1:48 F4F-4 Wildcat landing flaps

Photo-etched landing flaps for the Wildcat

A full photo-etched set from Eduard for the 1:48 scale model of the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighter, devoted to the landing flaps. The real flaps have a ribbed structure and a very thin skin that cannot be reproduced by injection molding. The metal parts make it possible to show them in the lowered position as well.

A stocky fighter from the start of the war

A round fuselage, a Pratt & Whitney radial engine and landing gear retracted by a hand crank made the Wildcat a machine that gave its pilots nothing for free. Even so, American airmen held out through the first year of fighting in the Pacific with it, among other things thanks to a well-practiced tactic of mutual cover in pairs. The version with folding wings was built in the greatest numbers. The gear retracted into the fuselage, so the wing stayed clean and the surfaces could be longer.

Bending and gluing

Bend the fine ribs gradually and in short sections so the metal does not ripple. It helps to warm the etch briefly over a flame, which softens it and makes it hold its shape better. Use thin cyanoacrylate glue applied with a wire; ordinary plastic solvent cement will not work here. Tack the finished parts in place at a few points only until you have checked that they really sit in the opening.

Suitable for

• modelers who want the flaps in the lowered position
• builders of carrier fighters from the early part of the war
• those with experience of bending metal parts
• completing a model with the engine exposed
• display builds with a view of the underside of the wing