Building the Revell 1/144 F-14A Black Tomcat

Revisiting an old friend

- Revell 1/144 F-14A Tomcat -

  Introduction

box art of the F-14A Black Tomcat

    Ah, the F-14 Tomcat. The beautiful, majestic, and fear-inducing F-14. At the time of its introduction, it was the most advanced, and among the fastest fighter jets in the U.S. NAVY. Built primarily as a fleet-defense interceptor, it also proved to be a highly capable air-superiority fighter, excelling in both roles.

    In this article we will be looking at the A variant. Depicted in VX-4's (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Four) iconic Vandy Black scheme, a livery they've applied to several variants of the F-4 Phantom II. A model I plan to cover in a future article, albeit in a different paint scheme from a different squadron. But for now let's get on with the F-14A Black Tomcat in 1/144 scale.

    I've built this kit about a decade ago, just before my hiatus, and I remember having a lot of fun building it. Back then I only painted some of the parts on this particular kit, since I now own an airbrush and my original model is missing a few parts. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to pick up another copy and give it a fresh start. Hence the "revisiting" part.

Contents of the box

sort of

    Back when I was taking photos of this model, I still wasn't thinking about starting a blog, so photos, in some instances are going to be sparse. The same goes for the next three builds, unfortunately. 😞

    This kit was released back in 2004. Not only that, but it was also tooled the same year. And it shows. Although hard to see in the above image, the kit has recessed details which are crisp and very nice to look at. Unlike the models I featured in my previous article. This kit is far more impressive, with much higher accuracy and finesse, thanks to a much more modern tooling.

    Despite this kit being over 15 years old when I bought it in 2025. I was surprised to find it had extremely minimal flash. And the recessed details were as crisp as on my original model. This goes to show that Revell can put out quality products when they want to. Is it the best? I can't tell, I have nothing to really compare it to at this scale. Nevertheless, it is a good kit. Even more impressive given its diminutive size.

Supplies used for this kit

    This is a new section I want to introduce to these types of articles moving forward. My hope is that this will allow readers to know what to buy in case any of you decide to build this kit. This is not a definitive list by any means, you can obviously try out different brands, this is just a list of what I used.

    Tools:

• sharp hobby knife
• sanding sticks and pads (400 - 1500 grit)
• paint brushes (000, 0, 1, 4)
• pair of nippers (in my case toenail clippers 😅 not the best but it gets the job done 😁)
• tweezers

    Glue

• Revell Contacta
• Revell Contacta Clear
• Revell Contacta Quick

    Decal Application

• Revell Decal Soft

    Primer

• Tamiya Gray Surface Primer (87042)
• Revell Light Gray Primer (39622)

    Paint

• Revell Silky Black (302)
• Revell Matt White (5)
• Revell Matt Beige (89)
• Revell Matt Yellow (15)
• Revell Matt Anthracite Gray (9)
• Revell Steel Metallic (91)
• Revell Matt Rust (83)
• Revell Aluminium Metallic (99)
• Revell Fiery Red (330)
• Revell Leaf Green (364)
• Amo by Mig Stone Gray (0075)
• Amo by Mig Light Gray (0209)

    Varnish

• Vallejo Satin Varnish (70.522)
• Vallejo Gloss Varnish (70.510)

The prep work

    No prep was really needed. The parts didn't contain any mold release agent. Or even if it did, it was so minimal, the sprues didn't require any washing. Which is always a plus in my book.

The build

    

priming the cockpit tub

inside of the cockpit tub

    I started this build by removing the cockpit tub from the sprue and hand painting it with Revell Light Gray Primer, thinned down this time. I learned from my previous mistake. It doesn't look too good at the  moment, but after a few more coats, it will look a lot better. I also made sure to coat the underside of the tub, as this will double as the nose gear bay interior.

pilot's and R.I.O.'s instrument panels primed

fuselage interior primed

    Next I moved on to priming the pilot's and R.I.O.'s (Radio Intercept Officer) instrument panels, as well as the inside of the fuselage halves. Once again, they don't look great, but after a few more coats it will be a lot better, I promise. 😐

cockpit interior painted

cockpit sidewalls painted

    After another coat of primer, I painted the underside of the cockpit tub with Revell Matt White. The interior of the tub and the sidewalls of the cockpit were painted with Amo Mig Light Gray. Now admittedly, the inside of the tub doesn't look great. But once all the small parts are added and it's sealed inside the model this won't be as visible, so I wasn't too fussed with the result. Could I have done a better job? Absolutely. But I wasn't looking to create a show piece. I just wanted to replace my old broken F-14.

