Wolf Buddee

One word, BRILLIANT! Okay, that’s actually three but you get what I mean. Cheers, Wolf

Couldn’t get pre-ordering to work yesterday but today worked just fine. Ordered just one which is all I want. Really looking forward to getting it in my grubby little hands. Cheers, Wolf

Brilliant John, That’s more than a keeper. That’s pure inspirational gold. Cheers, Wolf

Awesome work John! Can you explain a little more about the washes you use? I saw that you’re using chalk pastels. Are they simply added to water and applied. I have been using water based washes from a company called The Detailer but it appears as though they’re no longer available. Especially the black and brown colors I mix to get the shades I want. Cheers, Wolf

John, I hope you don’t mind me chipping in with info I’ve gleaned from my reference sources. As I’m currently working on my own F-14A kit and as I know little about jets in general I’ve been doing some homework. If you’d rather I didn’t, please let me know. The TF30 nozzles in different divergent positions were a very common sight on powered down F-14A. The right engine was always shut down first to check a hydraulic pump. Since power was still coming off the left engine’s generator, the weight on wheels sensor kept the right nozzle open. Then, when the left engine was shut down, electrical power was lost, the weight on wheels sensor switched off, and residual pressure in the nozzle actuators forced the left nozzle closed. I’m not sure if this is of any help to you in how you decide to configure the exhaust nozzles for your fantastic build. Cheers, Wolf

Possibly! I assumed that the step was there but not a gap. There actually was a gap. This is an expansion gap. There’s a great picture in the Detail&Scale book on the F-14. The caption reads: A physical gap existed on both sides of the mid-forward fuselage, inboard of the overwing fairing. It functioned as an expansion joint accommodating wing movement. I would suggest doing what you did on the back of the AIM-54 pylons and create some mimicry by a painting a thin black line along the step. Just a suggestion. Cheers, Wolf

If I had to do over, I think I wouldchoose 3D-printed seats with harnesses... Thanks John, Funny you should say that. I just finished off my Eduard seats using the Quinta Studios harnesses and I was thinking the same thing about the MCC seats. Not that the Eduard/Quinta combination turned out bad. The MCC seats look really nice and having a bit more freedom to choose colors for details like the harnesses would be my preference. Cheers, Wolf

Beautiful work John, It’s too bad the canopy wouldn’t sit flush as it would have been nice to have the choice of displaying it open or closed as Tamiya had intended. Oh well…..it is what it is, eh? My MCC wheel wells just arrived and it’s nice to see what they’ll look like when painted and installed based on your photos. I have a question for you regarding your Eduard GRU-7 seats. Did you use the blue photo etch leg restraints? I didn’t see them in your pics of the seats and was wondering if you decided to leave ‘em off? Cheers, Wolf

Brilliant as usual John. With regards to the retraction arm fitting, one thing I’ve noticed is that the kit nose gear parts are slightly different in shape than either the D&W or Reskit pieces. On the kit parts there is no protrusion on the side of the nose gear leg where the retraction arm attaches. Both the Reskit and D&W nose gear legs have a raised area where the retraction arm mounts to the nose gear. That likely causes a difference to the overall alignment of the kit retraction arm at either end with the aftermarket parts. It may require the raised area on the aftermarket nose gear leg to be cut down somewhat to get the retraction arm to fit. I’ll have to play around with it when I get that far. Cheers, Wolf (who’s still waiting for his wheel wells to arrive.)

To mount the nose gear into the wheel well, I chopped off the pins from the gear completely and drilled holes instead. Before I saw the second half of your post, drilling out the gear leg and installing a pin was exactly what I was going to recommend. I was thinking exactly the same thing with regards to mounting the upper portion of the nose gear strut. I also hadn’t read far along enough to have read how you handled the installation. Your method certainly makes a lot more sense than what D&W suggest. I have this set coming as well and I was hoping someone would do the gear bays in 3D print. Finding out they were available definitely solved the same dilemma for me that you were grappling with. Happy, happy, happy……;) Cheers, Wolf (who needs to remember how to post pics here again)

