US Navy Fighter Squadron 43 (VF-43) was commissioned on September 1st, 1950 flying the F4U Corsair and nicknamed "Rebel's Raiders". The squadron transitioned through the F9F Cougar and F-8 Crusader before being redesignated as VF-11 "Red Rippers" on February 16th, 1959. The deployed to Vietnam in 1967, now flying the F-4 Phantom II and eventually upgraded to the F-14 Tomcat in 1980. The squadron went on to fly the Tomcat for 25 years before it was redesignated as Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11) and switched to the F/A-18 Super Hornet in 2005.

During the final Tomcat deployment aboard the USS George Washington, the CAG and CO aircraft both wore high visibility paint schemes with some eye-catching nose art. Since the retirement of the F-14 also meant the retirement of the long-range AIM-54 Phoenix Missile, the nose art depicted a Tomcat perched atop an AIM-54 with the title "Thanks for the Ride! 1980-2005".

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.

Features:

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear with rotating wheels.
• Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
• Selected moving parts such as canopies, control surfaces and swing-wings.
• Detailed, hand-painted pilot and crew member figures.