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About about the recce Thud. Originally built as an RF-105B, then redesignated JF-105B and now just forgotten.

Forgotten but still around actually. On display at the Medina Annex on Lackland AFB. Actually it's hard to find and is clearly the worse looking display on the base. Taken November, 2006...

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Edited by Mark O. Williams
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A few other Lackland Thuds. I'm not sure but they may have the largest collection of preserved F-105s. 11 total that I have photos of. I was told the row of Thuds are used for young SP's training to guard flight lines.

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Edited by Mark O. Williams
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  • 3 months later...

I got to see the F-105s in action in Vietnam 1966-67. I ran a river boat there. That plane can care a bomb load and a half. Along with the F-100s, Ad-4s, Ad-1s, A-26Ks. They gave us good cover on river ops, some times a bit close, but they did the job well. I think if the F-105s were still around today could still kick a**, bar none. "Boats"..

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These are photos of F-105d # 61-175, taken July 2006 at Sheppard AFB, Texas. The pilot's name on the canopy is Major Thorsness. Leo Thorsness earned the Medal of Honor flying an F-105F Wild Weasel and then was shot down just a few days later, spending 6 years in the Hanoi Hilton.

Darwin

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When I was in basic we had th new 1000 man dorms and they installed a silver "B" thud which we had to polish. The cops use to have to walk around metal pipes in the shape of an X until they were given some F-100s and F-84F. The last time I was at Lackland for school I stopped by and got these shots:

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I took the Lackland shots in 1979 while there for traffic investigation school. I've got some shots of the F-84Fs somewhere. I'll post them when I can although I may have to get prints made first.

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One question: When did the Thuds start to receive the reinforcing plates on the wings? I know it was post-Vietnam, but when exactly? Also (okay, that's two questions) , did they get them on the top and bottom of the wings at the same time, or did the lower surfaces get them earlier?

I've looked through my references and the net, but couldn't come up with anything conclusive.

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How about some THUD detail shots. I took these at the Air Force Armament Museum outside Eglin AFB back in July 2003. Great museum, I always visit when in the area. I hope to get back there this summer. Don M.

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Edited by viper50
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One question: When did the Thuds start to receive the reinforcing plates on the wings? I know it was post-Vietnam, but when exactly? Also (okay, that's two questions) , did they get them on the top and bottom of the wings at the same time, or did the lower surfaces get them earlier?

I've looked through my references and the net, but couldn't come up with anything conclusive.

The Thuds got the reinforcing plates on the top & bottom of the wing and sides of the fuselage at the same time. They also got the large air scoops on the sides for the afterburner section and the smaller opening in the vertical fin base. This all happened very early in the Viet Nam war during depot IRAN, usually at Taipai, Taiwan. Part of this depot session was also the addition of camouflage paint.

Darwin

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I know the scoops were added pretty early, but I'm a bit puzzled regarding the stiffener plates. Everything I read points to them being applied not until after the war. Such as below:

<...> The external stiffeners on the top and bottom of the wings wouldn’t be added until after the war was over. <...>

And many online build articles state the builder sanded them off when depicting a Vietnam-era Thud.

:woot.gif:

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Gents, love the Thud and especially all the detail pics in this thread.

It does raise a question for me because I will be building a 1/48 -G and -D sometime soon. I've noticed different trailing egdes of the vertical tail, one that slopes rather graudually, and another that sort of kinks out and then back in from top to bottom. Any explanation for this or for which variants had which style?

Thanks for your help, as I've noticed the Monogram boxing of the F-105G and F-105D have the same (kinked) style. I do have Lead Sleds part II or III (I can't remember) from Aero Master and they depict each version (D and G) having different styles of tails. Thanks again for your help!

Aaron

EDIT: Looks like all the pictures here have the kinked tail, which makes me think there is only one style. Maybe It's just me, but I thought there were two styles... and whats the "vent" thats open on top of the nozzle underneath the trailing edge of the vertical tail? Thats new to my eyes also. Guess I have lots to learn!

Edited by jester292
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EDIT: Looks like all the pictures here have the kinked tail, which makes me think there is only one style. Maybe It's just me, but I thought there were two styles... and whats the "vent" thats open on top of the nozzle underneath the trailing edge of the vertical tail? Thats new to my eyes also. Guess I have lots to learn!

The "vent" that you are referring to is the door on top of the drag chute compartment.

Darwin

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Going by various pics i have looked at, some of the early Thuds didn't have that 'notch' in the bottom of the tail, there was a slot in the drag chute door to allow for clearance but later mods put the notch in to allow the drag chute door more room to open.

Jari

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  • 2 weeks later...

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