Boeing/de Havilland F9B-1 Venom, US Navy

[CammNut]

Backstory: model made, photos taken, never posted, model packed away during redecoration, box forgotten, tc2324's US Navy Sea Vixen post seen here, memory jogged, photos nowhere to be found, box eventually located, model unpacked (still intact), new photos taken (quickly, iPhone, apologies), finally posted! Oh, sorry, wrong story...



"Real" backstory: the Korean War becomes a large-scale conflict between China and the US and its allies. With Russian aid, China quickly ramps up its aircraft production and a war of attrition for air superiority begins. Needing more-capable, all-weather fighters able to operate from its smaller, older carriers, the US Navy taps Boeing to work with de Havilland to develop a version of the Sea Vixen with a US weapon system.



Designated the F9B-1 Venom (Vixen having suggestive connotations to Americans), the aircraft is equipped with an APQ-46 air-intercept radar and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles as well as US radios and other modifications to make the Sea Vixen compatible with USN carriers and other aircraft.



The aircraft modeled is an early production aircraft flown by the VX-4 test and evaluation squadron at NAS Point Mugu in California to assess the effectiveness of the US radar and missile on the Sea Vixen. This aircraft lacks the mods required to make the Sea Vixen compatible with US Navy carriers, which include a new nose gear and arrestor hook.



In some photos, the F9B-1 is seen with a US Air Force Martin F-87 Meteor night fighter, from another thread of the same backstory. (Excuse the Vixen/Venom's wonky pitot probe, it's wobbly)

Kits: Frog-repop Sea Vixen FAW.2, plus Matchbox Meteor NF.14  - OOB except for paint jobs (and missiles on the F9B). Decals from Fujimi F-4 Phantom kit and an F-82 Twin Mustang sheet the origin of which I now can't recall.

[Gondor]

Nice, both of them 

Gondor

[McColm]

Well done.

[The Rat]

What a lovely pair! (another suggestive connotation  )

[comrade harps]

The Meteor's kind of sinister and the Venom is gorgeous   

[sandiego89]

Really nice.  Good job on the paint. 

Not sure about your comment on this early version lacking the nose gear compatible with US carriers.  The UK nose gear, and hook, should be just fine for service in the period you are talking about- 1950's to 1960's and even later.  Unless you are talking about a jacked up nose gear to increase the angle of attack.  US used bridle launch all the way until the last phantoms, A-3's and crusaders were retired.  US began the the switch to nose gear launch bar in the 1960's, but there was a long period were the same air wing would include both bridle launched and nose gear launched aircraft.

Well done.     

[Tophe]

This twin-boomer is nice in these dark blue colors...

[NARSES2]

They are nice 

[Rheged]

They are nice 

I concur with your assessment, sir!  They are very nice indeed.

[CammNut]

Thanks, folks. And the black schemes gave me a new appreciation for both aircraft. Now if only someone would make the kit or the bits for a Valiant B.2...

[Captain Canada]

Nice one ! Pretty funny intro too 

Looks great in those colours. They both do !