Our first tag of 2025 is a doozy – the Skyraider. Many folks have asked if we had one on the schedule, but up until recently the material had eluded me. We recently went from zero to heavy with Skyraider parts, and it seems fitting to kick off our 2025 tags with this venerable machine.
Before we get into the Spad, let’s talk about the new card and name. JET EYES has grown beyond being just a tag outfit, and as we add more products to the quiver, each with their own unique identity, it only seemed fitting to brand our firstborn offering. From here on out, our tags will be known as JETs – an acronym for JET EYES Tags.
Alright, let’s talk Skyraiders:
Designed during World War II to meet U.S. Navy requirements for a carrier-based, long-range dive/torpedo bomber, the Douglas Skyraider was a piston-engine attack aircraft that entered service in the mid-1940s.
Nicknamed "Spad" after the French World War I fighter, it became the backbone of the Navy's strike operations during the Korean War, with the first ADs launching from Valley Forge on July 3, 1950.
The airframe also saw action in Vietnam in the mid 1960s. Its impressive weapons load and 10-hour flight range far surpassed contemporary jets at the time, allowing it to remain in frontline service well into the early 1980s.
The JETs:
All 7 variants this week were cut from a wing removed from Skyraider BuNo 133911, an AD-5 that was written off in 1965. Based on our research, the wings were overhauled and used as spares on other aircraft (more on that later).
The variants: Interior Green, Exterior Raw, White, Blue, Blue/White, Red/White, and Structured.
The Blue/White, Red/White, and Structured were cut from the roundel. The others were cut from other areas of the wing. All are laser etched. The Structured are extremely thick and heavy things featuring original steel hardware. Amongst the Structured is the lone Red/Blue from this release (it will be fulfilled randomly).
There were only 2 tri-colors cut from this wing, and one is staying here. The other Red/White/Blue Roundel will be raffled off. Every Skyraider item (JETs or Drops) purchased TODAY 1/17 gets you an entry into the raffle. The raffle will take place next week.
Combos and Sets:
Solids Set: White + Blue + Inner Green + Raw (only 5 available)
Skyraider Set: Red/White + Blue/White + Inner Green + Raw (only 5 available)
JETs/Drops Combo: Blue + Air Drop
Also going with the JETs release is a SOLO Air Drop cut from the same wing. There were many data plates on this wing, sweetening the pot of Drops cut from it. This Air Drop can be purchased on its listing page under the Air Drops tab.