VF-33 Starfighter 210...Famous Fly-by..."The Shot"

This model is for all you Tomcat and Captain Dale "Snort" Snodgrass fans....
 
This is my most recent build and an ambitious attempt at recreating one on the most iconic Tomcat moments in history. The model replicates what is affectionately know as "The Shot"
 
I'm sure many Naval aircraft modelers are familiar with this image. For those who may not be familiar with it, this short blurb from John Sponauer's interview with Captain Snodgrass sums it up nicely.
 
"...it was my opening pass to a Tomcat tactical demonstration at sea. I started from the starboard rear quarter of the ship, at or slightly below flight deck level. Airspeed was at about 250 knots with the wings swept forward. I selected afterburner at about 1/2 mile behind and the aircraft accelerated to about 325-330 knots. As I approached the ship, I rolled into an 85 degree angle of bank and did a 2-3 g turn, finishing about 10- 20 degrees off of the ship's axis. It was a very dramatic and, in my opinion, a very cool way to start a carrier demo. The photo was taken by an Aviation Boson's Mate who worked the flight deck on the USS America. Just as an aside...the individual with his arms behind his back is Admiral Jay Johnson, the immediate past Chief of Naval Operations for the Navy."
 
"The Shot"
 

 
From the VF-33 command history (Courtesy of David Brown)
 
"July 23, 1988-
 
Dependents Day Cruise Aboard CV-66. Cdr Snodgrass and Lt Lackey perform F-14 Demo in aircraft 210."

This model was built from the Hasegawa 1/48 kit. The VF-33 Starfighter decals were custom printed by another exceptional modeler for my use and I'm deeply appreciative for his time and effort. Extensive scratchbuilding was done around the wing gasket seal area. Many of the vents were cut open and interior details were added. The rails for both the AIM-7 and Phoenix missles were scratch built as well. While I tried to gather as much information as I could regarding the exact aircraft flown, information was limited and hard to come by. Through a few sources I was able to replicate the set up and aircraft flown that day fairly accurately, I think. If not, we can just refer to this build as "Inspired by events of that day." 

The model stands at over 18" tall.  The Tomcat is held in place by a custom made 3/16" polished acrylic stand that was set into a 15 x 13" wooden base and glued with epoxy.  The water was replicated by painting the base with a mixture of blue and green and then topped with a heavy acrylic gel.