Academy F-14A VF-21
Hozzászólások
20 9 January 2020, 09:28
PierreCan't airbrush at the moment so I'm just playing with plastic. This kit is somewhat disappointing so far. Should still turn into an OK cat.
9 January 2020, 11:39
TreehuggerI wonder if the 1:72 kit is a downscaled version of the 1:48 kit. In the 1:48 kit with the same box art, there seems to be some issues, and an interesting fix for the 1:48's odd front canopy, might be a simply making the bottom part of the oval shape shorter, to make it look right, a fairly simple fix if you can avoid scratching the plastic beyond repair. Simply requires moving the "scribed" edge on the front, and the sides forwards a little bit.
9 January 2020, 12:44
Patrick HagelsteinPierre, really????? 😮 I have this kit planned for the exact same bird!!! 😮 (OK, it's Lance 201 but still....) But I'm planning on using Microscale 72-489. What's so bad about the kit other than your remarks so far?
9 January 2020, 13:45
Pierre@Treehugger: I haven't gotten to the clear parts yet so I'm not sure I understand, but I'll keep that in mind when I get there.
@Patrick: The plastic is quite rough in some spots, some details such as the cockpit side panels or the tail plates is a bit soft, some engineering choices are strange such as no alignment tabs for the beaver tail, no glove vanes, annoying ejector pinmarks, etc. It's not as good as their recent F-15, somewhere around the quality of their legacy hornet. However, it's not a terrible kit and I'm not far enough into the build to make conclusions. I'm just spoiled by the GWH kit, which isn't perfect either anyway.
You're lucky to have that Microscale sheet, it looks good. I'm still unsure I'll end up doing this plane, it depends on the quality of the MYK sheet, but I already glued in the early gun vent so I restricted my backup options anyway 🙂
9 January 2020, 15:58
Patrick HagelsteinHmmmm.... I have the FineMolds and G.W.H. kits as well but wanted to build this one as a 'simple' decal canvas. Currently I'm building their legacy Hornet and I feel what you're pointing at. Fit is good BUT you have to very cautiously align everything before even thinking of cement. And yes, that pebbly surface is a b*tch! My LHS set one aside and I'm eager to get there. Fingers crossed and close watching your build until then. 😉
On that early gun panel; those were in use during the white/gull grey and complete gull grey timeframe. Still a lot of (colorful) options if you don't want to go with the Freelancers.
9 January 2020, 23:10
PierreHaving processed all of the plastic, I feel it should be a better/easier build than the F-18, but still a lot of details are wrong/missing/need more work than you would expect for a 2020 kit.
11 January 2020, 10:07
Patrick HagelsteinHmmmm..... Good thing I'm using this as a decal canvas then.
11 January 2020, 23:54
Patrick HagelsteinI received the kit in the mail upon my return home. I see what you mean Pierre. It surely has some deficits I wouldn't expect from a new tool. Still not bad though. 🙂 On a decal note, I might have to copy you completely. BuNo 161613 was NK 205 when it crashed but the MS sheet has it as NK 201. The numbers have a yellow shadow, so I can't use the VF-33 205 that's on the same sheet. I preordered the MYK sheet for the Black Knights decals, maybe I use the Freelancers decals as well.
13 January 2020, 01:39
PierreThat sounds like the best solution, that way you can mix and match the correct outlined modex with the correct buno/tailcode for that scheme. The MYK sheet is for the later LGG scheme and it happens that the given BuNo seems like it might be wrong as well (should be 161601 Tarps according to my refs). On the other hand, the Black knight scheme looks accurate. I still haven't received it though, so I'm still hoping it's one of the good quality japanese sheets and not overly thick.
My plan is to attempt to custom mask the tailcode and use the new furball stencils to get the correct buno.
I also want to make Diamond 112 at some point and will have the same modex problem, guess it's gonna be fun trying to custom mask and spray the red outlined modex.
Regarding the kit, it's a bit of a let down but still a good option, which will get better as the price comes down. It has some strong points and can absolutely be a quick build to show off several schemes. Also, I noticed the glove vanes are provided as decals, so that's one less problem.
13 January 2020, 08:40
Patrick HagelsteinOh yeah, 61 and 62 are the glove vane outlines. I think I'll just measure those and cut slots in a piece of plastic card to use as a guide for scribing them in. Looks just that tad better to me, I guess. I worked with MYK decals before and as I remember they were fine to work with.👍
13 January 2020, 19:21
TreehuggerAh, so the front canopy piece isn't the same flawed one as in the 1:48 kit, interesting.
16 January 2020, 17:03
Calvin GiffordVery nice! I was looking to pick up the older tool Hasegawa kit and didn't realize Academy had released this new boxing! Definitely getting one ASAP!!
