JSI F-14 Tomcat Cons - The Bad about the Tomcat

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Post by DEVGRU » Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:00 pm

Ferrari250GTO wrote:
DEVGRU wrote:This F-14 is just a sign of things to come.
If so, then what were the Corsair, Stuka, and Lightning?
Those aircraft HAD precedents...and are WWII aircraft. Obviously modern aircraft are a bit of a challenge.
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Post by Ferrari250GTO » Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:12 pm

DEVGRU wrote:
Ferrari250GTO wrote: If so, then what were the Corsair, Stuka, and Lightning?
Those aircraft HAD precedents
That is definitely true. JSI had nothing (other than the real thing!) to base their F14 off of.

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Post by vmf214 » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:22 am

I doubt they had a live example from which to model from. Thanks to our stupidity in allowing Iran to fly a few the gov is pretty protective of any surviving tomcats out there, to the point of even pulling them from museums to make sure the airframes (tomcat's biggest problem) are junked & their backs broken when we discovered Iran was in the market for spare parts that we wouldn't allow them to have.

The Chinese didn't just get into the game with the Tomcat. A "sign of things to come" is totally unfounded. All 21st, bbi, admiral, dragon, etc, came from China. So, like I said, all 1/18 is totally Chinese. :wink: Not a racial comment (and don't believe it was taken as such), just the truth. With an oriental wife I'd feel pretty stupid knocking them.

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Post by Shin Densetsu » Sat Dec 19, 2009 1:51 pm

vmf214 wrote:I doubt they had a live example from which to model from. Thanks to our stupidity in allowing Iran to fly a few the gov is pretty protective of any surviving tomcats out there, to the point of even pulling them from museums to make sure the airframes (tomcat's biggest problem) are junked & their backs broken when we discovered Iran was in the market for spare parts that we wouldn't allow them to have.

The Chinese didn't just get into the game with the Tomcat. A "sign of things to come" is totally unfounded. All 21st, bbi, admiral, dragon, etc, came from China. So, like I said, all 1/18 is totally Chinese. :wink: Not a racial comment (and don't believe it was taken as such), just the truth. With an oriental wife I'd feel pretty stupid knocking them.
All JSI really needed were those detail & scale, or walkaround books that go into detail of every component in and out of the Tomcat. My guess is that they found images of a Black Knights Tomcat post 2000, and modeled their prototype after that. Then after realizing that the Jolly Rogers scheme is one of the most, if not THEE most popular scheme, decided to make the S1 a Jolly Rogers bird around Xmas time to maximize sales.

Where they got the spotty weathering idea from is anyone's guess, but I suspect their primary intention was originally for a Black Knights bird.
Shin's wishlist for 1/18 and 1/32 with retractable landing gear and more:

F-14 Tomcat, F-8 Crusader, A-4 Skyhawk, F-105 Thunderchief, A-6 Intruder, F-15C, F-15E Strike Eagle

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Post by Coreyeagle48 » Sat Dec 19, 2009 3:16 pm

Greetings

The F-14 is truly stunning but I do have a few issues with it.

The landing gear pins aren't the best, one of mine refused to say in whenever the plane was resting on its gear. I ended up just taking a little bit of super glue putting it on the edge of the hole to get a bond just to hold it on its gear and not run the risk of a collaspe. I can always take a hobby knife and free it up if needed. The pin should have been made to lock though, that would help. The spring loaded gear should also compress easier, mine doesn't seem to want to compress all the time right away.

This thing is a monster, to such an extent my display options are quite limited. This thing is just huge and I never realized how large a Tomcat was compared to a Hornet. It's amazing. I think this may be the biggest we go in 1/18. This is a monster and I think most people may have issues displaying it.

The ease of installing everything is also a downside. The stuff falls off easily. The tailhook lock should be better and lock more firmly.

These are little quirks though, this thing is quite cool and one of the neatest models in my collection!

Corey
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Post by aferguson » Sat Dec 19, 2009 3:18 pm

"I think this may be the biggest we go in 1/18."



Wait til you see a 1/18 scale Su-27..
i never met an airplane i didn't like...

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Post by Ta-152 » Sat Dec 19, 2009 3:45 pm

aferguson wrote:"I think this may be the biggest we go in 1/18."



Wait til you see a 1/18 scale Su-27..
That's what i was thinking.


