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Richard M

Thomasweir's build will be reported here.
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Rich
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"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

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thomasweir · Posted: Sat 13 Dec 2008 19:22 pm Post subject:

Richard would like a backstory so this is it. A small novella !

My what if build will be based on the following changes in history.
Mr Duncan Sandy’s had been forced to resign over the debacle of the 1957 White paper

The 1966 defence paper was a positive paper for the UK's defence industry allowing the supersonic harrier, TSR 2, Hs 681 and CVA-01 class of aircraft carriers to be built.
The UK never withdrew East of Suez and we still had substantial military bases at Singapore, Gan, Malta, Cyprus and Gibraltar.

The year is 1975. The intelligence reports announcing a new supersonic Russian bomber seeing limited service with the Russian Naval force (Soon to reach mass production) alarms the navy.The weapon system it carries is alleged to have over the horizon capability putting Her Majestrys ships at great peril shoud a shooting match start.

The Royal Navy has two of its 3 Queen Elizabeth class in service along with HMS Ark Royal and Eagle. They were to be armed with state of the art aircraft similar to the RAF but naval interference and industry ineptitude caused the naval variant of the TSR2 to be cancelled and the naval supersonic harrier to be cancelled after 30 examples built due to engine problems, excess weight (they wanted a observer in there !) and its ditching qualities . It tended to sink like a stone.

The FAA ordered a quantity of F-4K phantoms (built under licence by Hawker) and Blackburn Buccaneers to equip its fleet.

The new Russian super bomber would launch its missiles before the sky flash Spey phantoms could intercept it.

The ADV variant of the Tornado in development would not be ready until the late 80s at the earliest and a naval version would enter around 1993 if developed.
(True fact – When Germany realised that the in service date of the ADV would be in the mid to late 80s they cancelled their commitment and ordered the F-4F instead)

The Royal Navy and its Naval Arm faced a crisis.

During the summer of 1975 The Shah of Iran cancelled military contracts with American contractors worth millions of dollars and leaned towards the USSR for its military needs. The FAA picked up one of these contracts namely 85 Grumman F-14A Tomcats.
(True fact – in1975 McDonnell Douglas offered to lease 50 F-15A/Bs to the RAF to replace the Lightning’s until the ADV could enter service. General Dynamics and Grumman also sniffed around with their F-16A and F-14A respectively. Canada was also targeted for its Voodoo replacement.

These fighters would be able to engage the Russian bombers way before they could launch their deadly cargo.

The F-14As would equip the three Queen Elizabeth Class ships and would be able to engage the Russian bombers way before they could launch their deadly cargo. The Ark Royal and Eagle would remain equipped with F-4Ks until their decommission dates in the mid 80s where they would be replaced by a follow on class to the Queen Elizabeth budget allowing.

The Queen Elizabeth class would have to be heavily modified to carry the Grumman fighter with a larger flight deck – retrofitted to the first two and incorporated into the build of the third.

The subject of this What if build will be a Grumman F-14A Tomcat of 893 NAS the second front line squadron to form. Based on the carrier HMS Duke of York along with 803NAS Buccaneer S2B's and 826SQ Sea King HAS 2’s in March 1982 a few weeks before the Falklands incident……..

thomasweir · Posted: Sun 14 Dec 2008 12:40 pm Post subject:

Here are the sprue shots of the Tomcat. It was bought off e-bay and was not in its original box. Of course been second hand it is missing some bits which only came apparent last night as i was building the cockpit. The WSO's console is missing so I will have to scratch build one. As a xmas present to my self I bought a copy of SAM F-14 Tomcat datafile which has many pictures of the console I can copy from.

This build will be OOB but with after market decals and a ladder if i can find one.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Ah, Grumman comes to the Navy's rescue once again!

