Grumman XF-12 Lion

[The Rat]

Well when I had a sneak preview of this I thought it looked a bit like a Javelin ...

Yeah, to me it looked like a Javelin and a Vigilante spent a night making whoopee and this was the result.

But she's a helluva lot sexier than either one of them!    

[Jack Bobson]

Well when I had a sneak preview of this I thought it looked a bit like a Javelin ...

Yeah, to me it looked like a Javelin and a Vigilante spent a night making whoopee and this was the result.

But she's a helluva lot sexier than either one of them!  

Spot on description!

Thorvic... that is just brilliant.  

[Captain Canada]

Looking good, Thorvic !

It'll be neat to see a USN job from you....cool !

So I guess next in line will be a CDN proposal ?

 

[Hobbes]

And another excellent Thorvic scratchbuild. Looking forward to seeing the end result (at the Nationals?)

[Geoff_B]

Actually found an original model and on double checking even found an artists impression, which is handy as i only had the 3 view GA drawing to work off originally. Just had to do a slight mod by moving the canopy fwd as i realised i had cut it too far back   . Fixed it now but now letting it dry before cleaning up the new seamms and mask it off.

Cheers

Geoff

PS Where does that third missile go ?

[elmayerle]

There were also provisions to carry AAM-N-10 "Eagle" missiles under the wings, eithe two or four.  A varaint of this was Grumman's supersonic entry in the "Missileer" competition.  As I recall, the "high-subsonic" entry was derived from teh Intruder airframe and teh "low-subsonic" entry from the S-2 or E-2 airframe.

The F6D-1 Missileer kinda reminds me of an tandem seat A-9, actually.

http://www.military.cz/usa/air/post_war/f6d/f6d-1.jpg

I like Thor's F-12 better.  

I always thought of it more as a scaled-up F3D-2 Skynight.  That was the winning design, but Grumman, and I suspect others, entered the competition, too.  In Grumman's case, I've seen documentation on the three entries I mentioned.

[retro_seventies]

great stuff as always thor!

what they say about great minds thinking alike must be right - i'm sitting here imagining what one would look like in RAF high gloss roundels with as a javelin replacement, and here's jack, chris and ratty all thinking on the same lines...

can't wait to see her all finished up...

one for the RN at some point?

[anthonyp]

I always thought of it more as a scaled-up F3D-2 Skynight.  That was the winning design, but Grumman, and I suspect others, entered the competition, too.  In Grumman's case, I've seen documentation on the three entries I mentioned.

Yeah, it does in the forward fuselage area, but the shape of the air inlets and the overall arrangement reminds me more of the A-9.  Doesn't help that my buddy got ahold of an Anigrand YA-9 and was showing it off the other day.  (He's not a Whiffer, so it ain't gonna show up here.)

Any ideas where the heck the third Sparrow goes as the GA drawing i used only appears to indicate the two (the text does mention 3 however). Should get round to masking off the white bits later this week once the canopy seam is cleaned up - the canopy was fixed BTW with the access/egress from below.

I really have no idea.  The text I've read left out those little details.  Maybe mount them flush against the sides of the lower fuselage, and the third centerline?  I know the Sidewinders were supposed to have been mounted flush against the fuselage and launched on trapeze.

[noxioux]

A most worthy sacrifice of the Flagon (which is also one of my favorites).  Is it getting a Cold War navy scheme or something more modern?

[elmayerle]

Actually found an original model and on double checking even found an artists impression, which is handy as i only had the 3 view GA drawing to work off originally. Just had to do a slight mod by moving the canopy fwd as i realised i had cut it too far back  . Fixed it now but now letting it dry before cleaning up the new seamms and mask it off.

Cheers

Geoff

PS Where does that third missile go ?

Regarding the third missile; going by the three-view, I'd put it on the centerline with the front between the main gear.  If anyone has Lloyd Jone's book on US Navy Fighters, that should have some good drawings, too (my copy is "somewhere" yet unpacked ).

PS.  According to some online sources, this one started as a scaled up, twin-engined, all-weather development of the F11F-1.  The reverse of the situation that produced the F-104.

[nev]

Another amazing piece of scratchbuilding Geoff, awesome!  

But Damn if she doesn't look like the ugly sister of a Javelin, and I think the Javelin is hideous to begin with!  

I take it she's going to be wearing some suitably colourful F-4 squadron markings?      

[Mike Wren]

great work Thor!    BTW incase you don't know, a 4th British Secret Projects book is in the works from Midland...    

[NARSES2]

great work Thor!    BTW incase you don't know, a 4th British Secret Projects book is in the works from Midland...  

Tease ! Whats the subject matter this time and don't say "British Secret Projects"    

[Mike Wren]

'**********************' but you ain't seen me, right?  

due spring 2007 apparently...

would have prefered one on helicopters & transports, myself  

[Geoff_B]

I really have no idea. The text I've read left out those little details. Maybe mount them flush against the sides of the lower fuselage, and the third centerline? I know the Sidewinders were supposed to have been mounted flush against the fuselage and launched on trapeze.

Ant

I actuall found an interesting bit on the XF-12 in Freidmans "Post War Naval Revolution". The three sidewinders actually fitted in an internal weapons bay between the main wheel bays. Also like the FD-3 was originally to have a rocket booster to to get up altitude of 75,000 ft in 2 minutes. Only mentions the two sparrows however but wing pylons could be used for drop tanks and additional missiles. In an alternative mode the sparrow could be replace with a nuclear bomb for the strike role.

Other interesting fact was the aircraft was actually ordered and then cancelled when Mc Donnell issued the F-4 specs (get the impression that they stretched the figures a bit to nick the order !!)

Personnally i think it looks alot better than the toom, and offers a great amount of What-if possibilities

Cheers

G