F-14 kits, reviews, comparisons, and Shin's

[David Hingtgen]

If you only care about Shin's F-14, skip down to the next post.

Well I spent pretty much the entire day going over my new 1/72 Hase F-14D. I'm going to try to keep this post orderly, but I'm almost certain to ramble a bit. Think it'll be easiest just to go front to back on the kits, then talk about Shin's at the end. From now until the end, Fujimi and Hasegawa will be abbr. as Fuji and Hase, or F and H if I get tired. Specifically referenced kits are the Fuji F-14D Bounty Hunters, and the Hase F-14D Bounty Hunters. They are both the most recent releases from each company. Most comments are for F-14's in general, but I'll denote when it's variant-specific.

Other people's comments/reviews (I'll refer back to these on how to "fix" any major problem, rather than retype what they say):

Fuji F-14A buildup: http://www.xs4all.nl/~designer/models/f14/f14.htm

Fuji F-14A+/B review: http://www.topedge.com/alley/models/f14bmfua.htm

Big long comprehensive Hase F-14 series review/buildup: http://www.topedge.com/alley/models/f14mhase.htm

0. Overall comments/build. The Hase has more fine, accurate scribing. Rivets, and zig-zag/hinge lines. Fuji has either squares or circles, nothing more complex than that, but it is nice and recessed. Honestly, the Fuji reminds me of most 80's Hase kits, panel-line-wise, while the Hase F-14 looks like the best Hase's ever done, surpassing any other release the past 10 years. So while the Fuji's fine, the Hase's is spectacular. I plan to get a Hase Super Hornet very soon, their newest jet, but from what I've seen it's got nothing on their F-14.

0B. Upper fuselage shape is identical, for how it's broken down. Forward fuselage similar, as is the rear fuselage/boattail. It's the lower part/intakes that it's different. Hase is like every other F-14 kit out there--a bit lower fuselage with the engine area molded in, with 2 big intakes that go from the very tip of the intake, back to where the big "NAVY" lettering is on the fuselage. Fuji is unique, but I do like it a lot, fit/putty-wise. No separate lower fuselage, just parts. Left glove underside, right glove underside, center tunnel underside, and the intake/engines. Intake/engines are split left/right, all the way from intake tip to exhaust nozzle. But they line up nicely, and there's no engine/intake area seam. There is a seam running straight back on a curved area from the wing sweep area to the nozzle, right above the h.stab. Hase has a zig-zag here. Pick which style you want to putty!

1. Nosecone. Fuji is more F-14-esque.

2. Cockpit. Well, Hase's is more accurate and detailed, hands down, by far. Like 5 different subtle panel variations, with 2-layer photoetched panels and ejection seat handles. And etched vents for the sidewalls. But the seats themselves--Fuji's are better. I notice the forward cockpit coamings (the shrounds above the instrument panels) are very differently shaped and sized between the two kits. Can't really find good photos at the moment to say who's right. (the RIO's are nigh-identical, either one fits on either kit)

2B. F-14D cockpit: Fuji doesn't do it, period. Hase: Got all the panels and seats right, but didn't do the new control sticks, nor a LANTIRN side-stick for the RIO. Hase RIO panel fits in Fuji coaming fine, and the Hase pilot's panel comes with a new pilot coaming, which will fit in a Fuji cockpit. (There's a gap, but it's on an utterly flat section--just fill with like .020 strip)

3. Forward fuselage. Muzzle opening on all are too large, but Fuji's is worse. For the gunvents, Hase (and Revell, btw) has a large section cut out of the fuselage, and offers various (flash-encrusted) panels to fill the gaps. Fuji has late and early forward fuselages for the major differences, and single small gaps with a single panel to get the exact variation. (Thus 2 fuselages but 3 panels for all variations, whereas Hase has 1 fuselage but 5 panels). Hase splits the forward fuselage/main fuselage right across the middle of the sparrow troughs, keeping the nosewell whole. Fuji keeps the sparrows troughs intact, but splits the nosewell area where the front and rear nose doors split.

3B. That is generally considered the biggest problem in all F-14 kits, and especially the new-mold Hase's. It is inherently difficult to align this section in any kit, but the Hase is really sad here. Check the review link up above.

