Parabat Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 VF-31's '110', BuNo 519618 as she was at the beginning of OIF in 2003. I used the Hobby Boss 1/48 F-14D, TwoBobs 'Felix in the Fight' decals, Humbrol enamels, W&D Studio pitot and AOA probe, Eduard canopy mask (Godsend!), a GBU-12 donated from a Rafale kit and a really cheap airbrush. My aspiration was to use as little AM as possible to show what a great kit this is, in my opinion it is superb. It has one or two idiosyncrasies, but still offers a superb amount of value and is a great fitting kit which allows you to make a good looking 'Cat out of the box. I chose not to fill all the rivets, as I don't mid them. I added small touches here and there to improve the kit, but all was done using what's in the modelling box (wire etc). Sit back and enjoy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimz66 Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Great work. Just super. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Thanks Jim! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JesniF-16 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Wow great job! Nice weathering and I love that scheme :thumbsup:/> The exhausts and engine farings look great straight OOB.... /Jesse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Thanks Jesni, Yeah the exhausts are awesome. The petals do need the ring they're stuck to trimming down in order to stick to the shrouds, but it's a sweet deal OOB. The failings are a little 'plain', but with a little creative paint masking and drilling the two holes out, it looks great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zark Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 GGGrrrreat model in every aspect!!!...Well Done! One question...how do you compare it to the Hasegawa offering? If you had a choice which one would you choose? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 (edited) GGGrrrreat model in every aspect!!!...Well Done! One question...how do you compare it to the Hasegawa offering? If you had a choice which one would you choose? Ha ha ha, the million dollar question... First, Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I'm going to ruffle a few tail feathers here - I would choose this again for a F-14D build any day. The fixes needed are small, the fit is super and the details great. Granted, the spurious rivets and some wayward panels upset many, but with the prices you can now get these at, I feel the OOB detail means you don't need AM to any great extent. Edited August 28, 2013 by Parabat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Parabat, just an impressive OOB build. Outstanding paint scheme and weathering. I like to use the phrase: Used but not abused, and your build is certainly that. It's really nice to see an OOB build that looks this good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Joel, thanks for your very complimentary comments, I think it's always a very hard battle to attain the subtlety yet maintain the impact, which is what I've tried to achieve here. (Great Grumman avatar BTW!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 A few extra pictures taken in the sunlight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dryguy Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 (edited) That is absolutely outstanding. I can see you have corrected the area where the alpha probe meets the radome; it makes the model look much better. Love it!!! :thumbsup:/> And I think I agree with you regarding the HB vs Has argument; your build is proof of just how good this kit can look. Edited August 31, 2013 by dryguy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 Thanks for the comment dryguy, glad you like her and approve of the fix. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
afterburner Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 (edited) The rivets don't bother me either, Parabat. I have this kit in the stash, but haven't had the brass to build it. Mainly because I'm scared to tackle something scaled down from a Trumpter kit. Maybe it's time? I'm not a huge AM guy either, usually limited to decals. I have been thinking if a VF-2 bird, always liked the Bounty Hunters. Excellent job, sir. Edited October 4, 2013 by afterburner Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted October 4, 2013 Author Share Posted October 4, 2013 The rivets don't bother me either, Parabat. I have this kit in the stash, but haven't had the brass to build it. Mainly because I'm scared to tackle something scaled down from a Trumpter kit. Maybe it's time? I'm not a huge AM guy either, usually limited to decals. I have been thinking if a VF-2 bird, always liked the Bounty Hunters. Excellent job, sir. Thanks for your kind words. This is definitely a good kit to get going on. Not as tricky as the Hasegawa F-14 and with super detail oob, you can't go wrong on my opinion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
afterburner Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 Thanks for your kind words. This is definitely a good kit to get going on. Not as tricky as the Hasegawa F-14 and with super detail oob, you can't go wrong on my opinion. So I got mine out today, counted 20+ trees of plastic. Not sure I'll use the vinyl tires, did you? May start this one soon once I track down the decals, thought the lure of those Lions on the nose is pretty strong! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Combat Zero Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Nice skills Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 So I got mine out today, counted 20+ trees of plastic. Not sure I'll use the vinyl tires, did you? May start this one soon once I track down the decals, thought the lure of those Lions on the nose is pretty strong! Sorry for late reply, just had a look on this thread again. Yes I did use the vinyl tires, though I have bought some of the excellent looking resin wheels by Wheelliant for future builds after reading some of the vinyl wheel horror stories! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Nice skills Thanks Ace. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exhausted Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I love the coating you put on the bombs. May I ask the technique? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Parabat Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Sure, I wouldn't recommend this though as it has the potential to go wrong! I masked off what I could, leaving the bomb body exposed. I then applied some Revell Contacta and then stippled the then gloopy surface with the bristles of an old toothbrush. It worked ok-ish, but in future I will use Mr Surfacer 500. Same again, mask and apply, then stipple. I just think it will be a bit more controllable with Mr Surfacer. Here's a link to a South African modeller's approach to the ablative coating in 1/32 - sugar. Might not work that well in 1/48 though.(might need to scroll down a bit) http://www.saairforce.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6634&start=45 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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