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Jimmy Thach's Fox One ‒ My response to Eduard


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What you see here is Monogram's venerable Wildcat of 1967 vintage which ten years after its advent I tried to convert to an F4F-3 without any deeper understanding of skillful modelling. At that time I patched two models together per month, and they looked like it!

 

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 Monogram kit # 6798, the 1973 edition that I used for my model

 

The kit is one of Monogram's early 1/48 'Action Models' gifted with all sorts of moving parts and the resultant inaccuracies, but who cared - it was the only game in town and I liked it.

 

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The subject, (3-)F-1 BuNo 3976, is the familiar plane which Lt Cdr John S. Thach, skipper of Fighting Three, rode on a couple of noteworthy missions off USS Lexington from February to March 1942, and thus one of the most often modelled Wildcats of this period.

 

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REFERENCES   (A long list and there would be more, but it's a significant aircraft, too)

GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT, FAMOUS AIRCRAFT OF THE WORLD NO.16, TOKYO 1971

GRUMMAN F4F-3 WILDCAT, PROFILE NO.53, FRANK L. GREENE, WINDSOR, 1972

GRUMMAN'S WILLING WILDCAT, AIR ENTHUSIAST QUARTERLY NO.3, LONDON, 1975

NAVY AIR COLORS VOL.1, DOLL / JACKSON / RILEY, CARROLLTON, 1983

THE FIRST TEAM, JOHN B. LUNDSTROM, ANNAPOLIS, 1984

US NAVY CARRIER FIGHTERS OF WORLD WAR II, AERODATA INTERNATIONAL, CARROLLTON, 1987

THE OFFICIAL MONOGRAM US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIRCRAFT COLOR GUIDE VOL.2, JOHN M. ELLIOT, STURBRIDGE, 1989

WILDCAT ACES OF WORLD WAR 2, BARRETT TILLMAN, OSPREY, BOTLEY, 1994

F4F WILDCAT, DETAIL & SCALE VOL.65, BERT KINZEY, CARROLLTON, 2000

MODELLING THE F4F WILDCAT, MARK GLIDDEN, OSPREY, BOTLEY, 2007

F4F WILDCAT, AIRCRAFT PICTORIAL 4, DANA BELL, TUCSON, 2012

GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT, LEGENDS OF WARFARE, DAVID DOYLE, ATGLEN, 2017

 

 

Section 1 ‒ A broken beginning

 

Yes, I'm doing it again! Trying to boost an archaic kit into a respectable model.

 

The idea was to preserve the fuselage and some other parts as I did with several previous restorations (e.g. my Monogram Hellcat here). The brittle plastic, however, didn't withstand the decomposition and cracked in too many places. Down the drain went my 1977 creation and with it some big tears, but the idea of reviving Monogram's antiquity remained. I rejected any thought of replacing it with a Tamiya, Hobby Boss or latest Eduard kit and rather granted eBay a prohibitive £ 34 (with postage, argh!) to get this -

 

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Revell Monogram kit # 5220

 

The box title makes it a perfect subject for the Revell-o-gram GB. Hard to believe that the same moldings were still sold in 1996 but the material is now state-of-the-art grey plastic, not the dark blue Bakelite of old. There's not much in the box, should be a quick and easy job...

 

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... but, alas, loads of aftermarket items have ganged up in my stash. Jimmy Thach's F4F-3 won't be a plain OOB build. I hope the moderators will let me use all these precious extras -

 

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The KMC wings and cowling, the Vector R-1830-86 and the Eduard PE set are the most essential items of course, but not everything was used later. Nevertheless I got the feeling that there is still something missing to tool up the Wildcat's busy undercarriage bay...

 

 

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Now I've gone completely nuts and invested another fortune in an Aires upgrade set which makes some of the previous items redundant (cockpit, engine) and includes a number of parts I don't need (wingfold, gun bays). This is going to be the most expensive model of the decade, even in view of my other lavish restorations - that's a big liability!