4. Midfuselage, upper. Hase includes blanked-off heat exhanger vents as an option. No idea why, even YF-14's had them installed. And so do A's and B's and D's. Anyways, here's one of the few places I can note a real difference. The bypass duct opening on the Hase are much wider than Fuji's. And Fuji's right. (this is the big slot on top of the intakes visible from above the plane). However, Fuji has the forward part of the intakes themselves slightly too far away from the fuselage. 1 or 2 mm too far. But when it should be like 3mm, 1 or 2 more is noticeable. But the openings are right.

5. Midfuselage, lower. AKA the wing gloves. Not much to say, both are nice. Both companies mold on the "shoulder" ECM antenna, which is only on say 1/2 of Tomcats. (very common on B/D's though). Hase's is much more blended but is more of a "blob", Fuji's is more accurately shaped like an antenna, but too defined--should blend. They're equal, just in totally different ways. Hase's nav lights are much more accurate. The Hase split the main gear bay up a lot here, Fuji is one (rather featureless) piece.

6. Midfuselage, intakes. Already explained a bit above, more in detail here. Both have all the intake ramps up, but the Hase has the bypass ramp down thus showing some struts and such. There's a lot of ramp positions possible, but when shutdown, the ramps are all down. As they are, the Fuji is for subsonic speed, the Hase for low supersonic speeds. Think about wingsweep implications. (Very, very, very few people go to the work of lowering the intake ramps for shutdown or high-speed flight--just assume it's taxiing or something)

6B. Hase has full intake ducting. Not accurate, but it goes fairly smoothly from a rectangular intake to a circular fan---plenty good enough for me, shape-wise. But have fun filling the half-dozen seams. Fuji's got nothing, just your standard "fan in a bulkhead" and you will need to remove a rather visible mounting pin. But, due to the intakes being built completely differently, you can easily fill any seam, since you can access it from above prior to installation. (I plan to just putty in a small transition from the intake to the fan, just to eliminate the right-angle inside---in the Fuji, you can actually install the fan after you install/putty the intake) Intakes are probably the biggest difference between the two kits, both in design and detail. And like cockpits, intakes are the current "trend" in jet modelling--as in, that's what everyone tends to focus on, and spend time/money making it perfect. But I have always gone for the external shape of the plane above all else--the silhouette, basically.

7. Ventral fins, h.stabs, v.stabs are nigh-identical between them, though the Hase offers very early v.stabs as an option. (Which I'll put on a Fuji A for my Wolfpack VF-1). Hase v.stabs strike me as being slightly more accurate--about 1mm taller and thinner, a degree or two more vertical. Fuji's fit better though. (Just assume all Fuji parts fit better, I'll tell you if there's an exception)

8. Engines! The big huge main difference between F-14 variants. Both offer nice A-style engines and fairings. Now on to THE thing about Tomcat kits:

8B. GE engines. F-14A+, F-14B, F-14D. I'll just refer to D's, since that's what the kits are, but applies to A+/B's, too. Anyways--D's are completely different, basically aft of the h.stabs' pivot-point. (It's a great reference point for Tomcats, it never varies, and is easy to see, since the stabs always pivot leading-edge-up when the plane's parked). Hmmn, will actually need pics for this.

Here's an A:

And here's a D:

Ok, on the pic of the A, see where the grey stops and the bare metal stops? That is the exact line where A's and D's start becoming different. In the drawing below (of an A, from below) I've marked this area in grey. Note it's a series of squares, arranged in a ring around the engine.

Ok, so aft of that is the end of the afterburner duct. Blue here. Note it's made of many long rectangular plates, with a smaller series of plates at the aft end.

Then the actual nozzle. Red. Small plates, then larger plates.

Now, the vast, vast majority of F-14B/D kits like to simply stick a new nozzle, right where the old one was. Very, very wrong.

First, GE-engined ones have new fairings on the engine sides. Highlighted in yellow in the diagram, and very visible in the pics above--they go on the sides of the afterburner ducts. Viewed from the side, an A's fairing tapers above and below, and the rear is rounded, and doesn't get all the way to the nozzle itself.

B/D fairings are much more square, with little/no taper on the top and bottom edges. They reach right across the burner duct to the edge of the nozzle. However, the fairings themselves are not any longer, the duct is shorter!

Long story how/why, but the burner duct on GE ones are 11 inches shorter, and thus the fairing can fully cover its lenght. Thus also means the nozzle is mounted 11 inches forward of the A's nozzle.

