I think I'm going to rethink my approach with scale aircraft for this campaign and go with Dragon's 1/144 Tomcatters. For whatever reason I have a hard time getting around the painting sequence and details on the 1/48 kits, and I'm looking to avoid that issue with a smaller scale.

Looking good guys at least with144 you could stuff a million planes in one room

Indeed one could have quite the squadron, just keep them away from Warren's 1/32 builds so they don't get sucked into their intakes

Hi all.
Just ordered Academy's 1/48 F-14A, so it should be here soon, hopefully. It's not quite up there with the quality of Hasegawa, but it's a damn site cheaper
I will be using Afterburner decals 'the Sluggers' [great name!] VF-103 and so far the CO's Cat [162707] is my favoutite. Enjoying the builds so far.
All the best.
tim

Great addition speed oh it hurts that i haven't started yet there just burning to get out of the box.trying to get my Phantom done and i will make a start

so are you guys done yet

Well stroke of luck attended a show last week and Aeroclub where there so picked up five packets of their 1/144 pilots. At the same show which I attended with my local club I got some modelling done after a quick undercoat and paint of the cockpits and intake areas the night before. Hence the odd lock in the first photo.



Pilots


Under coated and test fitting on the base, note pilot bottom left of photo.

Just in case any of you need inspiration here is a video found on Youtube.

thanks for post good progress!do they make that stand in 1/48 if you guys have anything f-14 please feel free to post

Justin, the stand I'm using is the Airfix 'Dogfight Doubles' stand designed for either two 1/72 or one 1/48 aircraft. They now sell their stands as separate items. Looking at the stand I doubt it will take a 1/48 Tomcat though with out some weight loaded in the base.

no no no you miss understood i want one for a formation of 1/48 tomcats

Done a little work to my entry this weekend while waiting to decals to soften and paint to dry

The cockpit and bang seats





And the rear of the fuselage



hopefully I'll get some white for the wheel wells and intakes sprayed by the end of tonight

Ahhh... I think thats called a table with large wooden poles sticking through it to take several 1/48 Tomcats.

Now you could do that ten ship fly by in the video

Wow! Those tiny planes look pretty cool! not much assembly... bet you can finish 10 planes in the time it takes me to do just one...

Hey Luciano,

That stand is inspired- great photo of the F14s in formation!

Man, I thought I was going to be clever mounting mine on a piece of Carrier deck!

All you need now is some cheesey eighties light rock power chord tunes in the background!

Keep building,

Eoin

Ask, and ye shall receive:

Highway to the Danger Zone mv

Ray if only.
They may not have that many parts compared to their bigger brothers but these Revell F-14's are just as detailed where it counts. Building is quick but painting and decals are almost the same.

@ Eion, it was easy, I opened the kit and discovered marking for two VF-101 aircraft are included on the decal sheet as flown at Oceana in 1996 and then I had this stand thats been sitting around for years and hey presto the rest as they say is history.
Plus this is helped by the fact I just love VF-101 Grim Reapers, 'come in Gunfighter 163'

Here is a quick photo of what I will be building as soon as I get the chance

A nice little kit but the Revell F-14D is superior in my opinion. My only issues with the Dragon kit is the pilots and cockpit. Also be careful with the decals Dragon realised that the Felix had been mirrored so he doesn't face forward on both fins. They did a correction sheet for the red fins but not the Black ones (Which I didn't realised until after I had applied them).

Thanks Tomcat, good things to know
I'll have to try out the Revell kit next time, one can never have too many F-14's. I'm not to worried right now as I'm pretty new to the hobby and am just learning for the time being.

I'm working on this one in my "spare modelling time" , I will soon be able to devote more of my resources to it!


I'm working with sub-assemblies. Those little ziplock-bags all contain parts belonging to one "functional area" of the aircraft: landing gear, engines, left weapons pylon, right weapons pylon and so on... Makes it a bit easier to organise and I can also clean up all the parts at once and get rid of all the space-consuming sprues in one go. There is also an element of "Rainman" in it but you'll have to live with that !

I'll start a real build blog soon.

Interesting to see that many have gone for 1/144-scale for this campaign, I'll probably pick up one of the Revell kits for myself if I see one!



Magnus

Magnus great to see you started my friend.
I will be starting soon and will be doing 2 1/48 f14s.1 for this campaign and the other for the afterburner campaign yeah I know I have issues

Just an update of my progress... Cockpit nearly finished...

Nice start ray

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the tune... it brings me back to a time when I still wore short pants, built unpainted 1/72 spitfires and thought that they used real Migs in Topgun!!

Later,

Eoin