3 February 2020, 03:15
Patrick HagelsteinI'm currently building it and must say that I am impressed! Not as detailed and refined as the FineMolds and G.W.H. ones but definitely better buildable than the Hasegawa one.
3 February 2020, 05:55
Patrick HagelsteinLooking good! Did you encounter any problems with the two piece intakes? I had to sand and rework them quite a bit but that could be my own fault.
5 February 2020, 22:01
PierreI don't recall anything too bad other than the obvious joint work, no reshaping was needed. Could it be that the pieces are mirrored and you happened to mix up the pairs?
5 February 2020, 22:18
Patrick HagelsteinNo, I meant the join running along both sides. But you encountered the same thing, so it wasn't me misaligning the two parts. 🙂
5 February 2020, 23:03
Patrick HagelsteinGotcha! I got the seam sorted out. Wasn't as bad as I initially thought. 🙂
6 February 2020, 03:20
PierreAh right, I thought by rework you meant more than just a little sanding 🙂 In any case, you can't really see much once it's all buttoned up.
6 February 2020, 08:31
Pierre-Christian BaudruNice to see this kit looks good and easy to build. Want to see more.
6 February 2020, 09:06
Patrick HagelsteinHi Pierre, I just received the MYK decals and somehow the sheet seemed a bit strange to me. So, I looked at the Japanese instructions but somehow my Japanese isn't what it used to be. Luckily there's a link mentioned where one can find English instructions. Error code! Let's look at MYK's website.... There is an English page and it is proud to announce the novelty type of decals! Only thing is, I have no clue what is written on that site. Not being a native English speaker myself, I sometimes misunderstand English but this site leaves me absolutely flabbergasted! 😮
What I think these decals are, are the same type of Wet decals produced by HGW Models. You cut out the decal WITH the protective sheet attached and soak them in water. Apply as any other decal and rub them down. After an extensive drying time you carefully peel off the protective sheet and the decal is firmly in place on the model. At least, that's what I make of it. Either look up the HGW instructions or wrestle through MYK's version but you might need to experiment a bit before you apply them for real. Either way, good luck! 👍 😄
7 February 2020, 22:53
Patrick Hagelsteinhgwmodels.cz/en/content/18-wet-transfers
Here is how the HGW Wet Transfers should be applied.
8 February 2020, 00:07
PierreWell, that's interesting, always nice to try new things 👍 Thanks for the tips and good luck to you too, I haven't received the sheet yet so you might be the pioneer with these😉
8 February 2020, 07:36
PierreThe last paragraph on the MYK "Asu Deka" page seems to call for a softener agent, so it works probably just like the HGW transfers with Mr Softer. Hopefully that works with Microsol, because the Mr Softer I have is the neo version which has proven useless a few times already.
8 February 2020, 07:41
Patrick HagelsteinIn that case, I'll give it a try on the 205 Modex on that wing when I get back to my modeling table. 👍
8 February 2020, 21:30
Patrick HagelsteinWow! That is coming along nicely! And not to mention: quick!!! 😄
12 February 2020, 02:55
Patrick HagelsteinDid you glue the wings to the pegs or are they just stuck on?
12 February 2020, 03:03
PierreWell it all goes together really well, so it turns easily into a quick build. The wings are just slid on 🙂 The gap between wings and wing gloves is minimal, which is really satisfying compared to Hasegawa or even GWH.
12 February 2020, 08:22
PierreOh btw Patrick, I noticed yesterday this particular VF-21 scheme sported full original stencilling, including two yellow rectangles on the spine I had never seen before. The recent Furball stencil sheet appears to have those.
12 February 2020, 11:47
Martin von Schreckensteinthe top one is the TACAN aerial warning. it was only used at the beginning. I think there was a warning stencil for other antennae as well but I only saw the TACAN one (made it for my VF-1 sheet)
12 February 2020, 12:55
PierreThanks for the tip Martin. Both can be seen in that pic commons.wikimedia.or..on_(CV-64)_1984.JPEG
12 February 2020, 13:05
Patrick HagelsteinThanks for mentioning that! I have both the 1/72 Furball stencil sheet and the 1/48 Furball VF-21 sheet. I already used the 1/48 sheet as instruction for the 'no step' markings on that wing.
12 February 2020, 21:09
Patrick HagelsteinIf you look at Modex 200 in Pierre's picture you can see remnants of the black curve on the nose as seen in the cover pic.
15 February 2020, 03:54
PierreIt's a great picture indeed, you can also guess the repainted tailcode in the forefront.