The burner duct is also nearly featureless, not made of separate plates, and doesn't taper as much---an A's burner is rather conical, a B/D's is only SLIGHTLY conical. (Difference is subtle, but is there). Look at the pic above--it's just a smooth black short section of tubing, basically. There are 3 rows of itty-bitty rivets on the lower half, and that's it.

Now, the Fuji F-14B/D is just wrong in this area. (We'll talk about Shin's further below--I think I'll make it a separate post at this point). Anyways--the Hase is VERY close, but not quite right. They did give a new fairing and squared it---but it still tapers too much, and is too long. It's too long because they made the new, smooth GE burner duct as long as an A's. Because of the slight taper of the burner duct, that makes the new nozzles slightly too small (since it's too long, the duct thus narrows a bit more than it should). (maybe only 1mm, but that'll come up in a moment).

Ok, so the Hase has new nozzles, new fairings, and new burner ducts, but they're all SLIGHTLY off. (Enough that I notice).

The big thing is, the Hase GE nozzles suck. Bad. The closed nozzles are full of interior sinkholes, protrusions, and are featureless inside. The open nozzles are made up of 6 segments of 2 nozzle-petals each. Each petal has 2 sinkholes and 1 ejector pin mark. (or viceversa). And no interior detail.

However, the Fujimi GEnozzles are flawless, and have interior details and scribing. (And better exterior details too) They are also slightly larger.

Sooooo, for my F-14B's and D's (I need at least 2, probably 4, maybe 6)---I plan to just fill in the Fujimi's burner-duct scribing with putty, and sand smooth. I will use the Fujimi nozzles, for they are FAR better, and slightly larger (which is right). Yes, they will be too far aft, being attached to an A's burner duct---but so are the Hase's, and AFAIK that means (unless someone scratcbuilt a duct) no 1/48 or 1/72 F-14B/D ever has the correct length duct. And the difference is only like 3mm in 1/72. (And with the fairings being lengthened to match, it looks right, even if its wrong).

As for the fairings---I don't know if I will tediously sand off the Fuji fairings and attach "almost the right shape" Hase's (which will be the right lenght, since at this point both kits have A-length ducts), or just putty-sculpt my own REALLY squared-off ones directly onto the Fuji. I'll probably go with the Hase's, simply because I hate putty, and it'd be very very hard to be consistent across multiple kits, and getting the left and right engines to mirror each other. (Assuming I can order a half-dozen "N" sprues from HLJ--that's all I need from a Hase to make a B from a Fujimi D).

For D's---do as above, and just use the cockpit parts from Hase sprue R, on a Fujimi. They fit plenty well enough. Overall far easier IMHO than trying to build a Hasegawa, especially the back end. And just as accurate.

Whew! Shin-specific info below.

[David Hingtgen]

Ok, Shin's F-14 is actually YF-14A #7(157986), in it's 3rd form, with AMRAAM's and a D's chinpod.

It is thus basically an F-14, with F101DFE engines and custom engine fairings and burner ducts. Any Fujimi F-14+/B/D kits offers parts to do this, though the instructions rarely show it (unless you happen to find the very rare "F-14D prototype" release of it--which I think has the wrong gun vents).

The main difference we're concerned about is the fairings/duct area. It's even shorter than a production B/D's, so an A's is WAY too long, about twice as long as Shin's. But Fuji includes the parts for a short duct, and new short fairings that are just right.

To install them, you do need to slice off the molded-on ducts and fairings. But there is a deep line engraved on the kit just for this purpose.

It also includes a different set of GE nozzles (not as nice as the ones in the later D kits), that fit the short ducts better, though the nicer nozzles are only SLIGHTLY smaller, and look fine--and better.

Shin's F-14 also has a unique ECM bump arrangement, which is what Fuji says to do on F-14D's. 1 under each glove. Wrong, real F-14D's have none. (Hey, Hase says they have 2, like a B). But Shin's is unique, it has one bump, just forward of where the aft bump is on a B. Fuji kits come with both bumps, so if you want an accurate Shin F-14, slice them both off, and glue the "new" bump just forward of where the aft one used to be. (Later Fuji kits, and all Hase's, include an appropriate ECM bump to glue on)

Shin's cockpit is totally an A, so no need to change anything. Be sure to use the later-style gunvents, which is the "other" forward fuselage half, included on the sprue with the nice GE nozzles.

ok, I'll stop here for questions/explanations and what-not.

Edited April 27, 2004 by David Hingtgen

[captain america]

What? No review of Tamiya's 1/32 Tomcat??

