Model Thunderchief

Unusual 1960’s larger (1:32) scale painted cast aluminium Thunderchief F-105 model on original fixed stand with original label. Made by Maarten Matthijs Verkuyl, a specialist model maker that had contracts with manufacturers and airlines. This model was originally made for the Fairchild Hiller Corporation (formerly Republic Aviation) and was presented at special occasions to high-ranking USAF officers, pilots who flew the F-105 and other VIPs. This model has a small amount of damage to the tip of the starboard wing tip (see last photo).

Dimensions: 60 cm/23⅝inches (length) x 33.5 cm/13¼ inches (wing span) x 28 cm/11 inches (max height on stand).

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a supersonic fighter-bomber that was first flown in 1955 and entered service with the United States Air Force in 1958. The Mach 2 capable Thunderchief was originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft but it became famous for conducting the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. The F-105 was commonly known as the "Thud" by its crews.

As a follow-on to the Mach 1 capable North American F-100 Super Sabre, the F-105 was also armed with missiles and a cannon; however, its design was originally tailored to high-speed low-altitude penetration carrying a single nuclear weapon internally. The single-engine F-105 was adapted so it could deliver a greater conventional bomb load than some American heavy bombers of World War II such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The F-105 was one of the main attack aircraft of the Vietnam War, during which it admirably took on one of the toughest air combat assignments in history, bombing targets and suppressing surface-to-air missiles.

An all-weather attack version, the F-105D, was the primary aircraft delivering heavy bomb loads against the various military targets; it could carry up to 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) of conventional bombs and rockets, as well defending itself with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. It could also exceed the speed of sound at sea level and reach Mach 2 at high altitude. It was the definitive version of the 105.

As the Vietnam War continued the Thunderchief was replaced by other aircraft, primarily the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and it was withdrawn from USAF service after the end of the War.