Kyle's completed F-14D Tomcat — VF-213 Black Lions, modex 213. Top Gun Day 2026.

Kyle started with the engine sub-assemblies before the fuselage went together. Compressor fan faces were painted gunmetal and the nozzle petals in stainless steel to replicate the raw metals of the F110 exhausts. The interior of each nozzle petal is painted off-white to suggest the ceramic thermal coating found on real afterburner hardware — a detail that adds convincing depth when looking into the engines from the rear. The assembly was later washed with Abteilung Starship Filth to add heat-staining character.

Compressor fan face — gunmetal with off-white ceramic interior

Engine unit fitted to rear fuselage

The F-14's canopy uses thick armoured glass with a distinctive greenish "coke bottle" tint from the inside. Kyle replicated this by airbrushing from inside the clear canopy part using a 1:1 mix of Tamiya X-23 Clear Blue and X-25 Clear Green, building up thin coats until the right depth was achieved. The ideal result is a warm, glass-green that reads as actual material thickness — subtle but clearly visible when the canopy catches light at an angle.

The clear canopy part with the X-23 + X-25 tint airbrushed from the inside.

U.S. Navy bombs carry a distinctive rough thermal-protective coating — a matte, stippled texture very different from bare metal or painted surfaces. Kyle achieved this by stippling Surfacer 500 with an old, splayed brush while still wet. The comparison shot shows a stippled piece alongside an unstippled one.

Canadian builders note: Surfacer 500 is no longer reliably available in Canada. The same effect can be replicated with any thick, unthinned acrylic stippled in the same manner.

Left: stippled thermal coating texture. Right: smooth, for comparison.

Kyle primed the full airframe in grey using Mr. Hobby Aqueous Surfacer 1000. Note this is only available while supplies last at Wheels & Wings — it is no longer being imported into Canada. Tamiya Grey Surface Primer (87075) is our recommended in-stock alternative.

Over the primer, Kyle applied a pre-shading pass: AK Interactive RC969 RAF Extra Dark Sea Grey airbrushed along all panel lines and recesses to establish shadow depth, then Tamiya LP-4 Flat White marbled into the centre of each panel. This creates tonal variation that reads through the LP-34 Light Grey top coat, giving natural-looking scale fading panel-by-panel.

Pre-shading: dark grey on panel lines, white marbled into panel centres

The variation will show subtly through the LP-34 base coat

Tamiya's own recommendation for this kit is LP-34 Light Grey, airbrushed over the pre-shaded base in thin, translucent coats. The pre-shading shows through at an appropriate level — breaking up the uniformity of the finish and giving the aircraft convincing scale fading. Any quality light gull grey in your preferred brand will substitute well.

LP-34 applied — pre-shading reading through the base coat

Top view — note the panel-by-panel tonal variation

The cockpit tub was airbrushed in AK Interactive RC916 Dark Gull Grey. Kit decals are used for the instrument console. The instrument panel coaming is hand-painted Vallejo Black (70950). The fabric shroud is painted Vallejo English Uniform (70921) — a warm khaki matching the actual restraint fabric — then washed with Army Painter Strong Tone to bring out texture and stitching. The tinted canopy dry-fitted at this stage already shows the coke-bottle glass reading against the cockpit interior.

Cockpit from above — dark gull grey tub, black coaming, tinted canopy

Forward quarter — English Uniform seat shroud, canopy tint reading well

Nose-on view — cockpit detail visible through the tinted armoured glass.

The VF-213 Black Lions scheme features a bold blue nose, vertical stabiliser tips and rudders. Kyle masked these areas and airbrushed the blue using Tamiya's own in-box recipe: X-14 Sky Blue (5 parts) + X-4 Blue (1 part). If you'd prefer to skip the mixing, Tamiya LP-6 Pure Blue is a very good ready-to-use match.

Blue masked and airbrushed — front quarter

Starboard side — masks still on stabiliser tips

Masks removed — crisp, hard edges on the blue scheme.

All markings are from the kit sheet. Mr. Mark Setter is brushed onto the surface first — it activates an adhesive that bonds the decal film tightly and prevents silvering. Once positioned, Mr. Mark Softer is applied over the top to soften the carrier film so it conforms into panel lines and rivet detail, eliminating visible film edges. The VF-213 Black Lions suite — "AJ" tail code, gold rampant lion, blue-and-stars roundel, and modex 213 — is particularly sharp at this scale.

Decals going on — canopy still masked

Underside — NAVY text and stencil data applied - "I was inverted"

Decals near complete — AJ tail code visible

Front quarter — roundel, modex 213, canopy fitted

All panel line work was done with Abteilung 502 Starship Filth oil colour (ABT510) — a warm grey-brown that sits naturally against light grey aircraft finishes. Applied with a fine brush into panel recesses and allowed to flow by capillary action, then excess cleaned up with odourless thinner. Starship Filth was also selectively stippled onto high-traffic areas leading up to the cockpit to simulate boot scuffing and handling wear. The Characteristic semi-circular streaks from the Tomcat's variable sweep wings were done with the included decals from the kit.

Starship Filth wash applied — top view

Front quarter — panel lines reading well against the light grey

Rear view — engine nozzles and fuselage weathering

Front straight-on — ordnance and belly weathering visible - "I was inverted"

The kit includes two 1/72 scale pilot figures. Helmets are painted Tamiya X-2 Gloss White — the standard Navy flight helmet finish. Flight suits use Army Painter Speedpaint Brownish Decay as the base uniform colour, with Camo Cloak used for the survival vest and equipment layers over the top. The white helmets provide a crisp focal point inside the cockpit at this scale.

Both pilots in position — white helmets, Brownish Decay suits, Camo Cloak vests

Top-down — both pilots seated, instrument panel detail visible

The Tamiya 1/72 F-14D Tomcat and all paints and supplies used in this build are in stock at Wheels & Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.