First, I think I need to say that I am not opposed to the use of the word ugly when used to describe this plane nor any other.
I simply prefer not to use the term myself.
In addition to ugly one could also easily use awkward and ungainly. The plane looks as though while being made that the fuselage would not open its mouth while being fed its wing and that was as far as it got! With nowhere else to stick an engine it was decided that it would have to have two, one on each side of the nose. Since the wing didn't make it all the way back to where it should, it was decided that it needed to be shortened to try and balance it. This not being enough to achieve balance it was then decided to make the engines bigger. The side effect from this is that it would be much more powerful. This would not be a problem as such an ugly, ungainly and awkward plane would need to have some other trait to help make it in the world!
Seems plain to say that even being so powerful was not enough Except for the Black Hawk Squadron for they certainly did not choose it for it being ugly, They chose it because it looked extraordinarily powerful. Those big honkin' radials leading to victory!
I bet it would not be hard to turn this plane around and make a pusher! Could it be that when this plane was designed it was meant to be a pusher and some one simply forgot the nosewheel?
Heh! Heh! Yep call it ugly if you will, Larry is right, there are some others out there as well, some did not make it off the drawing board.
Many were made by Blom und Voss! Now that is one outfit who knew how to make an ugly plane!
I don't know what was with Grumman and their design department, but they did not march to the same tune as other airplane mfg.s and that is for sure. The Skyrocket (it's name is probably its finest feature), I feel, takes the cake for Grumman!
Robert