pod too.... possibly not that likely, but some artistic license may come into play... maybe it was a cold day at Fallon 😆 ... but yes you're right; it's not ideal. The figures are for all my tomcats though... I've painted up 6 before to go around my Hobbyboss and Academy builds, interchangeably so yes, flexibility will be applied.

But... good catch 😉 But I'll not let on further if you don't 🤫

Cheers 

Jonathan

[keefr22]

2 hours ago, Jon020 said:

But I'll not let on further if you don't 

 

OK your secret's safe with me Jon....  

 

Thanks for the reply, I was actually hoping you might have found pics of some guys dressed like that ashore - I like to put my models on bases and really fancy getting some of those Reedoak figures, but am not too fond of trying to create realistic carrier deck sections - concrete is much easier! 

 

ATB

 

Keith

 

 

[Jon020]

9 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

OK your secret's safe with me Jon....  

 

Thanks for the reply, I was actually hoping you might have found pics of some guys dressed like that ashore - I like to put my models on bases and really fancy getting some of those Reedoak figures, but am not too fond of trying to create realistic carrier deck sections - concrete is much easier! 

 

ATB

 

Keith

 

 

Keith.... I do keep looking; you never know 😉

As for bases, yes I know what you mean. I bought an italeri carrier deck section... it's the cat section so of limited use for a parked aircraft, but I was interested in how it depicted the surface. All those tie downs will need work, but I do have some etch parts for those somewhere