New to forums, would like info on these custom 1/18 tomcats.

[bobb428]

Since you guys are talking Mustangs, I figured I might as well throw mine up 2!

[astronut1885]

Dude, sweet ride. What year? I'm guessing '67. Looks like a monster.

Aferguson- I saw the same thing in the toyfair photos, but I haven't seen anything produced. It's too bad, some cool diorama pieces would push one of these over the top.

[astronut1885]

Well, I figured out what my next 1/18 will be once the 'cat gets done. It's one of the BBI hornets in 1/18, but as luck would have it I have settled on the rarest one, the VMFA-232 Red Devils. That was one of the squadrons I watched fly over MCAS Miramar for three months, so it might as well eventually sit next to the Tomcat. Can't believe it second-hand prices for about what this Uber-detailed and custom painted Tomcat is going to cost me, and to think I probably walked by it a few years back at TRU...

[astronut1885]

Damn, I just found an older thread with prototype pics of the never-made 1/18 F-4 Phantom... I can just imagine that thing painted up like Showtime 100 or some other awesome 'nam era Phantom livery. What a shame it will never see the light of day... Are there any other options for jet-age US Navy besides the BBI Hornet and the JSI Tomcat? Imagine a F-8 Crusader in 1/18, it would be one big gunfighter!

[toyktdlgh]

I wouldn’t say the Phantom will never see the light of day. At the time it was a popular enough idea that 21st Century toys felt like they needed to slap Admiral Toys out of producing it by saying they would beat it in price. Later we found out they never even had a production model built yet. It was a really bad day for this hobby and in my opinion shows just how competitive this sport can really be. I will venture to say that if Admiral weathers the storm they may yet produce it. If not, some other company will probably step in and do it. It may be years though.

[parrish333]

Damn, I just found an older thread with prototype pics of the never-made 1/18 F-4 Phantom... I can just imagine that thing painted up like Showtime 100 or some other awesome 'nam era Phantom livery. What a shame it will never see the light of day... Are there any other options for jet-age US Navy besides the BBI Hornet and the JSI Tomcat? Imagine a F-8 Crusader in 1/18, it would be one big gunfighter!

If you check out the R/C thread sticky at the top, that's about your only other bet for 1/18 Modern Jets. There are tons of different birds to be had, vith varying degrees of detail and scale accuracy. They aren't going to have the detail of a JSI F-14 or BBI F-18, but the prices are more palatable and for basic display with gear up I think a lot of them look great. aferguson is our resident expert on 1/18 R/C planes.

[astronut1885]

Can't say I'd want to use an R/C aircraft for display. I am all about the little details. I will, however, say that I have also for a long time been eyeing an EDF jet kit of a Tomcat that I saw a while back, but I really don't have anywhere reasonable around here to fly.

[astronut1885]

Can't wait for the wedding this weekend...then I get to finish the deal I found for a Tomcat and start saving for the TKO treatment!

[astronut1885]

My SpotCat just arrived Can't wait to open it up and sit it on the shelf for a while, and hopefully later this summer it will be on its way to TKO! Can't think of a better way to break into 1/18 collecting!