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Century Series Fighters...

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  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: Boston
Posted by mach71 on Monday, July 29, 2019 8:24 AM

Back in the fall of 2017 while driving I saw this:

 

 

 

 

When I got home I looked on the web and found a news story about a Canadian F-104 being shipped to new england for refurbishing. 

 

I'm going from memory, But I think it was going to a foundation dedicated to get it flying again. Maybe in Maine? 

The photo was taken in Mass.

 

It would be good to see it flying again.

 

The F-100 was not to bad for maintenance, but I think the 101, 102, and 105 were maintenance nightmares. I seem to remember the 104 being not too bad either.

I'm surprised the 106 isn't flying in private hands yet. They were in the Air Force inventory in the '80s. It's not that complicated of an aircraft, and VERY fast!

 

BTW the Air Force is flying the F-117's again!

https://combataircraft.keypublishing.com/2019/02/27/f-117-nighthawk-still-out-there-still-flying-clearest-photos-yet/

 

So the Century series lives on!

  • Member since
    June 2017
  • From: Winter Park, FL
Posted by fotofrank on Monday, July 29, 2019 8:12 AM

Mr. Morrison, an F-100D is the first Century Series fighter I built. The one that got me started. I'd like to do another one, maybe a Thunderbird. Does the F111 qualify as a fighter? Like the F-117, it's a bomber, right?


OK. In the stash: Way too much to build in one lifetime...

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Sunday, July 28, 2019 11:16 PM

Still some airworthy F-111s.

Frank you do need a Hun.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: MN
Posted by Nathan T on Sunday, July 28, 2019 10:21 PM

There is some foundation out there flying a dual seat F-100f, and to go back a generation of Jets, there are flying f-86s. 

 

 

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Sunday, July 28, 2019 1:44 PM

I was just looking on Wiki... supposedly the only their Century series in flyable condition are some F-100s owned by a company called Big Sky Warbirds. 

Nothing but museum birds and gate guards left for Voodoo, Deuces, Thuds, and Darts. 

I do remember seeing 101s and 104s at air shows long ago giving aerial demonstrations... and 105’s & 106’s displayed on the ramps at some of those same shows. Never seen a Hun or Deuce in flyable condition. Man I miss those base open house air shows...

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    June 2017
  • From: Winter Park, FL
Posted by fotofrank on Sunday, July 28, 2019 1:30 PM

Yeah, we saw the Starfighter Team at the VAC airshow some years ago.

Would be cool to see a Thud in the pattern though.

OK. In the stash: Way too much to build in one lifetime...

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Sunday, July 28, 2019 1:21 PM

I believe that the F-104 is the only Century series fighter to see any life in non military use. Not sure if any Century series types are out there in flyable condition as warbirds. 

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    June 2017
  • From: Winter Park, FL
Century Series Fighters...
Posted by fotofrank on Sunday, July 28, 2019 1:08 PM

All this past week I've been watching the live feeds from Oshkosh and the afternoon airshow on YouTube. Watching online isn't as good as actually being there but better than nothing. So, while I've been watching, I've been working on my third Century Series fighter: a 1/72 scale RF-101C Voodoo from Hasegawa. I started with a 1/72 scale F-100D then I built a 1/72 scale F-106A, both from Hasegawa. Of course, the kits are old but they're nice kits. They build up nice with almost no fit issues. I have a 1/72 F-102A, a 1/72 CF-104, and a pair of 1/72 F-105s to be built yet. The F-105s are a single-seat D and a two-seat F model. All 1/72 scale and all but one of the 105s are Hasegawa. The D-model is Monogram.

So, how does all of this relate to Oshkosh? Well, the warbird area was jam-packed with all kinds of aircraft this week. If it was an airplane that once wore war paint, it was parked there. Plus there were a few jets there. An FJ-1 Fury, a couple of Migs, a T-33, some L-39s, a really nice A-4 Skyhawk, and a couple of Navy T-45s, but no Century Series fighters. I didn't realize how big these airplanes are until I started building these kits. The F-100 is the smallest, not much bigger than an F-86 Sabre. The others are quite large relative to the F-100 and I'm sure they're real gas guzzlers, especially the F-105. So, anyway, I guess if we are ever going to see one of these Century Series fighters live and in the flesh, it will have to be at a museum. I'm sure that even the richest rich guy can't afford to pump the tank full of Jet A and then go burn it off for some time in the pattern.

That's all. Just some musing about what-if.

OK. In the stash: Way too much to build in one lifetime...

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