Ginja Ninja Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 (edited) Don’t overlook the old Revell kit. Not too bad of a finished product with a little work. Edited January 31 by ScottsGT Grunticus, dmthamade, Lee White and 17 others 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbaldguy Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 I agree that the relatively inexpensive Revell kit is worth considering, what with all the AM Tomcat parts available in our scale to bring it up to current standards. Building that kit requires modeling skills and want-to, so you need to know beforehand what your are getting yourself into. Additionally, I just went window shopping for AM stuff, just to see what is out there and how much it costs these days. I found that many of the essential upgrades are out of stock and that nearly everything is suffering from inflation, even tho we are told constantly that it is all in our heads because our economy is the strongest it has been in a hundred years or so. For example, a decent F-14 cockpit upgrade is listed here in the States at more than $80, with things like gear wells not far behind. Reskit’s beautiful landing gear set is well worth the money, but sold out where I shop. Those three items alone - cockpits, gear wells and struts - which I consider absolutely imperative for a decades old Revell or Tamiya kit, will likely exceed the cost of the kit. Then you have to make them fit whatever kit you have. I have no knowledge at all of Trumpeters F-14 kits, having only a Revell and a Tamiya kit in my meager stash, but no matter which kit you choose to invest in, it’s gonna cost ya, Chief. As to which version of the Tomcat, any of the kits extant can be made into an A, B or D model with a little work, so you are not limited in any way in that regard. Newish or older, plastic is plastic. You need only to decide how brave you are and how much fun you want to have. Whichever kit you choose, large power tools and several hammers will likely prove helpful. CRAZY IVAN5, Citadelgrad, Ginja Ninja and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Starting again with the cash I've spent on AM for a Trumpeter F-14D I would buy a Tamiya F-14A, a new set of scribing tools and dymo tape, and a Quinta style cockpit set. And it would add six months to my life. If having all the flaps out is your thing it has to be Trumpeter. The best choice is probably reflected in prevailing prices for the A, B & D and what AM decals are available and appeal most. You presumably know the Trumpeter inlets are the wrong shape, the Phoenix pallet fronts ditto and that the synthetic rubber wing seals all need replacing by Zactomodels parts and some requires hair-raising surgery. And Aerocraft make replacement canopy parts which bypass the proud conducting strips of the kit's hood which are wrong. Tony Ginja Ninja and Sidders 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrish Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 I had a very enjoyable time building the trumpeter D with as much resin stuff as I could find Ginja Ninja and Tony T 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel_tiger Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 3 hours ago, Tony T said: Starting again with the cash I've spent on AM for a Trumpeter F-14D I would buy a Tamiya F-14A, a new set of scribing tools and dymo tape, and a Quinta style cockpit set. And it would add six months to my life. If having all the flaps out is your thing it has to be Trumpeter. The best choice is probably reflected in prevailing prices for the A, B & D and what AM decals are available and appeal most. You presumably know the Trumpeter inlets are the wrong shape, the Phoenix pallet fronts ditto and that the synthetic rubber wing seals all need replacing by Zactomodels parts and some requires hair-raising surgery. And Aerocraft make replacement canopy parts which bypass the proud conducting strips of the kit's hood which are wrong. Tony Unfortunately Zactomodels isn't doing any business right now he has had some undisclosed health issues. So good luck finding those items. Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 1 hour ago, chrish said: I had a very enjoyable time building the trumpeter D with as much resin stuff as I could find You were incredibly brave taking a knife and saw to that lower fuselage. It was a work of art. Sorry to hear Chris Wilson has some health problems. The Trumpeter inlets can be reworked using back-filling and sanding to take the corners off, and that seems to be the future for us mere mortals — though I do have the Trumpeter sets. If you want a challenge follow chrish's path. If more reserved, like myself, think of a different subject or manufacturer. Tony chrish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 6 hours ago, ScottsGT said: Don’t overlook the old Revell kit. Not too bad of a finished product with a little work. That is a stunning F-14! I've not had much fun with Revell kits which I will put down to my own (in)ability but it is certainly worth the consideration, although it looks like @Oldbaldguy has done some research on the AM side and I don't think I am that brave. CRAZY IVAN5 and ScottsGT 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 4 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said: I agree that the relatively inexpensive