After ages of hearing about others striking it rich in thrift stores, today was my turn. The local thrift stores have NEVER given up a model to me… until today.
I always make it a point to look, though, even though I’ve never scored there. I like to hit the stores during the week when I am on the swing shift… less competition.
Lo and behold, there on the rack today, was this:
1/72 Trumpeter F-107A.
Well, okay, it’s sort of a sleeper. It’s not their 1/48 Wyvern or something REALLY cool like that, but hey, it’s beats nothing, right? I snatched that box faster than a debutante grabs her date. I got it home and inventoried the parts. Here’s the good news -
The decals are there, the clear parts, too, both sealed in their plastic. In fact, all the parts are there… now for the bad news…except for the cockpit tub.
It looks like the previous owner started it and lost the tub. Ah well, nothing some plasticard, a sharp knife and some calipers can’t cure. Here, though, is the best part…
Total cost: $1.01
Yepper, one dollar, a worthless cent and I’m all in. Now, I dont know much about the F-107A, but I soon will! For a dollar, it will be the best research I’ll ever do.
That’s a pretty sweet find. You can always just paint over the canopy and display it like a static jet at an air base somewhere. I’m sure that plane is on display, I just can’t remember where. I have the same kit, and it looks pretty cool.
Both the F-102 F-106 and F-107 all had the same design with the Delta wing incorporating the Aileron/elevator into the wing thus eliminating the horizontal stabilizer.
The F-107 was actually designed as a fighter-bomber, not an interceptor. Everything from the cockpit/intact back is structurally identical to the F-100, hence Ultra Sabre.
This is very ironic- I just picked the same kit up at my local Hobby Lobby. Unfortunately, MINE cost about $17. It had been staring at me for months, and I finally caved.
I might start it prety quick, but not as anything superdetailed. I am a tried and true prop man, after all. Still a neat plane, though.
I had heard a long time ago, backin the 70s, that the F-107 was used in a fly-off competition against something but obviously lost. I can’t remember what it went up against though.
The design of the YF-107 only allowed for perhaps 4000lbs in a central weapons bay which also precluded an external, or large internal tank. Based on an old airframe that carried a few Falcon missiles. There was no possibility of any meaningful stores on the wings.
As a F/B it needed to compete with the F-105, an enormous tank of an a/c which could carry up to 14000lbs of bombs, fuel or missiles all over the airframe.
Twice the range, vastly more ordinance.
The Thud also could carry a gun. Both were capable of carrying nuclear weapons, I’m guessing in the case of the F-107, but it could not have gotten very far.
The whole F-107 thing strikes me as a “Lets see what we can do,” exercise… a “How much more is in the airframe,” sort of thing. There was a lot of money and gumption back then and no computers. You tried it if you designed it, and found out if it worked.
In retrospect, Im sure SOMEBODY took it seriously, but probably not many.
Nonetheless, it is a neat little treat at any cost.
Great score ! Looking at the photos of this plane, bailout musta been cute. I realize that a ejection seat was used but I can picture the test pilot saying " you want me to do what?!?" [:-^] [:D] ART
