1:48 FM-1 Wildcat

Photo-etched parts for the FM-1 Wildcat in 1:48 scale

A set of photo-etched parts from thin metal sheet for a model of the FM-1 Wildcat carrier fighter. Photo-etch takes the place of the areas where the real thing is sheet metal or small fittings and where a plastic part necessarily comes out thicker than the scale would allow. The individual parts are held in the carrier fret by thin tabs and are cut from it only just before fitting.

The real subject

The Wildcat is an American carrier fighter of the first years of the war in the Pacific: a stocky fuselage, short wings and landing gear retracted by hand, whose wheels disappear close together under the cockpit. The FM-1 designation belongs to the licensed form built by the Eastern Aircraft division of General Motors. Compared with the earlier version it has its armament reduced from six machine guns to four and more rounds per gun; the aircraft served mainly from small escort carriers with convoys.

How photo-etch is worked

• Lay the fret on a hard surface and separate the parts with a sharp blade, not with nippers.
• Pick small parts up with tweezers and work over a surface from which you can find them again.
• Take the folds in one movement in a bending tool or between two blades.
• Dose super glue with the tip of a wire, as a drop from the bottle is too much for photo-etch.
• Degrease the metal before painting and apply a primer, otherwise the coat of paint rubs off.

Who it is for

For modelers who build American carrier aircraft of the Second World War and want detail matching the scale. Working with photo-etch is slower than building from plastic alone, but it shows on the finished model.

The package contains photo-etched parts. The kit, paints and glue are not part of it, unless stated otherwise.