Revell kit is worth considering, what with all the AM Tomcat parts available in our scale to bring it up to current standards. Building that kit requires modeling skills and want-to, so you need to know beforehand what your are getting yourself into. Additionally, I just went window shopping for AM stuff, just to see what is out there and how much it costs these days. I found that many of the essential upgrades are out of stock and that nearly everything is suffering from inflation, even tho we are told constantly that it is all in our heads because our economy is the strongest it has been in a hundred years or so. For example, a decent F-14 cockpit upgrade is listed here in the States at more than $80, with things like gear wells not far behind. Reskit’s beautiful landing gear set is well worth the money, but sold out where I shop. Those three items alone - cockpits, gear wells and struts - which I consider absolutely imperative for a decades old Revell or Tamiya kit, will likely exceed the cost of the kit. Then you have to make them fit whatever kit you have. I have no knowledge at all of Trumpeters F-14 kits, having only a Revell and a Tamiya kit in my meager stash, but no matter which kit you choose to invest in, it’s gonna cost ya, Chief. As to which version of the Tomcat, any of the kits extant can be made into an A, B or D model with a little work, so you are not limited in any way in that regard. Newish or older, plastic is plastic. You need only to decide how brave you are and how much fun you want to have. Whichever kit you choose, large power tools and several hammers will likely prove helpful. Thanks for your advice and for the window shopping! The Reskit stuff is really nice and as you say, all that AM is going to cost a pretty penny. I really want to avoid getting out the power tools as my wife might think I am about to do some DIY and that is something I want to avoid! Shoggz, Oldbaldguy and BloorwestSiR 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 4 hours ago, Tony T said: Starting again with the cash I've spent on AM for a Trumpeter F-14D I would buy a Tamiya F-14A, a new set of scribing tools and dymo tape, and a Quinta style cockpit set. And it would add six months to my life. If having all the flaps out is your thing it has to be Trumpeter. The best choice is probably reflected in prevailing prices for the A, B & D and what AM decals are available and appeal most. You presumably know the Trumpeter inlets are the wrong shape, the Phoenix pallet fronts ditto and that the synthetic rubber wing seals all need replacing by Zactomodels parts and some requires hair-raising surgery. And Aerocraft make replacement canopy parts which bypass the proud conducting strips of the kit's hood which are wrong. Tony Cheers Tony! I didn't consider the Tamiya F-14 as I thought it would be a bit long in the tooth although it would certainly give me a lot of practice rescribing. I didn't know about the errors you mention. That is what I love about this forum, so many knowledgeable people willing to share their expertise and experience. CRAZY IVAN5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusM Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Build the Tamiya 1/48 kit, way better than any of the larger options! CRAZY IVAN5, Phantom2, chrish and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmthamade Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Which Trumpeter Turkey you need depends on many things. Timeframe, mission are big ones. Do you want the colorful flamboyant schemes, tactical grey schemes, VX-4 schemes...CAP mission, CAS, recon...loaded with air to air missiles, LGBs... Trumpeter/Tamiya/Revell all need work and/or aftermarket, how accurate and how much work is your decision. I've done all three, all were work intensive, all required aftermarket. Whichever way you go, will be a lot of work, but the finished birds always impress. Don Oldbaldguy, CRAZY IVAN5, BloorwestSiR and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY IVAN5 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Looks as though we need an accurate , state of the art big scale Tomcat. They're all over the place in 48th, how's about us? dmthamade, Oldbaldguy, Tony T and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Don't forget to look at the second hand market for kits and AM. I managed to pick up the 3 Tamiya Tomcats I have for around $90 USD each and two came with resin cockpit sets and other AM. I built one at the same time @ScottsGT did his Revell one. It was an interesting comparison between what needed improving on both kits. Cockpit was the Technix resin set. GusM, Bill Cross, Shoggz and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) i have the 2 trumpeter kits, i have not built them yet but I went in this direction because of the finish and the fit of the kit. (I got them used packed with am). after building 2 Hasegawa tomcats I just wanted something easier to build vs accuracy The intake is the big downside, I'm planning on putting covers on them to camouflage it a bit since Zacto is no longer selling them. Maybe reskit will do a set ? Also Luckymodels has them in stock for a very decent price point ! Edited February 1 by Neo chrish and dmthamade 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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