Model XF-103 at Shizuoka Hobby Show
Posted by richard7k@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 14 comments
1/48 scale model of Republic XF-103 supersonic interceptor seen at the May 2015 Shizuoka Hobby Show (Shizuoka City, Japan). The XF-103 was developed for the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1957, when it was cancelled. Other supersonic interceptors of that period got to the flight test stage and even mass production like the F-102 and F-104, but the XF-103 only got as far as a full-size mockup. It would have combined a turbojet with a ramjet to reach Mach 3, and would have carried a pressurized escape pod for the pilot like the B-58.
ctesibius@reddit
More accurately, they would have liked it to have reached Mach 3, but they kept shedding more and more of the design to get the weight down enough to get off the ground and never reached that point. It was a cool looking design, but not viable.
Flucloxacillin25pc@reddit
“When the legend becomes fact, print the lagend…”.
SkylineGTRR34Freak@reddit
Top Gun Darkstar before it was cool lol
AskYourDoctor@reddit
A length of 77' yet look at that little canopy. Pilot must be really crammed in there.
Plump_Apparatus@reddit
It wasn't intended to have any canopy due to aerodynamics. Rather a periscope was to be used that'd project in front of the pilot. That said the pilot certainly wasn't comfortable being they flew inside an ejection pod somewhat like the B-58.
A picture of the mockup that was constructed showing the open pilot's pod and lack of canopy
AskYourDoctor@reddit
Ooh yeah, I get it now. That sense of scale wasn't making sense to me.
Poagie_Mahoney@reddit
There seems to be an equally scaled model of the ejection capsule next to it. Given that it's large enough to encapsulate the pilot and his seat, that also provides a good sense of the actual size.
AskYourDoctor@reddit
Wow, I didn't look closely and I definitely thought that was like... A small airport tractor or something? Lol thanks that makes a lot more sense
Poagie_Mahoney@reddit
And I just noticed the pilot figurine's helmeted head and part of the seat in front of the capsule, on what appears to be a cutaway section of the fuselage under the nose. So it appears this model can have the capsule put on top of the seated figurine and then the cutaway be put back in. Neat model. And likely custom made. But if from a lot, that's also sweet.
Jessie_C_2646@reddit
That's not a canopy, it's a forward looking camera. The cockpit was behind those two windows further down the fuselage. The pilot would have had no forward view at all, and very little sideways.
Weird-Excitement-251@reddit
Love the M-50 in the background too, they complement each other way too well for two totally different designs from rivalling countries.
Poagie_Mahoney@reddit
I would think that compares more to the B-58, despite having the horizontal stabs. But I wonder why they tried the outboard engines on the wingtips instead of having a 4 engines on underwing pylons like the Hustler?
Su-37_Terminator@reddit
very nice! retractable cockpit and deployable missile bay out the port side with AIM-47 nuclear tipped missiles! completely insane!
KerPop42@reddit
what an efficient way to ingest pebbles