Reviews : Revell-Monogram F-14D Super Tomcat

In the hands of a very skilled modeler, this kit can be built up to a great presentation. But I'll be the first to admit I'm not a great modeler so I had some trouble with this kit. My skill level is to the point where non-modeling family and friends are occasionally impressed, but I won't be winning contests anytime soon. I also don't usually build planes. So please take the above into account as you read this review. First thing was that it seemed every piece on the sprue needed quite a bit of clean-up. The fuselage panel lines are raised while the wings have some recessed lines. Ailerons/flaps do not move. Wings do swing - no issues assembling that. Also on assembly, it was not obvious in the directions how certain pieces should fit together. This issue led in part perhaps to a subsequent problem where I seemed to have some gaps that required a lot of putty to fill. This in turn required quite a bit of sanding that removed detail such as panel lines and such. I should have first protected the detail as much as possible with masking tape and then rescribed as necessary with labeling tape and a scribing tool. I learned this too late searching the web after the model was complete. Like I said - I don't normally build planes. I posted some pictures if anyone was interested in how to finish or perhaps more importantly, what not to do. Mine is the model on a portion of a carrier deck with a photo of the Carl Vinson (CVN-70) bridge in the background on one of the shots. I first primed the model with Mr. Surface 1200 gray primer. Next step was pre-shade lines along the panel lines with Tamiya flat black acrylic. Then was the tri-gray scheme of acrylic model master light, medium, and dark ghost gray. The nose was masked and painted Tamiya semi gloss black. This was then followed by a coat of acrylic gloss clear. All the above were applied with an airbrush. I applied the decals (which I had very little trouble with using setting solutions) as well as a bit of Tamiya black panel line accent color. I then airbrushed a flat varnish on the model followed by a gray paint filter which was around 5% paint and 95% thinner. Aside from all this I painted the exhaust nozzles with alclad jet exhaust with a bit of alclad aluminum mixed in. So even though I has a bit of trouble with this kit, I think I learned a few things and it made me a better (slightly) modeler. I will admit that whether it's Revell or other manufacturers, the standard I always compare them to is Tamiya. I am a big fan (too old to be a fanboy) of Tamiya kits as in my opinion their moldings, assembly instructions, and fit are excellent. That said, this kit is certainly priced right and if you know what you're doing it can be finished into a very nice display. If you're thinking about it, I'd encourage you to give it a try.

This model is my third model. I'm not a necessarily skilled modeler, but this model was a pretty good build. The detail is wholesome. The decals are nice, they give markings for two aircraft-Felix the Cat, USS Carl Vinson, and Gunfighters, Nas Miramar. There are no fit problems, there was none for me. This model was finished for me in about a month. It was pretty quick. The plane comes with 4 AIM-54 missiles, 2 AIM-7 missiles, and 2 AIM-9 missiles. There is only one pilot figure included. The only difficult part was to get the wings to sweep, which was not designed. There is a way this can be done though; you have to use plastic model glue and stick the wings where they should go, and then glue the top and bottom fuselages together (Cyanoacrylate might help). The seal of the plastic model glue will be easy to break by slowly sweeping the wings, if this whole sequence is done quickly and carefully. This is overall a good model, though.

I just recently finished this model, but I had some issues with putting it together. The wings surprisingly enough were easy to put together; I didn't have to use glue to hold them in place. What I did was use blue painters tape and tapped the top of the wing root to the bottom of the fuselage and then tapped the gears to hold them in place. It worked out just fine. I did have a problem with the the intakes and the forward fuselage and gun panel. The forward fuselage was pretty difficult to line up and it just didn't want to stay. I am thinking about doing it again but using small C-clamps to hold the sides together. I also had a problem with the nose section; it has no supports in the forward section of the fuselage so it will just be sitting there. Make sure that it is COMPLETELY dry before you do anything else! I'd wait at least two to three hours before you do anything else.

Overall a great model for the price. Details in this kit are good but the fit of some of the parts could be better. Had problems with the fit of the intakes, the forward fuselage where it mates to the aft fuselage and the forward lower left side around the gun panel. Had to use a considerable amount of filler and lots of sanding. There are better kits on the market but for the price I give this one the higher marks. Built this as a F-14B model so I changed the seats and modified the nose mounted TCS camera pod. Ordered the LANTIRN pod that is mounted on the right wing station as well as the External fuel tanks which were not included in the kit. I also changed the decals and used the VF-102 OEF decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.

A few fit issues and some raised panel lines. Also there are several points where bits from the manufacturers moldings are, which should be easy to remove. I had some trouble aligning the fuselage halves as well. The kit isn't made to be variable swing, like the wings aren't movable, but there is a way to make them movable by gluing the wings and then breaking the bond before it dries and cures after gluing the fuselage halves.

I would say this is a great learner kit, the quality of the kit is kind of poor, seams don't match up perfectly, requires a bunch of filling and sanding. On the plus side, the decals were decent, instructions we easy to read and follow, and the landing gear mounting wasn't terrible. I did have to weigh down the nose, when the wings are folded back, it is too heavy in the rear.

This model was a fairly easy model that took me 4 or 5 days. I thought the amount of detail was excellent for its price. The only problem I had with the model was that once the fuselage and wings were put together, there were many gaps and holes to fill. But this was easily fixed with a little bit of putty. Overall, I loved the set and would recommend it to others easily.

This is the best budget 1/48 F-14 kit out there! It includes options of 2 different jets and a full weapons set. The cockpit and gears are very well detailed and the panel lines are highly accurate. The panel lines are raised though but the kit itself is still great! The hardest part for me building this kit was putting the 2 fuselage pieces together.

I love the Revell Monogram F-14 Tomcat, I have four of them. They build very easily and look very good when finished. I have a standard HIGH vis A model, a low vis A model,a A model converted into an F-14B Bombcat and an unassembled D Super Tomcat. this is a great kit that exhibits no problems in construction.

If ur a fan of the F-14 then this is a must have for ur collection. Nice detail. Mold line detail is awesome for painting. This aircraft has many different painting versions. And the detail covers multiple versions. Not reccomended for beginners. But if a fan of the F-14 Tomcats.

Parts fit well and the instructions for this possibly difficult build were easy to follow. My grandson and I worked on it until we got to the painting and then he delegated the task to me. A great way to spend quality time with a grandchild!

This was a very good kit. The pieces fit great. And there was no sand or filling needed. The instructions on the paint scheme could use some work though. I'd suggest a coat of light gull gray. Other than that it's a good kit.

A few fit issues and some raised panel lines. Also there are several points where nibbits from the manufacturers moldings are, which should be easy to remove. I had some trouble aligning the fuselage halves as well.

This kit went together fast. Raised panel lines, raised details. Movable wings are challenging to install. Some fit issues expecially with the nose.

The F-14D iis a beautifully engineered aircraft, and this kit is an excellent representation.

I have this kit and it is a good kit for the money fits nice and great decals