UK Machine Record
F-14 Tomcat
Williams · 1987 · at 2 UK venues.
F-14 Tomcat is one of Steve Ritchie’s classic high-speed Williams machines, putting the player in the cockpit of a fighter jet. The game is built around speed, aircraft launches and aerial combat, with the playfield designed to keep the ball moving.
The two main ramps are central to the experience, creating a strong sense of acceleration and repeated momentum. The game’s rules are relatively straightforward, but the speed makes accurate shooting and ball control essential.
This is pinball as a dogfight: fast, aggressive and unforgiving. Get airborne, keep your speed up and don’t lose control of the aircraft.
Written by Silverball
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No guide to F-14 Tomcat yet
Guides here are compiled against the machine’s published rules, credited to what they were built from, and dated. That makes them slow: the machines standing on the most UK floors get one first — but anyone who plays this machine can write their own.
Strategy tips written by players on PinTips , not by Silverball. Best-voted first.
If 5 out of 6 tomcat letters are lit, shooting the right orbit will spot a letter and immediately lock a ball
General4 tips
- General
Shoot "Launch" saucer on right to spot Tomcat letters. Much safer than shooting targets!
- General
When shooting the right orbit, hold the right flipper in order to in enlarge the shot gap.
- General
If Extra Balls are not on, don't shoot Yagov
- General
Backhand the right orbit by banking off the 4-5-6 standup targets.
Secrets & easter eggs1 tip
- Secrets & easter eggs
If the ball is launched from the left eject, or hit into the left entrance to the upper loop at high speed, hold the right upper flipper up and then the left to get the ball to re-enter the loop and score an easy bonus X.
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