[David Hingtgen]

Tamiya 1/32 F-14: Old release is an early F-14A. Decals for cockpit displays! And the plane is 50/50 raised/recessed panel lines. Weird.

1994+ releases are for late F-14A's (new gunvents, but you can't make an earlier one, they changed the mold) , and include bombs, and more detailed nozzles. You're pretty much stuck with making the Black Knights with this.

There is a nice ($30) resin conversion kit to make a B/D, and since it flat-out has you slice off the entire back end, and has new nozzles, ducts, burners, and fairings, it's probably the only way to get a truly accurate F-14B/D in any scale. With raised panel lines and cockpit detail from the 70's.

Of course, for another 30 bucks, you can get a nice resin cockpit for any version you want.

And you'll need some non-sucky ejection seats, more cash.

Decals! (unless you want a low-vis Black Knights one) 1/32 ones cost a lot more than 1/72 or 48.

At which point, you've got a $300 F-14 model.

[captain america]

Hi David.

I actually have the 1/32 Tamiya Tomcat ( 1994 re-issue.) All in all, I firmly believe that it has more potential than any other Tomcat kit out there on the market at the moment. The lack of scribed detail on the aft fuselage is a blessing in my eyes: considering tamiya's tendancy to carve very deep trenches in offerings like the 1/32 Eagle and Phantoms, I'll gladly do my own scribing in the proper size.

Regarding the Cutting Edge fuselage/engine nozzle update set, I think it falls rather short in my eyes: there's absolutely no need to cut away the aft fuselage to make it correct, you just need some putty to square-off the outer fairing and re-model the adaptor fitting aft of the alligator plates, which is really just a bare carbon-fiber part. Even worse, the update kit completely ignores the fact that you need new burner cans to go with the GE nozzles, so scratchbuilding skills are necessary if you want to do it right.

Having said that, it's still my pick as the best F-14 kit out there, with the 1/48 Hasegawa a close second. The latter definitely provides more bang for the buck and gives you more lattitude to build alternate versions, but they did screw-up in the shaping of the upper portion of the LEX/wing glove, which is a tad too flat, and the lower aft fuselage just foreward of the engine nozzles is improperly shaped.

[David Hingtgen]

I will have to take a look at that on the 1/72 Hase and see if it's the same (haven't put that part together yet! ).

So the GE nozzle's new parts are carbon fibre? Yeesh, I have almost every F-14 book you can buy and none ever said that. Makes perfect sense though, being all black and smooth. I'm going book-shopping tomorrow, and plan to buy any Tomcat book I find.

Anyways--I was actually talking about the Teknics conversion, which is much better than the Cutting Edge one (from pics, I don't own a set). Grey resin is almost always better than yellow, from my experience. They mold the fairings with the carbon-fiber area together.

http://greatmodels.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=tk32011

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2001/octobe...s/tk_detail.htm

I personally hate puttying, and hate sculpting with putty even more, so I will gladly slice the heck out of a kit and add a new resin part, as opposed to modify what's there. But if you can sculpt putty well, probably the way to ge to ensure nice a square fairings. (I don't recall hearing the term alligator plates before, but it makes sense--there's SO many Tomcat back-end terms. Rear deckincg/boattail/beavertail just for starters)

IMHO, the burner cans themselves are nigh-identical internally (for I have stuck my head up both types--they may have differnet dimensions, but the proportions and look are awfully similar--many circumferential rings in a row). But the flamer-holders/exhaust bullet etc are of course very very different. (and a point of contention in the Fuji kit, they appear too small, but being a full inch inside the nozzle, it's not obvious unless you do a side-by-side compaison--hase's are definitely better and bigger) Any 1/32 F-16C GE burners out there?

PS--that brings up another point. Fujimi burner interior is much nicer than Hase. Hase has very visible pins to hold it together, and the "rings" inside don't line up at all.

PPS--I have looked at the local shops' Tamiya F-14 many times. They must have just sold it, gone last time I was there. (I was close to buying it--I came into some cash). I would make it a Sundowners CAG though, my fave F-14 by far. (but NOT Miss Molly, which is the most overdone F-14 after Jolly Rogers high-vis)

Edited April 27, 2004 by David Hingtgen

[Skull Leader]

Damn... is it too much to ask for to have a company produce an accurate D model tomcat????

I guess with my meager modelling skills if I want one done right, I'll have to build an A or a B model....