 

 

Section 2 ‒ Checking the critical chunks

 

A first review of the main components heralds a complex build. This shouldn't be surprising since they come from at least four different sources. Holding them against each other and taking a few measurements indicates that some gaps will need to be bridged.

 

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–  Published data and scale drawings are divided* over the fuselage length of the F4F. Depending on the source the Monogram fuselage may be too short by 2-4 mm right behind the cockpit. A correction would be very laborious which lets me accept this inaccuracy. The forward portion, however, is to scale so that all third-party inserts should fit quite well.

* An article of interest: http://soyuyo.main.jp/fm2/fm2e-1.html which itself contains a few conversion errors.

–  The rudder, too narrow as well, will be replaced by the broader Vector part. Likewise, 1.5 mm is missing on each horizontal stabiliser which will be corrected.

–  The starboard KMC wing was slightly warped but a steam bath helped. Fortunately the chord at the wing root matches very well with the Monogram cut-out.

–  As usual, Aires resin parts offer superb detail. The two bulkheads are a trifle smaller than the available space and can easily be plastered in. The cockpit fits perfectly.

 

I guess I will begin by clearing the Monogram parts of all unnecessary features.

 

 

Section 3 ‒ Radical rearrangement

 

With a great deal of the molded structure gone it looks like there's not much of Monogram left. The core of every model is the fuselage, however, and this is still unmistakable.

 

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I wonder how long the small antenna mast on top of the rudder will survive... (It eventually did!)

 

The motivation to struggle with this obsolete kit, besides nostalgic sentiments of course, was my purpose to participate in the groupbuild. But one other factor made me favour the Monogram molding and that's the perfect representation of raised rivets (more subtle than Tamiya's). Less authentic, however, is the number of ribs along the fuselage which is short by one, but - hey - this build is not for the rivet counter! I sanded the nose, tail, and stabilisers because they need to be re-scribed with recessed panel lines and rivets.

 

 

Section 4 ‒ First features finished

 

Many builds begin with the engine, but to initiate the empennage at the same time may be a bit bizarre. I don't know why I did it. I guess when I tested the parts I was carried away by the wish to see the result. In the end it was a welcome relief from the boredom of engine detailing.

 

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–  The F4F-3 prop diameter according to factory data should be 9'9" which translates to 62 mm in 1/48. The Vector propeller, though quite nice, measures 66 mm (same as the original Monogram part!). I clipped some at the root and also modified the hub.

–  A cut-out for the cooling flaps and an internal carburettor scoop were applied to the excellent KMC cowling.

–  The finished Vector R-1830-86, upgraded with ignition harness and all, is mounted on the Aires back plate.

–  After attaching the fine Vector elevators to the elongated Monogram stabilisers I added protruding hinges made of bent wire. The tailplane received new rivets and was painted.

–  The equally good Vector rudder is marked with decal stripes (SuperScale 48-723) which had the correct size, but after years in my store broke easily and needed repairs with the brush.

 

 

Section 5 ‒ Filling the fuselage

 

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A lot of bits and bobs are wedged in between engine and cockpit rear bulkhead of which only fragments will be exposed, but that won't stop my obsession with detailing. I cut the cockpit side consoles (Aires) to size and inserted the wheel bay panels (Eduard). Dimensions conform with the Monogram fuselage but I needed to test the exact placement over and again to fit the next suite of parts.

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After painting the assemblies in Bronze Green, for which I prefer Revell SM363, the cockpit was completed and installed in the port fuselage half. No further cutting required if everything is positioned correctly. Beforehand I had glazed the belly window cut-outs with home-made transparencies.

