Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat

The Fighter Collection, White 201, Imperial War Musem Duxford, UK, 2014  (restored plane)

SkyMax Flying Heroes 1:72 SM1014

Bearcat G-RUMM was built in 1948 and taken on charge in August of that year by the US Navy. She served at a number of Naval Air Stations before undergoing modification to F8F-2P standard in 1952. Following further Navy service she was finally struck off charge in January 1957. It passed through two sets of private ownership in the US, the first between 1957 and 1972, and the second until 1981. It was under this second private ownership that she underwent a full overhaul and flew once again in 1975. It was in 1981 that the Bearcat joined what was to become The Fighter Collection and has gone on to be the longest serving member of the fleet.

Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat

Designed to emulate a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and to outperform the Japanese A6M5 Zero, the Grumman F8F Bearcat was first flown on August 21, 1944. This single-engine US Navy aircraft was Grumman's last piston-engined fighter, possessing a number of innovative features including uniquely "detachable wingtips," which would snap off if g-forces reached a certain level. Though the Bearcat was considered one of the best-handling piston-engined fighters in history, it didn't become operational after the end of WWII. Still, the Bearcat earned an important place in history through its postwar service with the US Navy and its use by the Blue Angels aerobatic performance team.

The SkyMax “Flying Heroes” range features die-cast aircraft:

• Die-cast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels, and surface details.
• Stamp-printed markings and panels that won't fade or peel like stickers.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear.