Finished! Lindberg 1/48 Convair XFY-1 POGO. This is my second attempt at this build. The first try beat me and it all ended up in the recycle bin. Not this time, though. Building old kits sometimes ain’t so easy.
This is “what-if” the prototype went into production and did indeed see carrier service. I thought about just building the prototype but that just didn’t do it for me. What if the POGO was an actual combat airplane?
I guess it’s kind of a kit-bash. The pilot and cockpit are from a Monogram F-84F, wing guns from a Hasegawa F6F-3N, the drop tanks from an ICM 1/72 MiG-29. The rest of the build is OOB. The canopy isn’t real smooth and clear and some over spray got into the cockpit area. Topside color is one of the many Mr Color greys. The underside and control surfaces are Tamiya Flat White. The propellers and spinner are Tamiya Gloss Black. The decals are from an Italeri 1/48 A-4 Skyhawk.
Great job, I have one in my stash and keep thinking about building it, but the natural metal finish has held me back. You’ve given me another path to consider. However, mine will have to be Air Force.
Yeah, it took a while to come up with that idea. I thought of airplanes that had a very long service record like the Skyraider. I also thought about service in the Korean Conflict but a Vietnam U.S. Navy paint scheme just seemed to fit the airplane better. So, go for it. Maybe SEA USAF camouflage.
I just happened to be at the San Diego Aerospace Museum Annex the other week, where they have a Ryan X-13 “Vertijet”. Now imagine landing THAT on a ship!
The 1950s were a wild and wooly time for aeronautical advancements, where things were tried simply because they had not been tried. Both the Pogo and Vertijet could have benefitted from modern control systems that would have simplified take off/landing.
