1:48 Grumman FM-1 undercarriage legs BRONZE

Bronze landing gear legs for the Grumman FM-1 1:48 (Eduard)

This is an add-on, not an aircraft model. The casting in bronze replaces the plastic landing gear legs of the Wildcat. On this type that is particularly useful: the Wildcat has a narrow track and unusually long, slender legs that carry the whole weight of the fuselage. In plastic it is one of the most fragile joints of the whole model and sagging shows up here most often. The bronze casting solves the problem once and for all and at the same time holds finer detail than plastic.

The real subject

FM-1 is the designation of the Wildcat built to Grumman's F4F-4 design in the factories of the General Motors group. Against the six-gun armament of its predecessor it carried four machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber, which gave it back a reasonable supply of ammunition per gun. The machines served mainly from the decks of escort carriers, where their toughness and undemanding operation proved themselves. A characteristic feature of the Wildcat remained the hand-cranked undercarriage retracting into the fuselage, whose extension cost the pilot several dozen turns of the crank.

How the accessory is used

Degrease the metal before painting and use a primer meant for metal, otherwise the paint will not hold. Attach it with super glue, ideally with an activator. Given the narrow track of the Wildcat, try the seating dry beforehand, so that the model stands straight and evenly on both legs. A metal leg also comes into its own on a model with resin additions or in a diorama, where the assembly carries a load.

Who the accessory is for

• Builders of the Wildcat in 1:48 scale who know the weak point of thin landing gear legs
• Modelers building heavier models fitted out with resin
• Collectors who display models over the long term
• Those who want sharper detail than a plastic part gives