SPA Modeler

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 7:44 pm Ahhhhhh. Gotcha! Now having a Tomcat with wings that won’t sweep & extend sounds pretty sad though…

It's a bit sad, but it is a model and not a toy after all. Sweeping the wings in and out would damage the finish anyway.
That being said, it might not be that hard in the era of 3d printing to fashion some pivot extensions (like the Tamiya kit) that the wings would slide onto at the end. Now I have to think about that...

Nope… they’re not toys. I don’t chase my pets around the house anymore making various engine and weapons noises while holding my planes like I did as a kid….
But every now and then I like to change it up on my shelves and display the wings swept or extended… c’mon, it’s variable geometry baby

I’ve got a 20 plus year old Hasegawa F-14 Tomcat and whether I position the wings extended or not, it doesn’t damage the finish.

BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:29 am I’ve got a 20 plus year old Hasegawa F-14 Tomcat and whether I position the wings extended or not, it doesn’t damage the finish.

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2024 6:59 am Nope… they’re not toys. I don’t chase my pets around the house anymore making various engine and weapons noises while holding my planes like I did as a kid….
But every now and then I like to change it up on my shelves and display the wings swept or extended… c’mon, it’s variable geometry baby

Well, Just build two with the same markings -- one with wings out and one with wings swept

Yeah, this is fun to watch! I've had the Monogram F-14A kit since the late '80s and have had it out of the box, playing with the parts, dozens of times since then. I've heard all the horror stories regarding fit and flash and can certainly believe them. But I have seen beautiful models made from that kit and know it can be done! Removing the stabs was a good idea; I did a similar technique with my Monogram MiG-29 and F-100 models.

I am looking forward to seeing this develop, Chris. You have a great start made, folks are excited and all I can say is, then build on!

cbaltrin wrote: ↑Sat Nov 16, 2024 5:37 pm

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Sat Nov 16, 2024 4:30 pm Looking good Chris! How do you plan to attach the stabs? I may borrow your method…

Carlos,
I usually use a 1/2 inch long piece of 3/32 brass rod and reinforce the attachment with some styrene block glued inside the fuselage, drilled out to accept the brass rod. Hardest part is getting the angle right and consistent on both stabs. Also have to be very careful to drill the hole in the stabs as they are barely thick enough to accept a 3/32 rod… now I am saying 3/32 from memory… 1/8 seems like it would be to large but I could be wrong…

I confirmed, it's 3/32 " brass rod for the elevators...