With the work on the F-14’s cockpit completed, I would need to complete the nose gear and gear bay prior to sealing everything up in the forward fuselage. For this project I opted to use the Master Craft Collection (MCC) gear bays in addition to the Reskit gear for this project.
Right off the bat I was presented with a problem. MCC calls for one of the location nubs on the gear to be cut off so that it can be rotated into place within the gear well. I felt however that this would significantly compromise the structural integrity of the nose gear. As a work around, I decided to strategically break the resin in a way that would allow for the Reskit part to slot into place smoothly. To do this, I cut out grooves with a saw where I wanted the fracture to follow. I then used pliers to break out this section.
The main reason I chose to do it this way was that if I cut out a section completely, there would be a half millimetre gap (the width of the blade) which would be very apparent on the finished part. When the resin is broken, it creates a very clean break, causing the two pieces to sit very flush against each other. With this minor surgery completed, I got to work painting the gear parts, first with primer and then with Tamiya flat white.
After the white base coat was dried, I applied some dark grey paint chips using a sponge. It was important not to allow the sponge to drag across the surface as this would create an inaccurate effect. I wanted a somewhat weathered, unrealistic look here as I wanted the detail in the gear to be a focus point on the model. Following the application of the paint chips, I then picked out some details that I wanted to catch the viewers eye. These were primarily various hoses and cables that were very present on this part of the F-14.
Next, I applied a gloss coat over the paint in preparation for decals and weathering. This stage would be somewhat involved as there would be many decals to apply in this area, namely hose clamps and other markings that were present on the gear. I started with the decals that were provided with the Reskit set as they were accurate as to the kinds of placards that were required. For the other sets, I utilized various decals from Anyz, namely the hose clamp and hydraulic fluid markings present on many aircraft. Jira-Gio decals were again used for some miscellaneous placards.
With the decals applied, I sealed them with a satin varnish coat (50/50 GX gloss and matt) in preparation for weathering. The aircraft I’m depicting in this build was stationed at NAS Fallon and as such I wanted a bit of a dustier look than what might be present on an operational aircraft carrier. To do this, I started with some various dust/discolouration of the white paint. I applied a light brown oil colour on various sections of the gear, taking care not to soak it into recesses, only focusing on flat sections.
After allowing this layer to partially dry, I then loaded brush up with oil thinner and began to slowly move around the oils, fading them in with the white paint underneath. Next, I applied a dark brown oil pinwash over the various details on the gear, taking care not to overload the surface which would have required significant cleanup.
It was important to be judicious when applying the dark brown wash as applying too much can result in it overpowering the lighter brown. As with the light brown, I used a brush dampened with thinner to wipe away the excess. I repeated this process for all three gear and bay parts and I’m quite happy with how these parts turned out.
For the nose gear, I decided to omit the clear part that was included in the set for the light and instead chose to use clear UV resin instead. For the multi coloured lights, I applied clear red, yellow, green on top of silver.
For the individual wheels, I wanted to make an attempt at weathering them instead of just painting them in a rubber black and calling it a day. Rubber can have a fairly unique patina effect when it fades and I wanted to recreate that here.
After painting the wheels in black and applying a satin varnish, I applied a light grey oil paint onto the surface with a brush. After allow this to dry for several minutes, I then feathered the effect with a brush soaked with oil thinner. This helps to soften the colours here and blends them with the base colour as seen in the gear bays. I think this technique was pretty successful in adding some detail to an often overlooked part so I’ll definitely be using this approach in the future.
With the completion of the wheels, I could count the gear as completed and was able to finally move on to closing the fuselage. Enjoy the photos below!
Leave a Reply