ORIGINAL: UStik
I believe the Japan T2 was one of Ed's first attempts in swept wings. As measured in an earlier post, it was a standard TF fuselage, only the wing built with straight trailing edge. So the c/g had to be 2" more aft and the tail moment arm was effectively shorter by that amount. Still the wing had the NACA 2419 airfoil and the plane had the big stability margin. That means it must have been a dog to spin.
Next attempt was the even thicker carrier wing, but with a special fuselage which reconstituted the tail and nose moment arms of the straight wing contest (Nats/VRCS) Taurus. That's your T2 fuse. Due to the very thick wing, Ed reduced the vertical moment arms (wing higher, thrust line and empennage lower). Maybe it didn't spin well either due to the very thick and blunt wing.
Wait just a minute; I think we need to get the time line correct:
1) The Taurus-2 fuselage was (regardless of whether it's oldest or not) was definitely in its present state by the summer of 1963. Remember the dated "Carrier photos" say Aug 1963.
2) It originally had the thick, (Carrier) wing, which was Ed's back-up for the '63 W/C
3) The Japanese T-2 came along later in the early months of 1964. It was testing Ed's theories on a shorter tail moment, (2"shorter), and more dihedral.
4) The second T-2 wing came next. I don't know if the "pusher" was first or the modified Taurus-2, (that accepts the thinner wing). This wing HAD to have built AFTER the 1963 W/C since Ed got the airfoil from Bosch. I would say the T-2 striped wing came about early in 1964.
Duane