Top Gun, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) Model F-14 Fighter Jet

original model / miniature

A model F-14 fighter jet used in Scott Rubin’s 1986 fighter pilot classic, Top Gun.  The film follows ace fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and his wingman Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) and their high-flying, high risk job as the Navy’s top pilots.  The pair of pilots take to the skies frequently throughout the film and most all of their high flying adventures are only possible because off the 114 F-14 jet. 

The film utilized real Naval jets for the flying scenes, but many shots would have been unsafe or impossible to achieve with a full-sized aircraft.  For these shots, special effects expert Gary Gutierrez, whose credits include Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and The Running Man, was brought in to create and shoot models of the planes in action.

The jet is made of a fiberglass base with sheet plastic pieces attached to the outside of the piece.  The canopy window is made of thin plastic that has yellowed slightly from age.  Its intricate modeling detail is only heightened by its incredible paint job, giving the piece the look of actual, finished metal. 

Additionally, Mavrick’s 114 number and VF-1 logo appear on both sides of the plane, making it instantly identifiable as Goose and Maverick’s ride.  The jet comes on a custom-made display stand which features the film’s illuminated logo and holds the bird in a dynamic, rising pose.