[RJLee]

I just received the long-awaited Witty F-14 in 1/72, which I preordered from TFM some months ago. This is the black-tailed CAG airplane from VF-32 Swordsmen, marked for the unit's 2004 final Tomcat cruise.

In general the model is quite nice, more or less consistent with the level of quality seen in Witty's F/A-18E (but not quite at the level of Witty's magnificent F-15s). The basic mold is pretty good, and the wingsweep mechanism is smoother than the F-14s offered by Dragon or Forces of Valor. In addition, the wing configuration in "oversweep" seems better than either of those. Like all of Witty's jets, the gear is fixed in the down position. Some things that I like:

- sharp color markings for a unique squadron (which include OIF kill tallies on the port side and some nose art on the starboard side) -- the more common VF-11 and VF-213 airplanes are on the way, according to the box

- hinged topside and underside speedbrakes

- working tailhook!

- complete, though not entirely historically accurate, warload (4 x Phoenix, 2 x Sidewinder, 1 x Sparrow, 1 x LANTIRN pod, 2 x drop tank)

- nose pitot tube

- late-model Sidewinder rails!

- unlike in Witty's prototype, glove vanes are sealed

- vertical stabs are canted outward at the correct angle

The model isn't perfect, however, and there are several rather bothersome things about this airplane:

- Like all of Witty's Navy airplanes, the missiles are painted badly. They've added some stenciling and assorted detailing, so they're not just plain white, but the scheme is still inaccurate enough to be jarring and makes the missiles look like manufacturer's dummy rounds. This is really too bad, as the Witty F-15's missiles are beautifully done. I am half-tempted to "borrow" some of the ordnance from the Witty airshow-red Japanese F-15J to rearm the F-14.

- Forward windscreen is entirely clear, and is missing the F-14's distinctive canopy frame. This is actually really noticeable.

- Alien aircrew is particularly horrific this time around, mostly as a result of poor positioning.

- Good recessed panel detail, but the overall paint job seems a little flat, like a bare plastic model. The Dragon VF-103 skinpaint is better, and the FOV VF-154 beats them both.

- While primary markings are good and include some small markings, there is a near-complete absence of small standard stenciling ("no step" and the like). Again, the contrast to Witty's red F-15J (where subtle stenciling really makes the model) is notable. The underside is particularly bare.

- Some parts seem flimsy. The port horizontal stab is loose, and my specimen shipped with the port vertical stab completely detached (this wasn't a huge problem, as it snapped back in). The mold also has a large and noticeable seam behind the front cockpit, and around the nosecone.

- The vertical stab and the rudder are two separate pieces, which makes for very loose rudders (and you can see daylight between the rudder and the rest of the vertical stab).

- Undernose pod lacks a TCS, and in fact only consists of the ECM bump. Not to be a nitpicker, but this combined with the forward windscreen problem makes it hard to display this Tomcat head-on.

- No stand! Normally I don't really use the stands, but with a working tailhook, speedbrakes, and smooth wingsweep mechanism it's hard to resist a carrier approach display.

Overall, not a bad model, but one with a few flaws that are really quite noticeable (and which I hope they can fix in future releases, given that more Tomcats are on the way). Personally, I would rate the Witty F-14B just slightly ahead of the Dragon VF-103 F-14B (the presence of decent external stores and a nose pitot tube, along with Witty's sturdier construction, slightly outweighs the undernose pod and windscreen problems), but well behind the Forces of Valor VF-154 F-14A in almost every respect.

I have a number of Witty jets (Lakenheath F-15C, red JASDF F-15J, F-16D Edwards flight test, VFA-137 F/A-18E). There seems to be a distinct difference between the F-15s (which may be the best diecast airplanes that I own) and everything else. Hope that they figure out a way to close the gap, as they're certainly putting out some interesting stuff.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Well here's pictures of my F-14.
I like my Tomcat alot i just wish it had a stand
Enjoy the pics.
JP

[STARMAN 352ND]

[STARMAN 352ND]

ENJOY THE PICS.
JP

[STARMAN 352ND]

Forgot the nose piece.
There that's better.I made this one bigger so you can see the details.
Enjoy.
JP

[STARMAN 352ND]

Bottom shot.
JP

[Louie]

Excellent review. I had requested pictures of both Witty and FOV F-14's as comparison. I hope they come. In the meantime you confirmed my suspicions and I bought the FOV version tonight. I am not as schooled on moderns as you ,but will gladly give may accessment when it arrives. I totally agree about the F-15 it is stunning especially the red JASDF one. I have one of those and some F-18's by Witty on e-bay. Just wanted to share the joy. I am keeping muy JASDF f-15 the gray one would never dream of letting out of my sight. Great review, thanks again hope you will continue to do so as you really helped!

[valkyrie]

Just visited one of the local hobby stores and saw some newly arrived Witty birds including the VF-11 and VF-32 CAG F-14B which were displayed near each other.

The good news is that the VF-11 F-14's forward windscreen frame has been corrected. But the rest of the features, including the undernose pod, remain the same as the VF-32. Nevertheless, it looks great (as with all other F-14s). But with a price of around US$60 after currency conversion and a lack of display space, I gave it a miss, at least for the time being.