Republic F-84G Thunderjet – USAF aerobatic team Thunderbirds DISPLAYED

SkyMax 1/72 scale SM6004: Republic F-84G Thunderjet of the USAF aerobatic team Thunderbirds

Length 7.25 inches Wingspan 5.75 inches

PLEASE NOTE: Model has been on display and has the odd light paint imperfection. It is boxed and essentially complete, as per the photos. Top of the display stand is a non standard part.

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Force proposal for a “day fighter”, the F-84 flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 Air Force review declared it unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered cancelling the program. The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951.

Designed to meet a US Army requirement for a turbojet “day fighter,” the F-84 first flew on February 28, 1946. Early models suffered from so many structural and engine problems that the Air Force considered scrapping the F-84 project in 1948, but designers rallied and by 1949 the F-84D was fully operational and free from most of its earlier problems. The aircraft became the Air Force’s primary strike aircraft during the Korean War, and could claim several firsts, including the first fighter capable of carrying a nuclear weapon and the first to use in-flight refuelling.