Forgotten old bird - Vought's F6U1 Pirate (OOB)

[Faust]

As I go through my modelling journey, I find that I get onto “themes”; I’ll go hog-wild over various familes of planes, and scoop up all of what I can locate like a Roomba eats dirt. Sometimes it’s a specific type of plane, like a float plane, or one-seaters that were made from two-seaters. Other times, I get fixated on a service, like the WWII IJN or Royal Navy jets. One such tear saw me dive into the world of US Navy and Marines jets. My Twogar is a result of that particular episode.

However, it’s likely no surprise that even when “under the influence” of a particular fetish, I still have a nose for the weird and often best forgotten. Surely, one such aircraft must be the Vought F6U1 Pirate, the first attempt by that storied company to produce a jet. Dumpy, barely capable of flight and deemed unfit for service, it was a long way from its later siblings the Crusader and Corsair II.

Of course, when I came across the Admiral kit of this portly aeronautical dead end, I had to have it. Since it’s the 11^th Anniversary of the Sprue Lagoon, I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate. Check out this half-baked and half-wooden faltering first step at the link below. Don’t tell me you don’t think it has a certain loveable charm!

 

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/admiral-1-72-vought-f6u-1-pirate-early-oob/
 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Faust

[Ace-Garageguy]

Great stuff. I want one now.   

[BlackSheep214]

Ugly looking prototype aircraft. Then again, most prototypes were ugly except a few that went on to be iconic fighter jets.

[TarheelRick]

Interesting build. For some reason that box art shot somehow makes me thin of an A-10, I guess it is the canopy and short nose. Anyway looking forward to your build.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, TarheelRick said:

Interesting build. For some reason that box art shot somehow makes me thin of an A-10, I guess it is the canopy and short nose. 

Definite visual similarity from that angle. Short, straight, low wings too.

   

Speaking of A-10s...I really don't think anyone will ever develop a better, more capable, more survivable  CAS aircraft. 

If I ran the USAF, I'd be looking to build more, rather than retiring the ones in service.

Sure, it could benefit from a slew of upgrades, but all the known airframe fatigue issues have been effectively dealt with. When you've got the best platform going for a particular mission, why junk it just because it's "old"?

I think a much more rational case could be made for retiring the B-52 fleet. Much as I love it, I have to wonder...does its mission even exist anymore?

Edited November 16, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[TarheelRick]

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

does its mission even exist anymore

Unfortunately, yes it does.  It is still our long-range nuclear bomber

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, TarheelRick said:

Unfortunately, yes it does.  It is still our long-range nuclear bomber

What I meant was that, where ICBMs are available and are really pretty hard to defend against 100% effectively, as well as other delivery systems like terrain-following cruise missiles, etc., what real good is a big, fat target of a bomber that only flies 650 MPH against a technologically sophisticated adversary?

I can see their potential (continued) usefulness for "carpet bombing" with conventional explosives against a variety of second-rate targets, but as a delivery system for nukes against a big grown up enemy that has things like advanced radar, high-altitude SAMs, and lotsa fighter-interceptors, not so much.

I must be missing a part of the puzzle.   

Edited November 17, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[Daddyfink]

https://youtu.be/ZSWDysvJiA4?si=2Ocn-dxZSy7EFrDR

[TarheelRick]

On 11/16/2023 at 7:13 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

I can see their potential (continued) usefulness for "carpet bombing" with conventional explosives against a variety of second-rate targets, but as a delivery system for nukes against a big grown up enemy that has things like advanced radar, high-altitude SAMs, and lotsa fighter-interceptors, not so much.

Ace, I really hate to say it but I feel any use of the B-52 as a nuclear delivery system will become a suicide/kamikaze mission.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, TarheelRick said:

Ace, I really hate to say it but I feel any use of the B-52 as a nuclear delivery system will become a suicide/kamikaze mission.

Yeah, that was what I was kinda thinking. 

[Snake45]

Speaking of A-10s, I'll bet you've never seen one of these...

[Reegs]

As clunky as it looks, it had to be safer than the F7U Cutlass, aka "The Widow Maker, aka "The Ensign Killer", and a few others that I can't remember.