1:72 Grumman F-14A Tomcat

The real subject

The Grumman F-14A Tomcat is a carrier fighter with a crew of two and a variable-geometry wing. The sweep of the wing changes in flight according to speed: the spread wing allows a slow approach to the deck of an aircraft carrier, the swept wing flight at high speed. The crew consists of a pilot and a weapon systems officer in the rear seat, who works the radar and the guided missiles. The pair of engines in nacelles on either side, the flat center section between them and the twin vertical tails give the aircraft a silhouette that cannot be mistaken.

What the set offers

The set contains photo-etched metal parts in 1:72 scale and serves as an accessory to a kit. The metal sheet is a few tenths of a millimeter thick, so the parts come out considerably thinner than shapes in plastic. That helps everywhere the real thing is thin and a plastic part looks bulky at a small scale. Which parts the set carries and where they belong are given in the instructions from the manufacturer.

• Photo-etched metal parts in 1:72 scale
• Subject: the F-14A Tomcat carrier fighter
• Metal sheet a few tenths of a millimeter thick
• An accessory to a kit, not a model in its own right

Building and painting tips

Cut the tabs that hold the part to the fret with a sharp blade resting on a hard surface. Make the bend along the marked groove and press it down with a straight edge, so that a sharp edge forms without waviness. A drop of cyanoacrylate glue applied with a wire is enough to join the parts. Wash and degrease the metal, then apply a base coat, otherwise the paint will rub off during handling.

Who it is for

For modelers who build carrier aircraft in 1:72 scale and want to take a model further than the kit alone allows. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.