Completed : Academy 1/72 Grumman F-14B Tomcat ‘VF-103 Jolly Rogers’
Kit InfoBrand: Academy 12563Scale: 1/72Media: StyreneMarkings: Fightertown Decals 72004 + Kit stencils The SubjectIn 1987, the Grumman F-14A received its first major upgrade in the form of the F-14A+. The original TF30 engines were replaced with the F110, which provided a significant increase in performance, range...
WIP : Academy 1/72 F-14B Tomcat Pt.2 – Painting & Finishing
Painting a weathered F-14 is always challenging but fun. The key I think is to build up the effects layer by layer. I began with a base coat of black with the marble coating using white and brown. Note I avoided the panel lines and have kept them black except for areas in the rear …...
WIP : Academy 1/72 F-14B Tomcat Pt.1 – Construction
Another year, another Tomcat. This time it’s the much talked about new mold F-14 from Academy. It’s been getting raves around the community. Hopefully it lives ups to the hype and I can retire my old Hasegawa kits. First impressions though is somewhat disappointing as Academy has chosen to simply re-use the boxart from the...
Completed : Hasegawa 1/72 McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II
Build 07 of 2021...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-4J Phantom II Pt.3 – Finishing
BuNo 155800 NG-100, an F-4J, callsign Showtime 100, from VF-96 Fighting Falcons, was the aircraft flown by Pilot Lt. Randall ‘Duke’ Cunningham and RIO Lt. (jg) William ‘Willy Irish’ Driscoll when they scored their third, fourth and fifth kills to be the Navy’s only two ‘Aces’ of the Vietnam War....
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-4J Phantom II Pt.2 – Painting
Instead of stripping the pebbly paint I decided to simply sand and buff smooth as much as I can. I could only do the best for the hard to reach areas like the inside of the inner pylons though. I also tried to improve the fit of the canopy onto the fuselage. This kit really …...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-4J Phantom II Pt.1 – Construction
One of my oldest Shelf Queens, I started this kit in 2008 and had never finished it beyond the start of painting. I figured I should finally finish it up. My initial cockpit work from 2008. Belts were done with masking tape. The F-4J doesn’t have the arrowhead reinforcement plates on the stabilizers. These were …...
Preview : 1/72 F-4 Phantom II kit comparison (Fine Molds, Fujimi and Hasegawa)
The fine folks at Fine Molds have a reputation of superbly done kits and the latest kit in their quiver is the F-4 Phantom II, the first versions (the Japanese EJ and EJ Kai) of which were released in December 2019. With this new kit in my hands, I now have F-4 kits from four …...
Completed : Fujimi 1/72 Douglas A-4F Skyhawk
Kit Info Brand: Fujimi F-24 Scale: 1/72 Media: Styrene Markings: Superscale 72-828 The Subject The Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas) A-4 Skyhawk is a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft originally developed for the US Navy and US Marine Corps. While relatively lightweight, it was nimble, had a top speed of more than...
WIP : Fujimi 1/72 A-4F Skyhawk Pt. 2 – Construction, Painting & Finishing
Work continues with the smaller details that need to be addressed. First up is the mis-molded tailhook which eventually broke during my handling during construction. I cut off the tailhook bar and replaced it with 0.5mm plastic rod instead. I drilled a hole into the actuator side and inserted the rod to get a more …...
