The F-106A is the worst event vehicle this year. Not because it is a bad aircraft- quite the opposite. It deserves better.
First, it was THE Cold War American interceptor. Sure, it never saw combat (thankfully), but it played a key role in the Cold War and from the suggestion post you can see how much excitement the vehicle had around it.
And now it’s locked behind a limited event?!
Players that miss the event or simply start playing the game next month will be forced to either gamble for a minute chance at the vehicle or fork over real money for a limited supply of vehicle NFTs (and that’s assuming they aren’t on console; if they are, they’re out of luck).
Second, this is a massive blow to gameplay. The US lacks any real TT dogfighters between the Sabres and the F-5E. The F-106A would have been absolutely perfect to fill this hole! But instead this hole will remain unfilled so Gaijin can squeeze money out of players GEing the event tasks.
And worst of all, there are so many better choices for an event vehicle that couldn’t fit in the Tech Tree as well as the F-106! Vehicles that are now less likely to be added and even if they are they’re most likely to be short-lived, overpriced premiums! We could’ve gotten the XF8U-3, the YA-7F, the F-107A, or any number of other prototype vehicles! Unusual, unique, interesting, prototype aircraft- you know, proper event vehicle material. Heck, some people are justifying this event by saying “there could be an earlier F-106 model in the tech tree”…
When such an aircraft would be substantially less effective, less practical, and less conventional- in other words, a better event vehicle.
Of course, this is nothing new. There have been examples in the past of vehicles of great historical significance and great tech tree need being shafted into events. Coming to mind: the F-4F, West Germany’s iconic fighter and the best filler for the 9.3-10.3 fighter hole, put as an event vehicle with missiles it only used for training. The MiG-23MF, east Germany’s main Flogger, and the best way to get an upgrade in BVR over the R-3R. The MiG-21PFM, a core shift in MiG-21 design, undertiered, evented, and lacking armaments. The F-11F, the Navy’s first supersonic and a Blue Angel classic. And that’s not even touching ground vehicles.
But while there was substantial pushback for those vehicles’ placements, there seems to be relatively little for the F-106. It seems that many’s thought process boils down to >event vehicle >plen I like >am happy, with no deeper consideration for the issues inherent with relegating an aircraft such as the F-106 to an event.
So while it’s too late for the F-106, please, Gaijin, stop to ensure that vehicles, events, and the playerbase as a whole are given the treatment they rightfully deserve, instead of only doing what will make the most hype and the most profit.
