I was watching a few videos on YouTube recently and got a few shorts in my feed from the movie The Final Countdown. I remember seeing the movie in the theater when I was young. This caused me to pull it up on streaming and I watched the whole thing again, while basing some minis. I liked the movie then and I like it now!
The storm cgi does not really hold up by today’s standards. It did not really hold up in the eighties either, but it is a short couple of sections in the movie. Everything else is practical effects and hold up really well!
The story is a bit hokey and has enough plot holes to send a carrier through, but it is just a gear porn movie in the end. A lot of fun, in a way that eighties movies always delivered.
To me, the star of the movie is the F14 Tomcat. This movie predates Top Gun and Maverick and kind of set the stage for military and Hollywood collaborations that followed. Just something still exciting seeing F14s dog fighting with Zeros!
Well, after watching the movie and reading about the new Maverick law that was just passed (the government is going to save three Tomcats for museums), it occurred to me that I did not have a model of the F14. I immediately went online and started my search!
I found some die caste and plastic models on Amazon in different scales. Most were in 1/100 or smaller and too small for my taste. I did not see anything in larger scales, but would not have had space for that anyway. So, I settled on 1/72 scale. It is a big plane in real life and I figured that would be the best for me.
Scrolling through the different options, I found versions for the Jolly Rogers squadron from the movie (the old squadron, not the new one). Checking the different options out, I ordered the one from Erebo, as it was mostly die caste and seamed to have a nice finish.
Being Amazon, it came in a few days and I got to check it out. While opening it, I decided I would share it on my blog, just in case anyone else loves the Tomcat! So, iPhone in hand, I photoed it, as I unpacked it and assembled it.
The model comes in a nice collectibles box (even if mine was dented in one of the corners) and is packed in a semi soft black foam and tissue. The plane itself is on the top half and is a single piece. The weapons and landing gear are separate plastic parts, that come in their own tray on the back half of the foam.
I pulled out all the parts and stated attaching all the plastic parts (they are pressure mounts, so do not “have” to be glued in place. I might do that another time… Or not. I’ll see how long it stays together on the shelf after a few dustings!
The plane and the stand are all die caste metal and fully painted. The finish is quite nice. There is no weathering, but that is fine by me. The black around the cockpit and white around the flaps could be a little crisper, but it is fine. All the missiles, drop tanks and landing gear are plastic and well done. You do not have to fully load out the plane, but since the parts are there, I went for it!
The wings actually swing in and out, so you can display it in either configuration! The one thing I did notice, is that you cannot have the wings fully swept back, if you do not want to mount it on the stand and just set in on its wheels. There is a bit too much weight and it lilts back (like it is taking off). So, just swing the wings out a bit and it sits fine.
If you prefer it on the stand, you can position the wings however you like. I did find that the stand does not quite insert all the way, as the phoenix missiles get in the way. I suppose you could leave those off.. But, what is the point of that!
The cockpit is done quite nicely and is visible (the black does make it hard to see though. All the squadron and national markings are great. The model is a little pricey, but if you like the Tomcat, you might must want to splurge, at least, if you do not want to build and paint your own model!
- Manteuffel