Jabba Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I am a bit late enterng this GB so probably will not finish before the deadline, but will continue to show the build if this happens. I will be using the GWH kit to make an aircraft from a Sqn that only used the Tomcat for a couple of years before be de-commissioned and that is VF-194. I have got the Wolfpak Decal sheet for an aircraft that was painted (I think) in a one off scheme of which there are very few pictures of, but I did find one today when I goggled this particular aircraft. I will not be putting any weapons on the model as most of the photos that I have found of this Sqn does not show their aircraft with many weapon loads. For those of you who know me and my passion for Gulf War stuff, do not worry as I do have another of this model in the stash to use as intended. The Kit Kit instructions. Ki decals. Wolfpak decals and instructions. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 Nice choice of subject Jabba and what a great kit to go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ale85 Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 Nice choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 Thank you both. Whilst painting the cockpit area I have built up the back end of the fuselage. It all appears to fit well if a little over engineered. I have also started to make the wings with flaps and slats up so that the wings are folded. As well as the cockpit, I will make a start on painting the intakes so that they can be fitted soon. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 I wonder how this kit compares to the 1/72 Academy..? Nice progress and looking quite involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceAddict Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 For a moment I got all excited to see a Tomcat with nose art... then I saw the price of the kit. 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 17 hours ago, RaceAddict said: For a moment I got all excited to see a Tomcat with nose art... then I saw the price of the kit. 😬 Yes it is expensive, but I managed to get my 2 on the cheap (when compared to RRP), one from China and the other from here in the UK. Some more sub assemblies built up. A lot more of the rear part built up and filled. The cockpit area has been done, with me using the decals for the CB panels that at the rear of the RIOs area. These were much better than me trying to paint them. I have left the front instrument panel off at the moment as strangely it did not have a psitive location, unlike the rest of the area. I will glue it to its shroud and then fit to the fuselage. Also built up and filled are the wings. It was a tad annoying getting the slats to fit as they are meant to be spread. Hopefully tonight I will get the two halves together, which have looked very good with the trials that I have done. Also still got the bladder things and some parts that fit above them on the rear of the aft fuselage to fit. Intake are up after that. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 More progress with the joining of the fwd and rear fuselage halves. I must admit that this has been one of the best joins of this area after building many a Tomcat kit of different manufacturers. I have added the upper and lower fins, plus I have built up the intakes so that they are ready to fit. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Taking shape nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted November 7, 2021 Share Posted November 7, 2021 Nice progress 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted November 9, 2021 Author Share Posted November 9, 2021 Thanks for your comments, I think that the progress has been quick due to the fit of the parts, only needing some filler in tha smallish gaps rather than ny meaningful sanding down. Saying that after fitting the air intakes that back end of these has been the worst joint of the kit so far. This maybe due to my hamfistedness, but these did need sanding down which I have done. I also sanded down the radome to fwd fuselage joint as the radome is also meant to be fitted in the open position, it did not qite fit right. I have started to paint the instrument coamings before I fit the Fwd windscreen so that I can start painting. One thing that I forgot to do before gluing the rear fuselage parts together was to drill the holes for the Phoenix pallets (not following instructions closely), which actually was good in a way as I am now not going to fit them as I cannot find any pictures of this Sqns aircraft with them on. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted November 17, 2021 Author Share Posted November 17, 2021 A few more parts added so that painting will be along soon. There is a panel in the middle photo which contained an aerial that I had not seen before, only to find it on a Hasegawa kit too. The under nose sensor came from a Hasegawa F-14D kit as it will not need it. This kit only provides the TCS and ALQ100, where as the photo that I have in the markings that I am doing only has the ALQ100. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 Model now painted Light Gull Grey all over. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helios16v Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 That's the fun bit w/ USN aircraft (though I suspect it holds true for most)...depending where in it's life any given airframe could have had a wide assortment of antenna & receiver blisters depending on which update the airframe had gone through. I know in only my 5 years w/ a Prowler squadron our aircraft when through 3 different avionic upgrade packages (and associated antenna). Admittedly the Prowler community was probably more on the extreme end of things due to a) it's unique EW mission role and b) limited airframes available to the fleet meant that aircraft were rotated through the deploying squadrons at a high rate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted December 5, 2021 Author Share Posted December 5, 2021 After spending many a dayapplying stencils to a JASDF Phantom, I have started decalling this model. I have applied all the major ones and have started on the stencils. Unfortunately I feel that the red on the nose number and tail markins is a tad on the bright side, not quite dark enough. I have chosen to use the kit stencils due to this colour difference between the aftermarket and kit markings. I would rather have these as one standard. I have also been painting the rather over engineered main U/C so that I can also get these built. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted December 8, 2021 Author Share Posted December 8, 2021 I have applied the kit stencils taking a bit of poetic licence with these as I do not know the correct style of the time. I have also applied a satin varnish, the decals call for it to be matt and I know that it is normally gloss whcih I think will be too shiny. One thing that I have just noticed is that I have forgotten the engine warning strip on the upper fuselage, it is where it is meant to be elsewhere though. Will apply soon. I am also working on the ejection seats and weapon pylons. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Looks to be coming together nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted December 14, 2021 Author Share Posted December 14, 2021 The U/C parts and wing glove pylons have now been fitted. One of the main U/C locking parts had disappeared, so I fitted a small piece of plasti card as a substitute, as seen in the last photo. I am slowly working on the ejection seats and will hopefully be fitting the U/C doors soon. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 (edited) Looking great Jabba! Edited December 15, 2021 by Wings unlevel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Coming together nicely fella. Even if some parts have tried to escape Good save there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share Posted December 18, 2021 Thnak you. The part did not actually go missing, it was part of the Main U/C that somehow got broken. But I do not know when or how. A small update in that I have fitted the U/C doors and the fuel tank pylons. I will not be fitting the tanks, just thought that the pylons would break up the outline a little. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted December 23, 2021 Author Share Posted December 23, 2021 A few more parts added. I have also built up and painted the ejection seats, sorry no pictures. A slight disappointment when trying to remove the ladder from the sprues, in that due to the rather large gates (especially on a small delicate part) the left hand side broke into a few parts but luckily held together. I then managed to glue these back together with super glue. Another slight issue is that I cannot find one of the pitot probes from the Fwd Fuselage. I will have a look in the stash of Tomcats to see what I have. The oversized gates. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted December 25, 2021 Share Posted December 25, 2021 Looking really good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 Getting there! Looking the goods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Now calling this one finished. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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