This is just a poll to see what you guys are more inclined towards. Which plane do you think is cooler? In my opinion the F14 is way cooler and sexier than the F/A18 could ever hope to be. And thats a fact shared by many navy pilots who have flown both. We all know that the air to ground capabilities of the F14D threatened those of the Hornet while it was still in production and that Dick(Head) Cheney killed the F14 because he hated Grumman. The F14 is still superior to the Super Hornet in a few ways and was killed before it should have been. But all that aside because this isnt a debate over the better plane, which do you think is cooler and sexier? Obviously I am going for the F14.
I heard a different story on the demise of the F-14. Supposedly it was becoming way too expensive to maintain. I do know that the F-18 was built with an eye toward reducing the Labor involved with the upkeep. The F-14 is a very mechanically complex Bird if you compare it to the F-18. I’m not into mto Jets but if I ever build a modern era one the F-14 is at the top of the list. Just think… it was in service in the mid 70’s up until April, 2006. That’s an incredible run for a fighter jet !!! By the way, they were also concerned with the years of stress on the airframes… with the potential for cracks in all the wrong places. GO FOR THE F-14 BUILD !!! Bob
F-14 just think Maverick and Goose. You don’t get cooler then Top Gun
That movie made me want to join the military. Don’t ask how I ended up in the field artillery…
The F-14 is on my want list
F-14 all the way here. I just like those swing-wings…
The Hornet is meh IMO. I don’t really like the look of it.
Cheers, Clemens
I would like to get one of each, but if I had to choose just one, the 14 would be it hands down.
Bob, I don’t really keep up with modern aviation. Did I read you right, the F-14 has been totally withdrawn from service. I didn’t realise that.
Between flying a cat or an insect…never got to do any of that anyways. Take the F-14, but it’s still Phantoms Phorever…
Glenn
Yes Bish, the Tomcats are gone from the USN. The only folks still flyng them are the Iranians. F-14 definitely has a cool/wow factor over the 18E. Swing wings and the ability to reach out and touch up to over 100 miles away with the Phoenix. Yes, the Tomcat was getting long in the tooth, but with the D, it was finally living up to its potential both air to air and air to ground. But like the A/B/C/D Hornets before it, the E/F Hornets are not as capable as the aircraft they replaced in their primary roles.
You are correct Bob about the maintenance cost and the complexity of the 14D. But that was all just political BS to justify discontinuation of the 14 by Cheney. He positively absolutely hated Grumman which is all over the web and even a few vids and papers where he openly admits it by trash talking Grumman. At the time he was S.O.D (secretary of Defense) and most decisions about or armed forces came down to him. And I beleive that to be the real reason for the 14 demise, not too high cost for maintenance. I mean cmon, we paying 40+ million per F22 and now F35 but we cant afford to maintain our other jets?
I didn’t realize it was a fact among many Navy pilots that the F-14 is cooler. Lol so that’s good to know. For me nothing is more awesome than the sight of a Tomcat head on and tied down on a carrier deck.
The Super Hornet is a better looking plane to me, but the F-14 has a mean look to it. I think that’s cooler honestly.
Airframes become obsolete. Not to mention wearing down. I have to say the conspiracy theory re: Grumman is one of the funnier I’ve heard though. But it’s one the Internet, so…
For me there’s nothing better than an f-14 in VF-84 Jolly Rogers colours. The 18 just look meh to me, especially cf-18’s
If I never see another model done in Jolly Rogers regalia it won’t be soon enough. It’s sad because I like the scheme but its become cliche and overdone. I could never build one 
Heck, Iran has maintained theirs with no support from the US or Grumman for 30+ years. Can’t be too hard, I guess.
This is a toss up for me. I personally like the look of the F/A-18. I think the legacy hornets have better lines than the Superhornets, though.
But let’s face it, the F-14 was the face of the US Navy for a long time. After Top Gun came out the Navy’s recruiting was done for about 20 years.
I really like the look of the F-18F,liked seeing it in Behind Enemy Lines,I built the Hasegawa version with the new Jolly Rogers VFA-103 markings
Thanks Stik, its such a shame, such a nice aircraft. And when you think about it, the whole concept of the swing Wing seems to have had its day.
I’m definitely a bigger F-18 fan than the F-14… You can tell from my stash, the F-18 is the most prominent jet in my stash… I never liked the design of the F-14, but maybe I’m also the only one here who has never seen the entire movie of Top Gun.
I would go for the F-18, but at the end, I’d probably build 'em both anyway.
With regards, Ninetalis.
Ninetalis, you are not the only one… I didn’t even see any part of Top Gun… [whstl]
F-14 thanks.
I’d give the F-14D the nod over any version of the F-18 simply because the Tomcat is the iconic aircraft of my generation.
Reaper420- go the for the Tomcat because then I’ll have someone to compare notes with…[;)]
No worries Dre. Like I said already ordered it. Sides the F14 is the plane for me. I was just doing a poll to see what people liked. I personally cant stand the F/A18. Also everyone says Top Gun made the F14 cool and maybe it did but the first time I saw it and fell in love with it was in the movie The Final Countdown with Martin Sheen which came out in 1980. Top gun wasnt out till 86.
I love the F/A-18, but like another posted, if I could only pick one I would go with the F-14. Sexier with the swing wings, swept tails, just overall cool!