JC Wings 1:400 Boeing 727-100 N32720 UFD United Flying Design Diecast Model

1:400 Diecast: Boeing 727-100 UDF N32720 (JC Wings). At first glance, this looks like a standard 727—until you notice that right-side engine. It's not a sleek turbofan like the others; it's something that looks like it belongs on a 1950s prop liner, with eight exposed blades sticking straight out. This is the GE36 Unducted Fan (UDF) testbed, one of the strangest and most fascinating aircraft ever to fly.

So what's with that weird engine? In the mid-1980s, after the oil crises of the 70s, General Electric wanted to build an engine that combined jet speed with propellor efficiency. The result was the GE36—a hybrid they called an "unducted fan." Think of it as a turbofan engine that said "I don't need no stinking nacelle." The exposed blades (two rows of eight, counter-rotating) gave it a bypass ratio of 30:1, compared to 6:1 on conventional engines of the day. That promised 30% better fuel efficiency at the same Mach 0.75 cruise speeds [citation:1][citation:2].

N32720 started life in 1968 as OB-R-902 with Faucett Perú [citation:4][citation:5]. In 1985, Boeing and GE acquired it, stripped it down, and replaced the starboard JT8D with the massive GE36. On August 20, 1986, this Frankenstein's monster of an aircraft took to the skies for the first time [citation:2]. It flew dozens of test flights, reaching Mach 0.84 at 39,000 feet, proving the technology worked.

Why didn't it catch on? Three reasons, really. First, it was incredibly loud—spotters who saw it fly remember the noise [citation:4]. Second, engine manufacturers couldn't agree on timelines; Pratt & Whitney's competing design ran years behind [citation:2]. Third—and ironically—oil prices crashed in the late 80s, so airlines suddenly stopped caring about fuel efficiency. The program died in 1989. N32720 was stored at Mojave, then broken up in 1991 after appearing in the film "Hero" (faked as N88892) [citation:1][citation:4].

This JC Wings 1:400 replica (XX40178) captures the testbed in its Boeing house colours—polished metal fuselage, that unmistakable asymmetrical engine configuration, and the unique counter-rotating blade assembly. It's a piece of "what-if" aviation history, a reminder that the fuel-efficient open-rotor engines CFM is developing today (the RISE program) are really just the GE36's grandchild, coming back for a second try [citation:2].

Age 16+ only. Not a toy.