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Grumman's F-14
Tomcat, arguably the finest carrier-based fighter-interceptors in the world, has
adorned US Navy carrier decks for roughly 30 years now. Having been one of the
last squadrons to transition over to the Tomcat from the F-4 Phantom, VF-154
BLACK KNIGHTS is currently one of the few remaining squadrons still operating
the "A" model Tomcat, as the venerable F-14 is slowly replaced by the
F-18E/F Super (slow) Hornet.
Hasegawa's 1/48 scale model is truly an impressive rendition of this aircraft.
Although plagued by a few minor fit problems, it still remains the very best
incarnation of the Tomcat in this scale. This particular variant was a special
edition (SP 82) depicting the F-14As of the Black Knights
and Freelancers aboard USS Independance circa '93-'94.
I built this
particular model some 8 years ago when my building skills were still in need of
sharpening, and it shows on the finished model. Nevertheless, it's one of
my all-time favourites, and I still consider it a fair build for my 3rd model
aircraft.
Though VF-154 never
did (and probably never will) operate the B version, I always felt that the
Tomcat had been somewhat cheated by the less-than-stellar performance of the A
version's P & W TF-30 engines. Consequently, I felt compelled to convert my
model to B spec and explore what might have been.
Among the many
subtle mods to this kit, the first was to replace the kit's cockpit seats &
canopy rails with Verlinden's cockpit update set; I also replaced the coamings
& instrument panels with parts from a Revell kit, as I felt that their shape
and look were somewhat superior. The B-series GE engines were cannibalized from
another Hasegawa Tomcat, but the bulged dielectric fairing on the nosegear door
and wing gloves were all made from scratch unsing styrene rod.
Weapons: the
Sidewinders were taken from the Revell kit from which I used the coamings, while
the Sparrows are resin & PE types taken from a Verlinden F-18 update set;
only the Phoenix missiles on the undercarriage are Hasegawa. The Sidewinder tip
covers are scratchbuilt, while all the "Remove Before Flight" tags are
Verlinden.
In addition, extensive plumbing on the landing gear and in the wheel-wells was
meticulously added with metal wire, while the inside of the engine nozzles were
detailed using styrene sheet.
In all, the only
disappointment I have with the model is with the paint job: the airbrush I'd
used at the time didn't allow for very fine work, and as a result, some of the
paint patchwork is a little too diffused for this scale. Otherwise, I was quite
pleased with the build of the model, and though there were a few fit problems
with the main gear wheel
wells and the intake trunks, I can honestly say that some of the horror stories
regarding poor fit are greatly exaggerated; a superb kit and highly-recommended
for the Tomcat officionado.
| At right, a
close-up view of the port-side fuselage/cockpit: this is a particularly
scruffy-looking area of the aircraft, as it is constantly accesed by
pilots & flight crew: weathering on the kit was achieved by applying
chalk pastels with a Q-tip, combined with minor paint touch-ups airbrushed
using a different tone of tactical grey.
John
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Click on
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