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Vigilante - The Practical Kind

Started by Spino, July 01, 2025, 06:22:30 AM

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Spino

Last night I designed and printed the tail fins.  I tried to get them as close as possible to the fins on that NAA mockup, fairings and all.  I think the nose cone may change color to white, since I have at least one black nose jet in the pipeline and the Vigilante commonly has a white nose.
Regards, Spino

What if modeling, flight sim and 3D printing enthusiast
Link to my 3D-printed model accessories (all files are free): https://www.thingiverse.com/spinoee/designs

Spino

As the old saying in aircraft design goes, if it looks right then it probably is.  And a Vigi with twin tails certainly looks right!  I don't understand why the real-life one didn't have twin tails, it wasn't like it was a new concept or anything (Vought had proven it on the Cutlass after all), and it would have eliminated the need to fold the bigger single tail for carrier stowage.  I dry-fitted the canopies, attached and painted the new tail fins, and got the first coat of white on the nose.

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Here you can see the twin tails.  I canted them outward just slightly, similar to the configuration on the F-14 rather than the complete slab-side arrangement found on the F-15 and MiG-25/31.  The original single tail was usually supposed to be painted all white, not sure if I'll do that here or not.

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Regards, Spino

What if modeling, flight sim and 3D printing enthusiast
Link to my 3D-printed model accessories (all files are free): https://www.thingiverse.com/spinoee/designs