Author Topic: TTomcat's Tomcats  (Read 22497 times)

Offline Tophe

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #50 on: February 16, 2015, 12:51:31 PM »
I used some color shifting nail polish to create a "window" on the made to fit windscreen from a seperate (revellogram) Tomcat kit
I am not sure I understand all, but this seems to be a pefect camo: your model is almost impossible to discover visually among the windows of my computer's sceen. If this was real, I would be a dead enemy! ;)

Offline mrvr6

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #51 on: February 16, 2015, 05:24:16 PM »
them jeans just look flat out wierd lol the women has a lovely bum though ;)

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #52 on: February 19, 2015, 08:18:23 AM »
Your work on the windscreen really came out a treat, Mr Tomcat!

Nice to see a photo of another happy feline as well.

Brian da Basher

Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #53 on: February 22, 2015, 08:58:20 AM »
Thank you for the comments everyone it means a lot! I am basically calling the Fujimi one done and I hope to post more finished photos in a group shot. I really appreciate so many creative people following along and taking the time to share their thoughts  :)

them jeans just look flat out wierd lol the women has a lovely bum though ;)


I am committed to quality in all aspects  :)

Monogram F-14

Quote
When this kit came out in the 1980’s, it was a quantum leap over any other Tomcat on the market. The detail was outstanding in an injection molded kit. This kit has been much-maligned in recent years, but comparing to modern moldings is unfair. This is one of my favorite kits, and I’ve built over 50 of them in my modeling years.

Cockpit (A-): The cockpit is extremely well executed. While not perfect, it stool looks great after some painting and dry-brushing. At the very least, it looks “busy”. The GRU-7 seats were better than any other kit seat on the market, and they still look decent even by today’s standards.

Shape (A-): The Monogram kit, like most from this company, captures the lines and look of the Tomcat very nicely. The nose on recent reissues has shown it’s age and taken on a Coke-bottle look, but 5 minutes with a sanding stick and it’s taken care of.

Surface Detail (B+): The raised lines are excellent and mostly correct. The nozzles are decent, although the burner cans are a bit shallow and narrow. The only thing that could make the surface detail better would be if the lines were engraved.

Fit (C): One thing Monogram is not known for is great fit. The Tomcat is no exception. The parts break-down leaves one scratching their head, wondering just what the kit designers were thinking. The intake/fuselage fit needs copious amounts of filler, and the engine tunnel/lower fuselage fit leaves a sizeable step, needing lots of filling and sanding. Some short-cuts can be taken that help these areas, though, and the fit is not insurmountable.

Ordnance (A-): This kit contains some of the best, if not the best, AIM-9’s on the market. They are outstanding. The AIM-7’s are attached to the pylon, which makes painting hard. There are also no external fuel tanks. Overall it’s a very good set of ordnance.

Pros: Great detail, low price, outstanding ordnance.

Cons: No fuel tanks, wheels aren’t correct, no ECM blisters for Block 135, fit is tough.

Overall Score: 7.5/10


From Darren's review

http://www.finescale.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/1/5/a/fsm-tc1106.pdf

Here is the PDF by the same author with excellent build tips that I incorporated (for the most part) entirely in construction

I originally wanted to go from "worst to first" and that worked for the first two Tomcats in this thread. But I hit a snag. I have the Italeri Kit, but I don't really have a plan for it yet. I don't possess the Academy Tomcat either (soon). So that meant it was time for Monogram (Now Revell, AKA "revellogram") Tomcat.

The other reason I skipped ahead is I wanted to do a certain style on this that would mean brush painting. Having built a few Revellogram Tomcats before, I knew that a lot of the sanding was going to demolish surface detail forward of the intakes. So I decided that hand painting this one would be best as big globs of paint couldn't eliminate fine surface detail! So the scheme is stylized. I want it to look like a painting specifically like the Star Wars Clone Wars series on CN:





The idea on the show is it looks like the Original Star Wars concept art paintings from way back in the 1970s by Ralph McQuarrie.

Lastly I have a few unfinished Revellogram Tomcats and I was able to "Frankenstein" 3 of them in various states of construction to create one and get started faster: That still meant lots of clamping and cursing










Affixing intakes (blanked with Sheet Styrene)



And a primer Coat and we are ready for paint!
"They know you can do anything, So the question is, what don't you do?"

-David Fincher

Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #54 on: February 24, 2015, 05:27:35 AM »
[quote name='falcon20driver' timestamp='1424567455' post='2691232']
Awesome work!
[/quote]

Thanks!

Update!

(be warned there are a lot of images)







USSR underside blue was the first color on. Remember, streaks and noticeable brush strokes in this case are a great thing!





NYC Jade Green on





Napelonic Purple.

Now if at this point, you are looking at this and thinking "How do I tell him that looks terrible?" You are not the only one with those thoughts. I don't think I can recall a time when I did this much painting, took a step back and thought "That just looks awful" Its streaky, there are no straight lines, whole sections look missed, and overall it looks like a 5 year old did it!  Normally when I build it takes me forever to make up my mind, but when its made the path is clear. I don't normally have second thoughts, but this is looking like a disaster.
"They know you can do anything, So the question is, what don't you do?"

