Now this is a project that has been a long time to finally get to the finished condition. There are some WIP postings under the name "Atlantic Fleet Squadrons F-14A Tomcat" back in 2015. Well, many times I got the Tomcat out of the box, did a little bit to it, then put it back in the box in frustration. The tails had to be stripped of the one piece decals, re-sprayed, masked and then have the red sections sprayed before applying the individual decals to make up the tail art. I tried to continue with the kit decals, got part of the way and stopped when the formation light decals started to break up. That was the point when I almost gave up and binned the kit.
Well, fast forward to the beginning of this January and part of my drive to finish of some of my on-hold projects whilst I am off work, I decided to get the Tomcat done and dusted. My first task was to find some replacement formation light, of which there is some available, but not cheap to buy. I decided that the best ones to get would be the ones from CAM Decals. The only trouble whas that there was none available in the UK and Europe, but two companies had them in the USA. Luckily, before ordering them, I check my database on what F-14 aftermarket stuff I had. There was an item in it from Steel Beach Accessories with the title "F-14 Slime Lights". I was not sure what Slime Lights were, so I dug them out and low 'n' behold, they are pre-cut formation light stickers. So now that this little problem was solved, it was full steam ahead to finish the Tomcat.
So I finished off the decals, remove the old formation lights, touch up any paintwork and then clear the whole model. The canopy glass had a mould line run straight along the centre of the part, which was gentle sanded out and then polished away before masking and painting. Assembly and detail painting continued up to the point the where I had to do the access ladders. The problem I had here was that the door which drops down had got misplaced the last time I was working on the model. After spending a few hours looking in various boxes, trays and draws around the workshop, I resigned myself to the task of scratch-building a new one. The first door was okay, but I had got the shape slightly wrong. Attempt number and it was successful, so I finished making it with the remaining kit parts and some brass wire for the ladder runs. Now I fitted the final small parts to the fuselage and the Tomcat was finally finished.
Now with it finished, eight years after I first brought it as a started project, I am very pleased with how she actually turned out. There was some things done in the early building phase by the previous owner that I would have not done myself, like gluing the control surfaces in their closed or neutral positions. But this is a drawback of buying a second-hand project, but it only cost me £15 to buy, and it is a £45 to £50 kit. So, my advice to you if you are thinking about getting second-hand started kit like this. Firstly the price of the kit? If it has been started, do not pay anywhere the normal price of it, aim for about half of it (unless it is a rare hard to find kit). Secondly, check the quality of the work carried out on it so far. Is it good and can any mistakes be rectified? Thirdly, make sure all of the parts are there in the box. Check them against the instructions if needed. Fourthly, it there is a load of aftermarket etch, resin or decals with the kit, are they asking a sensible price for it all? Even if you do not need these parts yourself, you can always sell them on and recuperate some money back, or even cover the whole cost.
Would I buy another started part-built kit again? Probably yes, depending on what the kit was and if it appealed to me. But remember, it is always a risk when you do. I have heard of some bad experiences that friends have had in the past, even on kits brought from traders.
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