Well, here again is my Revell 1/32 F-14A Tomcat in progress with 50% done. I managed to get most of it assembled without to many problems. The forward fusalage/cockpit section was the only problem. I was not able to make it fit flush without huge gaps and overlapping seam lines which I had to fill in with scrap plastic, superglue and a lot of putty. I used vinyl white plastic from a window blind to fill in the gaps and the overlap in the seams then sanded it all flush. Not as hard as I thought it would be and I really like the way it turned out. The vinyl plastic is very flexable, easy to work with and can be cut and sanded to any shape.
I elected to glue the horizontal stabs in place as this kit gives you the option of having them be movable but this is not what I wanted and I was not in any mood to try sanding the seam line under them. Wings went on very nicely and without any of the problems the 1/48 Revell F-14 has. This is my first 1/32 scale model in 20 years and I think it’s going to be another Air Master-piece.
Now for your viewing pleasure and something for you progress hounds… pictures.
Rand. I remember building that about a zillion years ago. no filler , just tube glue. It did turn out to be a decent build though… Yours looks like it be a real winner!!!
Thank you for the kind words Gents! I would really like to dress her up as VF-41 Black Aces Fast Eagle 107 from the first Gulf of Sidra incident but, finding decals has been impossible. No one makes the decals for that particular Tomcat anymore. I am definatly going with VF-41 but I may use a different VF-41 decal sheet and not the one I want. Anyway either way she will still be a beauty when finished.
RJ, Berny, and Yard, thank you for your compliments!
YES! This model is HUGE and takes up over half of my work space. I had built this kit before way back in the early 90’s so I knew what to expect from it. This kit does have its issues and its nothing that cant be solved with some hard work and patience. I am really enjoying this build.
I have to agree with the others, the model’s looking real good. I’ve got one of these myself, started on it, and put it back in the box. You’re inspiring me to give it another go. I know there are some fit issues, but I guess what really turned me off is the nose gear. Oooh, not good. Some have replaced the gear with the Tamiya parts and others scratch built new ones. I’ve seen a couple of these built up and they are impressive in the end. Good luck with your Tomcat and will be anxiously awaiting updates.
All that is left to do now is finish assembling it and a bit of re-scribing to panel lines that I sanded over. Then, I will start masking and get it ready for primer coat. My biggest fit problem now is the canopy. It’s wider than the cockpit and I’ll need to find a way to “bend it” back into shape so it sits correctly over the cockpit. A friend suggested using a hair dryer to heat it up a bit and bend it until it fits properly over the cockpit.
Do you guys have any suggestions how to go about doing this? I dont want to ruin the canopy like I did on the F-4J. Any advice on this would be tremendously appreciated.
