Hobby Master 1/72 F-14D Tomcat BuNo 163893, VF-31 "Tomcatters", USS Carl Vinson, 1995 £108.99 - (RRP £125.99)

Limited edition of only 600 models worldwide

This is a pre-order model, reserve now for £1, with the balance due £107.99 prior to dispatch.

The F-14D Super Tomcat entered fleet service with Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31), the "Tomcatters," in 1992, making the squadron one of the U.S. Navy's first operational F-14D units. In 1995, VF-31 operated aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) as part of Carrier Air Wing 14, conducting workups and major exercises following the carrier's maintenance period in preparation for its 1996 Western Pacific deployment. The squadron's F-14Ds wore the low-visibility Tactical Paint Scheme with tail code "NK," while the colorful CAG aircraft featured a black vertical tail with the famous Felix the Cat insignia carrying a bomb. These aircraft showcased the F-14D's improved F110 engines, APG-71 radar, digital avionics, and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system, representing the Tomcat at the height of its capabilities.

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a twin-engine, variable sweep wings capable of supersonic flight. The aircraft is crewed by a Pilot and a Radar Intercept Officer who share the tasks of navigation, Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force only. The name “Tomcat” is said to come from the call-sign used by Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly which conformed to the USN tradition of giving Grumman aircraft feline names.