ESCI – 9055 – F-14 Tomcat Plus

Description:

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a U.S. Grumman F-14 Tomcat air superiority and multi-role fighter aircraft introduced in mid 70s.

In 1988 at the same time that the first tool ESCI – 9054 – F-14A Tomcat was released, an updated kit was released too. And as the original, it was reissued again in 1992.

Having said that the ESCI F-14 was a not bad kit, depicting early A variant of the aircraft, this kit depicted the first major improve of the F-14s, at the time named F-14A+ or F-14A Plus, and later, in 1991, formally renamed to F-14B. The main differences with the A variant was around the engine, radar and avionics. And what ESCI changed on this kit ?, well, ESCI just removed the parts for 4 x AIM-54 Phoenix missiles and their pylons and changed decal sheet.

Considering that one of the visual differences between the F-14A and the F-14B was the exhaust nozzle due the change of engine between them, and considering that ESCI did not tooled different exhausts for this kit, it’s a less accurate depiction of the F-14B than it was for a F-14A, (Worth it to mention that ESCI included F-14A exhausts in two positions, open or closed at your choice to built), hence a worse kit.

The F-14 Plus kit included decal sheet with two markings, VF-102 Diamondbacks and VF-41 Black Aces.