F-14B 1/48

The real subject

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American two-seat carrier fighter with a variable-geometry wing. On takeoff and landing on the deck the wing is spread out, so that the machine carries as much as possible, and as speed rises it folds back. The crew consists of the pilot and the weapon systems officer in the rear cockpit, whose job was the radar and the long-range missiles. The F-14B version came out of the original F-14A by replacing the engines with more powerful ones; that relieved the machine of its sensitivity to handling of the throttle and improved its behavior on a deck launch.

What the set solves

It is a set of photo-etched parts in 1:48 for a model of the F-14B. Photo-etch brings artwork a few tenths of a millimeter thick, which an injection-molded part cannot have, and it comes into its own where the plastic from the kit is necessarily simplified. What exactly the set contains and which kit it is cut for the name does not say; what decides is the part number and the manufacturer's instructions enclosed.

Working with photo-etch

A small part cannot be held in the fingers and will jump away before you notice; work over a mat with a raised edge and pick the parts up with tweezers with smooth jaws. Cut the tabs through with a sharp blade on a hard base. Make the bend along the marked groove in one movement, as repeated straightening tires the sheet. The parts are not polystyrene and cement for plastic will not join them; apply cyanoacrylate glue in a tiny amount on the tip of a wire, because an excess is very hard to remove from fine artwork. Before painting, wash the sheet, degrease it and spray it with a base coat.

Terms of supply

A set of photo-etched parts is supplied. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.