Fujimi

1/72 F-14D Tomcat VF-2 "Bounty Hunters" model kit

Product Article by Alessio Manca

 

 

Well, when we speak about the Tomcat, we speak about one of the most beautiful and powerful plane of all time.  I bought this model from HLJ, but until opening the box of the model I was not sure about the quality of the kit.  Infact, about the Tomcat, I had  only a kit made from Hasegawa, which is really a  wonderful kit, but the Fujimi kit is also a really super kit.  The general detail is very nice....panel lines are finely engraved and all seems to be in the right place, unfortunately there is no rivet detail, and this according to me is the biggest difference with the Tomcat made Hasegawa in which there is alot of rivet detail and more panel lines on the wings......

Another difference between the F-14 made by Hasegawa is that the jet intakes of the Fujimi kit are more simple and less detailed, but anyway I think that they are good.  The cockpit is very nice, with a lot of raised detail in the pilot and navigator panel and also in the sidewall console.  According to me it will be not necessary to buy a detail set, anyway superdetailers can buy the wonderful detail set made by Verlinden or by pavla.  You will also find two nice detailed pilots.  A very nice thing is that in this kit you will find a lot of nice weapons, you will find AIM Phoenix, Sparrows and/or Sidewinders. Also you get some fine metal etched parts for the cockpit canopy and "rubber tires".

Click on images below to see larger images

Like in the Hasegawa kit, you will have the opportunity to display the Tomcat with flaps and slats  in full extended position, you will have also the opportunity to display the Tomcat in launch position on the catapult, infact  in the kit there are two different front gear legs.

From the photos of the kit you will also see that the kit has a lot of parts,180!!!!  You  also have the opportunity to show the engine outside of the plane on a trolley.  In this kit there are more parts than you need, because you can build different version of the plane, you will be able to build an A  version and the D version that is showed on the box of the model. 

In conclusion, I can say that the Fujimi F-14 is a wonderful kit....with the Hasegawa kit it is the best representation in 1/72 scale of this plane.   

Ciao

Alessio

Photos and text © by Alessio Manca