Scalemates F-14 Tomcat Group build 2020

Greg Baker
So my first entry into the Tomcat Group build 2020 is officially underway...

Greg Baker
As I was sanding the seam behind the wing I was thinking to myself... why am I bothering, since I'm going to have to blow it up later?😉

Roland, do I need to rename or somehow attach this album to the overall group build?

Treehugger
It seems you also have to click a button in the group build thread to be listed.

Treehugger
There is definitely a button there, but maybe some of it works automatically, it didn't seem to do that for me, and afaik my name wasn't listed as an exhibitor/contestant. Weird. I didn't do any renaming per se, I just created an album with the group build name from the start.

Daniel
In! Don't wanna miss the blowing up part 😄

Greg Baker
I renamed the album (temporarily for the duration of the GB) and it seems to have done the trick. My album was displayed alongside all those of my esteemed colleagues... which maybe me a bit shy.😉

Don't worry, Daniel, I'll make sure you hear the Boom! 😄

Lode Schildermans
One of my favorite jet fighters. I'm curious what you'll make of this one, Greg

Sergej I
*pulls a chair...

Greg Baker
Well, I'm going to blow it up, Lode. 🙂

Donald Dickson II
And in here too! 🙂

Nils Steyaert
looks promising, cant wait to see more 🙂

Thomas Bischoff
I join the show!

Palo M
So tiny. Watching.

Greg Baker
Eagle eyes... and ham fists. 🙂

Lode Schildermans
It is even more impressive with ham fists 😉

Matthew A
It's really 1:72 he has giant paint pots and tools

Spanjaard
that is a big model Greg 🙂

Greg Baker
Hah! Thanks guys. I had a bit of trouble with the masking, so this will require another coat of grey. I'm debating if I should blow it up before or after I apply decals... hmmm....

Nils Steyaert
i like what i am seeing so far 🙂

Erik De Smet
No lights in this one ? I am disappointed🙁

Greg Baker
Oh.... just wait... I did say I was going to blow it up...😉

Greg Baker
Urm... the panel lines are a bit deeper than I thought...

Slavo Hazucha
Agree with Roland - easing the contrast with well-thined color is the way to go!

Lode Schildermans
Greg, Flory models has washes which are very good to use as panel liner. Water based and very easy to remove excess and kep the panel lines nicely filled

Daniel
hmm, while the black Panel lines do not look realistic, it somehow perfectly fits the Comic style imo 🙂

Spanjaard
Lode is totally right, and they are easy to clean and do again if you do not like. with just water

Greg Baker
Thanks guys. After reviewing the input from this distinguished panel of panel line experts... I decided to just try and clean out the wash a bit more and go with that. There's a couple of reasons for his. First, I'm lazy. Second... I'm about to take a saw to this airframe... doesn't seem right to quibble about the details... and finally, I agree with Daniel - it adds to the comic style.

Anyway, take a moment to smell the roses... and the more sensitive among you may want to avert your eyes for what comes next. 😄

Alex K
What comes next is what everyone was expecting for, me thinks...

Matthew A
See I told you he used oversized tools to make it look like his models are mini. The LEDs in photo 10 are the ones he uses for 1:48 kits to make us think they are only 1:144.

Gareth Burge
Loving the idea of the "comic" bases...inspired!

Slavo Hazucha
The base tells a dire foreboding for the poor Cat, as do the big led's in the front... 😮 But I'm looking forward to it, the F-111 turned rather nice last time "this" happened 🙂

Chaz Gordon
Greg, not to mention, the darkest lines are right where you're about to "Hulk Smash" the model.

Greg Baker
Hah, Alex... you know me too well! LOL Matthew, I knew those 1L tubs of Tamiya paint were going to come in handy some day...

@Gareth - thanks. They really tie the overall project together, and they look great on the shelf, if I do say so myself.

@Slavo - I'm hoping to take the F-111 theme and do it one better this time. We'll see if it works. I had a thought about trying to replicate the engine being exposed during the explosion, but I'm still working out how best to do that.

@Chaz - actually, that should have been listed as reason number one. Most of the offending lines will be covered up in an explosion of cotton.

Nils Steyaert
one of your best works, great result 👍

Greg Baker
Thanks Nils... and we ain't done yet! I sawed it in half, and then added some internal support to hold a bit of wire to re-attach the pieces... we're fully committed now!