 

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Merging the fuselage halves left a few gaps, most noticeably under the wing root (where the Monogram one-piece wing should have been inserted) which I sealed, then leveled with putty and sanded clean. The following pieces were added -

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The ends of the wing spar were angled up before installation to yield the correct dihedral of 5°. When test-fitting the wings it turned out that the dihedral was a bit overdone. Instead of removing the spar to adjust it I forced the centre up with a brace which lowered the tips by a fraction (see (5) below). Thus more weight was built in, presumably making it a very heavy model. But the Wildcat was notorious for being overweight and underpowered. 😀

 

Now comes the landing gear compartment. This space is very cramped. I spent several hours brooding over photos and drawings to figure out where the various struts and braces belonged, and which sequence of assembly would be advisable to get everything installed.

 

These are the first steps -

 

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(1)  Aires 4058 bulkhead enhanced with PE parts from Eduard 48590.

(2)  Bulkhead painted 'Grumman Gray', washed, and gear retraction chains (Eduard) added.

(3)  First pieces of the spidery gear test-fitted to prove the assembly concept. The upper elements of the legs (between shock absorber and chain drive) are Aires parts which fit the bulkhead fixtures. The lower assembly and the V-shaped brace are adapted SAC 48285 white-metal parts.

(4)  Everything painted. The gear can be removed for installation in the fuselage...

 

... which is described next -

 

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(5)  The open frame at station # 2 with wing spar and bracing (see above).

(6)  The finished bulkhead minus landing gear is now plugged in. The excellent match of the Aires part with Monogram's fuselage is clearly visible. Just a touch of filler was needed around the lower seam.

(7)  At this stage I added additional struts and the engine bearer (6 scratch-built pieces as the Aires bits are too flimsy) plus oil tank.

(8)  The opposite view - engine firewall with accessories and intercoolers. There should be a maze of rods and wires which I spared because they wouldn't show up in the darkness of the confined area.

 

Finally the powerplant is bolted to the fuselage -

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It looks like everything within the gear space converged neatly. I had splayed the KMC cowling ever so slightly when I fitted it to the firewall so that it matches the fuselage diameter. The hollow metal exhausts come from REXx (48038) - very nice pieces by the way - which took me a few tries to fix in the correct attitude.

 

Now let's get the fuselage dressed up. Doesn't the Wildcat have a nice flowing shape despite its plumpness?

 

 

Section 6 ‒ Body beautification

 

This chapter is about hinges, hatches, holes and humps. Instead of scribing I occasionally use thin paper, decals or primer to accentuate panels that can be removed for maintenance. Slightly elevated areas look more realistic in my view. I applied all these techniques and more -

 

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* Later deleted because there's no air scoop visible on BuNo 3976

 

With the windscreen fixed (Falcon set no.39) I administered a first layer of paint. For USN blue-gray I tried Colourcoats ACUS06 which, unlike tested in Section 4, turned out lighter than I would have preferred, perhaps the result of thinning. For the underside I recurred to trusted Mr. Hobby H325 (light) gray. Work on the fuselage is now suspended for a while.

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Section 7 ‒ Wing with vices

 

Moving on to the KMC wing... The shallow panel lines needed deeper scribing. I re-positioned the leading edge details such as gun ports etc. which were slightly misplaced. Unfortunately the nicely detailed landing flap hinges broke off easily and some were restored with home-made parts.

 

Other scratch-built improvements -

 

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Wings are now attached. The spar installed in Section 5 provides a very solid link. The inevitable mismatch at the wing root was bridged by inserting a thin paper strip along the seam to close the fissure on both sides, top and bottom.

 

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After leveling with filler and sanding it looks like this -

 

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Section 8 ‒ Becoming BuNo 3976

 

The airframe appears quite complete now with the Aires cooling gills inserted, the tailplane added (see section 4) and a final colour coat overall. The time-consuming small stuff is still lurking, however. I guess panel lines and weathering come next.


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I resorted to photographs and my references to research the format of markings as applied to this specific Wildcat. In general, BuNo 3976 was decorated in accordance with pre-war practice, i.e. directives issued up to 5 January 1942.
 

