Wild-ass and gorgeous

[The Rat]

Showed up on a facebook page. Someone needs to model this. Someone with better skills than I. But it MUST BE DONE!

[GTX_Admin]

Any more images?

[Frank3k]

According to the magazine's TOC the artwork is by James M. Triggs:

June 1956

Vol. 46, No. 3

Cover: Those F-Whatzit's on the cover were drawn by James M. Triggs, better known as "Supersonic Jim, the lightning artist." Configuration is by our first-place $50 winner in this month's "Designs of Tomorrow" competition.

[raafif]

48 nice whiffs by this guy ....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/243187842450037/user/1453206764/

[Old Wombat]

Won't let me in.

[apophenia]

Nor me ... 

[Kerick]

I found a copy on ebutt.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/357714634969

I’m going to have to find a way to build this now. First idea is to start with an F-104.

[raafif]

They are here on Farcebook, post by Ian Lassey -  https://www.facebook.com/groups/243187842450037/
   Tho, of course, you may have to join the page

[pebbleworm]

Annular intake like a Leduc on some F-104 parts?  Could be done if you like NMF aircraft.  No sign of vertical take off gear. Could be a ramjet, which are inherently cool.  1/48 aft and 1/72 forward of the wings? Lindberg and Heller kits are cheap, and the firepower Lindbergs come with all kinds of extra bits.  No need to stick to the silver color scheme...

[Kerick]

On a closer look the canopy looks like it came off an X-15 or Stilletto. Needs wings with a slight taper but longer than an F-104. Hmmmmm… more research required.

[pebbleworm]

Maybe an F-105 fuselage?  The young men aircraft is a lot chunkier than an F-104.  Something cylindrical with a slight taper to the rear? MiG 15 and 19 seem like they'd be too small and short. A Hawker Hunter is a little too gracile.  And a Crusader is too slab  sided.  Any other suggestions would be welcome.

[Frank3k]

The nose looks vaguely like an F-90, with the canopy slightly modified:

[Kerick]

The F-90 might be a good starting point. The horizontal stabilizers might be useful. The canopy might be recreated by some talented masking of the rounded sides. You could get away with that style in an X plane but not in a real fighter. The biggest challenge to me is the huge intake. A section of a 1/48th fuselage might have to be the leading edge of it if I were doing 1/72. Or a huge fan jet engine cowling. Serious digging through the spares box for this one.
BTW, after mentioning the NMF and white wings of the USAF Starfighters in another thread I noticed how the Douglas X-3 Stiletto was the opposite with white fuselage and NMF wings. This illustration is all NMF so no biggie either way, just as long as it looks 1950ish.

[Kerick]

I checked the net for F-90 kits. The Aurora kit is “collectible” so priced at just over insanity. Anigrad 3D print at almost $70 and a vacuform at $25. Since in my case I already have an F-104 in the stash I would probably start with that. I’m out of town right now so a stash dig will commence when I get home.