Dusting off an old boardgame

My daughter has been enthusing about the air combat scenes in Top Gun: Maverick. Personally I sat through the first 20 minutes before I could take no more and I went off to do something more productive like trimming my toenails.

However, she did prompt me to dig out this:

Somewhat horrifically it turns out to be 37 years since I last did anything with this system!

I've now run a couple of solo sessions using the basic rules and reminded myself why I enjoyed the game all those years ago. In both sessions I ran one of the recommended asymmetric match-ups; MiG17s against F105 Thunderchiefs. The MiGs are highly manoeuvrable while the Thuds are fast but useless in a turning fight. 

In both cases the MiGs came out on top thanks to their ability to get on the Thuds' tails.

From what I remember the US planes need to be patient in positioning themselves for a fast, slashing attack. If I recall correctly, the full rules, which give a more realistic representation of 3D manoeuvre, give the F105s a better chance in this match-up.