The Vought F7U Cutlass was designed immediately after World War II for the US Navy. It included many innovative features in its radical design but proved to be difficult to fly and service and was unsuitable for carrier operations.

The Vought F7U was designed in 1945/6 to meet a US Navy competition for a new fleet fighter.

It incorporated many new features including swept wings, nose-wheel, pressurised cockpit and advanced aerodynamics based on German World War II research.

The prototype made its first flight on 29 September 1948 and they were introduced into service in July 1951.

The first version of the F7U, the F7U-1, suffered from many problems and was judged not to be suitable for carrier operations.

Only 14 were constructed before a new version, the F7U-3, was developed and introduced into service.

This model represents F7U-1, 124426, that flew with the Blue Angels US Navy demonstration team for a short period in 1953.

Anigrand 1/72 kit completed by Leigh Edmonds in March 2014.