Sabre-Bat beauty...

[Tophe]

Here is, from "North American Volume 2" (Narkiewicz/Thompson publisher) the pleasant    SabreBat. Beautiful, isn't she ? Wouldn't that be more pleasant on a kit catalogue (then in our shelves) than a 50th F-4 or 51st F-18 ?
The text said "USAF/DARPA FSW (Forward Swept Wing) Technology Demonstrator". I hope Deino, or Overscan, or Libellula, our great experts in this area, will tell us more, show us more... I trust they will, they are great too.  

[elmayerle]

Well, it lost out to Grumman's X-29 proposal. On the other hand, it did look far more attractive than GD's FSW F-16 proposal.  If I'm not mistaken, it, like the X-29, was powered by a F404.

[Tophe]

Thanks for these informations, Evan, helping to see the background.

[F-32]

Oh, love it, very nice  

[Ollie]

Yes, very lovely bird!

   

[TsrJoe]

the Rockwell International Sabrebat was a beautifully designed competitor to the FSW.  General Dynamics F.16 and Grumman design which became the X.29. the mockup appeared at a paris air show and was featured in a numbrer of magazines of the period. I have a set of drawings for this beaut in the files which also show a proposed combat variant with wingtip 'winder's, ill dig it out and post it on the tsr forum site (i still cant seem to get images to come up here!)

happy modelling, cheers, joe  

[elmayerle]

Speaking of combat-versions of FSW dmeonstrators, didn't Hasegawa produce a "Japan-only" version of a combat derivative of the X-29?  I seem to remember seeing a box top picture of one in markings from the "Area 88" manga and anime.  If someone finds one, I'd be very much interested in acquiring at least one such kit.  

By the same token, I seem to remember Hasegawa also producing a variant of the YF-16CCV in Japanese markings as an early F-2 model, again in a "Japan-only" boxing.

[Tophe]

ill dig it out and post it on the tsr forum site (i still cant seem to get images to come up here!)

Dear TSR-Joe, is your TSR-forum the page of this site here called "TSR2 - Prototypes, also ran's and operational service (UK Nationals Display)" or a site of your own ? I would be sad not to see these SabreBat pictures of yours. Maybe, when you will have made this successful topic, come here and give us the link...

I never had problems posting a picture here since I checked that  every attached picture is less than 75Kb, and every big picture can be reduced as much as needed, with free tools, we have discussed of that and I may find the topic again. Would that help? By the way, SuperTom, has someone taken in charge the project to build a Help page explaining Picture-Post Size-handling, I can help but I am not speaking English fluently enough, and I have no the most classic PhotoShop software to explain for the ones using it mainly.

PS. Have you noticed the main difference between SabreBat and X-29: no tailplane (nor foreplane) on the bat, lines much pure... So pretty.  

[Tophe]

PS. Have you noticed the main difference between SabreBat and X-29: no tailplane (nor foreplane) on the bat, lines much pure... So pretty.

OOPS... Mistake: looking at the picture again, I saw canard shadows, then canard foreplanes in grey hiden in front of the rest...

[Jschmus]

That Sabrebat looks a little F-100ish.  I guess the Chinese aren't the only ones to convert their nose-intake fighters into something else.

[Tophe]

That Sabrebat looks a little F-100ish.  I guess the Chinese aren't the only ones to convert their nose-intake fighters into something else.

F-100? I know the F-100B/YF-107 (below, from the very same and nice North Am book) had a beautiful nose, but the dorsal intake was not very aesthetic.
Where do you imagine the jet air-intake on this SabreBat ? Below, F-16 like ? Maybe. Anyway this is an interesting question, thanks. And the conclusion is: this picture I brought is not enough, we will appreciate TSR-Joe's drawings or art...  

[Tophe]

F-100B/YF-107 (below, from the very same and nice North Am book)

ooops...

[0MEGA13]

Speaking of combat-versions of FSW dmeonstrators, didn't Hasegawa produce a "Japan-only" version of a combat derivative of the X-29?  I seem to remember seeing a box top picture of one in markings from the "Area 88" manga and anime.  If someone finds one, I'd be very much interested in acquiring at least one such kit.  

By the same token, I seem to remember Hasegawa also producing a variant of the YF-16CCV in Japanese markings as an early F-2 model, again in a "Japan-only" boxing.

i was on  the net for some inspiration regarding my x29a i found this guy's site
http://spasticforplastic.1hwy.com/snapshots.html

i'm still looking for any other pictures of x-29's but they all seem to be stock.

[Jschmus]

This is one of the nicest paint jobs I've seen anywhere. In the parallel universe of the 1980's, the USAF engaged Grumman to build the X-29 for use in the adversary role. 50 airframes were built for the USAF and the USN also ordered a further 12 for the NFWS at Miramar. When, in 1989, the USAF finally decided to buy the F-5G Tigershark for use in the adversary role, the survivng 48 aircraft were transferred to the Navy, giving them a total of 60 aircraft. These were dispersed throughout the adversary community, with 10 going to NFWS, 15 to VF-43 and the remaining 23 being split up between VFC-12 & VFC-13. When the USMC gave up it's leased F-21 Kfirs, 20 F-29C's were transferred from NFWS to VMFAT-401. NFWS was only too glad to give them up as the new F-31A Mongoose was beginning to enter service with the USN.

(Italics are mine.)

If you ask me, there's another plane both the military and model industry missed out on.  The maneuvering capabilities of the X-31 made it a natural dogfighter, and I seem to recall that the Navy and Marines were (at one time) hot to get their hands on some.  Too bad the program never progressed past one flying prototype.  On a side-note, I read that the X-31 later flew (vertical) tailless, in support of another round of testing.

[Tophe]

(thanks to my friend Paul) A new picture of this North Am/Rockwell beauty, confirming :
- the F-16 like air intake
- the swept canards
- the pretty lines    most of all...
Close to a X-29 model on a shelf, it would be nice, no ? Alas what-if modellers are not much taken into account and child-modellers are severely directed in the opposite direction...

[picture from "Future Fighters and Combat Aircraft, Bill Gunston, Salamander Books]