Scalemates F-14 Tomcat Group build 2020

Daniel
In! love the look! is that a ferry pod on the pic? Never seen that on a cat

Sergej I
Welcome Roland, April issue PE parts from Eduard were ordered yesterday, might be a week or two by the time I start building it 🙂

Pierre
Isn't that an intruder drop tank?

Daniel
we need an expert^^ but I find it hard to believe that the tomcat actually has fuel lines through the phoenix rails...

Sergej I
Roland is right, the 267gal (or 222gal as I also found) fuel tanks are much tighter fit with the palette and can not be carried on Phoenix spots...
Intruder's tanks are bigger, 300gal and can carry 5

Sergej I
Anyone know if TARPS pod is part of any aftermarket set produced individually?
I read the Dogs were more famous for TARPS than CAP...

Daniel
@Roland: You were exactly the one I was asking for😉 👍

Pierre
Hmm, after some googling the specs are the same as the Aero 1D 300 gallons drop tanks. [img1] vs [img2]

The CNU-188 specs given on MATS are actually the same as the so-called Aero 1E 400 gallons tank (31" diameter).

Edit: Ok maybe these numbers are all wrong, I'm now lost on the internet reading about obscure 70s US drop tank specs.

Jos Jansen
I am in Sergej...👍!

Sergej I
Interesting! Thanks for this, Pierre. Actually I should have some Intruder tanks left in the "spares" box

Pierre
books.google.fr/book..-PA21&dq=CNU-188 This looks like a pretty convincing source that says they're modified 300 gallons tanks 🙂

Patrick Hagelstein
In the Verlinden F-14 book, there are pictures of an F-14B visiting Belgium toting a flame painted bagage pod on the aft Phoenix pallets.

Pierre
You're welcome Sergej, this search lead to good sources! tapatalk.com/groups/..3029-t47356-s20.html also has tons of pics and infos about those tanks. Still unsure about the tail on the CNU-188.

Sergej I
Thanks Pierre, the link above is an excellent explanation into US drop tanks. And now I understand why the Airfix A-4B Charlie tanks looked completely different 🙂

Andy Ball
Hey there!, I missed this one...so will pass the eyeballs over it!

Martin von Schreckenstein
Yessss. planning this scheme too. count me in

Dave Flitton
Watching!!!

Łukasz Gliński
Don't want to seem politically unaware, but is there a Tomcat groupbuild going on?😉

Jos Jansen
Yes Łukasz...Scalemates F-14 Tomcat Group build 2020 (1. Май До 31. Декември, US)

Sergej I
Welcome everyone, bunch in, front row is still empty... 😄
add-ons were shipped today, should be here in a week or so...

Patrick Hagelstein
Come on, join in Łukasz! The more, the merrier! 👍

Łukasz Gliński
You can consider yourselves very convincing 😉 I added a project for my oooold Tomcat kit, hopefully the groupbuild is not time-limited 😄
Scalemates F-14 Tomcat Group build 2020 - ZOT! | Project by Woody (1:72)

Sergej I
Post arrived today 😄 Stash ready. Somehow messed up the wheels, I guess I'll use stock, they are well detailed and ready weighted.

Maciej Bellos
Oh, joining late...

Sergej I
No drama Maciej, still some room left by the fire exit 😄

Sergej I
Cockpit started. RIP my eyes this weekend...

Carlos Martin
Following

Sergej I
So after a therapeutic F-8E Crusader quickbuild, the Tomcat continues...
Double seater means double the PE play... the seats came out pretty decent tho. Should start putting the body together this weekend...

Daniel
great Detail 👍 esp. the bang seats are awesome!

Sergej I
Thanks Daniel, looking forward to close the lid and start painting 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looking good Sergej.

Slavo Hazucha
Very nice pit & HUD- light in this strange scale!😉

Jos Jansen
Very nice progress Sergej I...great HUD!

