Trumpeter

1/32nd F-14D Super Tomcat

Kit Number: 03203

Reviewed by  Rick Bellanger, IPMS# 35220

MSRP: $229.95 Website: www.stevenshobby.com Review sample supplied by: www.trumpeter-china.com/ I got home from work to find a very large package awaiting my attention. In it was the Trumpeter F-14. I received the kit for review between the Holidays, and couldn't wait to start. The kit comes in very well packed suitcase style box; it even had a carry handle! There are several compartments that segregate the 33 parts trees, each in their own bag, plus upper and lower fuselage and small stuff. The fuselage halves are in their own plastic container. Very nice idea, keeps things from getting squashed. The smaller stuff - clear canopy parts, photo etch, landing gear linkages, tires and other fiddly parts are in their own box. All in all the packaging was VERY good with no missing or broken parts. Two decal sheets are included giving you the option to do three different aircraft. Decals are very good in quality, printing is right on but they are very delicate to work with. They will fold on you with very little effort and are almost impossible to straighten out once this happens. Be forewarned. The instruction sheet is very nice; I only had a few problems with some part placement diagrams but if you study the instructions and look at the parts you can figure it out. I followed the instructions all the way. This is the first kit that I have ever built "Out of the Box". I went so far as using the colors suggested by the directions. Most of the time, I would agree with them but sometimes they did seem a little odd. I'll get in to those areas a little later. The assembly was pretty straightforward with few hang-ups. You start as usual in the cockpit. Seats are done first then you move on to the pit itself. As far as a kit cockpit goes, this one isn't too bad. You get some nicely done instrument panels along with side panels. Decals for the front and rear panels enhance the look. There is nice raised detail on the parts, so a little dry brushing brings the detail right out. After everything goes together it is a very convincing cockpit. The next steps are dealing with the engines. As usual Trumpeter provides you with a lot of detail you will never see and the engine assembly is a prime example. If you intend to open up some panels and show them off, then include the parts. If not, I would suggest leaving them off. Just build the basic cylinders with front and rear sections. Landing gear and radar are next. You are given the option to build a "Short" or "Long" front undercarriage. I assume that they mean, one just for sitting and the other squatted down for launching from a catapult (Editor's personal note: The F-14 had a "squat switch" that depressed the landing gear for the cat shot. During the actual shot, the gear would stroke about 14" and rotate the aircraft into the optimum angle of attack for takeoff). I like this option very much. It lets us be creative in the display and show it being launched if you choose with no major scratch building. Assembling the radar is next. It is oversimplified and if you glue the nose on you will never see it. Right and left main gear are your next steps. The detail is adequate for all three gear but I would suggest leaving the vinyl rubber tires OFF until you are finished with the entire model. They grip tightly and hold regardless of whatever surface they sit on. I had problems because every time I moved the model they would stay where they were and I would break the landing gear. The left and right gears are very weak at their attachment point to the fuselage; this is especially true in the area where they meet the lower fuselage. This is not shown in the instruction sheet. If there was a way to beef up this arrangement I would highly suggest it.