[wm cheng]

Hey come on David, I want pictures of your build up.

[cambodian tire]

wow a total trip down memory lane ! I bought the Fujimi F-14 jolly rogers 13 years ago, it's still not painted. I just looked at it the other day. When I got it I thought it was the best thing ever - rubber tires ! Then I found Hase and forgot about the Fujimi BTW the fujimi canopy glass is also too wide for scale. Thanks for the great info.

[David Hingtgen]

B's have identical back-ends to D's. All the B vs D changes are the cockpit, chin-pod, and the ECM bumps.

All in all, the Hase B/D's are pretty darn close, but my feelings are that for the time and effort to build ANY version of a Hase, it's a lot less work to modify a Fujimi, for 99% of the accuracy of the Hase. And a LOT better engines. I could care less that the Hase has a photoetched cockpit and chaff dispensers, if the engine nozzles totally suck. (I like engines, some(most) people like cockpits above all else)

(Well, and no intake ducting, but since most jets in 1/72 don't have it, I don't mind much) If you're going to build just 1 or 2 Tomcats, get Hase's and detail the heck out of them. But I have no less than 7 A's, 2 B's, and 3 D's planned. Time/effort (and fragility, I plan to move at least twice in the next few years) is a factor. (If I had all the time and energy in the world, I would build the ENTIRE Iowa class, not just one ship--heck, I'd build every US battleship built from 1930 on)

Might as well just edit, than add more replies!

wm_cheng--what, you want pics of taped together un-primed dry-fits? I've spent many hours comparing the kits, to decide "how am I going to build my future fleet of Tomcats". It'll be a while before they all actually get bought and built. (Have lots of decals, and a few kits). I still plan to build that Italeri 1/48 I have for practice very soon. (just need to buy some new decals---the kit's are very nice, I just hate the schemes) Might even weather it a little!

cambodian tire---Mostof my Fujimi kits are the original kits from a decade ago--the decals haven't seem to deteriorate, and plastic generally doesn't. Build away! And yes the canopy is bubbled too wide (probably why the instrument coaming is wider in the Fuji). Canopy/cockpit area is definitely the area where Hase is better than Fuji, though I still say the nosecone itself is better on the Fujimi (and the cross-section of the forward fuselage).

PS--more Fuji/Hase differences. The Hase is noticeably wider between the nacelles at the back end. (I noticed this because the boattail widths are decidedly different between the kits). Hase's Flanker also has this problem. I think Fuji's correct on this issue. So the Fuji's intakes are too far apart up front, the Hase's are too far apart in the back.

Fuji gets points for having a cat hold-back on the compressed nose-gear.

Edited April 27, 2004 by David Hingtgen

[David Hingtgen]

Captain America--by "flat" do you mean the Hase gloves don't have enough dihedral from head on? Because that's the impression I got.

[newca]

this is a B(VF-102) not D, althouth the engine is same.

I have one Fujimi Royal Collection F-14D prototype, with F101 nozzles and different type stabilizer. I don't know much about that red-white colored prototype, can't tell what's right or wrong...

[David Hingtgen]

Yes, I know it's a B, I was hoping nobody'd notice. There's no physical way to tell in that pic, it's only the paintjob that lets people know. (Darn their way-too-obvious diamond-pattern insignia)

PS--you've got the Red/white Fuji F-14 with the different stabs? That is exactly the one I've been talking about. The one I suspect Shin's is modeled off it. (well, add a dual chin-pod). Funky fairings and all. (The new stabs are because the duct area is so short on that variant, the nozzles would get in the way of the stabs)

PPS---since you have that variant, what exact sprues does it have? Does it have sprue J? Specifically, does it have a dual chin pod, or the late-style gunvents?

Edited April 27, 2004 by David Hingtgen

[newca]

well well, let me find it several hours later... still at work now

I don't think the prototype kit has twin chin pod and any "new" vents...

I bought this kit mainly for those metal parts and the BIG sheet of PE, never thought is would be a "Macross F-14", ha ha ha~~ also because I wanna collect 1/72 Tomcats as much as I can

Edited April 27, 2004 by newca

[David Hingtgen]

BIG sheet of PE? That must be why it costs more. What all is on it? 99% of Fuji F-14's have only the canopy frame and mirrors as PE. Man, I'd love some Fuji-specific PE parts...

