The North American F-107 was a prototype aircraft entry in a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s, based on the F-100 Super Sabre. It incorporated many innovations and radical design features, notably the over-fuselage air intakes. The competition was eventually won by the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, and two of the three F-107 prototypes ended their lives as test aircraft. One is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and a second at Pima Air and Space Museum.  Supposedly, the F-107 and F-105 were evenly matched in the competition, but the USAF eventually went with the Thunderchief because of its internal bomb bay.   Ironically, the F-105's internal bomb bay was seldom used for weapons and the space was used to hold additional fuel.

According to Scalemates, in 1958, Aurora issued an F-107A in the ever popular 1/114 scale, while Nitto issued one 1964 in the equally popular 1/132 scale.  I’ve never seen either kit.  The Nitto boxing is especially puzzling, since the kit came out some seven years after the project was terminated.   The Trumpeter kit was a cooperative effort with the Japanese model company MonoChrome.  Again, according to Scalemates, MonoChrome released the kit in 2001 and Trumpeter followed a year later.  The kit is molded in gray and clear plastic.  No resin, photoetched or masks are included.  Details include fine engraved panel lines and a simple cockpit.  Decals for NASA and USAF prototypes and test jets are included.  The shape of the model matches very closely to photos I found online, not something that can be said of every Trumpeter kit.   This model marks a few “firsts” for me, my first finished Trumpeter kit, my first “What If?” and my first use of MRP paint.  In this alternate universe, the F-107A was selected over the F-105.  My Ultra Sabre represents a USAF Reserve squadron jet at Carswell AFB, Texas in the fall of 1979, serving with the 457th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 301st Tactical Fighter Wing.  I used the Caracal Models decal sheet for the F-105 to come up with a plausible tail code for a production F-107A.  Paints used include Mr. Color 311 (FS36622), MRP 103 (FS30219), MRP 102 (FS34102), Model Master 1710 (FS34079) and Mr. Color 137 Tire black for the nose cone and tires.

 I wanted an in-service aircraft, so I removed the test probe on the nose and fashioned a more “production” nose from Apoxie Sculpt.  Nearly every seam required Mr. Surfacer 500 to remedy imperfections and required subsequent restoration of re-scribed panel lines.  Fairing the front windshield into the fuselage took the most work, with Tamiya white putty and black CA needed to eliminate a step and seam lines.  I found no photos of the prototypes with stores. But the model looked naked for an in-service bird, so I raided the parts box for fuel tanks from some long-forgotten project.  Pylons for the fuel tanks came from plastic card stock.    

If you want an injection molded 1/72 F-107A this is the way currently and I recommend it.  You can do a test aircraft, a production version, maybe even a foreign bird, a JASDF F-107J?  It is a great canvas for your imagination.  Someday, I perhaps may revisit this kit and do a US Navy FJ-5 Ultra Fury.