Unbeatable museum quality best describes our handcrafted F-8F Bearcat, Navy model airplane. After passing through the hands of master craftsmen, the parts are sanded and primed many times. Talented artists then paint on the intricate details with great accuracy. A final coat of clear lacquer protects the F-8F Bearcat, Navy model and gives it a glossy finish. The F-8F Bearcat, Navy model airplane comes with a handsome mahogany-based chrome pedestal, and to ensure that it is ready for delivery, it undergoes various stages of quality control before being placed in its box. The F-8F Bearcat, Navy model airplane is perfect as an addition to a growing collection or as an exquisite gift to a loved one. F-8F Bearcat, Navy History: The F-8F Bearcat was the last in the line of Grumman piston-engine carrier-based fighters. Designed as an interceptor fighter, it had excellent maneuverability, speed of 420 mph, and a climb rate of nearly a mile a minute. In November 1943, the F8F prototypes were ordered. After a mere nine months, It had its first flew on August 21, 1944. The first production aircraft was delivered in February 1945 and the first squadron was operational by May 21, but World War II was over before the aircraft saw combat service. After the war, the F8F became a major US Navy fighter, equipping 24 fighter squadrons. It is often mentioned as one of the best (if not the best) handling piston-engine fighters ever built. Their performance was such that they even outperformed many early jets. Its capability for aerobatic performance is borne out by the choice of the Bearcat for the Navy's elite Blue Angels in 1946, who flew it until the team was temporarily disbanded in 1950 (during the Korean War). The Grumman F9F Panther and McDonnell F2H Banshee largely replaced the Bearcat in USN service, as their performance and other advantages eclipsed piston-engine fighters. An unmodified production F8F-1 set a 1946 time-to-climb record (after a run of 115 feet) of 10,000 feet in 94 seconds. The Bearcat held this record for ten years until it was broken by a modern jet fighter (which could still not match the Bearcat's short takeoff distance). This model has measurements of: Span 15.4 Len 12.0 and Scale: 1: 28