As big as the 14 is, the 27 is larger still.
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Post by vmf214 » Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:04 pm

Below is a link of the exact plane they modeled their tomcat from. Actually they almost pulled it off.

http://www.mechanizedbrick.com/f14.html

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issues

Post by Coreyeagle48 » Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:01 am

Greetings

*I retract my issue about the gear because now that I fully figured out how they work, they work fine and stand up with no problems. Still, that could easily be remedied by including instructions. JSI should really have if nothing else included instructions on the gear operation.

*Ladder and glove veins are hard to deploy. Nice they are there but hard to get out.

*Cockpit isn't very accessible to figures. Some of the big lots figures won't fit and the bbi ones are tough too. Ended up using pte figures as they fit fine.

*Tailhook could stay up better. Tabs on the pieces are easy to snap off if they are stressed too much.
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Post by chunks » Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:07 pm

From Merits website, how the landing gear works.

http://www.merit-intl.com/month/vf-84%20landing.htm
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Post by tmanthegreat » Sun Dec 20, 2009 9:00 pm

chunks wrote:From Merits website, how the landing gear works.

http://www.merit-intl.com/month/vf-84%20landing.htm
Wait... There's another little part on the side of the strut that sticks into the fuselage?

Now to go and see...

After a few minutes... Well, they are actually there and inserting the piece into the slot on the fuselage greatly improves the stability of the gear strut. They stay in place better and are much more capable of taking the plane's weight now.

Directions would have been helpful at this point, however, I have to say that figuring out all the little features is one of the joys of this new plane :wink:
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Post by wolf8564 » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:36 pm

I know this thread is for the cons on the F-14 and a I have a few obviously the pox spots also mine came without the arrester hook connecter. but guys all in all considering the fact that the 1/18th production has completely dried up. I gotta give it to these guys. They took one hell of a chance on this project. Let us not forget all the whineing we all did begging for something new. I have made my living
building architectural models and prototypes and can appreciate the F-14
for what it is Truly The best yet in my mind.

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Post by Dauntless » Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:08 am

I haven't bought one yet, but from the pics I've seen they did an outstanding job, went to all that trouble, they looked at reference photos, got all the markings and insignia halfway decent... then sent it to the airbrush monkey (well probably sent there before the markings but)

It really is inexcusable.
I admire all the hard work that went into this model by our busy friends across the ocean, but someone in QC needs to pay a little visit to the airbrush section.

Has anyone tactfully explained this problem to JSI?

Not buying one just because of that one huge flaw.

I could live with all the other little problems everyone is discussing, but I'll wait for the next release if there is one when the spots clear up.
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Nice reviews

Post by parrish333 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:51 pm

I don't actually have an F-14 tomact (still hoping it made it under the Christmas tree!) yet, but I it's very nice to have a heads up on issues like the landing gear.

From the pics y'all have posted, the spots really are a sight to behold! I think in their mad rush (Christmas time is the big money maker) to get this beast off the ground, QC in the paint department obviously got missed. Anybody on their project team should have been able at a quick glance to "spot" the issue - they obviously had bitten off just a bit more than they could chew resources-wise.

What gives me great hope though is that all of their previous efforts (re-paints of 21C product) were really solid. I've heard few (if any?) complaints about their previous paint work. So while this is a very big oversight, I still think it is just that - an oversight not an indication of their whole operation through and through.

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Post by trex0770 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:01 pm

tmanthegreat wrote:
chunks wrote:From Merits website, how the landing gear works.

http://www.merit-intl.com/month/vf-84%20landing.htm
Wait... There's another little part on the side of the strut that sticks into the fuselage?

Now to go and see...

Image

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Post by scbvideoboy » Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:05 pm

Got mine today and couldn't wait to see the spots!

OMG what a mess!!!! And Badcat is not taking returns??? Some enterprising young lad on the board could make some money painting these over for folks. I don't know how to do custom decals, unless guys are painting around the decals.

Resell value on this is nil. Custom painting ruins the "original / stock MIB" Perhaps JSI doesn't have a QC or any squadron books.

Haven't checked any other part.

DH

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Post by tkjaer21 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:52 pm

There are people that are doing custom repaints for others. TKO211 has offered his services with pics for instance. I would think that a repaint would make them more re-sellable. They are worth the 250 you paid as many are keeping them and they have sold out of this messy scheme.

A custom and quality painted Skystriker or many of the VF Squadrons will go for a lot of money.

Also, look around on the board, there are other solutions instead of repainting them.

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Post by firefox91 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:59 pm

I posted in the other thread but since this is the place for cons.

