Wildcat FAA

[Blitz23]

Hi chaps was looking through old photos of a Duxford visit and came across one I took of the wildcat on jacks.  It gave me the bug to build a FAA wildcat/martlet, my question is I plan to use the Hobbyboss F4F with Techmod decals.  Is there anything I'd need to change for a British A/C as opposed to an American bird ?

[Grey Beema]

Ive never found it that clear over what's what for FAA Martlets & Wildcats - so I tend to refer to this..

 

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/wildcatfaaba_1.htm

 

there is another good reference site but for the life of me I can't find it but it is in these pages somewhere..

[Blitz23]

1 hour ago, Grey Beema said:

Ive never found it that clear over what's what for FAA Martlets & Wildcats - so I tend to refer to this..

 

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/wildcatfaaba_1.htm

 

there is another good reference site but for the life of me I can't find it but it is in these pages somewhere..

 

Thanks Grey Beema this will come in very handy.

[MDriskill]

1: Which Hobby Boss kit are you starting with?

2: Check this out-scroll to the end for accurate profile drawings of all the Martlet versions described in Mr. Archer's article.

 

http://www.geocities.jp/yoyuso/fm2/fm2e-1.html

[Blitz23]

44 minutes ago, MDriskill said:

1: Which Hobby Boss kit are you starting with?

2: Check this out-scroll to the end for accurate profile drawings of all the Martlet versions described in Mr. Archer's article.

 

http://www.geocities.jp/yoyuso/fm2/fm2e-1.html

 

I was planning to use the 1/48 Hobbyboss F4F

[tempestfan]

Being ignorant what HB offers, "F4F" is just the General type Designator - you'd have to specify whether it's a -3 or -4, as the subtypes have significant differences. Not the least of which is a folding wing with 6 gun armament in completely different Arrangement on the -4 vs. a fixed 4 gun wing on the -3. With a -3, you could built an FAA Martlet  III with few mods. A Martlet II from a -4 kit would Need a couple more mods, mostly in the engine/cowling area.

[Fernando]

Hi, Tempestfan,

 

The easiest to make is a Wildcat V, which is identical to the FM-1. The Hobbyboss FM-1 is fairly correct. There are several good schemes, including BEIF.

 

The second easy would be a Wildcat VI, which is identical to the FM-2. Problem is there is no accurate FM-2 OOB; HB one is fairly incorrect (I have one built). There is a Vector correction which is wonderful. There was a Sword model which was more accurate but a pain to build.

 

Martlet IV is the most difficult, as it has a different front fuselage/cowling lenght relationship. It has a different engine and propeller but that would be easy. Good news is that the wing is the standard F4F-4, so any Tamiya or appropriate HB boxing could be used. That said, it certainly can be done, and it is one of my pet projects.

 

Fixed wing Martlets are also difficult, but you can pinpoint a particular combo of engine/cowling/wing guns position/propeller/cowling flaps that may more or less match HB F4F-3. Cannot tell that out of memory, but a Martlet III or II would be the easiest of the lot, out of the appropriate HB F4F-3. Martlet I has the same relative lenghts problems of the IV.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Fernando

 

[MDriskill]

The Martlet III was a US Navy F4F-3A fixed wing variant. The Martlet I also had a fixed wing, but with Cyclone engine, unique gun arrangement, shorter canopy, and other unique details.

 

The Martlet II was most closely related to the F4F-4 (not -3), with 6-gun folding wing, but with a single-stage Twin Wasp engine and some unique cowl details.

 

Mr. Archer's article linked above describes many more details, and do check out the other link above for accurate profile drawings of each Martlet version (scroll to the end of the article).

[Seahawk]

28 minutes ago, Fernando said:

There was a Sword model which was more accurate but a pain to build.

 

More accurate but not accurate, so I've read.  That said, there was nothing about it that grated on me outline-wise (unlike the new Airfix kit where, whatever the kit's many other merits, I just cannot see past the horribly inaccurate canopy and spine).

 

I think you are a little hard on the Sword kit buildwise: I got two through to the painting stage so it can't be that bad 'cos I'm easily distracted/discouraged.  It is clearly, ahem, heavily influenced by the Hasegawa F4F kits.   

[tempestfan]

2 hours ago, Fernando said:

Hi, Tempestfan,

 

The easiest to make is a Wildcat V, which is identical to the FM-1. The Hobbyboss FM-1 is fairly correct. There are several good schemes, including BEIF.