Sergej I
Thank you all,
actually the HUD is really easy, a blob of gloss white MrColor, left a day, then Tamiya transparent green blob over.
Will not comment the scale since Greg might be reading and I'd make a fool of myself... 🙂

Andy Ball
Top tip, there Sergej!! I guess the Academy is good in Braille scale?...

Sergej I
Andy, this is a 2019 Korean tool. Parts are exact, sharp, no burr, nice surfaces, top details! At the half price of GWH, I would buy again.
I am assembling another Tomcat from Hasegawa 1977 tool. Should really not compare, but Hasegawa will be landing gear in in flight mode, will not bother at all...

Andy Ball
I built Hasegawa many years ago....circa 2000...seem to remember good kit- but if you dat Academy better then I'll go with that!

Sergej I
It's lightyears, Andy... actually 43 years 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looking very nice Sergej.

Patrick Hagelstein
Andy, I have to totally agree with Sergej that this Academy kit is awesome! Very well detailed, but yet very cleverly engineered to basically fall together with no hassle whatsoever.

Slavo Hazucha
Nice work on the intakes and a very cool spoon too! 👍😉 Should get really interesting put all together!

Sergej I
Thanks Slavo, I will fit the spoon instead of one Phoenix 😄
Too bad they are cancelling these nice plastic spoons, I used more paint on them than on models 😄 But turtles will be happy I guess, so I will adapt 👍

Sergej I
I said I'd JUST paint a light coat of metal tonight... should have gone to bed early! Bad mojo.
So I managed not only to push a finger on a fresh metal paint, I also taped it fresh, which is a conscious act of stupidity 😠
Now pity the fool while he cries himself to sleep, for tomorrow he will sand instead of add a second and third layer of metals 😄

Clifford Keesler
Beautiful metal work.

Sergej I
Thanks for the pity Clifford 😄 the turbines are getting some water-wash on them today, while the exhaust parts need to wait for sanding, still not comfortable dry... but at least I will close up the intakes and start working the body together... 🙂

Jos Jansen
Very nice...!

Sergej I
Exhausts corrected. Fingerprints and pulled-off paint sanded with the 2500 grit, now new paint drying.
Also some dryfitting going on 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looking most excellent. I wish their 1/48 kit was as nice as this one appears to be. I do not usually build 1/72, but looks like I may have to give this one a try.

Sergej I
Sunday ending. It's been pretty productive. but seriously, the amounts of white and gray paint I laid down on this model today... It shows I haven't built a Tomcat or a Phantom in decades haha.

Clifford Keesler
I know what you mean. LOL. Mine has eaten 1 1/3 bottles of Tamiya white.

Slavo Hazucha
For vast amounts of color spent, the surface details are still pretty present😉 Looking all good, I like the exhausts with the very gentle tonal differences 👍

Sergej I
Thanks Slavo, I do thin my paint at least 70:30 in favor of thinner, to keep paint amount at bare minimum and details as vivid as possible. Also the new Academy tool has some of most remarkable details I've seen on a 72nd.
Actually I've spent two cups of Iwata on primer and then one cup of white and one of gray. Thinned at above ratio.
Thanks for the exhaust comment, I too like to think less is more, but then again, should not be too less 😄

Clifford Keesler
Looking excellent, like the exhaust also.

Sergej I
Question for experts... Instructions on my bird show only port intake to be painted with non-slip walking surface. Starboard is empty and I have aswel found some photos of such case.
upload.wikimedia.org..F-14A_VF-1_Pair.JPEG
Academy however have supplied a pair of decals 🙂
Q: Was a single non-slip a Block topic or was it free-for-all?

Sergej I
Thanks, Roland! This just made my job 50% easier 😄

Sergej I
Day of painting details finished.
Tomorrow taking a weekend off at the Adriatic, to get some sun tan, so I don't have to airbrush it on.

Clifford Keesler
That sure looks very nice Sergej.

Sergej I
Thanks, Clifford! Appreciated.

Treehugger
Re. photo 71, you could try gently sand the color (before adding gloss coat later which covers the dry sanding look). You only want to sand the nipples, and avoid ANY hard edges and raised detailing, as edges tend to get down to the plastic by just looking at it. ALSO, remember, if you do this, to REMOVE the dust from the panel lines before adding a gloss coat.