[wm cheng]

Hey thanks so much David for a really excellent and interesting read - man I just love all this info. Its sometimes hard to follow exactly where you're talking about especially with the Fujimi kit since I don't have one (yet ) so some pictures specific to the parts you are talking about would be helpful (sorry I might be referring to your other original F-14 thread - I was reading them together ). Either case, I will bookmark these for my reference when (or if) I actually start on my kit.

[newca]

Hi, I'm back

firstly, David, the date on the instruction of Royal Collection type D is 1988.8, so of coz, it does not have "late" sprue J include twin chin pod and gunvent, just the same parts like any other normal release of type A. the price is 3800 JPY.

now come to the difference, I think this photo tells everything. don't blame me about the size of image...

there are 2 metal Sidewinder included in the up-left bag, and you can find the wings of it in the PE. there are belts and pipes for cockpit and landing gear bay. with all those metal parts assembled, I'm sure the Turkey won't sit on tail

below is the only new sprue in the box, without letter to define its "name".

p.s.

this is another member of Fujimi Royal Collection, type A. I don't have it, but judging from the photo on the side of box, it seems has not the sprue J also.

[newca]

the decal of F-14D prototype kit is for:

1. red/white prototype BuNo 157986

2. Grumman/Navy test bed BuNo 161867 (overall gray FS 16440)

[captain america]

Hi David.

The Techniks and Cutting Edge update sets are one in the same; just packaged differently. With regards to the "incorrect-ness" of hasegawa's wing-glove fairing, it's too flat when you look at the aircraft from the side. The area where the wing-glove meets the foreward fuselage/nose section should have a bit more of a curve to it. In the end, most people won't notice, and despite all my scratchbuilding skills, I deem it as not worth the hassle to repair.

I did a quick write-up on the hasegawa kit here:

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Fea1...cato/fea681.htm

One sample picture:

[wm cheng]

Hey David, is there any differences in the overall body and details between your new F-14D and the older (but not really old) F-14D re-issue (Jolly Rogers) - I don't mean the D or A variant differences, but did they completely re-tool the common airframe parts or is it more of an extra sprues thing.

Very nice cat Capt.!

[David Hingtgen]

capt america--you're John Moscato? I've seen just about everything you've ever posted at ARC. I wish I could weather at all---to the point that I have yet to do a low-vis F-14, only nice and clean high-vis CAG. And you say the 1/48 fit isn't as bad as they say... (I think the 1/72 fits better than the 1/48). I've GOT to get a decent airbrush someday, rather than plod along with my Testors... (hey, I live in Iowa, hard enough to get Tamiya products, much less good airbrush supplies) I also notice the 1/48 has *far* better nozzles than the 1/72. Hase really seems to "drop the ball" on 1/72 GE nozzles--their F-16's aren't any better.

newca--thanks very much for the pics. From what I've seen/bought, all Fuji F-14A+/B/D kits include that "new" plastic sprue, but use it ONLY for the "display engines"---all the nozzles, etc are included in the new sprue J, which I think they now include with all their F-14 kits, regardless of type. (But I'm not sure) That PE set has about half the parts that the Hase has, but overall looks quite similar to the Hase set. Only differences I see is the Hase doesn't have the Sidewinder or ejection seat sides, but does include many console/panels for the instruments.

wm_cheng: A Hase D is actually their B kit (instructions and all! Says "VF-101 F-14B" right on the pages) with a new sprue R, and one addendum sheet explaining (mostly) how to make a D with the new parts. I presume their B is simply an A with 3 new sprues, and missing the A engine sprues. (And no old-style boattail, which I could really use) 90% of the parts are identical for all versions, it's really only the cockpit, engines, and gunvents which vary. (And they've really got the cockpits down for the A and B, there's variants even I don't recognize--RIO panels that vary by only ONE DIAL for example)

::edit:: Could you clarify your question? There are no Jolly Rogers D's---there's B's though. But AFAIK, Hase has only ever made B/D's to the latest newest tooling---there are no "old-mold" B's and D's.

Edited April 28, 2004 by David Hingtgen

[newca]

yeah, there ain't no old molded B or D from Hasegawa. all their A+, B and D are recess panel lined.

http://www.tomcat521.com/newca/model/hasegawa/index.htm

here is my mini catalogue of 1/72 Hasegawa F-14s, despite Chinese characters, hope those boxarts will help.

