Subject: Re: Gallery submission: jets
From: "Steve Bamford" <[email-masked]>
To: "Renaissance Art Models" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 10:31:44 -0800

----- Original Message -----
From: "Renaissance Art Models" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 1:44 PM
Subject: Gallery submission: jets

Gallery Template #13

This template is for modelers that want to custom create their article.
Copy and paste any of the "image placement boxes" below as much as you
want to create any article configuration you want.  Limit yourself to no
more than 26 photos per article, but to use more photos you have to
supply more text to keep things balanced.  If you use higher numbers of
photos, then your article will be using smaller "thumbnail photos", so
it will be common for you to use 3 or 4 thumbnail photos side by side
and not using the 2 thumbnail photos side by side as much.  Try to limit
your article to 2 or 3 full sized photos.  Gray frames are to help you
visualize the raw HTML code.  These gray frames will be removed when I
load your article to ARC.  Remember to indicate where each photo
goes....01.jpg goes here....02.jpg goes here etc etc.

"1/48 Hasegawa F-14 INDEPENDANCE"

by "(Captain) John F. Moscato"
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Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here

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 prolems 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. Click on image below
to see larger image

Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 03.jpg

Click on images below to see larger images

Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 04.jpg

  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 05.jpg

Click on images below to see larger images

Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 06.jpg

  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 07.jpg

 Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 08.jpg

Click on images below to see larger images

Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 09.jpg

 Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 10.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 10.jpg

 Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 11.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 11.jpg

 Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 12.jpg
here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of
photo 12.jpg

Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 14.jpg here

Photos and text © 2003 by "John F. Moscato"

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