1/72 Grumman F-14 Tomcat Pt.1

by Andy Mullen

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Special F-14 Tomcat Sunset Update Sept 2006

 

My first look at a Tomcat was not one of the movies that are often associated with this jet or seeing one at an airshow, but a new release from Airfix in 1/72 back in the late 70's. Ever since then it has been one of my favourite aircraft.

When I started back into modelling in 2003, after a 20 year hiatus, one of the first kits I bought was a Tomcat. Since then I have been buying and building them to represent at least one from each squadron that flew in the F-14 Tomcat. The "project" has grown since then but I have achieved my first milestone - one from each VF squadron, just as the Tomcat is being retired from US service.

Here is the first part of my collection, 1972-1975.

VF-124 "Gunfighters" 1972 - 1994
          Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (Low Visibility Boxing) with Superscale decals.

Click on image below to see larger image

VF-1 "Wolfpack" 1972 - 1993
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (Atlantic Fleet boxing) with CAM decals.
VF-2 "Bounty Hunters" 1972 - 2003
      Fujimi 1/72 F-14D (Bounty Hunters boxing) with mix of kit and homemade decals.
VX-4 "Evaluators" 1972 - 2004
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (Black Bunny Boxing) with kit decals.
VF-14 "Tophatters" 1973 - 2001
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (Atlantic Fleet boxing) with Hasegawa decals.
VF-32 "Swordsmen" 1973 - 2005
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14B (VF-143 Boxing) with TwoBobs Decals.
VF-142 "Ghostriders" 1974 - 1995
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (Atlantic Fleet boxing) with Superscale decals.
VF-143 "Pukin' Dogs" 1974 - 2005
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14B (VF-143 Boxing) with kit decals.
VF-24 "Renegades" 1975 - 1996
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (VF-33 Tarsiers Boxing) with kit decals.
VF-101 "Grim Reapers" 1975 - 2005
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14D (VF-101 Boxing) With VF Decals.
VF-211 " Checkmates" 1975 - 2004
      Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A (Atlantic Fleet boxing) with Hasegawa decals.

Andy 

Photos and text © by Andy Mullen