1. Mine had a broken radar dish tab before it even came out of the box.
2. The nosecone hinge is frozen, I can't move it.
3. Lack of instructions for the landing gear which led to...
4. Rear landing gear broke as I gently rolled it. Probably because I did not have the tabs attached that the phantom instructions told me about.
5. Spots. These don't bother me that much, but they could have done better.

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Post by King O' Fools » Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:35 am

tkjaer21 wrote:There are people that are doing custom repaints for others. TKO211 has offered his services with pics for instance. I would think that a repaint would make them more re-sellable. They are worth the 250 you paid as many are keeping them and they have sold out of this messy scheme.

A custom and quality painted Skystriker or many of the VF Squadrons will go for a lot of money.

Also, look around on the board, there are other solutions instead of repainting them.
Bad Cat has them in stock right now.

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Post by CW4USARMY » Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:53 pm

Well, I received my regular version from BigBadToystore.com yesterday.
They shipped the box in another box with bubble wrap. I opened my plastic sealed flawless black box to discover the top brake flap (Dont know what it is called) was broken at both hinge points. They obviously packed it this way because all the boxes were flawless with no dents , warps or any sign of damage. In fact, that is the first time Ive seen anything come through UPS without a scratch. I guess they figure those crazy Americans will love it with spots and broken parts ;-)

Anyway, BBTS offered me a 40 dollar refund if I keep it, or would send shipping label to me and I could send it back for full refund (I love BBTS customer service). Since I already sent one to TKO to repaint, I decided to take the full refund for this one. Besides, I tried the GOJO method and it did remove the spots but left a shiny orange tint which I'm not willing to go through all that work for a shiny orange bird. I think the light overspray that was recently shown by one of our members is probably a better idea.

Cant wait till I get my lighted version back from TKO!!!! :-)

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Landing Gear

Post by TOOL » Sat Dec 26, 2009 11:18 am

Landing gear snapped on rear right side after being diplayed 4 hours...any fix ideas for this besides blocking it up?
Spots are distracting....but I will attempt to fix myself and test my skills.

But all of that a side I still love this bird.

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Re: Landing Gear

Post by pcoughran » Sat Dec 26, 2009 1:26 pm

TOOL wrote:Landing gear snapped on rear right side after being diplayed 4 hours...any fix ideas for this besides blocking it up?
Spots are distracting....but I will attempt to fix myself and test my skills.

But all of that a side I still love this bird.
So it just broke under its own weight with no other "tampering"? That is not good. I know a lot of people like to display with gear down on a hard surface and not hanging from a ceiling.
Maybe Pizzaguy will hurry up and come up with his Acrylic Stands for the F14.
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Post by Coreyeagle48 » Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:49 pm

Greetings

Was everything put in place properly? Once I got all the steps down and all the tabs and things put in proper position it's been fine. Mine has been on its gear for several days with no problems.

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Post by tmanthegreat » Sun Dec 27, 2009 10:58 pm

Coreyeagle48 wrote:Once I got all the steps down and all the tabs and things put in proper position it's been fine. Mine has been on its gear for several days with no problems.
Same here, so guess I got lucky. I had problems the first couple of days where the plane would slide back on the wheels because the rear tab would not stay in place. That was solved, however, by beading a little superglue on the sides of the tab and letting it dry to create friction when the piece was inserted, holding it in. The next problem I had was the main strut kept falling out. Again, beading a little superglue on the little peg has helped it to fit tightly. Then I discovered the little tab that hooks into the side of the plane which has provided the necessary stability and support for the gear.
TOOL wrote:Landing gear snapped on rear right side after being diplayed 4 hours...any fix ideas for this besides blocking it up?


To fix a broken gear, depending on where it breaks, one could drill a small hole on either side of the break, insert a small piece of wire such as cut from a paper clip, and then glue the two pieces together with the wire inside. This will create a support rod (like rebar in concrete) to give added support to the strut and make future breakages less likely. I've successfully fixed a couple broken propellers and a main gear strut on a 21c Avenger using that method. I would still recommend displaying the plane off the gear, however.
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Post by pcoughran » Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:20 pm

Well after only 2 hours on its gear the tomcat couldn't take it. one of the main gear snapped right below the wheel from the sheer weight. I had everything connected correctly and never rolled it at all! I was very careful laying down on it's gear and even had a second person watching all the connections to make sure nothing came loose. When I flipped it over all the connections were still made. Fortunately the main strut that cracked has a metal rod inside so it didn't collapse completely but enough to be resting on the fuel tank. I am trying to fix with Plastruct Plastic weld but I'm sure it won't hold the weight if it didn't before without the crack.
So, it needs to be displayed on a support or hanging.
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