Hobby Master Archive

F8F

The Grumman F8F Bearcat which first entered service in May, 1945, was designed to replace the F6F Hellcat as an interceptor-fighter operating from small escort carriers. Compared to its famous predecessor, the Bearcat was 20% lighter, had a 30% better rate of climb and was 50 mph (80 km/h) faster. Because of that outstanding performance the Bearcat was placed into service with 24 squadrons, making it one of the U.S. Navy’s premier post-World War II fighters.

F8F-1 Bearcat "Felix The Cat" VF-3, US Navy, Lt. A. M. "Mike" Granat, early 1946

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F8F-1B Bearcat, French Air Force, Indochina, 1954

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F8F-1B Bearcat, Blue Angels, 1946

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F8F-1 Bearcat USN, "Beetle Bomb", 1949

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F8F-1B Bearcat VF-17, "C-103", 1946

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Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, VF-61 "Jolly Rogers", USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1949

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Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat, US Navy Air Reserve, Glenview 1950's

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Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, VMFAT-10, MCAS Quantico Virginia, July 1951

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F8F-1 Bearcat, 1st Fighter Squadron, South Vietnamese Air Force, 1960s

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F8F-1 Bearcat, Royal Thai Air Force, Nakhon Sawan Air Base, Thailand, late 1950s

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F8F-1B Blue Angels No.2 ariplane, US Navy, 1946

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F8F-1B Blue Angels US Navy, 1946 season (with decals for 1 to 5 airplanes)

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