1:72 Grumman F-14A Tomcat open exhaust nozzles

What the set solves

The exhaust nozzles of the engines are one of the few places on a model of a jet where you can really look inside. In a kit they tend to be thick-walled, with a seam from the two halves being glued together and with a shallow inside which from a distance gives away that there is nothing behind it. This set offers a replacement with a thin wall and a worked-out inside, and that in the open position.

The real subject

The Grumman F-14A Tomcat was an American twin-engine carrier fighter with a crew of two and a variable-sweep wing. Its engines lie far apart and their nozzles are visually prominent, especially from behind. The position of the nozzle petals changes with the setting, which is why open and closed forms are distinguished on models. Which scene you are building the model for is something to check against photographs of the real subject.

• replacement exhaust nozzles for 1:72 scale
• the subject is the F-14A Tomcat carrier fighter
• the form with open nozzles
• a thin wall and a worked-out inside compared with the part from the kit
• a model of the aircraft is not included

Building and painting

Test the parts dry first and adapt the area on the kit to them. Before painting, wash them in lukewarm soapy water and degrease them. Cut the surplus material off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the remainder down. Choose the glue according to the material of the parts: cement for polystyrene holds only on polystyrene, and for other materials use super glue or a two-part adhesive. Paint the inside of a nozzle before you seat it, as later you cannot get into it with a brush. At the end a fine picking out of the edges and a touch of heat discoloration toward the rim will help.

Terms of supply

Replacement nozzles are supplied. A model of the aircraft, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.