Best F-14 kit?

[AeroplaneDriver]

The Mighty Tomcat is my favorite "teenie bopper" fighter, but I STILL dont have a decent 1/72 one.  What's the best kit available?  As a whiffer I'm more concerned with fit and detail than absolute accuracy, since it will be assembled in the UK by BAe...

I had an older Hase kit that was cannibalised for spacecraft parts since it wasnt a particularly good kit.  How are the newer Hase ones?  Italeri?  Academy?  How do they stack up?

[Scooterman]

The newer Revell F-14Ds are nice and the newer Hasey boxing are also nice, if a lot more fiddley.  Gotta watch though.  I don't know about the older Revell boxings but some of the 'newer' Hasey kits are repops of their old raised panel line jobbies.  Check 72scale http://www.72scale.com/menu.htm for what is what.  I have a Hasey B in VF-103 markings and the Revell D Black Bunny and they look good on the sprues!

[Taiidantomcat]

I have heard that the Fujimi Tomcat in 1/72 is great but its 1/48 offering is a nightmare. The Newer Hase 1/72 scale is supposed to have recessed panel lines but i haven't checked for myself because they seem to go for about $35!! Sorry I can't help more 

[pyro-manic]

I've read that the Fujimi one is supposed to be the dog's wossnames. I've built the Italeri F-14A, and it goes together quite nicely. It's fairly basic - raised panel lines, and not as detailed as newer kits. Nice and cheap though.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Reading around I think I'll keep my eyes open for a Fujimi one...if it's anything like their A-4 and A-6 it'll be a peach!

Thanks for the input guys!   

[ChernayaAkula]

I was always under the impression that the new-tool Hasegawa kits are the most accurate kits in both 1/72 and 1/48. And I think the number of built Hasegawas and that after market decals are sized to fit the Hasegawa kit also speaks volumes.

HERE's what the 72scale census has to say on it, including a list of which tooling (hasegawa new vs. old) is in which box.

That they're complicated kits has to do with the complex geometry of the aircraft in this case, not the manufacturer of the kits. Then again, if Fujimi can make an easy-to-build A-6  with its fairly complex fuselage shape (belly!), then maybe that means they can do that to a Tomcat as well.  And in the Fujimi kit you get two complete TF-30 engines.

[nev]

The newer tool Hasegawa kit has tons of detail, but its one of those "why use 2 parts when you can use 12?" kinds of kit.  OK if you like that kind of thing I guess.  I started mine a few years ago, got as far as the bang seats, despaired, and put it back in the stash

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Mornin' Nick

I had the incredible Fujimi kit up until recently - had it for fifteen years, it was too beautiful in the box to build !! - however you specified ease of construction - the old Italeri kit is very easy to build (and usually very cheap to buy)although has raised panel lines if you can live with that... built three of them over the years.

HTH

Ian

[Howard of Effingham]

nick!

for ease and speed of construction i'd go for the academy 1/72 F-14A. nothing particularly
tricky about it. however, i suspect you'll be doing an updated F-14K, so for that the revell
F-14D is better, however, the revell kit's recessed panel lines do stand out quite a bit and
it wasn't as satisfying a build as the academy.