Top Gun Special! Building Maverick’s F-14A Tomcat 1:48 – review

with Dave Coward

Background

This isn’t really a build review as the Magazine has plenty of reviews of this kit that are very comprehensive in their description of how to put this kit together but what it is is a description of how to make a well weathered F-14A and in particular one from the movie ‘Top Gun’.

I’ve always wanted to build one of the Top Gun F-14s but I missed Fighter Town’s initial release of the decals for this subject but fortunately they re-released it late last year and I immediately got myself a set. This re-release included helmet decals for Maverick and Goose which was an additional bonus and it has decals for Maverick’s F-18 that he flies in the new Top Gun movie: Top Gun: Maverick – a future project maybe? Also, this was one third of a ‘Top Gun” project that I had wanted to do for a long time. I have done the A-4 and the review for the F-5 (Mig-28) [“ So, you’re the one…..GC, sorry!] will be along soon.

What I’ll do in this review is concentrate on the research and finish of the aircraft and some additional things I did to it that I haven’t done on my previous F-14 builds. This kit was a project that I have wanted to do for a long time so I did go a bit mad with the aftermarket but I wanted this one to benefit from the additions.

References used:

• The Movie ‘TOP GUN’ lots of pausing and rewinding of the aerial scenes and taking photos of the TV screen with my phone!!
• Daco’s F-14 reference book
• Haynes F-14 Manual
• Grumman F-14 Tomcat – Bye, Bye, Baby by Dave Parson – some great photos
• Top Gun – The Navy’s Fighter Weapons School by George Hall (The Power Series)
• Top Gun Days by Dave ‘BIO’ Baranek
• The Internet.

Aftermarket Extras:

• Fightertown ‘Best of Top Gun’ decals 48077v2
• Eduard Brassin Ejection seats48293
• Eduard colour PE interior 49805
• Eduard PE exterior 48909
• Eduard Brassin Resin Wheels 48290
• Eduard Brassin Exhaust nozzles 48311
• Master metal Alpha probe and AoA probe 48007
• Quick boost chin pod 48790
• Quickboost Tail reinforcement plates 48831
• Quickboost Boarding Steps 48924
• Sabre Models F-14A Tomcat Pilot Team 4801
• PJ Productions Modern US Navy Pilot 481114
• Meng Long /Medium Range weapons set – For the ACMI pod.

Construction…