surfaces. The nose was masked and give a coat
of Mission Models MMP070 Tan, so distinctive
of the service era. I always ind these paints
perform lawlessly and as the inish ‘takes my
breath away...’ The entire airframe was sealed
with a Mission Models Gloss Clear coat in
preparation for decaling and weathering. The
Italeri decals for VF-1 ‘Wolfpack’ adhered well
with a little help from Micro Sol and Set. They
were a little thick, but the colours appeared
accurate. Carrier borne aircraft naturally sufer
from the weathering efects of sea salt and wind
exposure during their service lives, so following
photographic reference of mid-seventies
Tomcats, I used a variety of weathering powdersto create the desired look of a hard-working
F-14. The panel lines and recessed detail was
then picked out with dilute Lamp Black oil
paint, the excess removed with a moist cotton
bud, the subtle streaking efect adding to the
overall weathered appearance. The kit ordnance
provides Sidewinders, Sparrows, and the missile
synonymous with the Tomcat - the massive AIM
54 Phoenix. The detail here is fairly good and
once painted and decaled they certainly look
the part. The undercarriage parts were then
built up, painted and weathered, and again
the detailing was good and with the wheels
attached they look very convincing.
The size of complete Tomcat creates quite
an impression, and even though the Academy
boxing has been with us for a long time it
certainly isn’t a ‘Maverick’ and can still provide
an involving and enjoyable build experience.
MAThe decals came from an
Italeri kit as I quite like the
VF-1 coloursThe panel lines were
enhanced with a Lamp
Black oil washMODEL AIRCRAFT SEPTEMBER 2019MISSION MODELS MASTERCLASS
WWW.MISSIONMODELSUS.COM^77