AMT 1/72 F-14A Tomcat 'Top Gun' Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | March 2014 | Manufacturer | AMT/Round 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | F-14A Tomcat 'Top Gun' | Scale | 1/72 |
| Kit Number | 0887 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Classic kit that is a simple build and great entry-level model | Cons | See text |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $28.99 |
First Look
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Round 2 Models has been steadily reissuing the classic aircraft kits from the venerable AMT kit series and their 1/72 F-14A Tomcat 'Top Gun' will be arriving in stores in the near future. This kit has been around for a number of years (decades) and the tooling has held up nicely. Like the Bf 109, many hobby companies produced at least one F-14 Tomcat kit, usually in 1/72 scale and AMT was no exception. This kit has been reissued a few times over the years and was notable for it's Top Gun license.
The kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on six parts trees plus one tree of clear parts. Among the features and options:
- Very basic cockpit
- Good ejection seats
- Positionable canopy
- Movable wings
- TF30 compressor faces at end of intake ducts
- Choice of open or closed afterburner nozzles
Among the external stores options
- 4 x AIM-54 pallets
- 4 x AIM-54 Phoenix
- 2 x AIM-7 Sparrow
- 2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder (replace these)
- 2 x external fuel tanks
- 1 x TARPS pod
Markings are included for two examples:
- F-14A, 158979, VF-1, NK/100, USS Enterprise, 1974, CAG aircraft
- F-14A, 159015, VF-32, AB/204, USS John F. Kennedy, 1980s
With an MSRP of around $29.00, I would assume that Round 2 is paying licensing fees to the movie studio for the Top Gun logo and markings as well as to Northrop Grumman thanks to the law in place mandating licensing fees to goverment contractors. Given that, I had hoped to see the markings out of the movie on the sheet. While someone did add the modexes 103, 104, 105, and the callsigns for Maverick, Ice Man, Goose, Hollywood, Stinger, Jester (didn't fly the Tomcat), and Viper (ditto), there are no low-visibility markings provided as used in the movie aircraft. The notional squadron markings on the tails of the movie Tomcats are also not replicated here.
Despite the nits above, this is a good kit for a younger modeler that will be cheaper than the current retail prices for the equivalent Hasegawa, Hobby Boss, etc. Kudos to Round 2 Models for bringing back some nice subjects that are simple in construction and priced for younger modelers. Can you believe that after 30 years, they may be producing the sequel to Top Gun? Sorry, no Tomcats.
My sincere thanks to Round2 Models for this review sample