Calibre Wings - 1/72 F-14A Tomcat VF-14 Tophatters
US Navy Fighter Squadron 14 (VF-14) Tophatters can trace its long history all the way back to 1919. It began carrier operations in 1926 aboard USS Langley, flying the NAF TS-1 biplane. After flying a variety of aircraft, the squadron (then designated VS-41) flew the SBD Dauntless during WWII. The squadron was officially designated VF-14 in 1949 while flying the F4U Corsair. It entered the jet age in 1954 with the F3D Skyknight and later flew the F-4 Phantom II from 1963 to 1974. The Tophatters transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat in 1974 and stuck with it for 27 years. The final F-14 cruise took place aboard the USS Enterprise in 2001, after which, it moved on to the F/A-18 Super Hornet that it still flies today.
Designed to carry the formidable long range AIM-54 Phoenix missile, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was first flown on December 21st, 1970. Made famous by the Hollywood film Top Gun, the F-14 replaced the F-4 Phantom II as the US Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter. Its design includes a variable geometry wing that can sweep back for high speed supersonic intercepts and forward for improved positioning in air to air dogfights. Nicknamed "Bombcat," the F-14 spent much of its late career in an air-to-ground role, carrying the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system.
Features:
- Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
- Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
- Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
- Opening canopies, revealing detailed cockpit interiors.
- Selected moveable control surfaces.
- Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear.
- Detailed pilot and crew figures.
- Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
- Accurately detailed underside with concealed screwheads.
- Many limited editions with numbered certificate of authenticity.