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The Viggie. What a machine. This may be the best-looking jet ever to launch off the boat. North American Aviation was rolling out some legends in the late 50s and 60s, and the A-5 was one of them. The XB-70 and X-15 were produced by NAA during this time as well.

 

A-5 material is as rare as it gets in our experience; more than F-117, SR-71, or even B-58. To our knowledge, the only Vigilantes out there are on display at museums. These panels are the third “piece” of Vigilante we’ve ever come across; the others were a cockpit and an ejection seat. 

 

NAA began developing a supersonic bomber in 1954 (to replace the failed Super Savage) prior to any formal DOD request. The Navy saw the value in this jet as well, and a contract for its production was awarded in 1956. The Navy began operating the type in 1961 - then known as the A3J. After the unification of aircraft designations by the USAF and USN in 1962, the aircraft became known as the A-5. Although originally designed to be a supersonic carrier-based bomber, due to changes in US nuclear strategy, many of the built aircraft were converted to reconnaissance-attack aircraft (the RA-5C) and an additional 69 were newly built as RA-5Cs. Like the B-58, the Viggie had a relatively short lifespan and was retired in 1979, but not before seeing extensive service in Vietnam. A total of 167 A-5/RA-5Cs were built.

 

Our RA-5C tags were cut from side/belly panels near the tail of the jet. These panels were one of many radical items sourced during our last trip out West a few weeks ago. The exterior skin of the panels was aluminum and the interior a hi-temp alloy, due to their proximity to the engines. These tags are offered in 6 variants - we elected to cut them to our attack shape to pay homage to this aircraft’s original design and mission set, and because the RA-5C is one of the few converted reconnaissance ships that retained its weapons system, which could have been used in its reconnaissance configuration.

 

The variants: White, Grey, Silver (inner skin), Hi-temp (inner skin), NAVY (cut from the NAVY stencil on the side of the aircraft), and Hi-temp White. A detailed description of each variant is covered in a video posted to our Facebook page. Most of these tags are White, and we used the same etching technique on the Hi-temp and Hi-temp White tags as we did our most recent F-117 and F-100 titanium tags, which resulted in a slick purple/blue etch on a gold background. The jewels of the bunch are the Hi-Temp White, which may be the best-looking thing we’ve produced this year; they’re also the most limited with <20 available. The Hi-temp White are also double layer thick and easily the heaviest of all the variants. The NAVY and Grey tags are also very limited.

 

There are also 3 combos/sets available:

 

- Viggie Combo: Includes a NAVY tag and a Hi-temp tag.

- Solids Set: Includes a Grey, White, Silver, and a Hi-temp tag.

- Full Set: Includes 1 of each tag. 

 

These tags come on a stunner of a card by BVR. The original artwork for this card is available for sale in the JET SHOP. 

 

Despite this being a 500 tag run, we expect a lot of movement on these tomorrow with multiple variants selling out. ONLY 1 HI-TEMP WHITE PER CUSTOMER.

RA-5C Vigilante Fuselage Skin Tag

$70.00Price

    JET EYES

    2024

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    JET EYES uses real aircraft parts and is not affiliated in any way with any aircraft manufacturer.

    Warning: JET EYES tags are cut from real aircraft components and skin. These tags are made of and covered in industrial paints and coatings. These materials and coatings can be dangerous and cause harm if inhaled or ingested. Not recommended for small children.

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