decals for the cockpit interior

side instrument panel decals applied

instrument decals applied

    This kit features some decals for the cockpit interior. And that's what I did next. I dipped the sheet into some warm water and carefully applied them to their relevant positions. The application is not perfect. I probably should have taken my time with them but again, once everything is sealed in and the canopy goes on, most of this will be hardly visible. Especially at this minuscule scale. Sorry about the blurry image of the instrument panels, by the way, I guess I was having the shakes when I took the photo. 😂

control column glued in place

instrument panels glued in place

seats installed

    Next I installed the pilot's control column, instrument panels, and the seats. The pilot's lefthand side panel decal did not want to conform to the shape of the cockpit regardless of how much Decal softener I used. But it will barely be visible. The side walls will also push it down on the decal a bit. So it's not much of a tragedy. And as mentioned, once everything is in the cockpit tub, the rather shoddy paintwork is not visible. Whilst I'm not going to make a habit out of this. Sometimes out of sight out of mind is a good approach.😅 Emphasis on sometimes

cockpit built

    Next, I glued the cockpit to one half of the fuselage, then glued the two fuselage halves together. Unfortunately, there is a nasty mark where the fuselage halves were connected to the sprues. I tried to sand it down. But none of my sanding pads or sticks were thin enough to fit in the small space. I did have some sanding paper I could have cut and glued to a cocktail-stick, but it was 60 grit. That would have made everything a lot worse. Applying a bit more paint helped cover up the ugly area. But it's not perfect. I will need to see if I can find thinner sanding pads in the future.

wings and top & bottom fuselage halves glued together

wings swept backward

nose of the aircraft installed

wings swept forward

    Up next, I installed the wings, then I carefully glued the bottom and top halves of the main fuselage to allow free movement of the aircraft's most iconic feature. The variable sweep wing design. Then I glued the nose of the aircraft in place. It's finally starting to look like an F-14. 😁

cockpit canopy masked and glued in place

    I then followed up with masking the canopy, and gluing it in place using Revell Contacta Clear. Whilst it looks a bit milky now, it will eventually dry clear. Plus it prevents fogging. Whilst you could use regular modeling glue for this. I would advise against the practice as regular modeling glue works by melting the plastic and welding it together. This releases fumes and as this is an enclosed space, the fumes have nowhere to go and so will attack the clear parts, leading to the dreaded foggy transparencies.

size comparison 1/72 scale F-14 wing on the left

comparison to 1/72 scale upper fuselage half

    Because I had one on hand. I thought it would be interesting to compare the 1/144 scale model I was building to its 1/72 counterpart. And as you can see, the size difference is massive. The fuselage of the larger model is larger than the entire model in 1/144 scale. I'm really looking forward to building the 1/72 model. Especially since it contains a rather special livery. But more on that later.

Painting the model

getting ready for priming

Taiya gray surface primer is the primer of choice

    It was now time to start priming the surface of the model and all other components to prepare everything for painting. Priming will help the paint adhere better. My primer of choice was Tamiya gray surface primer in the form of a rattle-can. Notice my high-tech painting booth made out of a cardboard box. 😅 In fact it's the same box the model came in as well as some other modeling supplies. Even though I used a Half Face Respirator, I still opened the windows. Safety first.

small components primed

upper surface of the model primed

lower surface primed

    This was the first time I've used a rattle-can for priming, but I was very pleased with the results. I will be using them more in the future. Some might say that this is cheating, but it works for me. And at the end of the day, if something works for you, it's not a bad idea to stick to it. I'm not saying you can't experiment. In fact I encourage it. But it's always good to know you have a fallback plan in case things go belly-up.

    

finished painting the model

a pit of paint seeped under my poorly applied mask

the angle of the wings is not perfect, yet

    With the primer on, it was time to paint the model. For this I used Revell Silky black. But airbrushing was a chore. If you recall from last week's article. I mentioned that I was unable to get my Revell paints to behave in the airbrush. This struggle continued with this build as well. I must have disassembled and reassembled the airbrush about 5 times.

    With that said, the results were really good. There have been some mistakes here and there. At one point I even managed to spill some paint onto the model. Luckily I was able to clean it off for the most part. I also had a bit of paint seeping under the masking tape visible on the righthand side airbag. But I will fix that later.

