New guy, decided to get back into it and went with a Revell 1:48 F-14A

Well, I hadn't built anything since the early 1990s, as life kinda happens. That said, I bought this kit as a means to see if I was still into it, and not spend a ton of cash. I'm pretty displeased with the kit overall, and being that I'm just getting back into it, I do not have "everything" I need. In fact, my nav lights still aren't painted because I don't have those colors at the moment. I don't have any fillers or putty, and I built this out of the box with no aftermarket parts. I'm definitely still into it, and now I will move on to higher quality kits. My other goal building this was to see if I could replicate an active duty, well used aircraft reminiscent of the time I spent on the flight line in the US Navy. Hope you like it.

Welcome Aboard !

PittsburghJim said:

Well, I hadn't built anything since the early 1990s, as life kinda happens. That said, I bought this kit as a means to see if I was still into it, and not spend a ton of cash. I'm pretty displeased with the kit overall, and being that I'm just getting back into it, I do not have "everything" I need. In fact, my nav lights still aren't painted because I don't have those colors at the moment. I don't have any fillers or putty, and I built this out of the box with no aftermarket parts. I'm definitely still into it, and now I will move on to higher quality kits. My other goal building this was to see if I could replicate an active duty, well used aircraft reminiscent of the time I spent on the flight line in the US Navy. Hope you like it.

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Welcome back to the hobby, Jim, and welcome to the Herd!
As far as having everything you need goes, and building with aftermarket parts, don't feel that you need to. Some modelers still build out-of-the-box, and basic techniques are more important, whatever the kit. You've got a pretty nice finish there, on your own.
That kit was probably relatively new, too, when you went into your modeling hiatus. It reflects the standard of the time, but yours looks good!
I look forward to seeing your next build from Yinzer Country!
Best regards,
Brad
(I'm on the other side of the Commonwealth, by the way, rival steel town-Bethlehem, PA)

PittsburghJim said:

Well, I hadn't built anything since the early 1990s, as life kinda happens. That said, I bought this kit as a means to see if I was still into it, and not spend a ton of cash. I'm pretty displeased with the kit overall, and being that I'm just getting back into it, I do not have "everything" I need. In fact, my nav lights still aren't painted because I don't have those colors at the moment. I don't have any fillers or putty, and I built this out of the box with no aftermarket parts. I'm definitely still into it, and now I will move on to higher quality kits. My other goal building this was to see if I could replicate an active duty, well used aircraft reminiscent of the time I spent on the flight line in the US Navy. Hope you like it.

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Hi and welcome. Your build looks pretty good to me considering it's straight out of the box with none of the marvellous cover up our mistakes stuff we use !!
The main thing is that you enjoyed building it. Looking forward to your future builds.
Pantherman

Thank you for the welcomes and compliments. I'm glad to be here, and am already enjoying the site quite a bit.

Nice work, love the weathering.

Welcome back and welcome to the site!

OK, so that kit is from molds from 1981. The kit is fairly accurate, but coming from 41 year old molds, its not going to have the best fit. Its certainly one to test your skills a bit. And as you have been away from it for a good while, sure theres some rust.

Suggestion for you. Perfect Plastic Putty. Its relatively cheap and easy to use. Second, some good sanding sticks. Even high end kits will need some fine sanding here and there. Aside from paints, thinners, brushes and exacto, I consider those two things to be basic needs.

As for after market. I also was away from modeling from the late 90s to 2009 or so. In that time the explosion of that market was incredible. There is a definite learning curve. BUT, it is well worth it. From decals, to harnesses to seats to entire conversion kits, there is so much out there it is kind of daunting. I would say start with basic stuff such as Eduard PE cockpit sets and resin ejection seats. Once you handle some of that, you will not go back. LOL

It is, generally, pretty accurate. There are definitely a few things that could be addressed, such as the HUD lens that should be in the dash cover (F-14A and F-14A+ models later upgraded to B models all projected to the windscreen, factory B and D models used Sparrowhawk HUD), which, I suppose I could have drilled and filled to make it, but again, lacking some supplies still at this point. Another spot I feel could have been done better were the exhaust nozzles and afterburner sections. They're far too shallow, and the nozzles lack any sort of reasonable detail. It's actually amazing that I even had time to do this kit, as I'm getting my mothers house ready to go on the market, and she lives 40 minutes away. I will definitely be picking up some more supplies shortly, including a few different sets of sanding sticks. This was, more than anything, my foray back to the hobby, and it was a success, because I am now re-addicted.

PittsburghJim said:

It is, generally, pretty accurate. There are definitely a few things that could be addressed, such as the HUD lens that should be in the dash cover (F-14A and F-14A+ models later upgraded to B models all projected to the windscreen, factory B and D models used Sparrowhawk HUD), which, I suppose I could have drilled and filled to make it, but again, lacking some supplies still at this point. Another spot I feel could have been done better were the exhaust nozzles and afterburner sections. They're far too shallow, and the nozzles lack any sort of reasonable detail. It's actually amazing that I even had time to do this kit, as I'm getting my mothers house ready to go on the market, and she lives 40 minutes away. I will definitely be picking up some more supplies shortly, including a few different sets of sanding sticks. This was, more than anything, my foray back to the hobby, and it was a success, because I am now re-addicted.

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You are falling down the rabbit hole !!
Once you're in,you're never getting out.
Pantherman

Great job, sir!
Welcome!

PittsburghJim said:

Well, I hadn't built anything since the early 1990s, as life kinda happens. That said, I bought this kit as a means to see if I was still into it, and not spend a ton of cash. I'm pretty displeased with the kit overall, and being that I'm just getting back into it, I do not have "everything" I need. In fact, my nav lights still aren't painted because I don't have those colors at the moment. I don't have any fillers or putty, and I built this out of the box with no aftermarket parts. I'm definitely still into it, and now I will move on to higher quality kits. My other goal building this was to see if I could replicate an active duty, well used aircraft reminiscent of the time I spent on the flight line in the US Navy. Hope you like it.

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Looks fantastic, I'm in the market to purchase one of these kits.

Welcome back to the hobby. I too took a tiny 6 month break but I'm currently building a 1/32 Tamiya F4C as a commission.
I have built plenty of F14s in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scales and love building and painting them. The best fitting is the Tamiya 1/48 one. Hasegawas are nice but a bit over engineered as is the Hobby Boss. The old Revell kit is simple and has a gorgeous pit. Unfortunately the older mold is showing its age and some parts require lots of fillers and fine tuning. The canopies are specially troublesome to get a good fit.
Yours looks very good and the weathering looks spot on.

Welcome back, I also took a break from the hobby, almost 24 years. Your F-14 looks amazing.

Wish I could see the pics