Announcing RetroMechanix.com - devoted to yesterday's vehicles of tomorrow!

[jzichek]

​Greetings Fellow Aviation/Transport Enthusiast:

I've recently set up a new website called RetroMechanix.com, an online magazine devoted to futuristic and/or unusual vehicles from earlier decades, with special emphasis on prototype and unrealized U.S. aerospace projects. The name is a take on Hugo Gernsback's Modern Mechanix magazine of the 1930's, the spirit of which I hope to carry on into the 21st century (minus its more sensationalistic qualities).

In its current state, RetroMechanix.com is essentially a digital version of The American Aerospace Archive magazine, though I eventually hope to start covering other forms of transport, such as unusual autos, ships, tanks, trains etc. I'm also aiming to eventually present book and model reviews, original videos and animations, etc. Having witnessed the arrival of the iPad and the demise of many traditional newsstand magazines, it's clear that the future is digital and online. Retromechanix.com articles will present previously unpublished material and/or endeavor to build upon that which has already been published. The best news is that the majority of the content is now free! At the end of most articles, you have the option of purchasing high resolution jpegs of the images featured therein as a downloadable .zip file. These are scanned at 300 dpi, watermarked with an unobtrusive semi-transparent "RetroMechanix.com" logo in the corners, and are often much larger than images previously published in either the printed or digital versions of The American Aerospace Archive, with some blueprints measuring over 2.5ft in length. These are ideal for the modeler, illustrator or general enthusiast who wants a highly detailed look at a particular vehicle; a free sample download is available Sample_Images.zip here.

Currently featured on the site are summaries of the known proposals to the US Navy OS-130 Day Fighter competition of February 1953 which ultimately yielded both the legendary Vought F8U Crusader and the less successful Douglas F5D Skylancer:



Subjects covered include the Convair Carrier Based F2Y, Douglas Model 652, Grumman Design 97, Lockheed L-242 Navalized Starfighter, McDonnell Model 90/91, North American OS-130 Class VF Day Fighter, Northrop Model N-94, TEMCO Model 31, and Vought V-383/V-384. Also featured is an article on the September 1953 inspection of the Vought XF8U-1 mock-up with 91 highly detailed photos. Most of the material is original and previously unpublished.

I hope to add a couple articles per week to the site, so please bookmark it and visit frequently, add it to your RSS feed, etc. You are welcome to write comments at the end of the articles, though please keep them relevant, constructive and free of offensive language. If you enjoy RetroMechanix.com, please spread the word among your friends; we need the site traffic in order to make it an ongoing success. The American Aerospace Archive magazine will be going on hiatus, though printed versions of issues 1-5 will remain available through MagCloud and PDF versions through AeroArchivePress.com. If you have any questions, please email me at my new email address, editor@retromechanix.com.

Best Regards,

Jared Zichek
Editor, RetroMechanix.com/The American Aerospace Archive magazine​