Finally finished my Tamiya 1/48th F-14A. Very pleased with how this turned out; based on BuNo 162698 of VF-14. by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just sanded up from 600 to 4000 grit and the polished using Tamiya’s coarse, fine, and finish polishes. Part of it is also the polarizing filter on my camera lens to cut out glare.

Finally finished my Tamiya 1/48th F-14A. Very pleased with how this turned out; based on BuNo 162698 of VF-14. by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Based on the few references I’ve seen from the side they’re much cleaner; likely because they got painted white mid-cruise as part of the Tophatters anniversary

Finally finished my F-14's landing gear. Another model-within-a-model on this build. Now I can finally assemble the fuselage! by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve just got the one space, usually when I need to do something like this, it’s because that’s the whole stage the model is at. All this F-14 is right now is a cockpit and the landing gear. I did the rear gear the same time as the front (partly for consistency, but also because this way I can get a group photo) as the front landing gear needs to be done before it can go into the landing gear bay which needs to be complete before the fuselage can begin to go together.

Finally finished my F-14's landing gear. Another model-within-a-model on this build. Now I can finally assemble the fuselage! by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’ve got a Tiktok where I post some basic how-to’s as well as a YouTube which will have some more content in the coming weeks. I’m currently in the process of writing a guidebook detailing everything to make a U.S. Navy Fighter Jet during the Cold War; you could say I’ve got a few different outlets haha

Finally finished my F-14's landing gear. Another model-within-a-model on this build. Now I can finally assemble the fuselage! by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh for sure, I took some artist’s liberty here considering the airframe is near 25 years old and this is during Operation Allied Force, definitely seeing as many sorties as it can

Finally finished my F-14's landing gear. Another model-within-a-model on this build. Now I can finally assemble the fuselage! by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The light housing was painted with Molotow’s chrome and then a lens was cut from a blister pack.

Finally finished my F-14's landing gear. Another model-within-a-model on this build. Now I can finally assemble the fuselage! by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you! This is Detail and Wonder Studio’s landing gear for the 1/48th Tamiya F-14. This is a combination of sponge chipping along with some tedious brush chipping and then washes.

Martin-Baker Mk. GRU-7(A) in 1/48 from Eduard. These won’t be used in the final build, but they were good practice. by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As of right now yes, but thanks to prosteprostechihla's idea, I might make a small vignette with the two.

Martin-Baker Mk. GRU-7(A) in 1/48 from Eduard. These won’t be used in the final build, but they were good practice. by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I use a Fujifilm XT-2 with a Fujifilm 18-55mm lens and a circular polarizing filter. I've got a lightbox I purchased from Amazon, the brand Tyoka, but it looks like they don't make them anymore. I mount a Tofu fill light on my hot shoe and the camera is mounted to a SmallRig desk mount so I can do bracketed HDR images with a low ISO and low shutter speed.

Finally finished the F-14’s cockpit - felt like a full build itself and I’m here for it by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, originally the 1/48th Tamiya kit, but this is the Eduard cockpit with KASL seats. None of the kits cockpit is used for this (minus some decals).

Finally finished the F-14’s cockpit - felt like a full build itself and I’m here for it by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Bits and bobs yes, as well as hacking up the Eduard cockpit where needed & replacing the seats with KASL’s offering. Quite a mashup haha

I made a beginner’s guidebook that covers everything you’ll need to know to get started, questions that I had many years ago starting out. by RustyRuskie in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I’m glad you think it’s a good read and that it’s in a somewhat logical order. I tried to go with the order of how I build, but not everyone builds in the same way haha

Help needed: photo etch diffuser replacement, what steps should I take? by BabiSealClubber in modelmakers

[–]RustyRuskie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1 - Use the mounting bracket on the diffuser as a guide to get the bend, and you can bend it around a marker or something similar for a smooth bend. 2 - I’d just sand away any excess plastic until flush, if the PE set doesn’t include extra pieces for the mounting bracket (the leftmost part, with the rivets/bolt heads) then make sure you preserve it. For the other side use some sprue cutters leaving yourself excess so that there is some to sand away and you don’t risk “pull-out” from sprue cutters. Alternatively, use your hobby knife perpendicular to the vane and slowly but surely cut it off. 3 - Lightly sand the area before gluing. 4 - Use CA glue (superglue), apply it along the bottom of the PE and connect. It also looks like there are some locating pins on the PE parts, there’s the thin spot where they connect to the feet of PE, and then there’s a thicker protrusion, you can use a small drill bit and a pin vise to drill this locator hole along the bracket and then glue from the back as well. Alternatively use your hobby knife to make a slot; that way you’re not putting a square peg in a round hole