Please note: As of 14 July 2024, the option to buy a Riveted tag has expired. All Grey Laser Etched and Grey Printed Tags may feature a rivet hole or may be solid.
Tomcat number 5 is here, and it’s maybe the coolest bit of F-14 we’ve released! JET EYES was the first to deliver an F-14 tag in 2021, and each subsequent F-14 release has sold out. The earlier F-14 tags were cut from fuselage panels, but this 5th edition was cut from a part of the jet that is unique to the Tomcat and a heck of a lot more rare - the AIM-54 Phoenix Weapons Rail!!!
The AIM-54 is a long range radar-guided air-to-air missile that was developed in the 1960s for the Navy’s F-111B. After the F-111B program was cancelled, the AIM-54 and its systems were transitioned over to the VFX program, which later became the Tomcat. The F-14 could carry up to 6 AIM-54s: 4 on the belly on weapons rails and one on each wing. The AIM-54C had a range of nearly 100 nmi and traveled at Mach 5 en route to its target. The AIM-54 Weapons Rail was originally a dedicated rail for the Phoenix, but was later adapted to carry additional munitions.
The material for this release was removed from a de-mil’d flown weapons rail that was purchased at a boneyard along our B-52 Co-pilot hatch and other items we’ve tagged. These rails would have been used on multiple Tomcats throughout their life and, like our ejection seat tags, would not have been tied to a particular aircraft. Several variants offered with this release come with a printed design on the back that has this rail’s part and serial number.
We carefully unbolted as many of the numerous panels as we could that made up the outer skin of the rail. There are 450 tags, which are offered in 7 variants: Decal, Stencil, Grey/Green, Rivets, Grey (Laser Etched), Grey (Printed), and Multi-Color.
The Decal tags feature portions of decals that were located on the outside of the rail. These tags have been printed. The print turned out so good that we created an entirely new variant (Grey Printed) so that you can get a printed tag when the Decals sell out.
The Stencil tags all feature portions of stenciled text and diagrams that were located on the backside of a few of the panels. These are radical tags and we will post pictures of every panel after the release so you can see where your tag was cut.
The Grey/Green tags feature portions of Grumman green primer and exterior grey paint.
The Grey tags (Laser Etched and Printed) are solid grey and come with a flat black printed or a laser etched design.
The Multi-Color tags have smaller elements of decals, stencils, or green paint but not quite enough to make their way into those variants.
There are also 5 full sets available. The window to purchase a full sets closes at 12:05.
These tags come on a card by BVR that is so good I can hear it. This card features a Tomcat in a climb loaded out with 6 AIM-54s.
This run is limited to 450 tags and most variants will sell out quickly.