Interesting scenario TW - what will the colour scheme be like? Or is that a secret?

thomasweir · Posted: Sun 14 Dec 2008 18:35 pm Post subject:

The camo scheme will be EDSG and Gloss White. I've not decided where the decmarcation line will be

Richard M · Posted: Sun 14 Dec 2008 19:30 pm Post subject:

That's a great back-story, can't wait to see it in RN colours.
Best
Rich
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Best
Rich
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"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

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thomasweir · Posted: Mon 15 Dec 2008 12:43 pm Post subject:

Thank you Richard.

I was thinking I could go further with this theme and construct another Tomcat in an Admiral Barge Retirement Colour Scheme entitled 30 Years Of F-14K Ops. Displayed next to Walrus's Sea Typhoon the likely aircraft replacement it would create an interesting What If display.

thomasweir · Posted: Tue 23 Dec 2008 11:21 am Post subject:

I have started on the cockpit assembly, wing assembly and have started painting a few bits and bobs on the sprues.
Thats it for Christmas.

TimJ · Posted: Tue 23 Dec 2008 16:32 pm Post subject:

This sounds like an interesting build with a well thought out back story.

An F14 equipped carrier would surely have made the Argentinians think twice about invading the Falklands,
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thomasweir · Posted: Sat 17 Jan 2009 13:08 pm Post subject:

Now my Vulcan is out of the way the F-14 can progress

Cockpit, wings and pilots painted

I've picked the camo demarcation line as the natural split in the kit fuselage.

Top painted xtracrylic EDSG, bottom Humbrol 22 acrylic. Undercarriage Humbrol 34 acrylic and 33 acrylic for tires. Cockpit Humbrol enamel 5 Dark admiltary grey. engines are Hu56 but will be repainted into Hu53 gunmetal.

Top and bottom joined together.

The reference book I am using.

I think the Airfix model is the only kit which comes with the wing glove vanes. My are glued shut as was the Tomcat's in reality as it was found during testing they were of no practical benefit at high Mach numbers for which they were designed for.

For those of you who like big scales, here is my 1/72 Airfix Tomcat with its big brother. A 1/32 Revel F-14A Tomcat VF1 built around 24 years ago and now looking like it should be at AMARC.

thomasweir · Posted: Mon 19 Jan 2009 10:36 am Post subject:

The Tomcat up on its undercarriage with part assembled tractor.
Only missiles, canopy and decals to finish off now.

thomasweir · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 12:15 pm Post subject:

Grumman F-14K Tomcat 893NAS HMS Duke of York somewhere north of Ascension island

Xtracrylic EDSG and Humbrol acrylic gloss white. Undercarriage acrylic 34. Cockpit Dark Admiltary Grey.

Roundels, squadron badge and letters from Model Alliance Ark Royal and SHAR sets. Rescue stencils and EJ stencils are from a Jaguar decal set.

Action on the flight deck !

With its What If replacement F-36B 899 NAS

Ratch · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 14:11 pm Post subject:

That looks pretty in FAA colours

Good job Thomas

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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Lovely job. Is there a fighter anywhere that wouldn't look better in Fleet Air Arm colours I wonder. (Well apart from that F-36 which is a lost cause from an aesthetic point of view!!)

Would have been fun seeing what a couple of squadrons of these would have been able to do along with the SHARs and GR3s (and presumably Buccaneers) in the South Atlantic in '82.

DH764 · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 15:09 pm Post subject:

Certainly looks the biz in RN colours .
Well done

Andy
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Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 18:23 pm Post subject:

That Tomcat looks quite convincing in those colours.....Very smart!

All the best
Sgt.S
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daniel7891 · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 18:51 pm Post subject:

Very nice indeed
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feanor · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 19:14 pm Post subject:

Ayup Thomas...

Super Tomcat scheme... really. Well done.
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TopGun · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 19:28 pm Post subject:

Awesome

Makes me wonder what a F-18 would look like in FAA colours
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Richard M · Posted: Mon 02 Feb 2009 20:01 pm Post subject:

Great build, nice to see another whiff finished. As everyone else has said, those colours really make it look good!
Best
Rich
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Best
Rich
---------------------------

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

Visit my PORTFOLIO