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New Arma release to be announced 30/12: 1/72 FM-2 Wildcat!!!


Procopius

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1 minute ago, Procopius said:

I mentioned it a little ways up. I'm excited, since it likely means a Hurricane IIb! And if Arma do a Ceylon-based one during the Indian Ocean Raid, it will mean they truly love me.

Oops sorry Mr. P, should have read all posts, how awesome isn't it !!!

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For a small company that looks to pack a big punch, I think it’s wise for Arma to look at other mainstream global opportunities like this FM-2 Wildcat. It’s plainly obvious we all thought along the lines of a new Polish related release, however this now takes them away from being a ‘niche’ player to something a little bigger.
 

A new (non F4F-4) Wildcat variant makes good marketing sense and may just be enough for them to crack into the US market and reap some well deserved rewards. This now makes me think that their next release could be anything from a much needed Fairey Battle to almost anything else to be honest! 
 

Cheers and well played to Wojtek and the team at Arma Hobbies.. Dave 

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3 hours ago, GrzeM said:

To be honest, knowing Marcin's and Wojtek's (Arma Hobby owners) love to all those USN "cats" (in their resin period they produced Bearcat and the F2F kits) it was no great surprise.

A new injection-molded F8F Bearcat in 1/72 to the same standard of detail and accuracy as Arma’s other kits would be very welcome. 

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FM-2 is a nice choice. Generally speaking WWII and early post WWII subjects still provide pretty large space to release variants that differ significantly from standard machines but were never kitted well. Various types of Soviet aircraft or early/late variants of almost anything - Wildcat, Corsair, Mustang. The list can be endless. 

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11 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

A new injection-molded F8F Bearcat in 1/72 to the same standard of detail and accuracy as Arma’s other kits would be very welcome. 

There was one (can't say how good it was) from 'Attack Squadron'.  Sold out and no idea if any more would be produced.

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As someone who was about to start hacking around the Airfix Martlet to try and get a FM-2, I'm quite pleased about this release. So I'm certainly up for this kit. Good timing Arma! You must have known!

 

Steve

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51 minutes ago, Denford said:

Does anyone know if it has folding wings?

If Arma read this perhaps they could tell us.

I’ve got a feeling it doesn’t. I can’t remember if I saw sprue shots earlier on today but someone did comment about grafting the Airfix folding wings onto this new Arma kit. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

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I must say it is a big surprise to me - I thought that Polish link is a key to Arma strategy. Apparently I was wrong... Sorry for misleading...

 

Cheers

J-W

 

 

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I don't care about the folding wings, I just care whether the overall shape is correct and it goes together well. It's the shape of the thing that matters, the tall tail, the Cyclone cowling and the correct wings, that's all that count, the right shapes surely? Everything else is gravy!

Edited by Wez
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On 12/30/2019 at 5:02 PM, Procopius said:

I couldn't disagree more. The FM-2 has not been accurately or well-kitted, Hasegawa don't do it (they do an FM-1), and the extant AZ kit on it is additionally a hellish nightmare to build.

The early Mustang is a tricky subject -- they may yet do it, but many have tried and failed to do it well, so I'd rather they did it right and took a little longer. People are also clamouring for more Hurricane variants, and they've announced they'll be doing those. Arma are a very small company, and they have to consider what will sell. I'm willing to bet they can sell more FM-2s than Fairey Battles, at least.

That said, I wish they'd offer an Expert Upgrade option for their non-expert boxings, because the FAA one is definitely where my interest lies.

I'm with PC...

On 12/30/2019 at 5:06 PM, Wez said:

I for one am quite pleased by this, I've long awaited a decent mainstream Wildcat VI and this news means we'll now be getting one, thanks Arma!

...and Wez on this one. Fits in fine with my Fleet Air Arm theme :D 

Plus, as Jonners states...

On 12/30/2019 at 5:11 PM, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

Cheer up, it could have been another 109!

 

On 12/30/2019 at 5:36 PM, Heather Kay said:

Ah well, my patient wait for a new tool Battle goes on.

:sad: :ner: :lol:

Maybe next one Heather. Live in hope ;) 

On 12/31/2019 at 10:16 AM, fightersweep said:

As someone who was about to start hacking around the Airfix Martlet to try and get a FM-2, I'm quite pleased about this release. So I'm certainly up for this kit. Good timing Arma! You must have known!

Steve

You're lucky! Fate usually waits 'til the rest of us have either finished or wrecked the kit beyond redemption.

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I can understand as some may be disappointed by this announcement, but personally I'm very happy !

I know, for many the FM-2 is just "another" Wildcat but this variant differs enough from the original to deserve a new kit, more so as the existing ones of this variant aren't that good.

And the FM-2 is not just a Wildcat, it was the most produced variant of the Wildcat:  with around 4,400 delivered to the USN and another 370 to the FAA, there were more FM-2 produced than all other variants of the Wildcat put together  It was also the aircraft used in the largest number on the many escort carriers during WW2.

I know, for many the "iconic" Wildcat is probably an F4F-3 in early PTO markings, however the FM-2 deserves a lot more recognition than usually receives

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1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

And the FM-2 is not just a Wildcat, it was the most produced variant of the Wildcat:  with around 4,400 delivered to the USN

It’s the P-40N of Wildcats! Everyone thinks of the shark-nose P-40B/C of Flying Tigers fame when they think of the Curtiss Warhawk, but it was the P-40N which was produced in the greatest numbers of any variant: 5220 out of over 15,000 built. I guess there’s no John Wayne movies with P-40Ns.

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On 12/30/2019 at 6:02 PM, Procopius said:

That said, I wish they'd offer an Expert Upgrade option for their non-expert boxings, because the FAA one is definitely where my interest lies.

I believe that the reason they're not doing this is that, in contrary to Eduard, they do not produce the photo-etched sheets on their own. I suppose they just order quantities that cover their production runs of Expert kits and by selling them directly or through distributors get the money back sooner or later. An additional investment into surplus PE for the stock may take longer to recover (remember about all those people for whom PE is a no-go), which is a significant factor for a still relatively small company.

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On 12/30/2019 at 5:02 PM, Procopius said:

the extant AZ kit on it is additionally a hellish nightmare to build.

 

Having consigned the AZ FM-2 50% done to the shelf of doom, I may well buy the Arma one so I can work out where the hell all the bits on the AZ kit are supposed to go. 

Edited by Pat C
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Just now, Pat C said:

 

Having consigned the AZ FM-2 50% done to the shelf of doom, I may well buy the Arma one so I can work where the hell all the bits on the AZ kit are supposed to go. 

I'm glad it wasn't just me, then.

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2 minutes ago, Procopius said:

I'm glad it wasn't just me, then.

 

That was precisely my reaction when I read your comment!!! I gave up when I realised I had no idea how deep in the cowling the resin engine was supposed to be mounted nor any discernible way of mounting the undercarriage in the gear bay. Oh and I managed to glue two lower wing halves together - however, I’m prepared to take the blame for that one!! 

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