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I'm looking to buy a Trumpeter F-14 and of the three options available, I'm not sure which to go for. If you were in my shoes, what one would you choose and why, or am I being an idiot and should spend my hard earned cash on something else?

Here she is, next up is F-4S USMC. Some Tamiya borrowed parts, little bit of scratchbuilding and lots of sanding and improvising. I have a couple Tamiya that i never built so i will get a comparison in the future. Few things that I decided to live with and hopefully wont bug me. Canopy, the wing warp, nozzles arent 100% accurate but I had to complete something after over a decade. Enjoy Icons…

When the test shots cam out a few years back some drooled others were rivet critical and a few thought that this would be the ultimate Tomcat kit. There is no denying that as a package this model kit impresses before you open the box. A box which is so robust and protective that they even provide a carry handle built in so you can transport it like a piece of luggage. I've built several Tamiya and Revell big cats over the years and both of these had their good and bad points so I was eager to see what Trumpeter had come up with. The first thing to hit you is the packaging inside, everything seems to have its own niche with the more delicate parts such as canopy, intakes etc having their own box.

Now this is just too cool. Doubtful I'll ever do a VF-31 Tomcat, but if I ever do, this would be an absolute must. Looks like I can scratch this one off of my "to sculpt" list now, unfortunately.

Greetings everyone! I have been around the site for quite some time following posts and WIPs so I thought it was about time for my first large project. The following WIP will be my first in the 32nd scale and the first one in Large Scale Planes! As the title shows I will be trying my luck on an F-14B, based on the Tamiya 1:32 kit. Initially I was thinking of representing aircraft 105 from VF-41 with full low visibility colors however I changed my mind during the summer after seeing some wonderful shots of an F-14B 1:32 scale with the VF-102 Diamondbacks decals form Fightertown Decals. The decal set was particularly difficult to track, as it is out of print, however I managed to find a copy in a Japanese online store and in perfect condition no less. The aircraft that will be represented, flew with Diamondbacks during the OEF campaign in Afganistan in 2002. I will be using the 2003 version of the Tamiya kit which includes some updates in comparison to the 1994 and the 1980 versions. Also the following after market sets will be used accordingly: -Teknics ΤΚ32012 F-14B Tomcat/Bombcat Cockpit Superset -Teknics TK32013 F-14B Airframe conversion set -GRU-7(A) ejection seats from Avionix cockpit set BLC32039 -Aires 2099 F-14B/D Tomcat exhaust nozzles -If it is possible to get my hands on the exhaust nozzles form the 1:32 Tamiya F-16 they will be used instead -Hadmodels 432003 F-14B/D Upgrade photoetched part set -Crossdelta CD32002 F-14 Step area & Stiffeners -Master Model AM-32-031 F-14 Alfa Probe & Angle Of Attack probe -True Details TDP32202 1/32 F-14D Tomcat Resin Wheel Set (Late) -Eduard 32144 F-14A Tomcat exterior photoetched part set -Fightertown Decals 32009 VF-102 F-14B "Diamondbacks" OEF -Armament from the kit or Tamiya's F-16 The construction began with some modifications to the airframe around the cockpit area and the nose. Tamiya's mold in general includes not only raised lines but some panels as well. Initially I thought it was a mistake however it seems that very early Tomcats did have those. I could not find photos form both sides however at least on the right it seems that the panel was raised for some reason. In later photos these areas are not raised, so they were sanded down. One thing that is weird is how Tamiya chose to represent the refueling panel. In the kit it is neither closed nor open so since I would not doing it open it was covered with epoxy putty and sanded down while afterwards the panel lines were rescribed. Next, a characteristic electronics panel behind the cockpit was rescribed adding a bit of detail. An area on the Tamiya kit that can be improved are the NACA vents. The kit provides the correct gun vents for a late Tomcat however they are provided as one piece with the airframe. Using a rotary tool the plastic behind each vent was removed, the thickness of the leading edges was reduced and Evergreen plasticard was used to restore them. Eduard's PE was used for the gun muzzle blast fairing. HAD models PE set provides a replacement for the grills beneath the aircraft's ladder so the kit's detail was removed using a rotary tool. After the PE was in place, the area was rescribed and epoxy putty was used to restore the raised detail. The gun gas exhausts are provided in a slightly wrong position by Tamiya and because HAD models provided PE parts for the re-enforcement plates around them I decided to change their position. The old exhausts were filled with CA and sanded down while on the new positions the kit's plastic was thinned from the inside and new ones were opened accordingly. Initially the PE parts for the re-enforcements were used however I could not get them to glue properly in place so off they went! Two new pieces were created by using Evergreen plasticard and glued in place. Also HAD provides two pieces for the grills that are found inside them which were used. Eduard's set provides some nice details for the ladder in order to be represented in open position so it was the next area I started working on. Unfortunately Eduard provides a simple improvement to the kit's piece so a few additions were deemed necessary to be included. I worked based on photos of the real aircraft while Kai Wolter's exceptional F-14 build has been of great assistance and inspiration as well. Eduard's guide was not followed. Instead the two main ladder parts (1 and 2 ) were used to sandwich a piece of Evergreen in order to increase the thickness of the ladder while the PE steps (parts 73) were not used. Evergreen was used to create the two steps and to add the various small details. Parts 12 and 13 were used to create the handle mechanism. So ... that's about it for this time. Thanks for your interest! Andreas

