F-14 Tomcat
Until it's retirement in 2006 the F-14 was an icon of the U.S. Navy. The variable sweep wing of the supersonic jet makes
it one of the most recognizable of modern aircraft.
LEGO® Model vs. Real
The variable sweep wing was a particularly enjoyable challenge to create and after several prototypes I finally created a
mechanism that would move the wings together from a sliding lever on the bottom of the jet thus hiding it from the top
view. I'm quite proud of it's look and functionality. In addition to the moving wings, it's got a retractable arrestor cable
(landing hook) and, like all my jets, retractable landing gear.
I've played around with the idea of making ordnance for it, but so far I haven't done it.
One day when my 3-year-old was playing with it, he dropped it and it broke into 100 pieces (it is relatively fragile.)
He looked at me, worried about what i was going to say... I had to reassure him that he was more important than any LEGO®
set. Luckily I had already captured the design in MLCad. We now have a rule at our house that the kids
can't play with Dad's jets until I have instructions for them.