Century Wings 1:72 Wings of Heroes 910379
Vought F-8E Crusader Diecast Model
Aeronavale Flotille 12F, Carrier Clemenceau, Last F-8 Cruise, 1999 | Limited Edition
1500
Pieces Worldwide |
|
| 1:72 Scale | | Length | | Width |
|---|
| Vought F-8E Crusader | | 9.25" | | 5.75" |
The French Naval Air Force (Aeronavale) has a rich history dating back to 1910, including the introduction of France's first aircraft carrier "Beam" in 1919. In 1964, France purchased 42 F-8E(FN) Crusaders from the US and these aircraft turned out to be the last Crusaders produced by Vought. 12.F and 14.F Squadrons received these aircraft which they operated from the aircraft carriers "Clemenceau" and "Foch" respectively. French F-8s were deployed several times to the middle-east in the 1980s during various conflicts before being refurbished in 1991 and re-classified as F-8P (P for "Prolonge" denoting an extended service life). In 1999, carriers Clemenceau and Foch embarked on their final cruise with the F-8 and recorded the last ever Crusader catapult launch and trap in October of that year. During the decommissioning, F-8 #35 was painted in this special livery, including the 12.F Donald Duck mascot on the tail. This aircraft is now on display at the Savigny-les-Beaune Museum in Bourgogne, France.
Designed to meet a USN requirement for a supersonic air-superiority fighter, the Chance-Vought F-8 (originally F8U) was first flown on March 25th, 1955. The F-8 was the last American fighter to use guns as a primary weapon. Its powerplant was nearly identical to the one used by the F-100 Super Sabre, and it was the world's first carrier-based aircraft to break the speed of sound. The US Navy used the Crusader in a traditional dogfighting interceptor role, while the Marines operated it as a strike/attack aircraft. Both flew the F-8 during the Vietnam War, and it remained in service for more than four decades. © Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc.
Century Wings' 1:72 scale F-8 Crusader series is masterfully modeled; joining seam lines blend almost undetectably with the model's panel lines. These F-8s feature metal horizontal stabilizers that rotate in unison and a pivoting main wing, which replicates the wing's position during take-offs and landings. There are removable bomb loads under each wing and three different ordnance configurations for mounting on the sides of the fuselage. The canopy opens to reveal a highly detailed cockpit interior and leaves no gaps when snapped shut. Special releases in this series feature a "launch configuration," with wing flaps and forward leading edges permanently in the deployed position.
© Copyright 2003-2014 The Flying Mule, Inc.
The Century Wings "1:72 Wings of Heroes" range presents highly-detailed, ready-made diecast models of military aircraft.
Century Wings 1:72 diecast airplanes feature:
- Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
- Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
- Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
- Opening canopies, revealing detailed cockpit interiors.
- Selected moveable control surfaces.
- Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear.
- Presentation stand to display the aircraft "in flight".
- Detailed removable pilot and crew figures.
- Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
- Accurately detailed underside with concealed screwheads.
- Many limited editions with numbered certificate of authenticity.
© Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc.