Great update John. I like the use of those magnets. I have a bunch of them in my accessories stash but hadn’t considered using them for my Tomcat build. I really like the look of the Eduard afterburners as well. I was considering getting the ones from Reskit but the Eduard versions are really enticing. I have the wheel wells coming as well from ASK. Hopefully they’ll arrive soon as I’m getting real close to assembly the nose gear bay. Keep up the great work, John. Cheers, Wolf

What a timely resumption of this thread, John. I started work on this same kit recently and have been using similar aftermarket products. I started with the landing gear from Reskit which is very similar to the D&W set. So much so that I thought they might be one and the same but they’re not. The tires are different with Reskit’s tires sidewall detail less pronounced but still nice and visible. The inner wheel hub/brake assembly for the MLG is separate in the D&W set while Reskit has it integral with the MLG leg. Otherwise the detail is the same including the metal rod inserts. The overall detail is simply incredible. I’ve just started working on the cockpit assembly and looking forward to applying the Quinta Studios elements. Just like the 3D printed landing gear the Quinta Studios stuff is another game changer especially when you consider it’s 1/48th scale. Keep up the fantastic work. Cheers, Wolf (who’s finally building something again after quite a long time.)

I surely wouldn’t mind a west coast Nats location. So much easier to get to when you live in south west British Columbia. So far I’ve been able to attend the show in Phoenix 2010 and 2018. I have the T-shirt to prove it for 2018 thanks to Big Tim! Both times I had an absolute blast meeting everyone I’ve interacted with here on LSP. Anywhere within the mid west or further east is just a bridge too far for me. Best wishes to all of you that are going this year! Cheers, Wolf

Very cool! Thanks for posting Ron. Cheers, Wolf

Beautifully done Chuck. Love the weathering and overall finish. Definitely a keeper! Cheers, Wolf

Now THAT is something special! Very well done Sir. I can’t imagine that it was an easy build so congratulations on getting it done in such a fine fashion. Cheers, Wolf

Just read through your entire thread, Tom. What a great build and it’s obvious that you’re getting the best out of this kit. I finally managed to get one of these kits myself and hope to get in to it at some point in the future. Having your build as a reference will help me to know what to expect with potential fit issues and what to look out for so thank-you! Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing ‘er with some camouflage paintwork on. Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you Kevin!

Thank-you gentlemen for the birthday greetings! Along with turning 65 this year I also retired from my job after 33 years 8 months. It feels strange not having to get up early and head off to work. I’m starting to get used to it though. Once I get to a bunch of things that need doing around the house I plan on getting back on the bench. Cheers, Wolf

Beautiful work Quang! Martin sent me the link to your build earlier today. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to log in for a while as I completely forgot my password. I tried a few different ones today and got lucky! Your build brings back a lot of memories albeit in 1/32nd scale, LOL! I have to question one small detail though. The small placard you added to the front of the small hydraulic tank that sits between the oil separator and the coolant tank for the intercooler shouldn’t be written in german! That made me laugh. Is the surface of the fuselage smooth? Their Hellcat has a slightly pebbly surface texture which really needs to be sanded down. Keep up the great work. Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you all for the birthday wishes! I’m still around but I’ve recently immersed myself in working on a car model. There’s a whole new world in aftermarket stuff for vehicles! I had to have emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer the beginning of February. I spent two days in ICU after surgery and having gone septic, it was unclear whether I was going to remain on this side of the grass or not. I spent three weeks in hospital, I don’t remember anything of the first week. I was off work for a full two months. I’m still dealing with some residual effects of the surgery these days but overall doing much better. I sold off some of my stash and while going through it I discovered just how many car models I had so I figured it was time to have at ‘er on some of them. That’s why I’ve been a bit scarce here. It’s kind o’ like moving to a new neighborhood and finding there’s so much to explore. In my best Arnold Schwartzenegger voice, “I’ll be back.” Cheers, Wolf

Craig, This has to be one of the most amazing freakin’ builds on the the web right now! WOW! Cheers, Wolf

Fabulous Chuck! Fantastic build. I’m going to have to reference your build when I finally get to mine. So many projects……so little time. Cheers, Wolf

Lookin’ good Bill! Love the detailing and paintwork my friend. Great to see you back at the bench. Some day I’ll find mine again. Cheers, Wolf

Freakin' awesome! Very well done indeed Sir. The very last pic is amazing. Cheers, Wolf