Author: nomadmodel

I have to admit, I’ve been looking forward to this phase of the build for some time now. The Tomcat’s TPS scheme weathers in a very interesting way and painting it was going to be a blast.

As with all my models, this phase started with Mr. Surfacer 1500 black. I did pickup some seams in the primer, so I sanded them down and resprayed some more Mr. Surfacer. After here however, I took a very different direction in the painting of this model. I decided to use the Layered ink patina technique popularized by modeller Kris Sieber (@Luftraum72) instead of my standard marbling/preshading approach. What this called for was the application of solid colour over top the primer before stippling liquidex inks over the paint.

Few paints spray as smoothly as SMS and it almost felt criminal covering these layers up. To start, I brushed X-20 Acrylic thinner over top the paint in preparation of the Liquidex Titanium White being brushed over top. After the correct about of ink had been applied I quickly began stippling the ink with a coarse stippling brush. It’s important to work fast here, the ink drys quickly and once it does it’s set in its pattern. You can add more x-20 onto the dried ink to activate it again however this is a hit and miss technique and should not be relied upon.

Following this layer, I diverged from the established process and wanted to re-entroduce to panel line variation in the finish. To do this, I masked off some sections and painted them in diluted grey, black, brown and white. It’s important not to go overboard in this step as it will take away some the contrast from the white acrylic ink. Following the panel line variation layer, I apply an approximately 60% opacity layer of the blue grey colour. This is to tint the section back towards the desired colour tone. The last step is to apply Liquidex Carbon Black ink and stipple it in the same manner as the titanium white. The carbon black is allowed to dry before it is almost entirely wiped away with X-20 thinner. I mist one final coat of blue grey before completing the specific section I am working on.

Below you can see various parts all at different stages of this gathering process. The Fuselage has been painted in Blue grey with no colour modulation. The wing has been stippled with white ink, had specific panels shaded, and the 60% opacity grey layer added. The stabilizer is complete with the Black ink and the final grey mist layer. This photo does a really good job at demonstrating the stages of this weathering process.

With the sub assemblies well on their way, I got to work painting the main fuselage. I had painted this section here and there whenever I had some spare Blue grey in my airbrush but eventually the time came to finish this task of the build.

As always, the SMS paint went on buttery smooth and provided a nice base for further work with the acrylic inks. I did however, chose to deviate from the process followed during the wing and stabilizer painting and chose to highlight some panels prior to applying the white ink. I did this because I felt that shading after the ink was applied was covering it up too much and wanted to see if shading specific panels would still be visible after several ink applications and shading.

Following the panel variation effect, I applied the first layer of Liquidex Titanium white, as seen in the earlier steps, then a layer of colour modulation over top. I decided to introduce a new process at this point, adding a random panel line pre-shade with a dark brown/black colour. I continued with the pre-shading, adding some SMS Gunship Grey in order to highlight select pannels.

After the preshading was completed, work could move on to blending the layers together. First, I needed to seal in the previous work with a Lacquer satin varnish. This step is crucial because further inks will be applied and if done without the varnish they will begin to re-activate the underlying Titanium White layer.

With the Titanium White ink sealed in, I then got to work applying a 2/1 mixture of Carbon Black and Titanium White ink in the same manner of the initial layer (stippled on with a stiff brush, over top X-20A). After the ink has had a chance to dry, A paper towel moistened with X-20A is rubbed over the surface, removing the majority of the black in, with it remaining in very limited parts of the surface.

At this stage, the Model is very near to its finished colour however some final tuning is required to get the look that I’m after. If left in its current state, the model would be somewhat over weathered. To remedy this, I Apply a very diluted layer of more SMS Blue Grey in order to achieve the final colour of the F-14. I am essentially slowly blending everything together in the same shade that I started this process with. The end result is a highly realistic TPS finish that has already been weathered somewhat.

After completing the final Blue Grey blend coat, I could turn my attention to the scheme elements for this specific F-14. The specific aircraft I’m building was a VF-33 bird in the squadron’s farewell livery, featuring black tails and a black cockpit accent. This necessitated some masking as I wanted to paint these section prior to spraying the gloss coat. This process was pretty straightforward and just required some tedious masking and minor colour variation effects.

With the completion of the primary paintwork, this portion of the build was complete! I then gloss coated the model before starting the decals.

With the preliminary work on the cockpit and gear finished, I could turn my attention to bringing these elements together and completing the major construction for the F-14.

The first thing I did was swap out the identification lights molded into the kit plastic. These are fairly basic and the Quickboost replacements I got for this project are definitely an improvement. With all that said, it was a huge pain to replace these with the aftermarket set and I probably wouldn’t want to do this again. These accessories required quite a bit of cutting and sanding followed by polishing to ensure that they were as clear as possible. The section in the kit plastic must be cut out and the Quickboost part must be cut so that it fits in place. Then, you have to sand down the joint so that there is not obvious seam, all the while taking care that you don’t scratch where the actual light is. Knowing that this was meant to stay clear on the final result, I used a chrome marker to paint the back of the clear part before polishing it with Tamiya polishing compound. I’ll admit it looks good, but the time wasn’t worth it for me.

After this was done, I got to work on the intakes. I’ll have next to no ability to paint these when installed onto the model so that means they’ll have to be completed before installation. As per the instructions and reference photos, these are gloss white and the fuselage colour. Tamiya is kind enough to provide masks for this to be recreated and I was fairly happy with the end result using them. The fuselage colour I would be using was SMS PL60 Blue grey FS35237. I put down a coat of gloss white, applied the mask, then added the Blue grey.

I also took this time to weather the Blue grey as it was common for dirt to accumulate in this area due to inspections by maintainers. I did this with a dark brown oil paint, and slowly feathered it onto the surface to create a restrained look. I then installed the main gear bays, the completed intakes and was able to seal everything up. It should be noted that the fit of the MCC gear bay was somewhat rough and it took a lot of work to ensure that a solid seal was being achieved around the kit parts. Furthermore, when cutting off the indicated section on the intakes to fit the MCC part, aim to cut 0.5-1mm shallow. Cutting as indicated will leave a significant gap between the MCC gear bay and the intakes.

Following the installation of the gear and intakes I joined the two fuselage halved together. I used to tape do this as I’ve never had a ton of luck using clamps. Following some filling and sanding (especially around the nav light location) I attached the forward fuselage. This section has excellent fit and creates an almost non-existent seam. I was also able to check that the gear fit properly into the installed gear bays. I’ll be keeping these detached during the painting process so that the bays can be masked up.

The next step was to complete the various sub assemblies before moving on to paint. This included the wings, stabilizers, pylons and canopy. This went together in typical Tamiya fashion and before I knew it this bird was ready for paint. This being a Tamiya kit, the fit was excellent. I decided to take advantage of this and opted to incorporate some magnets into various parts so that the model would be able to be partially disassembled after being completed. I stuck some tiny 1mm magnets inside the vertical stabs and the effect is practically invisible.

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.

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!