Top Gun--More Than Meets the Eye?

[Hucklebubba]

Hardly a current event, but something that the Geek Code forbids me from not sharing.

I was watching Top Gun a little bit ago (Collector's Edition; another fruit of that little spending spree I mentioned earlier), and noticed something I hadn't picked up on during any of my twenty previous viewings.

When Goose and Maverick are waiting for Goose's family at the airport, Goose has a little toy jet that appears, understandably, to be a Tomcat (I don't think I've ever seen the Jolly Roger tail insignia on anything else).

Through the course of the scene, this toy jet either disappears completely or is transmogrified by Goose's family man voodoo into a single red rose for his wife. But, a couple of angle switches later, the toy jet reappears. Or rather, a toy jet reappears.

Goose's little boy, prior to any interaction with his father, is seen to be holding a toy jet (the best look you get at it is right when he hugs da-da). But wait, that's no Tomcat! The exhaust ports are too close together, and the wings are too wide front-to-back! Aar, 'tis a little Eagle, me hearties!

And not just any toy F-15 either. There's only one I know of that sports the red, blue & grey scheme.

Yep. It's G1 Starscream. Goose's boy is cooler than he can possibly understand.

[coccatino]

I'm rather impressed with the amount that people around here seem to know about fighter jets.

[Hucklebubba]

You should see me in full-on Airplane Nerd mode. I become impossible to live with.

[Rett Mikhal]

I think you'd be more concerned with the fact Goose turns into Sundown in the initial carrier scenes, then Sundown turns into Merlin and a blue-helmeted unknown RIO after Goose's death.

Jolly Rogers VF-103

The Jolly Rogers started off as the VF-17 Jolly Rogers, flying the F4U Corsair. They were the most decorated squadron in the Pacific. In their two tours of duty in the Solomon Islands, the VF-17 Jolly Rogers had 152 aerial victories and produced 11 aces.

They went through a few name changes and in the Korean War became VF-84, flying the FJ-3 Fury. In 1964 they upgraded to the F4 Phantom II and then in 1976 made the jump to their signature plane: The F-14A Tomcat.

They became, once again, the most decorated squadron of their type, logging the most missions and kills with the Tomcat. The entire end sequence of Top Gun is basically like every VF-84 engagement. They also had the first kill with the craft. They made themselves famous by painting their fighters bone white so the enemy could see them from further away.

As the end of the F-14 was drawing closer, a lot of squadrons were dissolved or moved to the F-18 Hornet. The Jolly Rogers flat out refused to ever leave the Tomcat and were subsequently disbanded by the USN. VF-103 didn't take kindly to the oldest and most decorated Navy squadron ceasing to exist, so they took on the name and infamous skull and crossbones insignia. They currently carry the 'bones' of the squadron and fly the F-18 Super Hornet.

Fighters that have carried the Bones: F4U-1 Corsair, F4U-1A Corsair, F6F-5 Hellcat, F4U-4 Corsair, F8F-2 Bearcat, F9F-2/4 Panther, F9F-8 Cougar, F3H-2M Demon, FJ-3 Fury, F-8C Crusader, F-4B/J/N Phantom II, F-14A Tomcat, F/A-18F Super Hornet.

Edit: By the way, Huckle, I get into super airplane nerd mode all. The. Time. There's an F-14 Jolly Roger sitting on top of this monitor. Also, you should submit that goof to imdb before someone beats you to it. You're defiantly right.