1/72 Trumpeter F-107B UltraSabre

by Gil Gregg (aka "Dutycat")

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In the late 1950's, when the US Air Force found itself in need of a new fighter-bomber, it had to choose between two excellent prototypes, the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and the North American F-107 UltraSabre.  Although both were considered outstanding designs, the USAF ultimately chose the F-107.  Procurement documents of the time cited the following reasons:
  • The F-107 was an evolution of the F-100, a successful Air Force fighter then in service.
  • The F-107 had a greater thrust to weight ratio and less wing loading than the F-105, making it more maneuverable while maintaining comparable dash speeds.
  • The F-107's unique top mounted intake minimized the chance of foreign object damage to the engine.  This configuration also allowed for more internal fuel and 20mm ammunition.
  • The F-107 had wide diameter mainwheel tires, twin nosewheels, and a rugged fuselage mounted undercarriage.  These features made possible operation from unimproved surfaces.  It was envisioned that in case of a nuclear war, the aircraft might have occasion to use the interstate highway system which was then under construction.
  • The Vietnam war was on the horizon.  With its superior agility, the F-107 was evaluated as having greater potential than the F-105 to engage emerging Mig threats.  As a true multi-role aircraft, it would have the flexibility to be assigned MigCap or strike package missions.  It also would have a greater ability than the F-105 to out-maneuver SAMs, which were known to be in development.
  • And finally, according to unofficial sources, a key USAF procurement officer reportedly remarked, "It was just too good looking and unique an aircraft not to buy.  It was way ahead of its time."

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Once the F-107 was selected by the Air Force, it insisted on the following modifications prior to production:

  • A change from the complicated vertical lift canopy to a simpler and lighter side hinged system.
  • A repositioning of the outer wing pylons and the addition of two inboard wing pylons.
  • In consideration of the fact that air to air missile technology was in its infancy, the USAF asked that each of the aircraft's four 20mm cannon gun bores be canted at a slightly different angle to effect greater dispersal of shells.  When fired, a short gun burst would cover a relatively large area.

Entering service in 1959, the UltraSabre, now designated F-107B, saw extensive combat service in Vietnam.  From 1961 until its replacement in the SEA theater by the F-4 Phantom in 1970, the aircraft won praise from both pilots and maintenance personnel.  Although it did have teething problems with its new multi-mode radar, maintenance crews appreciated the fact that most of its systems were based on the tried and true F-100.

Use of the F-107 in both the strike and CAP roles proved problematic for defending North Vietnamese Air Force fighter pilots, who often could not tell the difference between a strike or CAP configured UltraSabre until it was too late.  Theater USAF mission planners used this confusion to full effect, sending in both CAP and strike configured F-107s in high altitude waves.  The strike package would be mixed in with the fighters.  At the last minute, strike package elements would break for the deck and dash into the target area while CAP elements remained at altitude.  Once the heavy bombs released, the F-107's agility and power allowed it to return rapidly to altitude and assist in the air to engagement of any remaining North Vietnamese fighters.  Because of reliability problems with early AIM-9 missiles and the fact that strike configured aircraft usually were not armed with AAMs, F-107 pilots often found themselves resorting to air to air gunnery. This is where the UltraSabre ultimately won its reputation as the war's premier dogfighter.  The F-107s 20 mm staggered aim guns proved remarkably lethal.  All an F-107 pilot had to do was get an enemy fighter in range and roughly within the windscreen and pull the trigger.  More often than not, hits were scored an a kill resulted.  Because of the muzzle flash from its four guns and the shape of its airframe, the F-107 earned the nickname "Fire Arrow" from North Vietnamese Air Force pilots.

Of course all of the above was BS, but I wanted to have some fun.  The foundation for this "what if" project was of course the Trumpeter 1/72 F-107A.  The F-105 was selected  for service over the F-107 back in the 1950's, primarily because we were, as Slim Pickens put it, preparing for "nukler war..toe to toe with the Russkies."   The F-105 was intended as as a low altitude penetrator designed to deliver a nuclear warhead.  It even had a bomb bay to house the special weapon.  But the way thing turned out, MAD worked and the cold war turned into Vietnam, a war of regional influence war that saw the F-105 used in ways other than it was primarily designed for.  I don't think that the F-105s bomb bay was used much, if ever, during conventional tactical operations.  I wonder, if the Air Force had seen itself in the position of having to prosecute a conventional war only a few short years later, if it would have still chosen the F-105 over the F-107.

I actually started this project back in 2003 shortly after the kit was released, but life took me away from doing too much modeling for awhile, so it took me awhile to get around to finishing it. The Trumpeter kit is a pretty good one.  There were no problems with assembly and very little putty was used (mostly around the area where the intake meets the fuselage). Rather than make it a prototype, I decide to see what it would look like as an operational plane of the Vietnam period.  I scrounged up some pylons, drop tanks, and early AIM-9s from an old Hasegawa kit, and got some old Microscale F-105 decals from a fellow ARCer.  I figured that if the F-107 had gone into service rather than the F-105, then markings and artwork that appeared on the F-105 in Vietnam would be applicable enough for this project.  The camo pattern is very loosely based on the F-100.  The way the fuselage is made (kinda square on the bottom, especially in the rear) calls for a straight color demarkation like an F-4, but I just could not resist doing a scalloped edge.  This kit was built as a companion piece to a Monogram F-105G, and I did the scalloped edge on it too, even though I knew it was not quite accurate! Weathering was accomplished with watercolors after decaling, and pastels after flatcoating.

Trumpeter has to be commended on producing such an obscure subject.  While some other manufacturers sit on their butts or offer repops with new decals, Trumpeter's positive attitude and aggressive release schedule continues to inspire.

Gil 

Photos and text © by Gil Gregg