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1/32 Trumpeter F-14A Tomcat


Mark Jackson

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I give up!  The jet intakes have been sanded and reshaped but after spending so much time trying to figure out how to scribe in the detail on the engine nozzle shrouds I'm beaten.  Trumpeter gets a big thumbs down from me.   :deadhorse:   It's all been put back in the box and I might bury it in the back garden.   :fight:   Next on the bench will be another Academy F/A-18C Hornet.

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Zactoman does a pretty sweet set of resin intakes ... pricey, and you shouldn't *have* to shell out for them, but if they'll save such a nice project ...

 

Cheers

Jim

 

The intakes aren't the problem Jim although sanding them left my workroom cloudy like a Chinese opium den.  I don't have any trust in the kit parts and trying to mark out and scribe on to the engine shrouds which are not only round but taper from front to back was the the last straw.  It's not been thrown out the window, it's all stored in the box and I am now doing some research on F/A-18C engine bays.

 

I know there are cost issues in producing a kit but in this age of CAD and readily available reference information surely they could have nailed it.  

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I can understand how the kit frustrates, Mark. I've built the "D" version a while ago, as typical with most Trumpeter you either let it drive you crazy, or you overlook/accept a lot. I have the "A" version, too, and i keep opening it up, looking at it, then i put it away....maybe one day...

 

Don

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The intakes aren't the problem Jim although sanding them left my workroom cloudy like a Chinese opium den. I don't have any trust in the kit parts and trying to mark out and scribe on to the engine shrouds which are not only round but taper from front to back was the the last straw. It's not been thrown out the window, it's all stored in the box and I am now doing some research on F/A-18C engine bays.

 

I know there are cost issues in producing a kit but in this age of CAD and readily available reference information surely they could have nailed it.

Fair enough Mark. The Academy hornet is a nice kit, I'm working on one now ... with your skills it will be one to watch. For what it's worth I love the Aires cockpit but you could do a pretty sweet job on the kit cockpit with what you've shown to date.

 

Jim

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What a bummer considering the work you put into it.  On the other hand, seeing the Trumpeter parts and catalogue of errors, I'm not suprised you threw in the towel.  One thing is adding detail and refining the work of the kit maker, but having to spend a lot of time correct basic errors on their part I find demoralising.

 

Jens

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Mark, sorry to hear that you gave up on what was a great effort. Totally understand you though. For what it's worth, this thread has been very instructive and valuable for me, so from a spectator point of view your labor wasn't asted at all. I am heavily invested in building an F-14D after buying about every possible AM accessory for it but I think I may shelve all of that and build the Tamiya A instead.

 

Cheers,

Marcel

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I feel your pain, with the Trumpeter F-14s and around a $200.00 investment in aftermarket resin and PE sets, including Zactoman's intakes, you will end up with a decent 1/32 F-14, by no means perfect, but a decent representation.  Issue with Trumpeter kits is your mind and soul have to be ready to accept what they are and what has to be done with them to meet your standards.  The Trumpeter A-10 kit is an absolute nightmare and I still have that one sitting in the box along with a considerable amount of collected resin correction kits including the out of production sets by Cutting Edge.  Still waiting on one of the resin producers to release a completely new forward fuselage for that kit as there is no way I am going to do all the cutting and sanding that needs to be done to make it correct. With Reid Air's new A-10 Hog decal sheet and 2nd edition of the Hog Guide being released, I do get some inspiration to tackle that kit, but then I revisit what needs to be done to it and it ends up back in the box on the shelf.  Sure does make the Tamiya 1/32 P-51 look even better than it already is as a friendly building experience!

 

Kirk 

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I give up!  The jet intakes have been sanded and reshaped but after spending so much time trying to figure out how to scribe in the detail on the engine nozzle shrouds I'm beaten.  Trumpeter gets a big thumbs down from me.   :deadhorse:   It's all been put back in the box and I might bury it in the back garden.   :fight:   Next on the bench will be another Academy F/A-18C Hornet.

 

Have you considered the Aires F-14A nozzles for the Tamiya kit?  They might fit and they look really nice.  Kit # 2188 if you're interested.

 

 

Mark, sorry to hear that you gave up on what was a great effort. Totally understand you though. For what it's worth, this thread has been very instructive and valuable for me, so from a spectator point of view your labor wasn't asted at all. I am heavily invested in building an F-14D after buying about every possible AM accessory for it but I think I may shelve all of that and build the Tamiya A instead.

 

Cheers,

Marcel

 

As above Marcel, Aires also makes really nice nozzles for the F-14B/D as well.  Also, with some work and lots of aftermarket parts, the Trumpeter kit can look really good.

 

 

I feel your pain, with the Trumpeter F-14s and around a $200.00 investment in aftermarket resin and PE sets, including Zactoman's intakes, you will end up with a decent 1/32 F-14, by no means perfect, but a decent representation.  Issue with Trumpeter kits is your mind and soul have to be ready to accept what they are and what has to be done with them to meet your standards.  The Trumpeter A-10 kit is an absolute nightmare and I still have that one sitting in the box along with a considerable amount of collected resin correction kits including the out of production sets by Cutting Edge.  Still waiting on one of the resin producers to release a completely new forward fuselage for that kit as there is no way I am going to do all the cutting and sanding that needs to be done to make it correct. With Reid Air's new A-10 Hog decal sheet and 2nd edition of the Hog Guide being released, I do get some inspiration to tackle that kit, but then I revisit what needs to be done to it and it ends up back in the box on the shelf.  Sure does make the Tamiya 1/32 P-51 look even better than it already is as a friendly building experience!

 

Kirk 

 

If you're interested Kirk, I have a build thread of the A-10A (converted to A-10C) kit here.  It was a lot of work, but the end result turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. :rolleyes:   Skip to the last page to see the results......

 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/262693-132-trumpeter-a-10c-hog-putting-lipstick-on-a-pig-of-a-kit/

 

Cheers,

Chuckj

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Mark,

  Sorry to read that you've tossed in the white towel on this build, as your level of work is rarely achieved by just a few on this list, and unfortunatley, I'm not one of them.  Please give it a few days of thought. Perhaps you'll reconsider and continue on with your build.

 

Joel

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