TOMCAT & ZERO

A ‘DOGFIGHT DOUBLE’ celebrating the 1981 Sci-fi Adventure film ‘THE FINAL COUNTDOWN’ starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen.

In the film an unexplained atmospheric phenomenon sends the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier back in time to December 1941, prior to the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The captain of the ship is faced with the dilemma of whether to intercede with their superior knowledge of ‘historical’ events as well as their vastly superior aircraft and weapons.

A key scene in the film features a dogfight between Japanese Zeroes and two U.S. F-14 Tomcats. Hardly much of a battle, but a thrilling sequence with a superb musical score by John Scott. The film benefits from an enormous level of co-operation from the U.S Navy and all of the action is done with actual U.S. Navy Grumman F-14s! No mock-ups. no miniatures, no stock footage.! The Mitsubish A6M ‘Zeroes’ are portrayed with modified North American T-6 ‘Harvards’ previously created for the 1970 film ‘Tora!, Tora! Tora!’.

So this ‘Dogfight Double’ would contain kits of an F-14 Tomcat and a T6 Harvard. (Airfix already had a Harvard in their line as well as am F-14 ‘Tomcat’).