Doorgunner69,
No doubt Kelly Johnson did have a few of those. I was just making a joke about what the sketch of the “swing-wing F-4” looked like in the article. I doubt this was ever a serious option. (Interesting, the FB-111 [THX?]and the F-14 Tomcat were intended to share numerous design features and assemblies. In the end, the wing pivot was the only shared piece.)
I think history will confirm your suspicion about a number of successful designs, though. The P-51, especially in its first phases, and later when the Merlin was added, really was the outgrowth of informal musings. No doubt intoxicating spirits were at least in the vicinity LOL!.
Oldplayer
The F-14A shared engines, Phoenix missile and Radar suite with the cancelled F-111B. Those are the “prime cuts” of any aircraft program.