1/72 F-14D Grim Reapers

[Thom216]

Okay, so I fell out of the Hellcat GB. Started have some health issues and I just lost the mojo. But! Feeling better now and though it pains me to do it, I'll be packing the Hellcat up for while and jumping into this one!

 

For that purpose, I drove a three hour round trip to my 'local' hobby shop and picked up Revell's 1/72 F-14D, Grim Reapers. bought the Academy 1/72 F-14 from Amazone. I'll be using the Revel decals though as it will still be done as a Grim Reaper.

 

I'm fighting off the urge to do it as a Jolly Rogers, mainly because there are so many of those. But the kit scheme does have the nice black tails and a deathly visage, so good there! I'm also liking the three tone scheme on this bird.

 

Won't be starting immediately. I want to see if there are any aftermarket goodies I can toss at it, esp wheels and cockpit PE. But there we go. Hopefully it won't be too long before I starts snipping parts off the sprues!

 

Thom

 

 

 

https://imgur.com/a/EPA6tVh

Edited October 15, 2021 by Thom216

[Col.]

Soory to hear you've had some health issues Thom but good to know you're coming through and welcome to the GB. Don't push that Hellcat too far back on the Shame Shelf though

Understand how it is to have a 'local' shop so far away that mail order can come quicker  As for the marking options; VF-84 may be getting plenty attention in this GB already but how much representation is it getting in your display cabinet? Remember you'll still see that model long after our GB is finished so go with what satisfies you.

[Thom216]

Well you know it's never part of the plan to let the Shame Shelf get so populated.😅 And I'll get some skulls-n-bones on the shelf, I think for the FA-18 GB.

 

Thom

Edited September 23, 2021 by Thom216

[Thom216]

Okay, paint has finally been thrown - as well as some glue too... Just some cockpit work and a little gray.

 

 

Get that momentum goin!

 

Thom

[Col.]

Plenty nice detail across those parts

[daryl_five_zero]

Yeah, the revell kit had never really been on my radar - mainly being down to the wrong scale for me - but well if they haven't done their homework on that pit. Looks like a really good rendition... Should have a lot of fun picking out the detail in that! 

[Thom216]

1 hour ago, daryl_five_zero said:

Yeah, the revell kit had never really been on my radar - mainly being down to the wrong scale for me - but well if they haven't done their homework on that pit. Looks like a really good rendition... Should have a lot of fun picking out the detail in that! 

Woops! There was a model-switch-aroo that was done! 😅 I started looking at the Revell kit (after the trip and buying it...) and looking at some other builds, and I decided to just pop for the Academy kit instead. The details on the Academy are far sharper and more filled out, plus the canopy on the Revell kit is doo-doo. It was too thick and too distorted, esp as I am doing it canopy down. I tried to find a vaform to replace it but had no luck so I popped for a whole new kit.

[daryl_five_zero]

1 hour ago, Thom216 said:

Woops! There was a model-switch-aroo that was done! 😅 I started looking at the Revell kit (after the trip and buying it...) and looking at some other builds, and I decided to just pop for the Academy kit instead.

Ahhh that figures! I've heard nothing but good things about the Academy kit, so it should definitely serve you well for this GB. 

 

Looking forward to seeing this build progress! 

[Thom216]

Okay, since I'm doing the D variant then I figure the decals on the sheet with not fit with the correct instrument panels for the SuperT. So I'm going to start 'carefully' painting those, starting with a base coat of light gray and then silver for the screens. Then some smoke for the pilot's screens and clear green for the RIO's.

 

 

Then I'll (re)paint the surrounds and try to be neat about the rest. I will see if some of the decal panels can be fudged onto there. If the RIO's screen are too bright for a shut down machine I'll dip some Tamiya smoke into there.

 

And the tub before decals added on the panels.

 

Painting the seats and coaming. Just a first shot of black before tan for the coaming, green for the seats and then weathering for the black areas to come. For the belts, I'll be cutting some 'thin' strips of tamiya tape.

 

And engine faces and exhausts, hit first with nato black and then dusted with AK Aluminum.

 

The fan blades will be hit with panel line black for the spaces between the blades and then rubbed with a lead pencil on the high edges. The cone will be painted white. The exhausts will get a light hit of burnt iron and then also the same panel line black treatment for the recesseses. And while I'm at it, I should get the ejector release marks on the insides of the trunking...

 

Model on!

Thom

Edited October 9, 2021 by Thom216

[Thom216]

Okay, considering the fan blades and exhaust all done.

 

And moving onto the trunking, I started to fill and sand the sink marks on the inner surfaces.

 

Model on!

 

Thom

[Col.]

Tidy progress Thom

[Dermo245]

Enjoying this Thom. 

[Thom216]

Thank you much, @Col. and @Dermo245! Steady though slow!

 

I finished getting the trunking, or at least as far as the pin parks. The ones in the inlet I simply sanded smooth.

 

Some work ahead will deal with the lack of detail in the gear bays, esp for the nose. The sides are completely flat and will benefit from some wire and bits of plastic. Keeping mind clearances for the nose gear!

