Opinion: FOV F14 1/72 diecast

[cnq]

What do you guys think of Forces of Valor die cast 1/72 F14 Black Knight ? How does it compare to CW & WW F14 ? Thanks.

[tmanthegreat]

I have both the FOV Black Knights and Jolly Rogers F-14s with the updated tooling. What I mean with "updated tooling" is that there were a couple early FOV 1:72 scale jets, including an F-14 and Tornado, released around 2003 that were outright crappy. FOV then updated its F-14 tooling and offered it in a greater range of schemes. You will want to ensure you are getting the correct updated tooling of the aircraft, particularly if you eventually look for the VF-84 scheme.

That said, the updated tooling was apparently based on the Century Wings (CW) F-14, so compared to some of the other FOV 1:72 jets, as well as those from competing companies like Witty Wings, it's really nice. Crisp detailing, few gaps/seams, opening cockpit with detailed instruments and figures, removable ordinance, landing gear pieces, and movable control surfaces and wings. The paint applications are not quite as nice as the CW aircraft, but overall are good. The FOV model represents a way to get a CW plane for a cheaper price.

Here are some pictures of my FOV F-14 in VF-84 livery:

FOV F-14 in a comparison shot with a CW A-6 Intruder; Hobby Master AV-8B Harrier; CW A-7 Corsair; Witty Wings F-16; FOV AH-1Z Supercobra; Falcon Models F-21/Kifer/Mirage 5. You can see that the FOV F-14 fits right in with the CW aircraft.


FOV F-14 Closeup (pardon the dust...)

[cnq]

Thanks for the info tman. I think the one my LHS has is the new tooling F14 from FoV since I could see it has separate weapons, separate undercarriages, and movable wings. I think I'm going to get it as it's the last one they still have for a reasonable price.

[cnq]

Picked up the FoV F14 1/72 yesterday from local store. I must say it's quite nice and the detail is very good. I'm happy with it as it only costs me $50 Can ( ~ $40 US).

[cnq]

There is currently a CW F14 Black Knights on ebay and it looks almost identical to my FoV F14 Black Knights above and he wants $499 for it. So I think I could live with the one I have .

[oldskoolp8ntr]

I've got several of their pieces (FOV Tomkitty, 1st and newer gen) and I'm very pleased with quality all around, and detail, especially when they were and are still very similar to the HM offerings, at half the price of issue pieces.