Buckle up, Top Gun fans; after several missed start dates, Top Gun: Maverick is ready to take off in 2022! Get ready for some high-flying action with our favorite rebellious aviators, and prepare for heart-pounding fun! After more than thirty years of service, the Navy's premier aviator Pete Mitchell is back where he belongs, pushing the envelope and testing boundaries as a courageous test pilot dodging inevitable advancement in rank that would otherwise ground him.

Look For The F-14D And The P-51D Mustang

If you have already seen the trailers for the summer's blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick, you are undoubtedly excited to watch some of our country's finest aircraft. The film showcases the US Navy retired F-14D Tomcat and the North American P-51D Mustang, which many aviator enthusiasts look forward to seeing.

Top Gun: Maverick And Aviation History

The storyline of Top Gun: Maverick follows the original Top Gun favorites as it picks up a few years down the road. While it may be a bit of a stretch to suggest that a Naval Aviator Captain has a hangar full of memorabilia and toys as Maverick does, viewers will nonetheless be well absorbed by the very idea of such a collection. However, the truth is not as far off as one may initially think.

Tom Cruise And The Mustang

The film's star is a particular Mustang in the movie that is owned by Tom Cruise- Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, in real life. Cruise's N51EW Mustang was built as an F-6K-15-NT at a Dallas assembly plant in 1944. K's were equipped with 11-foot Aero products hollow prop that differed from the 11-foot 2-inch Hamiltion Standard mill. The plane was also outfitted with two cameras mounted to perform photo-reconnaissance missions.

The fighter was delivered to the US Army Air Force in 1944 and given the serial number 44-12840, yet no reliable record of its actual use by the USAAF can be found. In fact, around 840 may have sat idle in storage at a US base until donated in 1946 to the Civil Air Patrol. For the years that followed until 1997, the aircraft was privately owned and showcased for a time at the Victory Air Museum in Illinois.

After undergoing lengthy restorations for several subsequent years, the Mustang took residence in California in 2001 when Tom Cruise acquired her. After becoming a licensed private pilot in 1994, Tom Cruise since added several other aircraft to his collection.

Build Your Own Model Mustang And F/A-18

Now, you can amp up the excitement of the release of Top Gun: Maverick by building your very own model of the F/A-18 and the Mustang! COBI Building Blocks released licensed sets that let you capture Maverick's thrills and white-knuckled rides in your very own model and figures, including Goose! Get started building your COBI Top Gun: Maverick planes today and be ready to take off with Pete and the Top Gun crew!