Small Scale Military Headquarters

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/mcaulk/OldMainGear.jpg The above pic is what comes on the JSI bird from the factory in China and is not very good. The gear is undersized, inaccurate and unstable. Jack to the rescue! That's right SkyWorks has available cast metal gear for the big 1/18th scal...

As mentioned previously my daughter was married recently and the lead up was time consuming with multiple tasks that ate into my plans for the Tomcat. Now with the wedding behind its onward and upward. Christa... http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/mcaulk/Christa2.jpg Now back to the Tomcat. The...

Excellent Low Viz Cat! Great paint job!

Regards,

Mike

JSI did a little corner cutting with the tail pipe tubes. The diameter is undersized. As we know the model bird is of the original "A" model with Pratt and Whitney TF-30 engines. It represents a plane with both nozzles bled down to their smallest dimension. (In real life usually only one of the engi...

I bought the unassembled landing gear and they are really beautiful models in and of themselves. Spent the weekend putting them together and am now adding some hydraulic lines prior to painting. To get it right I knda of backward engineered by running the install video in short clips stopping thru t...

Andrew, The BadCat site says the old nozzles simply "pop off" with a screwdriver. .. maybe, maybe not. I have disassembled 2 of these big cats and had mixed results "popping" the old engines off. One came off easily the other 3 had to be cut off with a razor saw. No big deal but will work up a sweat...

Back working on the big Cat Lets begin with the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. Not very exciting I know but a necessary evil particularly with this model as the Chinese manufacture chose to make them more like the armor on an Abrams tank than a supersonic aircraft. So break out your Dremel a s...

Bruzilla, I have disassembled 2 of these monsters and the seats are not easy to remove. For some reason the Chinese really glued this thing together way too much… but you can get them out. Use a wide blade flat head screwdriver starting from the back of the seat. It is impossible to get them out wit...

Really looking forward to the figures. Here's one I painted using the Verlinden 120mm pilot. Great detail but too big for the JSI Tomcat.

I am very much interested so put me down for at least 2 sets! You might want to contact deankleines. He has a thread dedicated to super-detailing the big cat at this site. I think he knows someone skilled at resin casting. I have toyed with the idea of adapting the BBi F-18 driver to 80s Tomcat pilo...

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

Mike

Working on a 2nd big cat. This one from the same squadron but done in the 3 gray TPS low viz scheme. Wanted to do a "B" to utilize the GE-F110 engine nozzles soon to be released by Skyworks! <a href="http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/mcaulk/?action=view¤t=jeffreystonefinalflight4sm.jpg" ...

Jack,

Am cleaning up all the seams and preparing to drill out the holes and have a question. Would you recommend assembling the gear then painting or the other way around.

Mike

F4D Phantom with both air crew and a s#@$ pot of drop tanks (center-line / wing tanks) and ordinance both AG & AA.

Mike

By the way the exhausts look outstanding! Have a set on pre-order. I am going to start modifying the rear of the cat to the "B" configuration in anticipation of getting my greasy hands on your GE F-110 nozzles. One related question: Did you have any trouble getting the old TF30 nozzles off? One thin...

Yea just outside Ann Arbor.

Thanks for the response.

Hey guys... received my gear and they just look outstanding! Regarding the missing part should we notify anyone in particular? I received two sets of the unfinished flavor and wondered if I should email someone or put my name on a list???

Regards,

Mike

I am a long time modeler and can speak from experience that Fightertown Decals are among the best I have used. I have several sets in 32nd scale and have never had a problem with their products. I recently purchased the 1/18 scale set for the VF-84 Low Viz tomcat and they are just outstanding. Not s...

A kit would/could be big. 1/32nd scale has seen a real surge the past few years and I think once a few modelers see just how big this thing is many will want at least one 1/18th scale bird for their fleet and the F-14 is just one of those iconic aircraft. For me it would be much easier to modify a k...

Possibly this summer. I teach high school and my job is so intense I only get to work on my models on a limited basis. Check back with me in late May.

Regards,

Michael

Great covers Nathan! While researching for your project did you happen to come across any pics of the F-14A ejection seat GRU7-A with Remove Before Flight streamers on the seat. I want to display mine and the RBF flags really add color but I am clueless as to where to pin them??? Regards, Mike <a hr...

Snowed today in Michigan, school was canceled so I worked on the ol' GRU7. Still a long way to go. The stock lower pull handle needs to be replaced (way fat!) A bunch of tubing and wires need to be installed and I have to do this all over again for the rear seat. I'll included some progress pics wit...

Dean, Your pictures inspired me to try something new. Check it out. Spent last two days working on the ejection seat. The original pleated cushions were replaced with a more fabric version. (See earlier pics) I have seen quite a variety in colors ranging from tan to olive to a dark green. Taking a t...

Dean, I have taken the plunge on the ejection seat. Took it apart and sanded off the old pleated cushions and made new ones with 2 Part Epoxy putty. About half finished with the first one. Will post some pics soon. Mike P.S. I could use those directions cause it looks like I'll head into the deep en...

Dean,

A picture is worth a 1000 words! Many thanks... I know it takes some effort to set things up for pictures... it is appreciated.

Regards,

Mike