-David Fincher

Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #55 on: February 24, 2015, 05:57:16 AM »
I sat down and started masking. I knew there was going to be a lot of it. What I didn't know was how to go about the next step. The tricky thing about brush painting (for me at least) is its not very friendly to masks. In my mind its like asking for paint to run under, and when it does it can really do a number depending on just how far it seeps under the mask. I knew I wanted the color to be Prussian Blue, but I knew I couldn't hand paint it, and I don't have an airbrush its been packed in anticipation of a move. It was going to have to be a rattle bomb. But what color? It was going to have to be darker for this method to work but the only blues I had were lighter than the Prussian blue I planned to use, so that meant black. Luckily after I masked it and checking the array of rattle bomb for a 3rd time I found a Dark Blue... but little did I know





All told it was about 3-4 hours of masking for the whole model. Spray cans have terrible over spray so you have to be super thorough. I took a few breaks to stretch here and there. Considering how well my last masking project went I was getting tense.

I try to waste no time between masking and painting, and as I descended to the paint booth/garage I could actually feel my anxiety rising, and that does not usually happen to me.



I started to spray the dark blue and in all my years of spray painting Ive never had a "runaway" can, but this one did. I took my finger off and it kept spraying! I pulled the nozzle off to stop it. My plan of course was multiple slow build coats, but now the can was spraying all or none. I kept with it, gave it time flipped it over and then did the other side. It was going to be a while before I knew how the masks had worked. The plan was to give it a coupld days to ensure the paint dried, then start stippling and brushing (almost dry brushing) the Prussian blue over it, and then removing all the masks. If I check before brushing it would mean I would have to remask to hand brush the Prussian Blue. So once again I had to do another step before I would know if it was even worth it.



Finally after another hour of brush painting the moment of truth and I removed the masks:











Not perfect, but very very good. Here are some of the places it didn't go so great:






Overall though, i think it looks excellent. It doesn't look like a 5 year old did it now! Better yet, the touch ups in this case don't have to be perfect, or seamless --in fact they only add to the style (not that I'm a huge fan of touch ups.)
"They know you can do anything, So the question is, what don't you do?"

-David Fincher

Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #56 on: February 24, 2015, 06:25:17 AM »
Interesting colour choices.

Maybe you have come across this before, but to get masking tape down into the crevices and tight around curves to stop paint creep I use one of these type of tools

it is a ball burnisher for dry decal letters, gold leaf etc.
Pretty much available and any craft shop.

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #57 on: March 01, 2015, 01:25:39 AM »
A few little touch-ups and Bob's your uncle, Mr Tomcat!

No, I have no idea who Bob is, sorry. I have even less of an idea if you want him as a relative...

Getting back to the subject at hand, that's one eye-popping scheme that I'm sure will get you a multitude of accolades!

Brian da Basher

Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #58 on: March 24, 2015, 12:40:14 AM »





I did the top and the bottom of the model differently. On the bottom I put a small spot White Oil paint spot and then blended it into clouds. You can see this best in the picture above, the Nacelle at the top of the photo has been done, the one closer to the bottom is the "before"



A look at the Top of the wing. I took oil paint and mixed it with the original color. The Goal is a finish that looks like an oil painting.



contrasting before and after. The left side has the Lt Blue+ white oil paint applied, the left does not (Kind of hard to show this in pictures!) Much easier to see on the Tailfins:







Hopefully this shows it better (I need a newer, better Camera!)



Mask, paint, repeat. doing this with brush painting, so I don't have to mask nearly as much.



I added a small piece of blue confetti that reflects. I also sanded off all the framing on the Windscreen. Its just one solid piece now. You can also see the landing gear fitted. painted Euro I Dark Grey, with the bright blue hubs. Getting closer to the Finish line, and just in time!!  :o
"They know you can do anything, So the question is, what don't you do?"

-David Fincher

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #59 on: March 24, 2015, 07:15:28 AM »
Wow yet more amazing paintwork!

Masking always terrifies me and I feel lucky if the model doesn't look like it's bleeding to death when I peel off all the tape.

You've demonstrated that with patience, the end result can be stunning!

Brian da Basher

Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #60 on: March 26, 2015, 09:59:54 PM »
Wow yet more amazing paintwork!

Masking always terrifies me and I feel lucky if the model doesn't look like it's bleeding to death when I peel off all the tape.

You've demonstrated that with patience, the end result can be stunning!

Brian da Basher

Thanks BdaB!







Masking a sci-fi symbol. Planets in motion? Well 3 out of 4 anyway! The paint peeled off with the mask on one of them. But I am still happy with it.
"They know you can do anything, So the question is, what don't you do?"

-David Fincher

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #61 on: March 28, 2015, 05:26:08 AM »
I'd call that yet another astonishing feat of masking!

Way cool symbol and that little bit of red works like a charm.

Brian da Basher

Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #62 on: August 02, 2016, 04:03:16 AM »
This project is not dead, just on hold. about half of the F-14 kits out there have the forward fuselage/cockpit section seperately, but interestingly, all start in different places. Some comparisons:



From Top to Bottom

Italeri

Hasegawa

Fujimi

(Not shown: Hobbyboss, because I forgot I had one in the stash)




Left to Right: Italeri, Hasegawa, Fujimi

Same arrangement, different view:



Italeri is closest, Hase in the middle, Fujimi farthest away

Lastly the Fuselages:



Left to Right Italeri, Hasegawa, Fujimi. Italeri might be the most interesting as they actually have their split within the canopy/cockpit itself rather than aft of it. One of the reasons I started this whole endeavor was to see and learn the differences like this, as the whiffing potential is huge! Knowing which front can be kit bashed best is important  :)


"They know you can do anything, So the question is, what don't you do?"

-David Fincher

Offline apophenia

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Re: TTomcat's Tomcats
« Reply #63 on: August 02, 2016, 10:48:18 AM »
Thanks taiidant' ... I love kit comparison views like that!  :)
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