Marcelo Riberiro’s biography is displayed on the rear cover below. He is a 41 year old Brazilian journalist who specializes in digital and content marketing. Marcelo began creating aircraft profiles as a hobby in 2003 and has continued to this day where it is now his ‘second’ job. His favorite subjects are Cold War era aircraft from the Vietnam War to Desert Storm.

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft that first flew on December 21, 1970. The Tomcat requirement came after the collapse of the General Dynamics F-111B for the United States Navy. Designed to incorporate the air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War, 712 F-14s were produced with the primary users being the US Navy and the Iran Air Force. The US Navy retired the F-14 on 09/22/06 while the Tomcat remains in service in the Iranian Air Force.

This is the fourteenth book in the “Spotlight On” series, with each volume dedicated to a single aircraft and superb artwork. All the illustrations are presented in landscape format. Marcelo Riberiro begins with a two-page introduction on the Grumman Tomcat and then dives into the color illustrations. There are thirty-seven color side profiles, with two aircraft receiving attention to both sides and an additional two aircraft featuring port, starboard, top, and bottom illustrations. Where appropriate, enlarged scrap views focus on unique markings. Where possible, camouflage colors are provided with FS numbers.

The aircraft include the Tomcats as noted in the Table of Contents below.

The Table of Contents includes the following sections:

• Introduction [Page 2]
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 162603
• Grumman F-14D Tomcat BuNo. 163900
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 163218
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160393
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 162603
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 159845
• Grumman F-14D Tomcat BuNo. 164343
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 162701
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 162703
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160681
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160905
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 163221
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160391 (Port and Starboard views)
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 162692 (204 and 201 markings)
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 162923
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 162912
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 161430
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 163217
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160682
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 159868
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160656
• Grumman F-14B Tomcat BuNo. 163220
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 161276
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 158905
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 162600
• Grumman F-14D Tomcat BuNo. 164603
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 161869
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160325
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160326
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160347 (Port and Starboard views)
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160343
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 161142 (Port, Starboard, Top, and Bottom views)
• Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160660 (Port, Starboard, Top, and Bottom views)

I particularly enjoyed the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) F-14A based at NAS Fallon in 2000. It features a splinter camouflage scheme in Dark Ghost Gray, Light Ghost Gray, Dark Blue, and Light Blue, accompanied with a scrap view of the NSAWC badge featured on the vertical tail.

This edition of ‘Spotlight On’ provides an interesting view into a chapter of aviation history. A quick search of the World Wide Web shows that there are plenty of Tomcat decals in 1/144, 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32, even the aforementioned NSAWC F-14A based at NAS Fallon, so re-creating any of the featured aircraft should be of no issue. This edition provides a great reference for Tomcat markings for your next Tomcat project.

My thanks to MushroomModel Publications and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!