HOBBY MASTER
COLLECTOR
Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series (Jet Powered)
HA7203 - Grumman F9F-2 Panther
ATU-206 (Advanced Training Unit)
NAS Pensacola, Florida, 1956
LIMITED EDITION (1300) with certificate
1/48 scale Professionally painted.

Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic.

All markings pad applied for superb
results.

Cockpit slides open.

Pilot figure.

Comes with display stand.

Landing gear is fully retractable and can
be displayed up or down.

Wings can fold and unfold.

Extremely sought after by collectors.
THESE ARE PRE-PRODUCTION PICTURES
TAKEN EARLY IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE
OF THE MODEL AND ARE INTENDED SOLELY
TO PROVIDE A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT THE
FINISHED MODEL WILL LOOK LIKE.
The F9F Panther entered service in 1949. It was the first Grumman jet fighter, first Carrier-Borne Navy
jet fighter in combat, first USN jet to shoot down an enemy airplane, first jet aircraft used by the Blue
Angels. A total of 1,382 F9Fs were made. VF-781 was the first squadron to volunteer for combat in
Korea and were 100% volunteers earning them the name “Pacemakers”.
Ironically Russia was  making the same engine under license from Rolls-Royce for their Mig-15 that
would be one of the F9F’s main Korean adversaries. The F9F flew 78,000 sorties with VF-781 flying
2,721 of them without a single loss of life. The US Marines flew the Panther until 1957 with some
Reserve Units continuing to fly them a few years longer. Some aircraft were used for advanced pilot
training and some became drones.

In 1825 the US Government realized the importance of Pensacola’s location and the vast timber supply
available in the region. The President ordered a Navy yard be built on the spot where NAS Pensacola is
located today. Over the years the base was destroyed and rebuilt only to be destroyed again or
abandoned. These things came about during the American Civil War, a hurricane and tidal wave and an
outbreak of yellow fever. In 1911 with the first successful landing of an airplane on a ship and the later
development of a mechanism to catapult launch an airplane the US Navy realized the potential of the
airplane and in 1914 ordered the creation of the first Naval Air Station at Pensacola. Naval Air Station
(NAS) Pensacola, known as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation" has been responsible for training thousands
of aviators for WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
It was through these training units located at Pensacola and elsewhere that pilots learned more about
aircraft and the weapons available to them. The Gulf of Mexico provided a large area for weapons
testing. Most of the aircraft used here were outdated as far as front line service was concerned but still
provided valuable training.

Specification for the Grumman F9F-2 Panther

Engine:
1 X Pratt & Whitney J42-P-6/P-8 turbojet
Rated at – 5,000 lb.s.t. for takeoff dry
5,950 lb.s.t. for takeoff with water injection

Performance:
Maximum speed – 575 mph at sea level, 545 mph at 22,000 feet, 529 mph at 3,500 feet
Cruising speed – 487 mph
Landing speed - 105 mph
Initial climb rate – 5,140 feet per minute
Service ceiling – 44,600 feet
Normal range – 1,353 miles

Dimensions:
Wingspan - 38 feet 0 inches
Length - 37 feet 5 3/8 inches
Height - 11 feet 4 inches
Wing area - 250 square feet.

Weights:
Empty – 9,303 pounds
Combat - 14,235 pounds
Gross - 16,450 pounds
Take-off - 19,494 pounds maximum

Internal fuel capacity:
923 US gallons

Armament:
4 X 20-mm cannon.
Under-wing loads of up to 2,000 pounds of bombs
and rockets could be carried on eight under-wing racks.

Pensacola Has A Haunting History

An aura of mystery and splendor pervades "Admiral's Row."  Significant on Johnson Street is Quarters
"A," a stately home where the air station's most senior officer, the Chief of Naval Education and
Training, and family reside. When this area was built in 1874, the Commandant of the old Navy Yard
lived here.
Now, for a haunting good yarn to spellbind you, and former Quarters "A," residents say it is true!

As the story goes, Commodore Melanchton B. Woolsey was the first commandant to live here. He was
terrified of contracting yellow fever, since an epidemic had already claimed thousands of lives and he
didn't want to be the disease's next victim.
He erroneously believed as others did also, that disease-carrying mosquitoes could only fly a few feet
high. So, Woolsey moved into the third story cupola. He got his meals, rum (which he claimed was a
"tonic" against the fever), and tobacco for his pipe by lowering a basket on a rope from one of the
cupola's windows.
One day his servant forgot the rum! Woolsey died soon thereafter. Yet, as residents know, his spirit
stayed on in the house. Perhaps to stay with a lovely lady, transparent and clad in white, who also
resides in Quarters "A", forever.

Building 16

Building 16 is another certified haunted place. This octagonal-shaped building was the Officers'
Quarters during the 1920s, and today, some say the building is haunted by a patron of that decade.
In 1924, Marine Captain Guy Hall, a flight instructor, enjoyed playing poker when he wasn't flying. While
playing, he had a habit of picking up his poker chips, then letting them fall to the table.
Hall died during a training mission in the 1920s, and on more than one occasion since that fateful day,
people in building 16 have heard what sounds like poker chips hitting the table. How about a friendly
game of poker in building 16?

Story Source:
http://www.militarynewcomers.com/PENSACOLA/resources/05history.html