The Hun! We’re big century series fans over here and adding the F-100 to the JE family is a huge honor.
The F-100 Super Sabre first began to percolate in the great minds at North American Aviation in the late 1940s, and was known internally as the Sabre 45 (for the 45 degree wing sweep). The type was not specifically requested by the USAF but the unsolicited proposal resulted in the production of 2 prototypes; the first flying in May of 1953. Despite some troubling flight characteristics in certain regimes, the type was ordered by USAF and was first delivered for service in late 1954. The F-100 saw many upgrades throughout its life and was officially retired in 1979. In total, 2,294 Super Sabres rolled off the NAA line. 242 were lost over Vietnam.
Our first F-100 tag was cut from the aft fuselage section off aircraft 56-2995, a Vietnam combat vet that flew a few hundred missions during the war. For part of its time in Vietnam the aircraft sported “Cong Killer” nose art. The aft section of the aircraft was removed from the aircraft during its restoration for display in 2016. Prior to this restoration the aircraft was on a stick outside Otis Air Force Base, and our tags feature the iconic silver paint the aircraft was sported while on display there.
The F-100 was the first aircraft to extensively use titanium in its construction, and our tags were cut from aluminum skin and titanium near the exhaust area of the jet. They are offered in 9 variants: Silver Aluminum, Red/Silver Aluminum, Blue/Silver Aluminum, Drag Chute, Green, NO STEP, Silver Titanium, Red/Silver Titanium, and Raw Titanium.
Most tags come with a card that features the jet painted up in silver livery as it was displayed at Otis. A couple come with a card featuring a camo jet as it was painted in Vietnam. Both cards are by BVR.
Aluminum Tags:
The Silver Aluminum tags were cut from various fuselage panels. All painted tags have a beautiful luster to them. The Red/Silver Aluminum tags were cut from the red engine “plane of rotation” lines that went around the fuselage near its exhaust. The Blue/Silver Aluminum tags were cut from a fillet panel that covered the area where the vertical stab attached to the fuselage. The blue in these tags was part of the tail number painted on the aircraft. These tags are gorgeous and the blue has a pearlescent finish. The Green and NO STEP tags were cut from skin that was location on the forward bulkhead that would have mated up with the forward fuselage section. There were large NO STEP decals on this bulkhead and the NO STEP tags feature part of or are completely covered by this red decal.
Titanium Tags: The aft end of the F-100 near the exhaust is almost entirely constructed of titanium. These tags etch beautifully, and I am super pleased with how they turned out. The Silver Titanium tags were cut from fuselage panels near the exhaust. The Red/Silver Titanium tags were cut from the same location as the aluminum tags (engine plane of rotation lines). Both of these tags feature a radical gold etching – much like our most recent SR-71 tag. The Raw Titanium tags were cut from the very aft part of the jet near the exhaust and feature a purplish/blue etching. The Raw Ti tags may be my favorite of the bunch, AND they come with a special edition card by BVR that features the jet in its Vietnam camo paint.
The Drag Chute tags were cut from part of the fuselage that had “pop up flaps” that covered the drag chute line that ran from the base of the vertical stabilizer to the underside of the jet. These flaps were designed to pop or flex up to allow the line to come out of its groove when the pilot deployed it on landing. These tags are mirror-like and most come with a fastener in them. These tags are super unique and only a few are available. These tags come with BOTH cards so you can choose which to display them with.
All tags come with the same laser etched F-100D design. For the first week (Friday to Friday) the Raw Titanium tags will come with an etching on the back that pays tribute to this aircraft’s service overseas.
There you have it; our first Super Sabre tag is a real knockout and one we'll be talking about for a while. Many variants are super limited and will go quick!