Sergej I
Nice split!!! Looks very natural.

Greg Baker
But... look at all the pretty pretty lights!

Spanjaard
WOW this is madness... but i love it!

Erik De Smet
Yes LIGHTS ! Poor Cat ...

Greg Baker
My modelling area smells like cheap hairspray... but we've now got painted cotton explosions... I just couldn't disappoint Erik. I had thought to include three... but it's getting a bit crowded. I'll decide after the main explosion is in place.

Greg Baker
Not sure it's exactly how I wanted it to look... but I think it's how IT wanted to look... 😉

Jos Jansen
Awesome...!

Gareth Burge
Poor cat! But you've certainly captured the kinetic energy of the explosion, well done!

Daniel
Direct hit! Looking great!👍

Matthew A
BANG!?!

Chaz Gordon
another outstanding result.

Guy Rump
Great result (the build I mean!)

Gary Kitchen
Very cool.

Lode Schildermans
Awesome effects, Greg. This is not very good as usual, this goes beyond

bughunter
Wow! Great effect 👍

Donald Dickson II
I hope Goose makes it when they eject.😉

Freaking awesome dude.

Tom ...
Man that's bad ass! Nice one Greg!

Jay Dubya
As always Greg, you've captured the precise moment ... leaving it to the imagination if the next frame is the canopy being jettisoned ... will they make it ?!!?
I really should take a look at the manga to find out

Lochsa River
that's what i like about Scalemates....

...everyone is so normal here...

...like Greg Baker, who makes little models blowing up in a complete make believe world...

Greg Baker
Normal? Never heard of it... 😉

Thanks for all the kinds words gentlemen. Once the F-14 Groupbuild is finished, I will return this album to the original project name "Friendly Fire". I've updated my blog - strobez.ca/wp/index...iendly-fire-area-88/ - so feel free to check it out if you want to read the manga pages for the scene upon which this project is based. It's a flashback scene from Mickey's days as a pilot during the Vietnam War. This plane isn't actually his, it's being flown by his Commander. In the manga it takes "friendly fire" from an A-1 Skyraider. I'd be interested to know if anyone knows if Vietnam-era Skyraiders were ever armed with missiles. Just idle curiosity really... as Lochsa said... it's a complete make believe world... so ANYTHING is possible. 🙂

Oh, and just because the photos never quite do it justice - here's the video of the explosion all lit up.

Youtube Video

Erik De Smet
Not disappointed at all, Greg. Great idea and excellent execution.

Greg Baker
Well, that answers THAT question! Thanks Matthew!

Łukasz Gliński
Very cool. I used to think those explosion-builds are extremely tricky and then it turns out to be a bit of cotton, hairspray and the light bulb 😄

Slavo Hazucha
A Cat playing with a furball - what´s not to like...😉 & I definitely started to like the panel lines on the finished piece... I really like the development towards the more juicy action-packed scenarios in your builds! 👍

Alec K
Sorry for missing this one! Very well done 👍

Greg Baker
Łukasz... wait till the hairspray sodden cotton gets stuck to both your tweezers and the light bulb.😉 When that happens, I just call it "adding extra volume" to the explosion.😉

Thanks Slavo. I was thinking about trying something like this for the F-111, but chickened out. I'm glad I saw it through this time. Thanks also to Frank for his understated comments. 😄. And no worries Alec. This one sort of just rolled down hill. I did just start a kind of Area 88 WHIf project... so stay tuned to this channel.😉

Juergen Klinglhuber
another great built! congrats

Martin Oostrom
Imagination can be a real joy. Perhaps you can talk Lode into modifying his Hood into an explosion as well?

Spanjaard
Amazing result Greg, crazy idea,but executed to perfection. Not many would have dared to en try, and even less would have pass it with such flying colours 🙂

Greg Baker
I think Lode's ships could do with a few more explosions... y'know... just to add character. I'll suggest it to him.😉

Also, Spanjaard, I've said it before, but I enjoy the mental gymnastics involved with modelling destruction. In real life, it's much easier to destroy something than create it (which small-minded people prove to me time and time again). But in modelling, you have to create the creation, AND the destruction - wether that means blowing up a Tomcat, or rusting out an El Camino. That always fascinated me.

Spanjaard
it shows 🙂

Lode Schildermans
Not interested after all that precise work, chaps