No, not a new song title, but trying to determine what shade of blue was used on the VF-143 F-14As in the light gull gray over white era. I have the Furball Decals, and they specify Insignia Blue for the tops of the tailfins (that must be painted), but that will not match the blue trim of the tailfins and the three stripes on the forward fuselage. Looking at photos on the web, the blue is definitely lighter than the dark blue of the insignia. The hue varies with the photos too - in one photo it definitely has a hint of red in it which I can find no FS match for. In others it looks less rich, so I am thinking something along the lines of FS 15050 Blue Angels blue as that would also be available through the Navy supply chain... Jens

Hi guys, Trumpeters 1/32 Phoenix pallets aren’t quite accurate, so I understand. Are Tamiya’s parts accurate? I am thinking of using those, or (trying to) make castings of them. My own kit is ah... somewhat buried under the rest of the stash at the moment. So instead of bulldozing my way through my personal plastic AMARC, I opt for the easy way out and ask you guys! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Cheers, Erik B.

Hi! If you ever wondered how to arm your Iranian Air Force F-14 and you have run out of AIM-54s. Wonder no more! Do as the Iranians did and hang one or two Raytheon HAWKS under it =) As it happens I can provide you with those Hawks! They are available from my Shapeways shop (in 1/48 scale as well, but who cares, right?) https://www.shapeways.com/product/QZHTAHBND/hawk-mim-23b-missile-in-1-32?optionId=61879572 For those wanting to take a closer look on images of the 3D model they can be found here: http://imgur.com/a/iiyFv And if you want to read more about the story behind this there is some information here: http://theboresight.blogspot.se/2015/08/iran-satellites-and-tomcats.html (scroll down a bit) /Lars

Dear all, after my tamiya mossie, i thinked it was time for other stuff and after a jet in the form of a Mig-21, i was inspired by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop book "Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat" to make another jet in the form of an iranian Tomcat, probably, after the F-86, the most successful Jetfighter. Unfortunately the only 1/32 solution of the Tomcat was the Tamiya kit from the early seventys, but after all the kit was not bad at all for his forty years. Below some photos I take this afternoon with the help of central europe springtime sun, will try to do some better photos later. Open for all comments Cordially Serge

Hello one and all, If I may, I'd like to share a little progress on my current project. I recognise a number of names from other forums so to you guys, apologies for posting this stuff since I guess you've seen it before. For those members who like to stay within the comfortable walls of LSP, I hope there are one or two things that you might find interesting along the way. Typically, my builds are long drawn out affairs so I hope you have some stamina and a fair amount of patience. I like to try to squeeze every last ounce of value out of these big kits so I often spend some time tweeking bits here and there. I would describe myself as more of an enthusiast rather than an expert so if you have anything to share please feel free to add any and all comments or techniques. I'd rather someone point issues out or offer alternative ways of doing something than let me go off in the wrong direction blissfully unaware of easier/better ways of doing stuff. I'm a little way into the build already so these early posts will come thick and fast. Once we've caught up to date, expect things to slow to a more glacial pace. INDEX p1. Jet exhausts. Beaver tail mods. TCS. Forward fuselage mods. Ventral fins. Fuselage underside and Sparrow missile troughs. Scratch built air con vents. Intake trunking. Vertical tails. Scratch built upper fuselage vents. p2. Wing joint mods. Wing leading edge mod. Engine fairing tweeks. Main wheel bay alterations. Windscreen, IP and (Aires) cockpit. Seats (start) p3. Seats (finished) Canopy. Missile rail. LANTIRN pod and pylon. Fuel tanks. Boarding ladder recess. Canopy locking hooks. Nose wheel bay. (start) Front gear leg. Tail hook. p4. Wheeliant wheels main wheels. Nose wheel bay (finished) p5. Nose section paint, sunglasses and decals. p7. Auxilliary bypass vents (start) p8. Aux bypass vents (cont). Quickboost resin intake plugs. Horizontal tails. p9. Main wings. On to the build then and like many modellers, I'll deviate from the instructions when it suits me. Whereas Tamiya suggest the builder start with the cockpit and front wheel bay area (more of that at a later date), I turned my attention to the blunt end first. For me, there are three main areas of interest on a modern jet fighter. These are, in no particular order, the cockpit, the landing gear and the jet pipes/nozzles. Each of these three areas are prominent and eye-catching for different reasons. So, I started dabbling with the jet pipes to begin the build. *NB* A company called PitzModels is developing an etched metal exhaust nozzle which is likely to render the folowing redundant The Black Knights boxing of the Tamiya kit offers better shaped exhaust petals than original releases. Much better than before, that does n't mean we can't tweek them a little to try to get the best from them. I scored some elongated dimples at the tip of each petal and added several rows of rivets. I then thinned the petals and cut them apart after I'd hollowed out the rear of the slot that runs down the centre of each petal. I filled the void with inner petals shaped out of metal foil and then painted the finished assembly with MetalColor from GS

