1:32 Grumman F4F- 3 “Wildcat”(late)

The real subject

The Grumman F4F, known among airmen by the nickname Wildcat, was the main carrier fighter of the US Navy in the first two years of the war in the Pacific. The F4F-3 version had fixed wings without a folding mechanism and four 12.7 mm machine guns in the wings. It was powered by an air-cooled fourteen-cylinder twin-row radial engine, which gave the aircraft its stubby shape with a short fuselage. The main landing gear retracted into the sides of the fuselage and the pilot cranked it up by hand, so retraction ran to dozens of turns.

What kind of kit it is

An unassembled plastic kit in 1:32 scale, that is in a large scale, in which the span of the finished model works out at roughly thirty-six centimeters. The parts are laid out on sprues; before building, cut them off, sand the mating surfaces and test-fit the main assemblies dry. The late version designation refers to the production form in which the machine was built in the later part of the series.

• 1:32 scale, a model span of around thirty-six centimeters
• the subject is the carrier fighter F4F-3 in its late form
• parts on sprues, glued with cement for plastic
• supplied unassembled and unpainted

Building and painting tips

The large scale reveals every gap, so fill and sand the joints of the fuselage and the leading edges smooth. Finish the cockpit before you glue the fuselage together. Mask the glazing before spraying. Everybody looks at the radial engine in a display case, so it pays to bring out the cylinders with a dry brush and shade the plumbing with a dark glaze.

Who it is for

For modelers who collect American carrier aircraft and want a model with clearly legible detail. Paints, glue and putty are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.