North American F-82 Twin Mustang airplane model. The F-82 Twin Mustang was the last propeller-driven fighter acquired in quantity by the USAF. It appears to be two Mustang fuselages on one wing, but in reality, it was a totally new design. Its purpose was to provide a fighter carrying a pilot and co-pilot/navigator to reduce fatigue on long-range bomber escort missions. Delivery from production did not begin until early 1946, too late for WW II. After WW II, radar-equipped F-82s were used quite extensively by the Air Defense Command as replacements for the P-61-night fighter.
During the Korean War, Japan-based F-82s were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea. The first three North Korean airplanes destroyed by U.S. forces were shot down by all-weather F-82G interceptors on June 27, 1950.
Of a total of 273 F-82s produced, 20 were -Bs. One F-82 named "Betty-Jo", flew from Hawaii to New York on February 27-28, 1947, a distance of 5,051 miles, the longest non-stop flight ever made by a prop-driven fighter.
Mahogany Wood. Scale: 1/32. Wingspan 20 1/2 inches, Length 16 1/4 inches.
