Nimitz Cat 9 VF-84
This is the Academy nose half paired with the opposite side from a newer tool Hasegawa in purple. It's obvious straight away that the issue is on the lower side.
Poor photo but from above the width looks OK. The joint line between cockpit and actual radome is a bit further back on Academy.
Fujimi nose
New tool Hasegawa
I left the sprue nubs as a guide for the right depth
1.5 mm doesn't look much on the rule but makes a lot of difference in the model
Old tool Hasegawa
This is even more pronounced. However I think that this is slightly too big.
The problem is not just the depth of the lower area but also the radome shape is far too pointed and conical.
So the radome was cut off and sanded back to the join line. The lower ends of the fuselage were gently heated and stretched (using my fingers) in front of the nose wheel well "out and down ". Plastic sheet strips were used to fill the gap now existing in front of the nose gear well. A spare radome from a new tool Hasegawa F-14D was used with a lot of sanding to shape. Both to match it to the academy nose and also to remove the "bulbous " nature of it.
Not sure if I was entirely successful though. The Hasegawa new tool kit comes with 2 radomes. I would have preferred A spare Fujimi one though, it looked a closer match but I didn't have any spare.
It's a strange set of decals.
It's another aircraft that seems to have avoided ever being photographed.... F-14A VF-84 AJ-200 160382 in this overall gull grey scheme with all black markings. I think it must have been a one-off and short lived. It says it was 1983 but again I can't find a photo of it. Anyone ever seen one?
It's another aircraft that seems to have avoided ever being photographed.... F-14A VF-84 AJ-200 160382 in this overall gull grey scheme with all black markings. I think it must have been a one-off and short lived. It says it was 1983 but again I can't find a photo of it. Anyone ever seen one?
Still some touch ups and final varnish to do
The gap in the arrows in the vagabond stripe looks as though it was meant for the star'n'bar. Like the original high visibility paint scheme. But both Superscale and Afterburner instructions show the national insignia behind and below the stripe. So that's what I did.
I should have filled the gaps at the bottom of the fins but I was past caring at this point.
I did cut off the fictional tab hinge at the rear of the canopy and filled the matching slot in the upper fuselage .
Other than the nose job and decals the rest of the kit was built as per Academy instructions.
Finished
Join between cockpit section and main body isn't great. My filling wasn't either...
The nose job surgery wasn't my finest work either but is still a dramatic improvement on the way the kit is as supplied.
Cockpit close up
All kit original parts
Would I build this kit again? Only if I got one very cheap and had spare nose radomes (which I do...) the old tool Hasegawa has raised lines and nowhere near as good a cockpit, and a slightly flat look to the canopy; but has decent fit and is an easier build. If I was really stuck for money I'd probably go and rescribe an old tool Hasegawa or even an Italeri before doing this again.
With the VX-4 finished at the same time
Thanks all!
Commenti
8 15 January, 21:03
Roy McKayThis is the old tool Academy kit with some plastic surgery for rhinoplasty. The kit is reasonably OK but the nose radome is way too pointed and throws off the whole look of the model. As part of my Nimitz collection this kit was chosen for the (in my opinion) most boring scheme VF-84 wore. I've used Superscale decals but the instructions are useless and I've yet to see an actual photo of any VF-84 Tomcats painted in this scheme. Superscale also give a Bu. No for a plane that didn't exist when these decals were printed and definitely not an F-14A. I've used the instructions for a 1/48 sheet that includes 160382 as a guide and reckon this is what Superscale were intending.
15 January, 21:51
Album info
Old tool Academy kit , Superscale decals.