An obvious issue with all of this, is that, IF your primer layer (or any other layer with a different color) is also rough, you can expect the primer color to shine though when removing the rough part of the upper layer of paint. Ideally, your underlying paint layers ought to be smooth, otherwise you risk having to re-paint the upper layer again after sanding.

Treehugger
Re. photo 71, in my experience if you have a really rough surface, a little gloss coat layer won't help much and you risk pooling the stuff if you add too much. I've also seen cracking when adding too many acrylic gloss coat layers, without proper drying time or possibly caused by not allowing the primer layer to dry for long enough before adding lots of gloss coat layers. I like to try keep all the layers smooth, that way one doesn't need lots of gloss coating.

Iirc, adding a satin or matte varnish over the gloss coat, imo tend to make the rough surfaces look a lot less obivous.

Treehugger
The steel edge on the intake looks great! 🙂 Very nice.

Patrick Hagelstein
You are really going to town with this one! Beautiful clean build! 👍

Patrick Hagelstein
One thing I noticed in picture 61 compared to the actual jet's picture though, is the bulged antenna near the intakes. This was a feature which was introduced on the F-14B and later retrofitted to the remaining F-14A fleet and isn't present on an early F-14A like yours. Can you still manage to remove that bump without damaging the paint job?.....

Patrick Hagelstein
Sorry! Didn't want to be THAT guy..... The one that points to something on a(n almost) finished model..... 🙁

Slavo Hazucha
That's a worry about building a Tomcat... Too many people know too much... 😄

Patrick Hagelstein
😄 Tricky subjects indeed Slavo! 😉

Sergej I
Patrick, thanks for your comment and explanation. I did notice the antenna but trusted the plastic instead of checking. There is no varnish on the plane yet so it should be possible to cut sand and paint it... this one needs to be right 🙂
Also re vertical stabilizers, I will gently sand them. I sanded the primer with tamiya foam 3000 and will do the same here. A nice coat of MLT should also help.

Pero Susinger
Very nice! I like the steel edge on the intake, too.

Patrick Hagelstein
You're welcome! 👍 🙂

Sergej I
Thinking about the panel liner... the original photo doesnt show much panel divide lines... do I not do, or do them slight tone darker than paint, or uniform black?

Treehugger
I think black panel lines looks bad. Not only would it be, presumably too dark, and cartoony imo, but also I suspect pure black isn't a "natural color", so maybe dark brown would be more interesting, or some darker gray. Having said that I am ofc no expert on weathering and panel lines. 🙂 I know you can mix the panel line colors, if you have a particular brand with various panel line coloring shades.

Slavo Hazucha
IMO plain black lines - while screaming "detail!" in your face do not look that great & not at all accurate in relation to real aircraft... I also do not think there is a "one way solves it all" approach - it depends on what line (simple panel line vs flap/slat/aileron...) and its properties on the model. Is the line deep & wide to create a bit of it's own shadow or just a shallow one, Do you have visible pre-shading Around the lines or not, etc...

For deep details, I'd not go full black but recommend a dark grey base + a bit of the camo color or brown if you want to go more Soviet with a oily/grimy/dirty line... Darker shades of camo color = IMO questionable - i.e dark blue lines on blue camo would look strange...

On shallow & thin I actually use black, however not a panel liner, but -surprise- Oil based solution which I can fully control and remove, leaving +/- the degree of tone & artificial shadow I want...

Sergej I
Thanks for your inputs, Treehugger and Slavo. I will play with gray paneliners first, then some shaders which can be removed by water and finally after decaling tamiya makeup kits... This is going to be fun...

Slavo Hazucha
I personally love this part of the build - it´s the final moment when "a toy becomes an earnest miniature original..." 😄

Thing I really find great on oils here is the (otherwise often tiresome) very long drying time - I put them on, remove some, then it´s usually evening & darker, in the morning I look again & remove some more of the -still not 100% dry- oil layer...

