Decals
Classic selection of decals included (see instruction pics) with full stencil data markings.
Inevitably perhaps you get an F-14A from VF-84 “Jolly Rogers”, CAG Bird, 1979 (USS Nimitz). “I feel the need for speed”– er, sorry, not that one but The Final Countdown – awesome film where the F-14 takes on the A-6M Zero in a dogfight after the USS Nimitz gets sucked back in time to the day before Pearl Harbor – check it out if you’ve not seen it.
In addition, there’s an F-14 on offer for VF-2 “Bounty Hunters”, 1976 (USS Enterprise) and finally, an F-14 tomcat 3-6079, Islamic republic of Iran Air force (IRIAF), tactical Fighter Base 8, 1980. Nice inclusion this to help you create something a bit different.
Quality looks very good on these decals.
Instructions
Classic Tamiya again. Nice inclusion of the big A3 size colour painting/decal guide. Tamiya Color paint references included.
To sum up – here’s our Star rating guide based on the box contents. When Dave C completes his build, check out the rating grid at the end of that project to see what he made of the whole build once it’s done and dusted.
Geoff C.
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | ***** |
| Level of detail | **** |
| Accuracy | ***** |
| Instructions | **** |
| Decals | **** |
| Subject choice | ***** |
| Overall | **** |
Here’s a little bit of background to the Grumman F-14A Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seater, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy’s Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters, which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War.
The F-14 first flew in December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy’s primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defence interceptor, and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform into the 1990s. The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system was added in the 1990s and the Tomcat began performing precision ground-attack missions.
In the 1980s F-14s were used as land-based interceptors by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, where they saw combat against Iraqi warplanes. Iranian F-14s reportedly shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the war, while only 12 to 16 Tomcats were lost; at least half of these losses were due to accidents.
The Tomcat was retired from the U.S. Navy’s active fleet on 22 September 2006, having been supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F-14 remains in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, having been exported to Iran in 1976, when the U.S. had amicable diplomatic relations with Iran.
Photo: A Grumman F-14A Tomcat (BuNo 160391) of fighter squadron VF-84 Jolly Rogers, Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8). VF-84 flew the F-14A from 1976 until the squadron was disestablished on 01 Oct 1995. From December 1977 to July 1987 VF-84 was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68). The paint scheme displayed by the F-14A was typical of the 1970s. VF-84 also became famous when its Tomcats appeared in the movie The Final Countdown (released 1980). It had been filmed on the Nimitz with CVW-8 during the first half of 1979 in the Caribbean.