As he wrote "F4F", i gathered he wouldn't use an FM-1 boxing. Indeed the FM-1 is simple, as it's Lend-Lease not direct purchase. I have no idea if the HB kit correctly portrays the different wing panelling, and the significantly larger unerwing Slots for the Ammo boxes.

 

2 hours ago, MDriskill said:

The Martlet III was a US Navy F4F-3A fixed wing variant. The Martlet I also had a fixed wing, but with Cyclone engine, unique gun arrangement, shorter canopy, and other unique details.

... and do check out the other link above for accurate profile drawings of each Martlet version (scroll to the end of the article).

 

I'd go as far to say the Martlet I is a rather different aircraft as compared to the F4F-4, similar to the Douglas DB-7 (no Suffix) to A-20/Boston III relationship.

 

I absolutely second your link to the drawings by the Japanese Gentleman. As I said elsewhere, those are the only Wildcat drawings I have ever seen (and I think I can say I looked at quite a lot) that correctly Feature the shallow teardrop-shaped Blisters just in front of the outboard Shell chutes.

[Bruce Archer]

Hi All!

   Here is my take on doing FAA Wildcats:

MK,I: wait for a conversion set

Mk II:There were originally three sets of Mk. II Wildcats. AM954 to AM963 were built as F4F-3 aircraft and were re-designated as Mk.III. AM964 to AM999 were like a F4F-4 BUT had unique pitots, no carb or intercooler scoops and the magnetos were on the backside of the engine. AJ100 to AJ153 were as the AMXXX series but had the std F4F-4 pitot.

MK.III: These were the AM954 to AM963, and the ex-Greek F4F-3Bs,having no inter cooler scoops

Mk.IV: F4F-4B: these were powered by Cyclones. Mods to the forward fuselage and cowl need to be done

MK.V: these are FM-1

Mk.VI: FM-2, use the H-B kit and the Vector conversion/correction set

 

This is down and dirty but give you the basics

 

Bruce

[ReccePhreak]

Let me throw my proverbial "Monkey Wrench" into this discussion:

Did the FAA have any photo-recce Wildcats, like the PR & FR modified Hellcats? 

If so (I hope) is there any info available on the camera & camera window arrangements?

 

Larry

[Tony C]

Another query, can Tamiya's F4F-4 be built as an FAA Martlet/Wildcat or does it need major work?

 

Ta

 

Just re-read the whole thread, no reply needed 

Edited March 8, 2017 by Tony C

[MDriskill]

9 hours ago, ReccePhreak said:

Let me throw my proverbial "Monkey Wrench" into this discussion:

Did the FAA have any photo-recce Wildcats, like the PR & FR modified Hellcats? 

If so (I hope) is there any info available on the camera & camera window arrangements?

 

Very interesting question! I have no idea if recce Martlets existed and would also love to learn more.

 

FWIW, the US Navy did have a recon variant in the form of the F4F-7. This not only had cameras in the fuselage but a fixed wing holding extra fuel tanks. Not many were built and AFAIK no Martlet variant was close to this.

[MDriskill]

On March 2, 2017 at 8:45 AM, tempestfan said:

I'd go as far to say the Martlet I is a rather different aircraft as compared to the F4F-4, similar to the Douglas DB-7 (no Suffix) to A-20/Boston III relationship.

 

Well said! When researching a Martlet II build many years ago, I figured out that studying F4F variants in the order in which they were built, helped me to follow the differences between them.

 

As part of that process I "discovered" that the FAA really pioneered the use of early F4F's! The Martlet I was the very first variant to see service anywhere; being first readied for shipment to France in spring 1940, then arriving in the FAA about July after a period of re-working. The first USN F4F-3 arrived in squadons in August 1940. The unique short canopy of the Mk I was similar to the prototype and pre-production F4F-3's, and further evolved before the USN "dash 3's" were built.

 

Similarly, the Martlet II was the first folding-wing F4F in service, arriving in spring 1941 whereas the USN's F4F-4 was not fielded until November 1941. The Mk II's single-stage engine was identical to the F4F-3A, which had been the immediate previous batch of machines to leave Grumman's factory; and its intial "elbow" style pitot may have proved vulnerable in service, giving way to a short pitot under the wingtip on all subsquent folding variants.

 

These dates are all from my own ancient notes BTW, corrections will not hurt my feelings!