VF-213 F-14 tomcat

Holger Kranich
You havnt rescribed anything on this Cat? I had this kit as a boy and cannot remember if it had raised or recessed panellines or a mix, like the Tamiya one. When i see your model, the greed in me arises to build this one again!😢

Bill Gilman
Very nice indeed! Aren't there some aftermarket accessories for the canopy and nose?

Holger Kranich
I'm sure Bill, but maybe not back then?

Matt Wohlford
No rescribing. This kit does have its flaws - most noticeably a fat nose, squashed windscreen, but it has nice engraved panel lines.

Gareth Windsor
Can't believe I missed this Matt. You have done a great job. I am building the same model at the moment and you are not wrong about the nose and cockpit. I am squeezing in the Eduard kit and have to cut quite a bit away, as for fitting the aircrew, I'm not too sure how much of their rear ends I can remove. Did you have any other issues with the kit that might help me out to know? Oh, and which jet exhausts did you use?

Clifford Keesler
Very nice Tomcat indeed. I like Gareth also have this kit and will be using the Tamiya F-14A PE set also.

Choppa Nutta
nicely done, like the cockpit 🙂

one question though, why the different exhaust nozzles ?
they look like two different types, the contour type on the left and the straight pipe type on the right,
is this something they experimented with on the full size ?

Clifford Keesler
Choppa, when the real F-14 shuts down it's engines, one nozzle will be closed and one will be open, unless both engines are shut down at the same time.

Choppa Nutta
do they remain like that even at rest as depicted ?
I'm not picking knits or anything but I have never come across this detail before.
Whats weird to me is the completely different contouring of each nozzle, can the straight one really transform into such a radical S cross section ?

Normally, I thought, the nozzles adjusted in a conical mode.....

I have a feeling my ignorance is about to be elevated 😄

Clifford Keesler
Yes they remain that way statically, The S shaped one is what the nozzle loos like when fully closed, idle power or power off, the other one is fully open, full military power of afterburner. I know it blew my mind the first time I ever saw one like that to. So yes it is the real thing.

Choppa Nutta
Weird !!!!!!!
whats the thinking behind that I wonder ?
and how does it do such a wild transformation, what are the mechanics behind that I wonder ?
Dome kind of opposing plate tensioners with a flexible membrane for S curve bit ??

Anyhow, correct or not it looks damn strange to me !
Anyhow, cheers for the details 🙂

Bill Gilman
I believe it's always the port nozzle that is closed when the engines are shut down on the F-14A.

[img1]

This page explains why - scroll down to the section about the nozzle parking position:

anft.net/f-14/f14-detail-engine.htm

Choppa Nutta
cheers Bill 🙂

Choppa Nutta
good article, explains the convoluted systems of the F14 quite clearly

Ulf Petersen
Very nice cat, Matt!👍 Oops! I am a poet!😮

Clifford Keesler
Thanks for sharing Bill. I did not how it worked, just that it did.

Choppa Nutta
Yeah, this is what I love about SCM ! the learning 🙂
A good understanding of how things work really helps to depict such models properly in my view