Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7206 Grumman F9F-5 Panther VMF-311 “Ted Williams” Korea

All markings pad applied for superb results.

Cockpit slides open.

Pilot figure.

Comes with display stand.

Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down.

Wings can fold and unfold.

Extremely sought after by collectors.

Powered by a Rolls-Royce engine the first F9F flew in 1947. These new engines were fuel hungry and with no extra internal space permanent wing-tip tanks were added. These tanks also had the unexpected benefit of increasing the aircraft roll rate. In the Korean War the F9F was the primary USN aircraft for ground-attack and served with distinction. However it was realized that the Panther was inferior to the MiG aircraft so a swept-wing version was developed. The new aircraft retained the F9F designation and was called the Cougar.

During the Korean War Ted was assigned to VMF-311 “Tomcats” and spent two years flying F9F’s. During his tour Williams flew 39 combat missions and most of them as wing man for Colonel John Glenn. On two different occasions Williams' aircraft was hit by ground fire. One resulted in a crash landing back at base and one was only minor damage. After catching pneumonia several times Ted was grounded and returned to baseball late in 1953. While flying the F9F in Korea the VMF-311 flew a record 2,300 missions.

Specifications for the Grumman F9F-5 Panther Crew - (1) pilot Performance Engine - (1) Pratt & Whitney J48-P-4/P-6A turbojet @ 6,250 lb.s.t. Internal fuel capacity - 1,003 US gallons Maximum speed - 604 mph @ sea level, 579 mph @ 5,000 ft, 543 mph @ 3,500 ft Cruising speed - 481 mph Stalling speed - 132 mph Initial climb rate - 5,090 fpm Service ceiling - 42,800 ft. Range - 1,300 miles.

Dimensions Wingspan - 38 ft 0 in Length - 38 ft 10 1/2 in Height - 12 ft 4 in Wing area - 250 sq ft Weights Empty - 10,147 lbs Gross - 17,766 lbs Maximum takeoff - 18,721 lbs Armament (4) 20-mm cannon in the nose (8) Under wing hard points could accommodate up to 3,465 lbs. of bombs and rockets

Used during the Korean War