Enjoy, sounds like some serious fun coming up 👍

Patrick Hagelstein
On grey planes I like to experiment with grey(ish) washes to put some attention to panel lines and details, but not to overwhelm things. Giving a hint of surface detail will put the model in perspective as a scaled down version of a real size object rather than a toy with only the same shapes. On different colored planes, things can get a bit harder to look realistic. I haven't found a way to highlight panel lines on orange, yellow or red aircraft yet.

Daniel
Very nice progress 👍 I really like this classic pukin dogs livery!

My 2c on panel lines: Like slavo I trust my own oil mixes. I use for uniform black for panel lines but I thin it to suit my needs. I use some no name oils but it has the same nice brownish hue as the Umton or W&N when thinned. I dont use other colors as I only want to put some shading over the original Color to recreate shadows mainly. So I think it works on all colors lighter than black, just depends on the thinning ratio. On white eg. I thin very heavily and end up with a light grey in the lines. If its too prominent I simply brush it out of the recesses with a stiff brush - also works the next day as slavo said.

Clifford Keesler
Weathering is one skill I haven't quite mastered. LOL. I will try and go with a gray, a bit darker than my camo color. The white belly is going to be fun, maybe a light gray?

Sergej I
Thanks for all the inputs, mates! I will go with Mig set of three gray panel liners. They are enamel, but very very thinned.
I will try applying over unvarnished paint, which has somewhat satin/glossy finish. Will play with areas under Phoenix palettes first.
I am not much of an oils guy, tried it, too messy and too slow for my patience 🙁 ... maybe some day, maybe on 1/48th...

Sergej I
Roland, I was just contemplating this option!!! The plane in '76 was fresh painted CAG plane, on the pic one can't see any panel lines. And in the kit the lines are really nicely deep, so they create nice shadows in white or gray... Lemme throw on gloss and decals and then review again 👍

Daniel
I would still use some wash for deep recesses as rudders, flaps, etc. to fight the "toy-look" but this could work...Still heresy.😉

Sergej I
Thanks for your opinion Daniel, of course I will panel it, my problem is more, not less 😄
But first, glaze protection.

Uploaded some more daylight photos to show my dilemma with panel liners.
Update on model:
- Blue verticals sanded with Tamiya 3000 sponge, had to re-paint the silver leading edges afterwards, but looks decent now.
- RW antennas by the intakes cut, sanded and painted. Visible consequences, will improve in my next model
- First gloss over. Used all my RC gloss, now working on Hataka Orange Gloss. Medium is Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retard 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looking good sir.

Sergej I
Finally some modeling time. Decals under way. I must say, not just the tool, also decals seem to have improved significantly. Sharp, dense colours, very little film around the print. No need to go aftermarket, these dont have any Set, just Sol.

Slavo Hazucha
Decalwork looks pretty solid indeed, should be quite a show when finished 👍 I'd also side the opinion that some help with artificial shadow is probably advisable, but you can't expect anything else from me😉 If you give a pass on streaks, leaks and salt-crust, it will look spot on as fresh from the paint shop.

Sergej I
Thank you Slavo, of course there will be shading 🙂 The photo from 1976 is pretty fresh paintjob, but it has shades which I will try to recreate. But with gray-over-white Navy jets I am more a postshader than preshader, love me or hate me 😄

Patrick Hagelstein
We love you regardless, Sergej! 😄 But you're right, it's very easy to overdo weathering on those 70's Tomcats as all pictures show them shining like a showroom sports car. Academy has been using Cartograf decals for a while and those are a dream to work with. I used them on the cockpit panels and when lined up correctly, they blow brush painting the dials and knobs straight out of the water.

Clifford Keesler
It's looking fantastic Sergej. I did not do a lot of weathering on mine either. Most of the pictures I could find also showed clean aircraft during the early Tomcat days. It seems it was only after they went to the all gray scheme that they really started to get really weathered and dirty.

Jos Jansen
You're doing a very well job Sergej I...everything is looking so very crispy especially the tail vins 👍. Iam totally agree with Clifford, the early Tomcats were very clean, only those who were flying missions above Nam. The Cats in the low visibility schemes were really weathered and affected by the sea air.

Andy Ball
It's outstanding Sergej, for my taste subtle weathering is far better on the eye- it doesn't detract from the model. Can't wait to see the finishing line!

Sergej I
Thank you everyone! Keep it coming, need that uplift for 1/72 stencils mojo, haha 😄

Patrick Hagelstein
😄 Good thing even those stencils are Cartograf: insanely small, but wafer thin and in excellent register! 👍

Carlos Martin
It's looking amazing! All the best with the stencils.

Sergej I
Thanks Carlos! Still looking for that mojo, last seen somewhere in June 🙂

Thomas Kolb
Absolutely lovely work! I really like those gaudy, pre-80's US Navy high vis schemas! Every time I see something like this, I feel the need... to build one myself.

Sergej I
Thanks, Thomas! I do feel like drawing a cartoon on these gray-on-white models.

Clifford Keesler
It looks great, coming along nicely.

Sergej I
Not proud how slow this progresses, but eventually I will retire... and then!!.... you shall see 😄 😄 😄

Clifford Keesler
It looks just awesome Sergej.

Slavo Hazucha
Thats a really lovely clean-detailed and panel-lined belly! Taking the light grey was totally the right choice 👍

Thomas Kolb
I agree with Slavo, it looks incredibly clean and pretty.

Sergej I
Thanks mates, coming from such masters it means a lot to me 😄
Seems that top will wait until the end of the week, just life... :/

Sergej I
Top wash done with Deep Gray... now it does seem a bit too dark, but... this model has just so beautifully thin and exact panel lines for a 72nd scale that I just had to make all those details visible. Honest thoughts?

Thomas Kolb
I like it! I am not sure how you managed to get such an even wash coverage in the panel lines, I always end up more messy than this.

Sergej I
Thomas the panel lines in the new Academy tools are amazing. Deep and have a sharp edge.
Before washing I coated with two thin layers of Intermediate Gauzy.
Left the PLW on for 30min, then wiped off with clean, cut paper towels. Almost no pressure, just brushing.
In the edges I cleaned with cotton buds.
No odorless turp was used, Ammo PLW is very gentle.

If I had more shallow or rounded panel lines, I'd probably opt for Tamiya panel liner and white spirit...

Clifford Keesler
Looks great.

Łukasz Gliński
No worries - the wash on top is top class.👍

Thomas Kolb
Sergei, thank you for the clear explanation! 🙂 I really like the clean looks of the Tomcat and you definitely do it justice!

Sergej I
Thanks mates. Today is satan lacquer on top 🙂, then a week or two of slow shading...

Sergej I
There, now I've done it! 🙁 🙁 pic#93
Spilt matt lacquer with a big portion of leveling thinner on top of right intake... from the open cup of the H&S. Now I know why I prefer Iwata. But in the end, stupid is who stupid does.
And yes, I did wipe it to f... it further, but was afraid it'd leak deeper in wash channels.

Question to community, how would you correct it? I'm thinking light airbrush layers of gray, but with that I'll also cover wash and variation in colour..
Maybe after that I can shade with Tamiya makeup kit... ideas pls...

Slavo Hazucha
I would mask-off and completely restore the upper intake from top to the 3rd panel line (1st with rivets behind). Even sand a bit before, to ascertain even surface, Airbrush, pinwash for lines & ev some light full-cover wash... if there is a slight color difference, it will be less apparent along the line with rivets and still look plausible since it's the whole panel...

Thomas Kolb
Ouch... I feel you pain. 🙁 But I second Slavo's suggestion.

Sergej I
Now that you described it so well Slavo, it will be much easier to start repairs. Thank you! 👍

Clifford Keesler
Sounds like a plan, I'm sure you will work it out.