15 February 2020, 13:16
Patrick HagelsteinF-14 Tomcat VF-21, VF-33 & VF-154 (Microscale 72-489, 1:72)
F-14A Tomcat `VF-21 Freelancers´ (Hasegawa 00774, 1:72)
I'm just wondering why you would go through the hassle of masking those tail codes while there are at least two ways to obtain decals for that exact paint scheme. 😮
19 February 2020, 19:06
PierreHeh, thanks mates. I just wanted to try something new. I only failed twice before I got a shape that looked somewhat right (which is definitely not the case of the Microscale sheet). It's probably much harder to replicate a proper font, or a modex... which I might have to do anyway :/
19 February 2020, 21:11
Patrick HagelsteinAlright! Now I notice how the shared N and K is much taller than the rest. I think your version does look better than the available decals! 👍
19 February 2020, 21:16
Patrick HagelsteinI found the Modexes to be quite comparable to other yellow shadowed and slanted ones. Maybe another decal set might help you out?
19 February 2020, 21:21
Patrick Hagelsteinhlj.com/1-72-scale-f..n-1994-1995-myk07276
Darnit! Out of stock!...
19 February 2020, 21:24
PierreI'll figure out something 🙂 I'm more concerned by your results with the MYK decals, gonna have to test those out at some point.
19 February 2020, 21:33
Patrick HagelsteinWIP F-14A Academy | Album by Hagel (1:72)
Not that good I'm afraid.... 😉
19 February 2020, 22:12
William O.Looking great sir! It's going to look epic in that scheme, can't wait 🙂.
20 February 2020, 04:38
PierreIt's quite tricky to get right Patrick. I ended up with a slight asymetry and I think I didn't do the upper curb correctly, but I'm still pondering whether it's worth fixing. The cones all seem different on the various pictures I've seen, and it looks the part anyway, so I might just not bother 🙂.
20 February 2020, 21:56
Patrick HagelsteinI surely believe you! I'm not looking forward to that part either... Getting stuff like this symmetrical is a real hassle but yours looks great nonetheless!
21 February 2020, 05:26
PierreIf that can be of any use to you Patrick, I used a 4mm disc to mask the front part, and I think now it was just a tad too small.
21 February 2020, 08:45
Patrick HagelsteinSo you let the MYK decal float on Micro Sol? Didn't it soften the decal?
21 February 2020, 13:26
PierreYeah, I was able to lift it again and move it slightly with a brush, it didn't melt right away. There's probably not a lot or margin for error though.
21 February 2020, 16:25
Patrick HagelsteinNiccccce!!! And those are still the MYK ones? What did I do wrong then?
22 February 2020, 23:35
PierreMaybe try another time with Microsol or Mark softer and see where that leads you.
If one seems to be stuck right away, apply more liquid underneath after lifting a corner or the whole decal. They seemed rather sturdy and there's time to deal with positioning.
Once in position, I was able to start burnishing them into creases right away with a wet cotton bud, since they stick well once most of the microsol was gone.
Also, as you said it's kinda confusing that the protection sheet falls right off when you cut the decal, but it's not used during application. This is apparently a different system than the HGW transfers. The shiny carrier film on the decal itself is what gets removed once dry. It can be tricky to find a way in to lift it but then it peels off really easily.
23 February 2020, 09:57
Patrick HagelsteinSo, reading your story about those MYK decals, I'm getting more and more convinced that I f*cked something up instead of the MYK decals being the culprit. I guess I have to give them another try on a spare part with a spare decal to see what I need to do to have them conform the way you got them working.
24 February 2020, 15:46
PierreStill on the topic of MYK decals, I did encounter the same issue as you did with an intake warning red triangle, where it got stuck, got slightly bent and started deteriorating as I was trying to lift it. So I sanded, repainted and used the kit ones, which are more accurate anyway.
Not sure what happened, so exercise caution.
28 February 2020, 18:58
Patrick HagelsteinHaven't had bench time yet, but I wanted to do a test with the 'Oop, ack, baby!' decal this weekend (that decal looks in no way like the one in pictures (or in the Fujimi kit) to see how I funked things up before and if I could practice with the Micro Sol. 'Good' to see that others experience the same difficulties.... 🙁 Nevertheless, the rest of your decal work looks great! 👍 So, which ones are MYK and which are the Cartograf/Academy ones?
28 February 2020, 19:54
PierreGood call on the decal test. I thought it happened to me because the paint was a bit rough on that spot, but your wing looked really smooth so I have no idea what's going on. Still probably a good idea to slide them in the correct position right away 😉
Also, regular scotch tape works well to lift and remove the upper film when it's hard to get with tweezers. It also works well to remove surrounding regular decals when you don't pay attention...
Used the MYK decals on the tails, fins, modex, NAVY and Buno, rest is Acad/Furball, which are much more finely printed. Found out the Furball stencil sheet is missing a couple decals present on the callout (98 and 99) and that the stabilators seemingly had yellow NO Pull/push stencils. Luckily, those are in F-14A Tomcat (Hasegawa 04037, 1:72), but as expected the sheet I have will need sunbleaching and some praying to decal gods.
