The nice postman gave me this today – recently purchased from a well know auction site.
Airfix’s Grumman F-14A Tomcat – dated on the box as 1975! I have to say that overall it’s a nice looking kit. I know a kit like this isn’t every ones cup of tea (or coffee) but as I’ve said many times before I like these old Airfix jet kits – for somebody like me that’s not too worried about accuracy (and wouldn’t know it if I saw it anyway), it looks enough like a Tomcat to make me happy, with a good balance between detail and low(ish) parts count (and high on the nostalgia factor). I have to say I’m really excited about doing this one, I’ve always loved the tomcat but haven’t built one since I slapped together a 1/144 kit in the early 90’s.
Anyway getting to the point (sorry), The wings have a functioning wing sweep – which I like – but when they’re fully swept back, a small triangular shape pops out of the wing root/shoulder forward of the leading edge – I could only describe it as a sort of leading edge extension or canard.
I don’t remember seeing this on my Tomcat pictures and was wondering if it was something that was particular to the prototype, or if was it was on the initial production batch of aircraft as well? (I’ll be doing an early Gull Grey/White aircraft of either VF-1 or VF-2).
It’s not hard to remove it - I just won’t fit the part and fill the hole where it should be. But if I can keep it I shall do as it looks rather nifty.
Cheers
Stuart
edit - actually just doing a quick google image serch shows up a few pictures with some obviously there, but most not
