Tag Archives: Aircraft Carrier

Top Gun

Di-neeoy neeoy di-ni-ni-ni-ni-neeoy… Yes we’re reminiscing about the greatest and gayest straight movie ever made today, courtesy of JuliusZ D. and his spectacular Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat.

The variable-sweep carrier-capable fighter was a mainstay of the United States Airforce from the mid-’70s until the mid-’00s, serving in multiple conflicts across (mostly) the Middle East, and also being operated by Iran, which is perhaps a bit awkward today…

But it is of course most famous for carrying Maverick to victory over whatever undefined-vaguely-Soviet-allied-enemy the U.S were fighting in ‘Top Gun’, and ensured a generation of kids wanted to be beach-volleyball playing fighter pilots when they grew up.

Juliusz’s incredible Model Team replica of the iconic multirole fighter is one of the finest aircraft that this site has ever featured, and you can see much more of his astonishing creation at his ‘Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat’ album, where over three-dozen stunning images are available to view.

Click the link above to join us playing beach-volleyball in far-too-tight shorts before shooting down a few MiGs.

French Fighter

This magnificent Dassault Rafale-M complete with carrier-deck was found on Flickr today. Previous bloggee Kenneth Vaessen is the builder and he’s recreated France’s current maritime fighter beautifully in brick-form.

Designed to replace France’s various military aircraft with a single multi-role fighter, the Rafale was introduced in 2001 and it’s been in action over Syria, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan since, most notably launching strikes on the utter shitbags that are Daesh (otherwise known as Islamic State).

There’s lots more to see of Kenneth’s top-quality recreation of the French fighter at his Flickr photostream – click the link above to take off.

Fighting Friday

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This spectacular replica of the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier was discovered on Flickr today. It’s been built by Jon and Catherine Stead and it’s… well, bloody massive!

The real Theodore Roosevelt was launched in 1984, measuring over 1,000ft long and weighing over 100,000 tons. The ship first saw operational duty in 1991’s ‘Operation Desert Storm’ during the first Gulf War, the same year as today’s second US Navy-themed post ended its active service.

The LTV A-7E Corsair II first entered service during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, flying until it was retired in 1991. Over 1,500 Corsair II aircraft were manufactured between 1965 and 1984, with 98 lost during the Vietnam War.

The neat carrier-based A-7E Corsair II pictured below has been constructed by Flickr’s Dornbi and there’s more to see of his recreation at the link above.

The Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) carrier is currently in operation off the Yemen coast as part of a weapons interception programme. You can read more about the people who are being affected by the ongoing Yemen Crisis by visiting the Red Cross Yemen Crisis page here.

To Boldly Go

This magnificent micro-scale USS Enterprise CVN-65 is the work of Locutus aka primanota82 and was suggested to us via the Feedback page. As well as being the most nerdy spaceship ever, the USS Enterprise was the first nuclear powered warship and is still the longest ship in the US Navy. Commissioned in the 1960s the Enterprise was retired last year to be replaced by the Nimitz-Class carriers, currently readying for the assault on Syria. Locutus’ 1/350 scale version comes complete with a variety of miniature aircraft, including Phantoms, Tomcats and Corsairs. Identify them all via the links above.