28 February 2020, 22:53
Patrick HagelsteinI'll pray with you on that! Let's hit them with some UV! 👍 Good call on those yellow stencils! I'll have a look on those too!
29 February 2020, 20:28
PierreSome more decaling done. The Hasegawa sheet is being un-yellowed, some testing shows it should work fine. The sheet also has the canted modex for the wings, so that's another useful addition.
8 March 2020, 12:03
Patrick HagelsteinOoh!!! I like the way you penciled over those slime lights! I used black decal stripes, but sanded those off again as they looked too stark. Yours look dead on! 👍
8 March 2020, 14:36
PierreIt gives a decent enough result yeah, perhaps some brown or dark yellow would work even better. The 30 year old Hasegawa decals went down ok. They're not flawless though, hopefully I can blend them in better with care, a clear coat and some sanding.
8 March 2020, 20:57
PierreHappy to have completed this! Might revisit later when I haven't spent the whole previous week working on it. Will also shoot some photos with Hasegawa's kit side to side for shape comparison.
21 March 2020, 19:37
Martin von SchreckensteinExcellent result. Can't wait to get to this kit myself.
21 March 2020, 19:50
PierreThank you guys!
@Martin it's a really pleasant kit, with very few hurdles to overcome.
21 March 2020, 19:56
Neal ParkesLovely work my friend!! However I've never seen a Tomcat load out like that, I think it works really well for the model! I've seen 4 x AIM-9 + 4 x AIM-7 and that's a nice load in my opinion. But yours seems more unique. Great work all round.
21 March 2020, 20:06
PierreThanks Neal! There are a few pics of this loadout on a VF-24 bird on Wikipedia, and that asymetry just looked too cool to not go for it.
21 March 2020, 20:10
Neal ParkesPierre I agree about the cool factor of asymmetric loads, something I have a "penchant" for!! I'm trying to find those photos. Thanks for the heads up.
21 March 2020, 20:17
Martin von Schreckensteinhaha Neal, the fuel tanks are not drained symetrically anyway so you gonna be trimmin' either way
21 March 2020, 22:32
PierreThank you Mark.
Added a batch of pics that show how blue Hataka's LGG is and some shape differences with Hasegawa's kit.
A lot of Hataka's LGG coldness might also be due to the black primer, while the C315 was sprayed on grey surfacer.
21 March 2020, 23:07
Patrick HagelsteinI haven't been on Scalemates for a while (you know, busy social life and such..........ehm..........no, that wasn't the reason.....) and I definitely missed out on this photobomb! It really turned out beautiful!!! Martin, get this kit, you won't be disappointed! It's not as detailed as the GWH one, but it is a well fitting, easy to build and nonetheless very refined kit! Seeing the comparison with the Hasegawa one, you will see the fine panel lines, rivets and general shape. Especially looking at the nose, you will see the Academy kit is a bit less bulky than the Hasegawa one. The real Tomcat's forward fuselage is bulky and a bit triangular in shape, but now that both the Hasegawa and Academy kits are next to each other you can see that Academy just captures that shape a bit better. In it's own right the Hasegawa is an awesome kit, but put next to the Academy one, from now on I will choose the Academy. The only letdown for me is the huge injection mark in the aft Sparrow recess! Pierre fixed that by choosing this particular load out which covers that mark by the fourth Sparrow. I building it with Phoenix pallets installed, that mark will show up, unless addressed.
That's just the kit... Pierre, your paintwork is just awesome!!! 👍
23 March 2020, 14:45
Slavo HazuchaBeautiful clean & colorful Tomcat - is this really 72-scale? 🙂 Very nice work all over, those Aires nozzles really add a lot of detail "punch" to the aft section 👍 A lovely couple you got there, congrats!
23 March 2020, 15:01
PierreThank you Patrick and Slavo, I'm glad you both like the final result.
Patrick, I agree with your feelings about the kit. I still love the Hasegawa one for nostalgic reasons and because I prefer the finer engraving, but I already ordered another Academy cat. I used sprue goo for those fuselage pinmarks, but I think I'll go with epoxy putty next time, should be easier and cleaner. In any case, I hope you get to finish yours soon😉
23 March 2020, 15:53
Patrick HagelsteinWhen I'm done working my emails from my home office later today, I'll take the long trip to my studio (4 meters) to start working on the Cat again. I used sprue goo too for both the landing gear ejection marks and the rear Sparrow well. The landing gear ones are easy to shave/sand flush, but the Sparrow one is difficult because of the convex shape. Maybe Mr. Surfacer would heave been the easier solution here.
23 March 2020, 16:32
