1/72 F-14A TOMCAT U.S NAVY VX-4 Evaluators Vandy 1 1985

Designed to carry the formidable long range AIM-54 Phoenix missile, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was first flown on December 21st, 1970. Made famous by the Hollywood film Top Gun, the F-14 replaced the F-4 Phantom II as the US Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter. Its design includes a variable geometry wing that can sweep back for high speed supersonic intercepts and forward for improved positioning in air to air dogfights. Nicknamed "Bombcat," the F-14 spent much of its late career in an air-to-ground role, carrying the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system.

VX-4 (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 4) was established to conduct evaluations of air-launched guided missiles as assigned by the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force. In 1960 the squadron began to include additional projects that were not associated with guided missiles. Projects such as the operational test and terrain clearance radar, Doppler navigation systems, and air-to-air distance measuring equipment were included in the squadron's tasks.

In the 1960s the squadron painted an F-4 Phantom, callsign "Vandy 1", all black with a white bunny logo on the tail. When the squadron later began trials of the F-14A Tomcat with AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, the tradition of an all-black "Vandy 1" continued.

• Length 9.25"
• Wingspan 8.75"
• Prepainted Diecast Metal Model