F-14B BuNo 161608 FLIR Cat
This is from the Hasegawa Weapons set VI.
The decal instructions mention a load out of two GBU-24s in a diagonal setting and I was initially intrigued by that setup. By the way, Wolfpak's instructions are always very rich in background story, but a bit less graphically.
In the end I read up a bit more on the actual 'demo flights' by Cloverleaf 213 and read that the first GBUs to be dropped were in fact GBU-16s, so I'll opt for those later on.
Went ahead and started painting up smaller subassemblies like, in this case, the Compressor and Turbine faces. Luckily, the Academy kit has all the parts for an F-14B, including GE F110 engines.
After blackbasing, a mottling in off white and some pale brown, some lightened Dark Ghost Grey was misted on until the mottling was barely visible. At this point in time VF-103 was yet to head out for a Mediterranean Cruise (this sounds like a vacation...), so the paint wasn't very patchy or worn.
Only having access to some very grainy pictures when I put on the decals, I determined their position to be as in the picture...
...of course, only to find out from clearer pictures that the modexes need to be further inwards.
The beautiful 213 seen here has been sanded off and repainted by now.... I think I can cobble together a new set of Dark Grey numbers.
This is the first time that Martin Marietta attached a LANTIRN pod to an F-14 and for the 'experiment' they used a brand new pod. This one will be nicely flat and pristine.
Only a very fine wash with Tamiya Panel Liner Black...
...and some MRP flat clear for a new (not so shiny) LANTIRN.
Painted the external fuel tank in Light Ghost Grey according to reference pictures. I guess the tanks haven’t been updated to the new all Dark Ghost Grey scheme.
Used the Academy ‘NO STEP’ stencils. Technically they’re black, so I might go over them to with some grey to tone them more towards the Dark Grey of the rest of the markings.
Since my LHS started carrying Mission Models paints, I tried their Dark Grey FS36076 and it’s an extremely close match to de decals. I guess I’ll be using that. As it is just a plain coat, it doesn’t matter I don’t get the lacquer ‘control’ I’m used to.
Warmed up the tank with some diluted Light Gull Grey and applied the decal.
And I started dialing in the correct colors for the payload. I now need to mask off the brown squares between the front fins.
Slightly different tone but both in Light Ghost Grey(ish)
Whoohooh!!! I found some mojo back! I finished painting the wings: final dull coat is on, so I can start griming up the wings.
I marked the outline of the wing sealants.
Cut along the lines and used the markings to realign the tape back on.
Then I stippled some Starship Filth and Burnt Umber oils along the edges.
And gently teased the oils around in a semicircular motion.
Komentáře
11 10 February 2021, 23:53
Patrick HagelsteinWelcome on board! I build like a glacier on downers and switch projects more often than my socks, but this one is a club build with a deadline, so this one is in for the finish. 😉
11 February 2021, 04:48
Martin von Schreckensteinanother 72 tomcat! nice start! fingers crossed for that finish🙂
12 February 2021, 09:06
Slavo HazuchaCan´t miss it when you get to the bench!😉 And already I like your unorthodox approach to what get´s done first & in what order 😄 👍
12 February 2021, 09:48
Patrick HagelsteinWelcome on board guys! 👍 As said, I really hope to finish this before the deadline. Fingers crossed! 😄
@ Daniel, I saw that too... Weird...
@ Slavo, thanks for the compliment! The reason I do the wings first is twofold. I want to check my choice of colors before committing to the rest of the build and secondly, I want to be able to add the 'wing smears' without interference. What I do is finish the wings, put tape over them and insert them into the fuselage. I then trace the wing glove onto that tape, remove it, cut out the trace line and reapply the tape. I can then put oil paint smears on the wings and smears them in semicircles before lifting the tape again and let them dry.
Oh, and since I want to build this one in flight, I'm waiting on crew figures before committing to the cockpit build. 😉
12 February 2021, 15:43
Patrick HagelsteinWIP F-14A Academy | Album by Hagel (1:72)
This shows what I mean with those wing smears. 🙂
12 February 2021, 15:45
Slavo HazuchaGot it - minus the smears ("fast" position) I remember doing the wings first on the F-111 too - kind of makes sense on a swing-wing aircraft...
12 February 2021, 16:00
Patrick HagelsteinYeah, I want to portray it in the wings extended mode, so therefore the smears would be visible. I don't want to have them abruptly stop where they go under those gloves.
12 February 2021, 17:38
Patrick HagelsteinHi Roland and Sergej! Yes, it's a "B". 😄
Looking at the BuNo, this plane started out as an "A" initially delivered to VF-21 in the early '80s. I'll check my references, but it could be I'm building this bird twice: Once as a VF-21 F-14A and once as a VF-103 F-14B. Weird...
18 February 2021, 19:28
