Revell 1/48 F-14A Tomcat

The F-14 was designed as a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II. The Navy required it to be a fleet interceptor and to use the Phoenix missile system that was developed for the F-111B. It also had to be maneuverable and carry an on-board gun. During that period of time, it was felt that the best way to combine high speed with the low speeds required for air to air combat and carrier landings was with a swing wing, which was very much in vogue at the time.

Generally, those goals were met though it was saddled with a rather mediocre engine, the TF-30. This engine was later replaced by a F-110 in the later F-14B/D versions, but that took well over a decade to happen. After over 30 years of service, the F-14 was retired from the USN in 2006. The aircraft still flies with the IIRAF, though in small numbers.

As many of you know, Revell and Monogram combined into one company that was initially called Revell-Monogram and later the Monogram name was dropped because Revell was a more well known brand in Europe. Eventually Revell Germany bought Revell USA and now has most of the tooling for both companies. The old, box scale kits were sold to Atlantis, which has been reissuing them.

The Tomcat kit was first released in 1981 and has been re-issued many times over the years. This one has the same kit number as the original and is a 2005 release. The most recent release was in 2020. This kit is also the basis for their F-14D kit.

Typical of Monogram kits, it has a fairly detailed cockpit section with a pair of four piece ejection seats. There are also crew figures. The fuselage is split horizontally so that the geared wings can be installed. There are separate intake trunks and the fit of these has generally been a bone of contention among modelers. The gun area has an insert to allow later versions to be done. Nose gear well sides have the doors attached.

Landing gear are quite robust and provide a fair amount of detailing. A full weapons load of four Phoenix, two Sparrow and two Sidewinders are included. What is not included are external fuel tanks. The only real option is to have the canopy open or closed.

Instructions are well done and provide FS 595 and generic color information. The one set of markings is for an early light gull grey over white aircraft with VF-142. These decals are well printed, but a bit on the thick side. There are aftermarket decals if you want something different, but keep in mind that aircraft have small changes over their active life and this kit is a fairly early build.

I've built several of these kits over the years and though there are some areas where fit isn't the best, they can be overcome and result in a nice and fairly large model. One of my previous builds is shown below.

November 2023

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