1/72 Academy F-89D Scorpion

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hello guys, this is my latest build, it is USAF F-89D, 61st FIS, Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, 1955.

I went a bit further on this build and scratch built a display base for it, I glued a piece of styrene on the mdf plinth and used a p-cutter to groove the concrete lines and then airbrushed it, with a bit of plaster of paris and static grass to add a bit more colour to the display.

Really enjoyed this build as I love the unique design of this aircraft, it is a large model for 1/72 scale, being 23cm long and 24cm wide. I used Alclads and Gunze metallics for the NMF and Model Master Metalizer sealer for top coat.

Would love to do one of these in 1/48, but I think Revell is the only one and having looked online it is a rarity to find. Thanks for looking.

2

Super nice build!

3

An odd aircraft. A stop-gap interceptor, I wonder how effective those rocket pods would have been at stopping Soviet bombers?

Well done subject!

Gary

4

We’ll there was a pretty good story that went around the Air Force for a while.

A C-46 was towing a target over the range and a group of four Scorpions rolled in for their shots.

But they mistook the Commando for the target.

One-two-three-four and they all missed.

Later in the day the tugboat commander was the last to face the board of inquiry.

"Captain,

What did you do when you saw what was about to happen?"

“I closed my eyes.”

“That’s what the rest of your crew reported too.”

5

Great looking build, nice base as well. Nice work.

6

If I recall correctly each wingtip pod had 26 HVARs (2.75 inch High Velocity Aerial Rockets), that is 52 per aircraft or 208 HVARs fired and not one hit the C-46. Those were the cold war days and the shotgun effect was intended to bring down the Russian Bears. I was told by an F-89 pilot the flew out of Alaska that if the rockets did not bring down the enemy aircraft then the pilot was to ram it. In other words the mission could be a suicide mission. Back in those day we practiced getting under our school desks for safety in the event there was a nuclear attack. As if the desk would protect us!!! IIR the F-89 was the first jet all weather interceptor. You did a great job on the build and it looks super on the display base. What did you use for the “arctic red”.

7

Thanks guys, I used Tamiya X-7 red on the wings and tail.

8

And there was the AIR-2 Genie carried by the F-89J. Certainly under test conditions the aircrew could survive the explosion, but in the heat of combat with Bears all over the sky and “Ding Dongs” going off…

9

Great looking build![B] The NM finish looks spot on!

I have one that I picked up on Ebay a while back and at 1/48 scale it’s HUGE. Monogram did a great job with the molded details.

10

GMorrison,

That’s a great story. I had to go find the article from the May issue of “Aviation History”. Contains an article on the stop-gap interceptors - the F-89, F-94, F-86 and the CF-100 Canuck. Pretty interesting period of jets.

Gary

11

Oh absolutely. And there’s the Pine Tree Line, the DEW Line.

Single use fields in Maine, NewF and areas north with Avgas stores for the B-36’s.

The model that the OP put up is really excellent. I’ve got two in the stash, but couldn’t imagine doing that quality of work.

Northrop really had a bad deal all along after the P-61. The F-89 I suppose was a bit of a black project too.

12

The F-89 was in service for a considerable time. The F-89A/B/C were all built with six 0.50 caliber machine guns, or 20mm cannons. F-89D had the Mighty mouse rockets, F-89H were built to carry 6 AIM-4 and mighty mouse rockets. The final version were F-89J, they were all converted from F-89D. They could be equipped with 6 AIM-4, two outer hard points were checked out for the AIR-2. The wing tip tanks were fuel in that version.

The Wikipedia article says the F-89H/J remained in service with the Air National Guard until 1969. Entering production in 1949 that’s 20 years. That’s good for a generation one jet fighter to last until the fourth generation fighters were just about to enter service.