1/48 Academy F-14A

VF-84 Jolly Rogers (Early TPS Scheme)

by Steve Filak, Sr.

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Here are a few photos of my completed Academy F-14A.  The kit was built pretty much out of the box; with the exception of a True Details resin cockpit, and the fact that I rescribed the panel lines on the forward fuselage. 

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The kit is finished in the livery of VF-84 ‘Jolly Rogers’, depicting one of the first lo-viz schemes worn by the squadron in the early-to-mid 1980’s.  There are no commercially available decals for this particular scheme, so it was necessary to scavenge decals from various Superscale sheets.  The model was weathered in the same fashion as my previous ‘F-14, VF-84 Last Cruise’ article, and is described in detail there, so I won’t belabor the process in this mini-article.  Model Master Enamels and Acryls were used exclusively for this project.  All in all, this particular model was an enjoyable project, and while it’s not a real flashy scheme, it looks nice sitting on my shelf, and fills a hole in my collection.

While not being as detailed as the Hasegawa kit, I find the Academy F-14A to be a much better ‘bang for the buck’.  It has a few problems, most notably the intake assembly, but with a little care, it builds up into a very nice model.  I’ve also provided some additional construction notes and in-progress photos on my website, ScaleAIR – if you’d like to see some more details related to the actual construction, please stop by and have a look after your daily dose of ARC. 

Steve

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Photos and text © by Stephen W. Filak, Sr.