Hi, I postponed for a long time an order of Phoenix decals and finally decided to have a go. As they are very rarely mentioned on LSP, I thought you would be interested in having a feedback. I ordered them via Hobbyeasy and got them in less than two weeks as the letter went under the customs radar. First important thing: if you know Tiger Wings, you will not be surprised as they are the producer hidden behind this more recent name! To decrease the P&P and because the cost was quite reasonable, I ordered six decal sets from Taiwan: The three USMC AV-8B/B+ sets, the AVG P-40 set, the Tomcat VF-1 set and the 2013 TAC meet F-15J set. Result: I cannot tell you how they behave when you use them but at least I had a close look at the sheets and instructions. In fact, the value for money is even better than I thought as each set gives A LOT of schemes in a single set! Moreover, as Tiger Wings used to do, they also give very extensive stenciling for a minimum or two or three planes! To give you some specific examples: - The F-15J set gives four schemes on the equivalent of... FIVE A4 pages of decals with stenciling including individual panel number and the grey background for at least three Eagles! Each scheme has full tail art. - AV-8B VMA-231 & 311 sets cover at least a dozen of full schemes with stencils for a minimum of at least two planes (including all panel numbers). VMA-223 has "only" seven schemes but gives a better mix of color schemes as the other sets mainly focus on the late, darker Harrier colors. A very large majority are AV-8B+ ones. There is a nice mix of grey birds and colored ones including various sharkmouth & anniversary schemes. - The P-40 B/E set includes... 17 different sharkmouth schemes covering all AVG squadrons (15B & 2E)! - The Tomcat is a more standard set as it only gives two VF-1 early block planes. Topics are interesting and most of them have not been covered by other decal companies. I did not make a thorough assessment of all of them but they look quite good with regard to accuracy. Each paper sheet is crammed with decals.The printing quality is very good and comparable to the one of western producers. The instruction sheets are also quite good. They are printed in color on A4 gloss paper and give a clear view of the position of each element. Except for the smaller Tomcat set, each set has six full pages of instructions. Minimum information is given per scheme (location/year) but they could be more exhaustive. Some pictures of the actual plane are generally included but unfortunately, they are often too small to be very useful. However, on some sheets such as the Harrier ones, web links used as reference are given. Last, color references are Gunze ones. By default, I would have preferred Federal Standard references. Final conclusion: It is a pity Asian decals producers such as Phoenix or Siam decals are not better known and distributed as most of their large scale productions have an excellent quality level. If one aspect may be improved a little bit, it is the instruction sheets in spite of the fact they are already very good. Globally, they offer an excellent price/number of schemes and quality ratio. I highly recommend them. Thierry

Greetings all. Didn't really want to start a thread for this, but my searching has come up nuts. Wondering if there is a decal set out there for the Tomcats of the aforementioned squadron. I have found stuff for the Phantoms they flew, and for the 1/48 Tomcats of said squadron, but not 1/32 Tomcats. Thanks in advance. Cheers, Dave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbyNc3GxMN4 Set to the music , "My name is Lincoln" from the film The Island. That f-14/18 flyby gives me goosebumps everytime!

Now available! http://www.zactomodels.com/ Lately I've been busy working on a wrong scale project (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=268873) and haven't had time to make any new patterns. I did take the time to adapt my Tomcat fuel tank pylons (from my Trump intake set) to fit the Tamiya kit. You will need to drill locator holes and remove the existing locator pins on the intake parts. Tamiya got these in the wrong location. Cheers, Chris

I'm aware of at least three pit sets for the big Tamiya Tomcat; Aires, Avionix and Teknics. Which is considered to be the most accurate, anyone know? Thanks fellas,