    You might also notice that the wings don't fold evenly. I didn't notice it at the time, but I will eventually fix it later.

aim 7 sparrow

aim 9 sidewinder

landing bay doors, pilons, drop-tanks

aim 54 phoenix

main landing gear and wheels

nose landing gear

Applying decals

    Next, I hand painted all the small parts while still on the sprues. Given their small size, I think this was the best way to do it. I will still need to paint over the sprue-gate areas. But at least I didn't have to faff about trying to hold the small parts in my hand or gluing them to cocktail sticks or whatnot.

engine exhaust glued in place

covered up the black paint on the airbag

re-aligned the wings

applied a layer of gloss varnish and started decaling

    Then, I installed the engine exhausts, which I painted with Revell Rust, not the best choice, but it was the best I had on hand, I did mix in a tiny amount of metallic silver however to give it more of a metallic finish. I painted over the black spots on the right airbag. Fixed the misaligned wings. Then I applied a thin coat of gloss varnish, this creates a smooth surface for the decals to adhere to, then I started applying the decals by dipping them in warm water, then "carefully" sliding them onto the model.

small parts off the sprues

    At this point I cut all the small parts off the sprues then added decals to the phoenix missiles. For the sparrows and sidewinders, I decided to actually paint the stripes on. The decals are so small and fragile that painting seemed a far better option. The stripes on the sparrows are a bit thick. But I can live with that.

Nose and engine air-intake decals applied

tail section decals applied

right side nose decals applied

    Next I finished applying all of the decals to the model. Unfortunately, at this point I started suffering from get-there-itis and started rushing the build. And it really shows. Many of the decals especially the names and call-signs of the pilots are not properly aligned. There's also signs of silvering here and there which is not ideal. But overall it will still work as a good replacement for my old, broken model.

Final assembly & finished product

completed model

    The final assembly was absolute pain. The difficulty did not come from the model itself, although part of the frustration was due to the tiny parts, but rather from my aforementioned get-there-itis and the fact that I was kind of starting to lose patience at this point. A very dangerous proposition in a hobby such as this. And it shows. Not only are the decals not aligned, but the left main gear is crooked. It will still serve it's purpose of replacing my old model.

    In hindsight, I really wish I would have taken my time with this step. And that's a good takeaway, take your time, don't rush. It's never worth it. If you start feeling frustrated. Put everything down, go for a walk, clear your head and come back the next day. You'll end up with a far better end product if you do.

front quarter view

underside view

rear view

nose closeup

nose closeup part II

    I finished the model by applying a layer of satin varnish to dull down the gloss varnish underneath and make the look more appropriate for the scale (Unfortunately for the time, my airbrush broke after only a few uses and it would take me around 9 months to save up for a new airbrush and complete my next build). I had one final mishap though. The pilot's name plate on the righthand side was sitting more on the mask than on the canopy frame and it came off when I removed the mask. 😒

    I also used a finely sharpened pencil to trace along the panel lines. It's not really visible in any of the shots. In fact even in person, the panel highlights are only visible under perfect lighting conditions. But it's there. And when the light hits the model just right. It really makes the model look quite interesting.

    I didn't add too much weathering on top of that since this aircraft was used for testing and evaluation. It was typically kept cleaner than it's other NAVY counterparts.

    From certain angles, the model actually looks pretty good. From other angles, however, my sloppy build and rushing towards the end resulted in a bellow average model. It will still fulfil it's purposes. But I really wish I would have done a better job. Moral of today: Never rush. It's not worth it.

Conclusion

    All in all, the build was quite fun and I was enjoying it, for the most part, at least. I was suffering of get-there-itis towards the end which came back to bite me. With all said and done, I was still happy with the results. And since I painted this model entirely, it looks a lot better than my old, partially painted Black Tomcat.

Final thoughts

    Despite some major mistakes, most of which I attribute to myself. Building this kit was a breath of fresh air, after the disaster that were the two P-51Ds I built previously. If you want to read about that, you can check out the article here.

    Whilst it is a much easier to build kit, I still wouldn't really recommend it to absolute beginners. The reason is twofold. 1) There are quite a lot of parts, most of them are really tiny. And 2) I forgot to mention this during the build but you need to cut the landing gear doors in order to be able to display this model in a gears down configuration. Most beginners will have neither the skill nor the tools to pull this off successfully. So for these reasons, if you are a beginner, I'd stay clear. However, if you already have a few models under your belt. This will provide a good challenge to get you into more difficult builds further down the line. 

    Next time, we will remain within the naval aviation umbrella. But will be traveling across the pond and visit a very interesting aircraft, so keep your eyes out for that.

    If you enjoyed reading this article or found it helpful in any way, consider giving this blog a follow so you won't miss any future updates. Also consider sharing if you feel so inclined.

    Leave your thoughts and suggestions down in the comments. Until next time, have a wonderful day and happy modeling everyone. Cheers!