Hasegawa 1/48 F-14A Tomcat

During the 60s, the USN sought a long range high performance interceptor to defend its fleet. For this Fleet Air Defense (FAD) aircraft and in favor of versatility, the Navy was directed by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to participate with the USAF in the so called Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program. Though the TFX (which would become the F-111) was fast with long range and high payload, it lacked the much needed by the Navy maneuverability and overall performance.

Still, the Navaized TFX went ahead (as the F-111B), only to be canceled soon after, with Grumman being awarded a contract by the Navy to finally build their FAD aircraft. The F-14 was born, with the name “Tomcat” partially being attributed to Admiral Thomas F. Connolly, as the nickname "Tom's Cat" had already been widely used within the program during development.

The plane was essentially designed around the TF30 engine, the AWG-9 radar and the AIM-54 Phoenix missile, with plans to replace the engines with F401-400 then in development. Interestingly and on par with the F-15, no prototypes were built, with the first flight taking place on 21 December 1970 and operational status being reached in less than three years afterwards.

The type went through significant upgrades in armament and electronics, including the implementation of the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS).

During the mid 1980s it was decided to replace the existing TF30 engine with the F110-GE-400. A few years later, the F-14D was introduced, which, apart from the F-110s, featured digital avionics, a glass cockpit and, equally importantly, a Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) which significantly improved its handling qualities.

The Tomcat served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform well into the 2000s. It was retired by the U.S. Navy on 22 September 2006, supplanted by the Super Hornet. Having been exported to Pahlavi Iran under the Western-aligned Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1976, a number of examples still (2024) remain in service with the Iranian Air Force.

Nicknamed “Jolly Rogers” and based at NAS Oceana, VF-84 Squadron was originally established as VA-86 on 1 July 1955 and was immediately redesignated as VF-84.

Upon its transition to the F-14, the Squadron embarked on its first cruise on Nimitz in December 1977 and by 1979 it became the first TARPS capable Squadron of the fleet. In 1988 it was deployed with Theodore Roosevelt, while in late 1989 it started Shakedown and initial carrier qualifications for the USS Lincoln.

Throughout the Gulf War, the Squadron members flew 468 combat sorties, with an additional 111 post war in support of Operation Provide Comfort before Roosevelt was relieved by Forrestal in June 1991. In March 1993 the Squadron redeployed on Theodore Roosevelt, flying critical TARPS reconnaissance missions during Operation Deny Flight, providing information about Bosnian Serb positions around Sarajevo.

It also flew in support of Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. VF-84 returned to NAS Oceana in September 1993, being disestablished on 1 October 1995, due to the downsizing.

Hasegawa came in 1988 with their very nice 1/48 F-14A, reboxing it more than 40 times ever since and practically covering (with the occasional addition of some extra parts) all Tomcat versions. Though being 35 years old (as of 2024) and despite the presence of newer kits that might offer more in terms of detail and buildability, these are still very nice offerings and can produce really accurate Tomcats.

Should you wish to read the full build review, you may do so by visiting my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/mod/us/usn/fighter/pen14.htm

Happy Modelling!