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Grumman Wildcat F4F-3 Early


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Hi All,

First off the bench in 2013 is my attempt at the Hobby Boss 1/48 Grumman Wildcat - the early F4F-3 version. I chose this because I wanted to have a go at some pre-war US colours. I seem to have used a lot of brown, green and grey recently so it was a nice break to introduce some colour to things. My WIP thread is here WIP and, overall, I really enjoyed building this kit and can recommend it. Not quite add glue and shake it, a la Tamigawa but nice to build nonetheless. Most seams needed no or very little filler and fit was very good overall apart from a couple of annoying areas that I can't do much about. I'll leave those to the eagle-eyed to find for themselves! This also marks my first attempt at using masks instead of decals. Mal at Miracle Masks cut all the markings except the smallest characters (those being decals - serials on wings and tail) and I'm very pleased indeed at how simple they were to use and the quality of results that can be achieved with patience and a deft touch.

Paints used are a fair mix - more detail on that in the WIP. the whole model was finished with Vallejo's acrylic gloss varnish, of which I'm a growing fan. Promodeller black wash was used to highlight the very nicely and finely moulded panel and rivet detail. Comment and critique is always welcome and I hope you enjoy the shots.

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Thanks a lot to all of you who gave me some very, very helpful advice on colours during the WIP too.

I hope you enjoy looking.

Cheers all and a Happy New Year,

Roger

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Thanks all for the very kind comments.

I just realised that I really should have named the forum members who helped me with colours so Old Man and Navy Bird - thanks an awful lot to both of you for some invaluable advice and research sites.

Cheers all,

Roger

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What a great looking aircraft, you've nailed the paint work on that, great job all round.

Using masks is on my to do list for this year, looking at that you've sold me the idea.

Tim.

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What a great looking aircraft, you've nailed the paint work on that, great job all round.

Using masks is on my to do list for this year, looking at that you've sold me the idea.

Tim.

Hi Tim,

Have a go - they're brilliant to use and I'm a definite convert now. Mal at Miracle Masks is a great help and will cut masks that don't appear in his current catalogue if he can, as he did for me. I sent him a scan of my decal sheet and measurements of the markings I wanted and that was pretty much it. Patience, a good eye and delicate touch is all you need really.

Good luck,

Roger

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