Air Drops: The Super Cat Stack

There is no release like a Tomcat release! 

We’ve acquired F-14 panels over the years from multiple places and collectors. One batch of Splinter panels (BuNo 161869) we received came with panels that were removed from an aircraft that was scrapped with Splinter and marked “A/C 11” on the back.

Unlike the fleet, NSAWC (Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center) used a 2-digit modex. Splinter was NSAWC 20, and NSAWC 11 was a modex used at the time of the Tomcat’s sundowning in Fallon - belonging to BuNo 159873. Thanks to some very passionate Tomcat (and “movie”) fans, we tracked down pics of Splinter being scrapped alongside NSAWC 11 (159873) in the early 2000s. 

In addition to serving with multiple USN fleet squadrons and ultimately NSAWC (Top Gun), 159873 was a screen-used aircraft in the original 1986 Top Gun and was painted with Cougar and Merlin on the canopy rail. It was also painted with the iconic “VF-1” squadron art on the tail.

The Super Cat Stack features 7 Air Drops:

All 3 of our AD315 + SOLO Air Drops released in January in the NFC format. 

AD315 - Cut from dark grey interior skin removed from BuNo 161869 (aka Splinter). 

160900 Swordsmen - SOLO Air Drop cut from interior skin removed from BuNo 160900 featuring VF-32 art.  

160900 Ghostriders - SOLO Air Drop cut from interior skin removed from BuNo 160900 featuring VF-142 art.  

AD515 NSAWC - BuNo 159873 exterior skin on a card featuring the aircraft NSAWC colors. 

AD515 VF-1 - BuNo 159873 exterior skin on a card featuring the aircraft VF-1 "movie" colors. 

SE508 - Special edition 161869 Splinter Air Drop featuring yellow interior skin. Limited to 25. 

SE509 - Special edition MiG-28 Air Drop cut from F-5 fuselage panels. Limited to 25.