Mid air refueling probe assembly is your next step. The kit gives you the option to leave it deployed or retracted; another nice touch. The front fuselage assembly will come next. You will build the forward landing gear wheel well and insert the forward gear. It is tricky to paint the completed subassembly so I would suggest that you paint everything first. After all this is done you will assemble the forward section. You will have to place the cockpit, radar and wheel well units in either fuselage module half and then glue the other side on. It looks harder than it actually was. You are fortunate enough to get a nice big bonding surface to glue everything from the bottom once in place. You will continue with the gun bay. I left all the bay doors closed. The main reason is the lack of detail. The detail on the gun and ammunition compartment is minimal. The instructions suggest painting the compartment tan, which I find a little odd. All the reference photos I've seen show them white. If you decide to glue the gun bay access panels in place, they do fit very well. Right and left main wheel wells are next. You will make subassemblies and place them in the fuselage latter. Remember what I said about the tires! Once you have decided on how you want to arm your F-14, you will have to drill and cut some holes in the lower fuselage for the stores you selected. The areas to remove are clearly marked and easy to cut. Right and left vertical stabilizers are next. Here is where things get a little fuzzy. You are asked to install the intake ramps in the engine intakes. I had to guess on their proper placement for this one. I guess you can show them open, closed or in between. I think mine are closed in the aircraft sitting mode. Lower engine housings go on without any problem. Engines go in next, followed by the wheel wells. You will have to decide how you want to display the exhaust nozzles. You're given the option of afterburner petals opened or closed. These all fit in the lower fuselage half then you attach the upper fuselage half. A lot of clamps, tape and cussing are required. It's a big (almost a foot long) thing and you'll have to do it all at once. After you're through with this the vertical stabilizers and speed brakes are next. Again you're given the option to show the speed brakes deployed or closed. The wings are next. The top and bottom halves go together without a hitch. Once again you'll have to decide whether to show the wing spoilers open or closed, maneuvering flap (I assume) deployed or retracted and leading edge slats open or closed. I chose spoilers closed (no detail if they are left opened), flaps retracted and leading edge slats opened. Attaching the wings to the plane is about the hardest thing to do on the kit. You will be required to ensure that everything is clamped or braced in place while the glue sets. Be EXTREMLY careful not to let any glue get on the pivot point. Trust me, I know; that's why my wings are fixed. The engineering behind Trumpeter's pivot assembly is elegant but the practicality is not so good. The wings are sloppy and swing way too freely. They move up and down (flexing) too much to rely on model glue to hold them together. The joint is very weak. I would suggest waiting until the glue joints on the wing have firmly set. DO NOT move the model during this time. You will next glue on the cover plate ("Overwing Fairing") that covers the wing joint. The fit was excellent, but the shape makes clamping the pieces next to impossible. These covers really reinforce the wing pivot so make sure they are firmly in place. Again DO NOT move the plane while these set up. Guess what? Some glue got into one of my wing pivots, so now mine are glued in place. Thankfully they were in the swept position and not the extended mode. The engine exhausts go on next. A problem I had was that I could not get the inside and outside of the nozzles to come together, A suggestion is when you do the glue up for the inside pieces (part numbers Q22) in step 20 of the directions, have the outside pieces (part numbers Q10 and Q20) available for lineup. The detail is adequate. The next steps in assembly have you attach most of the underside stuff. Gear doors, arresting hook, ventral fins, stuff that will break off when you attach the forward fuselage and clamp it to fit. I did have a small problem while mating the rear and forward fuselage. As you can see by the photos, I had to add spacer bars to open the fuselage far enough for the forward part to fit. I also had to put in a flange to get the proper alignment and a glue surface for the joint. Not too hard, but it took a few minutes to get everything right. Once this was done the assembly went together without a problem. With the bottom fuselage piece not yet attached, there is a lot of room to work in that area.

The bottom surface is next, then the canopy, and then the flight crew access ladder. Trumpeter has provided some nice detail for the canopy. There is a seam down the middle of the main one so be prepared to remove it. A coat of Future afterwards really brought out the clarity of the clear pieces.

Weapons are next. You get your choice of a lot of different ones: AIM-9's, AIM-7's and AIM-54's. Also included is a LGTR and a AN/AAQ-25. There is a diagram that shows you where things go but nothing that tells you what goes with what. I went to the cautious side and used 6 AIM-54's and extra fuel tanks. Well that's it for assembly. The model is engineered well and the fit for the most part excellent, requiring very little filler. Sanding was kept to a minimum, which is nice due to the size of this beast. Painting is going to be a chore. If you purchase this kit I would assume you have some prior background in painting large models. If this is your first large kit, painting subassemblies before final assembly is a MUST. Leave off all the fiddly and small parts until final assembly, decaling and weathering is finished. You will break them off. While painting, I used the guide provided by Trumpeter to choose the colors. I used Model Masters paints for the most part. The two colors of grey they suggested seem off to me. I would have probably used Light and Dark Ghost Grey for the top and bottom, not the Medium Grey as noted on the sheet. I used Alclad II for the metal and exhaust parts. The weapons were painted as directed in the instructions. Make sure you have enough paint on hand before you start. It's large and requires a lot. I used Testors Glosscote for a shiny finish to decal on. Decaling went without a problem. The decals are good but very thin. Use care when placing them and try not to have any fold over on you. They are very hard to unfold without damaging them. Trust me, I know. Decal setting solutions (Solvaset) worked well on them. I weathered the plane lightly with oil paint washes and dry brushing. I used Testors Dullcote to achieve the flat finish. I added a little spray with the airbrush of Floquil Grimy Black and Alclad II jet engine exhaust for the final finish. The aftermarket part companies should have a field day with this kit. There are a lot of decal options out there so you might want to investigate those as well. I would highly recommend that you place some additional weight in the nose. It's not a tail sitter but the slightest force on the rear will bring the nose up and it will stay. The fit over all was excellent; the detail on the panels and panel lines excellent as well. With the exception of the seam on the main canopy, the clarity and casting of the clear parts excellent. The build options given to you (landing gear stroke, exhaust nozzles and weapons) are very good ideas and give the modeler some good choices. The decals are very adequate for the job. The biggest problem is with the main landing gear. The front gear assembly is strong,, the rear ones are very fragile and any swaying or side to side motion in moving the model, combined with the "grippiness" of the rubber tires, guarantees that they will break. Would I recommend the model? The answer is yes, but only to experienced modelers who can work with large models incorporating a lot of fragile, small pieces. You will have to have a large display area and once in place I'd really suggest never moving it. Something will fall off even if you look at it too hard! Good luck if you decide to try one, for it surely will be a Masterpiece and draw well deserved attention. Thanks to IPMS/ USA for providing the kit for me to review and build, and thank you very much to Stevens International for giving us the opportunity to review their products. Good luck!