Sergej I
Been shading a bit. Opinions? I guess I could go a bit more gentle... but I guess when the last flat coat comes on, it might look a bit more unified...

Spanjaard
pinwash look simply fantastic.....
Slavo gave a good answer. good luck!

Clifford Keesler
I think it looks fantastic.

Patrick Hagelstein
Man Sergej....... Hate to read this story.... While looking through the build to see what paints you used, I noticed in picture 54 that you mentioned that the damaged portion should be painted white anyway. Isn't that a way to mask off that section and restore the damage in white? Just thinking out loud...

Sergej I
Hi Patrick, is your native name Eagle Eye? 😄
Actually, after I researched other early-era cats, I noticed that it was JUST the border area that was white. Not the top panel as initially masked in pic 54.
So, it was an interim mistake, I am sure every modeler has had those.

But to update the community, the plane is painted and weathered ready, standing on her own legs.
Coming still the PE'd canopy, that's a project on its own.
And of course the teeth of the Tomcat, damn that's a lot of rockets haha...

Stay tuned for pics tomorrow, finally the long awaited lockdown, so I'll spend more time at home haha.

Sergej I
Patrick, found the reference...
[img1]

How shiny and polished they were... not like Slavo's planes 😄

Sergej I
Also note that the red line was painted on the wing-baloons aswel, but that rubbed off rubber pretty fast.

Clifford Keesler
Looking forward to seeing more.

Sergej I
That's it, new photos up, time to work on canopy and missiles... why do I always save the worst for last ughh... 🙂

Daniel
Thats a little beauty, neat job sergej! wing sweep stains done with oils?

Thomas Kolb
This is getting more and more pretty every time I look at the photos.

Germen V
looking great

Patrick Hagelstein
Nice! There's nothing to be seen from that damage. Well done! 👍

And yes, in a previous life I was a buzzard. I did something bad before reincarnating, because now I'm a human dude with glasses..... 😄

Sergej I
Thank you Daniel, Thomas, Germen and Patrick, this is the mojo to start that canopy! 👍
@Daniel, the wing sweep stains were done with a dark gray AK Weathering pencil. Smudged some on a matt wet surface, then dragged with moistened brush. Easy and fast.
@Patrick, at least you get to build models 👍 😄

Clifford Keesler
Simply Stunning Sergej.

Sergej I
Thanks to Jos, I had to stop procrastinating and cleaned the desk for next project 👍 😄

Donald Dickson II
Weapons are always last. LOL

Germen V
super nice

Jos Jansen
....sorry 😉

Clifford Keesler
Very nice weapons.

Slavo Hazucha
OMG - readable ordnance stencils in 72-scale...😉

Very nice work on those missiles, especially like the flawless clean metallic stripes on the Phoenixes! 👍

Thomas Kolb
The missiles are impressing... are these the kit's own decals, even the metal stripes?

Sergej I
Thank you Donald, Germen, Clifford, Slavo and Thomas.
Jos, 👍
Thomas, the decals are stock Academy. Metal stripe is Gunze yellow tape and Alclad Stainless Steel.

Spent the evening in Lightroom polishing Samsung camera faults, creating album of finished model😎

Sergej I
Finished album here:
Scalemates F-14 Tomcat Group build 2020 | Album by Vargbrujo (1:72)

Thomas Kolb
Congratulations, this is an absolute gem. Super clean, super neat - simply lovely! It's been great fun following the adventure!

Clifford Keesler
Most excellent Sergej.

Daniel Klink
Yap, totally agree with Clifford and only add a 👍

Andy Ball
Love it!!

Maciej Bellos
Smashing!

Spanjaard
Amazing job

Neuling
Super clean work and good presentation! 👍

Slavo Hazucha
Pic 111 - Stolen Tomcat!!! 😮 - oh, it just moved over to the silver stage in a finished-build Album... 😄

Tim Heimer
Nicely done! Beautiful!

Andy Ball
Fabulous- the "pretty Tomcat's phase" classically interpreted and beautifully executed!

Sergej I
Thank you everyone, for your positive feedback! 👍