[David Hingtgen]

Comaparison pics! Well, I almost always photograph at night, so that means either bad incandescent lighting, or the "only has 1 setting--HIGH" flash. The vast majority of fuselage dryfit pics didn't come out well, will re-shoot tonight. (my next digicam had darn well better have a "good pics in low light" mode---it takes wonderful pics outdoors, but indoor shots suck) Anyways, here's some bits and parts that turned out well enough.

1. Fuji seat sides.

2. Hase PE panels.

3. SR-71 wheels. (They were there, begging to be photographed)

4. Hase seat back

5. Hase seat sides

6. Fuji seat back

7. Fuji rubber tires (they are matte, not glossy like most)

8. Hase PE overall

Edited April 28, 2004 by David Hingtgen

[David Hingtgen]

Tried some different backgrounds, but the main thing was "distance from the camera". 1 inch makes a lot of difference when you're this close to 1/72 bits.

Before I start the main comparisons, quick shot here:

This one of the Fuji's sprues, showing the main way it differs from all other F-14 kits. This is the entire starboard side of the lower half. Two large intake/engine halves, and a wing-glove (with integral upper intake and ramps).

[David Hingtgen]

Big main comparison pic. Fuji is up top, with the green xacto knife supporting the underside. (Since as you just saw, a large portion of the underside is still on the sprue)

[David Hingtgen]

"The big gap" Source of 99% of all complaints about the Hase kit. The forward fuselage isn't as tall as the mid fuselage. That alone would be a problem. However, the angles also don't match. If you close the gap between the forward and mid fuse. on top, the plane's belly will be kinked, and the phoenix pallets won't fit. Thus you've got to make the belly flat, thus leaving a gap up top. (Much easier to fill a gap than un-kink the belly)

PS--overall, the Hase fit together much better than I had been lead to believe. Still well below the Fuji though, IMHO. But the intakes (a very important part) did fit quite nicely, maybe even better than the Fuji's.

[David Hingtgen]

Same area, Fuji kit. Not gapless, no F-14 kit is, but much easier to fill--don't need to re-carve the area aft of the canopy. Also note integral gunvents, and excellent fit of nosecone.

[David Hingtgen]

It's VERY hard to photograph surface scribing. Top 2 pics are Hase, bottom 2 Fuji.

[David Hingtgen]

Underside comparison. Fuji on top, with no #2 engine or intake.

[David Hingtgen]

Last pic unless someone requests something specific: Side view comparison. No comments on the positioning! (It's the only way it worked). Hase on top (in a non-innuendo way).

[newca]

great works David! that's what I always wanna see but never seen!

[wm cheng]

Ahh, exactly what I wanted to see - thank you guys so much. Sorry David, it was my typo, I have the F-14A Jolly Rogers reissue not the B or D. I am a bit dissappointed in the tailcone for the A on my kit. But seeing the comparison, I think I will stick to my Hasegawa kit for the time being, I might only do the one or maybe two kits in total anyways.

Do you guys want to see my Verlinden cockpit detail set and the True Details seats - I got the older GRU-7 seats to go with my A. I think I prefer the Verlinden ones, the details are a bit finer and they have that woven pad over the seats, not the ribbed looking seat cushions (which always bothered me).

Hey the Hase kit also includes the "kneeling" forward gear to accept a cat.

Edited April 28, 2004 by wm cheng

[David Hingtgen]

The Fuji has the kneeling nosegear too, as well as the catapult hold-back attached to the nosegear--the Hase omits that part, even though you need it if you want a "ready to launch" Tomcat diorama.

A few more comments:

Hase has more accurate navlight shape, as well as both early and later main-gear-spoke-hole patterns. But the Fuji wheels are much nicer and crisper, both the plastic and rubber-tired versions.

And I'd love to see some pics of the Verlinden and True Details sets. I'm going to build at least one ultra-detailed VF-111 F-14A someday.

[bsu legato]

Thanks for the pictures, David. I'm definitely going to track down one of those Fujimi kits.

Now we just need to drum up more interest in the repro Macross Zero decals....

[David Hingtgen]

Hey, the Fuji A+ 's on ebay are mine!

Anyways---I now have 2, and will (possibly) soon have 4 of the "Shin back ends" that I won't use, so anyone who wants to build Shin's is welcome to them. (They will fit ANY Fuji F-14) Could also fit any new-mold Hase without much trouble I bet. (I'll see how they fit tonight). "Shin back ends" would include the afterburner duct exterior, fairing, nozzle, and burner/flameholder.

Edited April 28, 2004 by David Hingtgen