Description

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This book contains detailed instructions on building the F-14A Tomcat 1/48 scale model aircraft from Tamiya. A full color version is available as a PDF download on my website. A gray scale spiral bound version is also available on my website. (glennhoovermodels.com). See a review at http: //www.detailandscale.com/scale_model_book_review_How_to_Build_Tamiya_F-14A_Model_by_Glenn_Hoover_2017.html I take the model kit instructions from Tamiya and break them up into individual steps. I reorder the steps so that the small pieces (antennas, etc.) are assembled last which reduces the risk of damage when building the model. The steps are organized to insert the paint and decal steps in the best spot. I also incorporate Eduard's Photo Etch sets 48909, 48910, 49805, and 49806 in with Tamiya's instructions. As most modelers know, it can be tricky to go back and forth between the model kit instructions and the aftermarket kit instructions. I took out the guesswork and did that for you. The PE steps are colored in gray making them easy to skip if you just have the basic model. This book provides a little history of the Tomcat, photos of the model kit contents including the photo etch frets, a detailed list of tools that I used to build this model, along with a list of paints. The actual instruction section contains 1105 steps and 136 figures that tell you what to dry fit, glue, and/or paint for each individual piece. Each step instruction shows the source (i.e., either Tamiya's or Eduard's instruction) along with a block to mark that you completed the step. The major instruction sequence for this model is
1. Cockpit and Nose Gear Wheel Well
2. Forward Fuselage
3. Main Landing Gear Wheel Well
4. Wings Mechanism
5. Engine Intake
6. AIM-54 Phoenix Pallets
7. Paint Fuselage
8. Engine Exhausts
9. Wings
10. Bottom Decals
11. Landing Gear
12. Tail Hook
13. Weapons and Weapon's Racks
14. External Fuel Tanks
15. Top Decals
16. Vertical and Horizontal Stabilizers
17. Ejection Seats and Pilots
18. Canopy and Ladder
19. Antennas, Airbags, and Sealing Plates
I provide an index of the individual sprue parts that show where in the book the part is mentioned. This index was a great way to make sure that no pieces were overlooked. Finally, there are several pages of in-process photos with assembly tips and the final photos of my build for reference. This book is a great checklist to make your build go smoothly. Of course, you can feel free to use different tools, paint, weathering, etc. or even add your own diorama. I did a lot of research and didn't see anything this detailed about a model build. Most articles or videos concentrate on parts of their build or just give a summary review. I wanted to go down to the piece level and take you thru the whole build. Anyway, I hope you find this book useful. See a 16 page sample along with photos of finished models and other books at glennhoovermodels.com.