 

And a little more work done on the cockpits. Academy has made a nice looking kit, and that extends to their decals. The ones for the consoles and IPs settled down like dreams with a little bit of MicroSol. They just hug the details!

 

And as said before, I had to piece together the ones for the IPs as these are not the A variants that the decals are made for. But I think they turned out alright.

JUST DON'T CLICK FOR A BIGGER PICTURE. (Some things are best seen as they would in real life...)

 

Modeling on!

 

Thom

 

 

 

[Thom216]

The 'pit is just about done. A little weathering, some belts made from thin-cut tape and it should be ready to go. I did run out of my Tamiya flat clear, so I'll need to make a stop for that.

 

And one of the seats, now just missing some belts... 

 

...and the black hash-marks for the pull handles. I'm thinking some real thin and short black decal strips. I tried painting them, even using a pen, and they looked rubbish.

 

And I can't stop from saying how good those decals are! Damn fine!

 

Model on!

 

Thom

Edited October 15, 2021 by Thom216

[Thom216]

And now I'm wondering, do I have the correct seats for a D-version SuperTom?

[Roberto]

Very good progress, I like it.

[Thom216]

Thank you @Roberto!

 

Since I will soon have to mount the cockpit tub onto the wheel well I set about 'fixing' that. As is from the kit and the part is pretty bare, with detail only on the roof of the well and nothing for the sides. So I took an hour or two and drilled and fitted some wire and spare pieces of plastic to liven it up.

Looking toward the rear.

...toward the front...

...and straight 'up.'

 

Not exact certainly but better than what came before. The thick white piping is the cord from an old set of ear buds. I removed the electrical wire from inside and replaced it with some metal wire so it could be bent to shape. In fact that same braided copper wire from it was used on the side for more cabling. The little tank, made from thin evergreen rod is just sitting on it's shelf until after painting.

 

Now to paint it.

 

Model on!

 

Thom

 

[Thom216]

Some more paint has flown today, that being Tamiya white. I hit the nose gear well and once dry I'll do some detail painting and weathering in there.

 

Then it was onto the intakes. The upper surface with the 'splitters?' was done with Tamiya rattle can white. The little pistons in there were painted silver.

 

And then the trunking. There's a diagonal demarcation between the inner white and the outer color that I'll need to mask and replicate.

 

And the tunnel sjust before the fan blades. This will need to be dirtied up as they are none too clean in real life. In that way I won't worry about the ejector marks that I filled being slightly visible from straight on. A dirty wash will nicely conceal them when looking down into there. I had bought the resin seamless tunnels available from Quickboost but those can go to the next Tomcat build. The less sanding I have to do the next time the better! You can see by the thinned walls where I was just sanding and sanding and sanding...

 

And then the exhaust was painted too. Pics show a white interior with concentric circles of 'weathering' and I think I can replicate that with some q-tips and dark powders.

 

And that is all for the nonce! Model on!

 

Thom

Edited October 20, 2021 by Thom216

[daryl_five_zero]

On 10/15/2021 at 4:05 PM, Thom216 said:

And now I'm wondering, do I have the correct seats for a D-version SuperTom?

I've just caught up with your thread so sorry it's a little late, but those seats are only good for a the - A/B variants. You'll need the NACES seats for a - D variant. 

[Thom216]

37 minutes ago, daryl_five_zero said:

I've just caught up with your thread so sorry it's a little late, but those seats are only good for a the - A/B variants. You'll need the NACES seats for a - D variant. 

 

Great, thanks for the heads up. Looks like I'll be buying some resin seats too...😄

 

And after looking at the inlet tunnels, I've decided I will be using the Quickboost resin replacements instead. They're just too rough looking and sanded too much. So I'll be waiting for those anyway.

 

Still, progress made. The nose gear well is done and finally mated to the cockpit tub.

 

 

The nose pieces are glued together now and are drying.

 

 

Time to let that dry! Model on!

 

Thom

[Roberto]

Good progress!

[Thom216]

Thanks!  And now I've joined the F-4 GB.... Seeing as that ends a month before this one, progress will slow a bit here, but not by too much! I fear if I stop, I'll stop!🤪 Still awaiting parts in the Post anyway.

 

Model on!

 

Thom

[FortyEighter]

Loving the work so far Thom, those cockpit decals look really good.

 

Mike 

[Thom216]

Happily, the Quickboost intakes arrived! They are nice looking little things.

I'll cut them off their blocks and paint them up tonight.

 

And then just to do something, I jumped ahead and put the beaver tail onto the upper half of the fuselage. An odd thing about that was that it is only a butt-join. So I put a scrap of plastic in there to give it some more support.

 

I'm going to leave the sides along the nacelles unglued until after the upper and lower halves are glued together, just to make sure the parts can be matched up easily.

 

Model on!

 

Thom

[Thom216]

An odd occurrence. For most of the white, such as the wheel bay, intakes and exhaust trunking, there's been no problem. Except for the intake trunking at the very front.

 

The white on the 'floor' of those parts actually crazed. Cracked as it dried, but did not do so on any other part and it was all with the same paint. I had sprayed it with a flat coat, but it was the same brand as the paint - unless I sprayed it before it was fully dry..?

Anyway, sanded and will repaint with some 'other' brand.