Martlet Mk.I

[Work In Progress]

Folding wings and twin-row engine with no upper cowl intake. The only production variant that I know of that looks like that is the Martlet II. What a Martlet II would be doing in that line-up, and in US Navy colours, is beyond me.

[Fernando]

34 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

Folding wings and twin-row engine with no upper cowl intake. The only production variant that I know of that looks like that is the Martlet II. What a Martlet II would be doing in that line-up, and in US Navy colours, is beyond me.

Retrofitted -3?

 

[stevehnz]

Could someone explain what I should be looking at in that photo? I've poured over Bruce Archers piece on hyperscale & an old thread where I discussed the old Revell Wildcat V kit & I'm not seeing anything that leaps out as an anomally. Wildcats can lead me to a state of confusion quite quickly though.

Steve.

[Greenshirt]

33 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Could someone explain what I should be looking at in that photo? I've poured over Bruce Archers piece on hyperscale & an old thread where I discussed the old Revell Wildcat V kit & I'm not seeing anything that leaps out as an anomally. Wildcats can lead me to a state of confusion quite quickly though.

Steve.

Hi Steve, see photo:

 

 

I don't remember reading or seeing the F4F-4 or FM-1 (which is what would be a folding wing Wildcat in USN service at the time of the photo) without the lip intake.  

 

Tim

[stevehnz]

32 minutes ago, Greenshirt said:

 

I don't remember reading or seeing the F4F-4 or FM-1 (which is what would be a folding wing Wildcat in USN service at the time of the photo) without the lip intake. 

 

Tim

Thanks Tim, I think I set myself a red herring with Bri's comment about varied carb intakes & focused on them. I'd almost convinced myself I could see subtle differences in them while overlooking the significance of the intake missing on the one you've indicated, which I had spotted & moved on from. 

Steve.

[MDriskill]

On August 10, 2017 at 7:49 AM, Fernando said:

Retrofitted -3?

 

You may be on the right track! According to Dana Bell's book, the batch of F4F-3's which had the "buried" carb intake used the R-1830-86 engine, same as the F4F-4, so it may simply be a replacement cowl from one of those. Unfortunately I can't make out the cooling flap arrangement in the photo, which would answer the question more authoritatively.

 

It is not a re-painted Martlet II, as you can see one of the angled twin magnetos of the -86 engine. The single-stage R-1830-90 in the Martlet II had a different magneto arrangement.

 

Zooming in, another interesting detail of that aircraft is that the prop tips appear to be in three different-colored stripes, instead of the usual plain yellow. Hmmmmm...

Edited August 13, 2017 by MDriskill

[Seahawk]

9 hours ago, MDriskill said:

Zooming in, another interesting detail of that aircraft is that the prop tips appear to be in three different-colored stripes, instead of the usual plain yellow. Hmmmmm...

The 3-colour prop tip markings were standard for pre-war/early war USN aircraft, as I learned from my Airfix Devastator instruction sheet many moons ago.  Away from my references at the mo so can't quote chapter and verse.  Think the colours were Insignia Red, Yellow and Blue though don't recall the order.

[Greenshirt]

On 8/11/2017 at 6:52 AM, Seahawk said:

Think the colours were Insignia Red, Yellow and Blue though don't recall the order

Red on the tip, then yellow, blue on the inner ring. If the blades were polished metal, the blue extended to below the line of the cowl, inside face of the blades, only.