This is the Academy 1/72 F-14A Tomcat, built for the F-14 ARC groupbuild. 

I built this kit almost Out of the Box. Some minor modifications were the additions of the steps, overhead ejection handles replaced and the additions of seat belts and mirror.

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Decals come from Repliscale, which depicts VF-191 Satan’s Kitten. I built this one as a tribute to the “lesser known” Tomcat squadron. Other decals come from either the kit or Superscale. 

Some purists might complain that the leading edges of the tail section shouldn’t be painted silver. I know this and I don’t care. I like my Cats with silver leading edges and full stencils ! 

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The kit’s fitting is mostly good, some putty required but these are at normal places (i.e where every Tomcat kit requires). The instrument panels are decal, so I closed the canopy. The canopy hinge is not correct, but I left is as it is. 

Paints are mostly Humbrol, while acrylics and pastels are used for weathering.

Overall, an enjoyable build.

Cheers,

Iwan