1:48 Grumman F-14A Tomcat (screens on) 3D Full colour Instrument Panels (for Tamiya kits)

Lit screens in the cockpit of the Tomcat

The Grumman F-14A reached the first squadrons of the US Navy at the start of the 1970s as a heavy carrier-based fighter with a variable-sweep wing. The combination of a powerful radar and long-range missiles made it an opponent that threatened targets dozens of kilometers away. The pilot sat in front and the weapon systems officer behind, and it is precisely his station that is full of screens and control boxes.

This variant depicts the displays in operation, that is with lit symbols rather than switched off. It therefore suits a scene from a carrier deck or a model captured with its systems running. The panels of both cockpits are printed in full color and the layering of the print gives the buttons and the frames a real height that flat film can never offer.

The Tomcat went through a range of modifications during its service and the machines of the first version differed from one another in equipment and in livery. Before building it therefore pays to look up a photograph of the particular aircraft and to decide from it whether you want the screens lit or dark.

What to watch out for. Remove the raised details on the plastic with a sharp scalpel and level the area with a fine abrasive. Parts of this kind are seated onto a smooth, perfectly degreased surface. Grease from your fingers is the most common cause of an edge lifting and starting to stand off once dry.

Intended for 1:48 and for the cockpit from the Tamiya kit. The interior of the Tomcat can be seen into well even with the canopy closed, so the full-color screens come into their own without the model having to be displayed opened up.