Bidding for this lot will end on Wednesday, March 25th. The auction will begin at 9:30 AM (PDT) / 12:30 PM (EDT) / 4:30 PM (GMT) and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Thursday, March 26th or Friday, March 27th.
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) screen-matched F-14A Tomcat filming model miniature from Tony Scott's Top Gun. Maverick and his Radar Intercept Officer Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) ran drills in their F-14A Tomcat while they attended the Naval Fighter Weapons School. In competition for the Top Gun Trophy, Maverick flew through the jet wash of fellow pilot Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer) and went into an unrecoverable spin after both engines died, so Maverick and Goose ejected from the craft. This model miniature screen-matches to the scene where the Tomcat spun out over the sea based on distinct paintwork and shading on the top, the underside of the right rear fin, and on the right side of the jet's body.
A box office success, Top Gun won both an Academy Award® and Golden Globe for Best Original song. It received three additional Academy Award® nominations and a second Golden Globe nomination. The film is highly regarded for its aerial combat sequences, which used a mixture of live-action photography of actual F-14 jets and visual effects work with models of various scales. The model miniature work was completed under VFX supervisor Gary Gutierrez. Filming models such as this measured approximately 6' in length.
This custom-made 6' F-14 model miniature is built from fiberglass cast around a wooden internal structure with Maverick's plane number "114" stenciled on both sides of the nose, as was common on all the filming model miniatures. It features further custom-made decals along the body, hand-painted details, and a plastic cockpit canopy window. This model miniature was likely originally dressed with a cockpit and miniature pilots, but are no longer present. Also included is a black metal and wood display base with the film's logo stenciled on. This lot exhibits a crack in the cockpit window, a missing portion of window, cracking in the shell, chipped paint, and mild delamination. Dimensions: 73" x 64" x 21" (185.5 cm x 162.5 cm x 53.5 cm)
Special shipping required; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.
Estimate: $50,000 - 100,000