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A few notes -


–  Size, shape and position of the identification code reflect pre-war standards, but on blue-gray the colour should have been black. The squadron identifier had duly been omitted, and it looks as if the individual aircraft number was substituted when Thach assumed this aircraft because there is a dark patch under the number in all six positions.
–  The 24" national insignia on the fuselage corresponds with the BuAer letter of 5 January 1942. The red centre has an irregular small size, however.
–  Wing markings continued to be carried on upper port and lower starboard panels only. The lower wing shows the correct 44" type.
–  According to Elliot (1989) the diameter on the upper wing was to be equal to the distance between wing leading edge and aileron hinge for which several sources specify 50". Photos of BuNo 3976 suggest, however, that a smaller roundel was applied since the visible gap from the leading edge wouldn't permit a 50" circle. I opted for a 46" insignia.
–  The 13 red/white rudder stripes (see section 4) conform with standing directive except that at the top they shouldn't extend forward onto the mass balance.

 

... and the underside with annotations -

 

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Section 9 ‒ Trundling towards termination

 

The Wildcat's landing gear is a complex affair on its own, but figuring out how to assemble the SAC parts (no instructions!) and combining them with Aires and Eduard details makes for a good deal of frustration. The soft white metal bent easily and some struts looked clunky so that I replaced them with smaller rods. Don't ask me how many dropped into the open gear bay...

 

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Preparing the rudder hinges is relatively easy as long as you don't lose them to the carpet monster or inside the fuselage. The rod that connects the elevators is a necessary detail as it will be visible within the rudder cut-out.

 

Other finishing touches were less dramatic. Squadron's vacu canopy worked well; a small metal sleeve over the shaft secured the prop before the hub was attached; and the leading edge was furnished with the appropriate arsenal.

 

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The work is done! Presumably my most challenging and laborious build. Commander Thach has now been moved from his 'old' to his 'new' mount - a comparison spanning 45 years.

 

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Not a big difference at first glance, though... What a crazy modelling project!

 

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Many thanks to the moderators and my noble followers. Pictures are posted in the gallery here.

 

Michael

 

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  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ A broken beginning
2 hours ago, Toryu said:

but I've got the feeling that there is still something missing to tool up the Wildcat's busy undercarriage bay...

You could always attempt to modify this set to work ? 
 

https://spruebrothers.com/sac48285-1-48-scale-aircraft-conversions-f4f-wildcat-landing-gear-tam-kit/

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Wow, that Aires set is a beast!!!

 

It seems to nail the gear bay - it took me an age to realize those chains on the firewall were there to drive the gear up and down - the Tamiya kit has them, but the gear legs mount to sockets not in the same place (even odder that the chains are driven by a shaft from a crank in the cockpit)

 

Looking forward to this!

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On 28/06/2022 at 23:00, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

when this is finished it’ll weigh quite a bit more than expected with all the resin and etch

 

Dont't forget the white metal landing gear! My old Wildcat, however, was so light that it was blown away when I opened the showcase. 💨

 

 

23 hours ago, JeroenS said:

What do you still need the kit for?

 

To be admitted to the Revell-Monogram Classic GB! 🤫

 

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  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Radical rearrangement
On 7/8/2022 at 3:42 PM, Toryu said:

I wonder how long the small antenna mast on top of the rudder will survive...

You could just chop it off and replace it when you're ready with a bit of copper wire

 

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I'm looking forward to seeing this one go together.

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  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Furnishing the fuselage
  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Furnishing the fuselage (Part 2)
  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Furnishing the fuselage (Part 3)
  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Furnishing the fuselage (Part 4)
  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Body beautification

Hi Dennis @Corsairfoxfouruncle

 

I use different grades of paper depending on purpose but usually very thin one, e.g. the air mail paper of old (you may remember that). After cutting the panel to shape I apply plastic glue (Revell Contacta liquid) on both sides and let it dry, sometimes two layers. To attach it to the model I apply the same glue again on the wet side, wait a moment until it starts drying at the edges, then put it on the model, superficially first so that I can still move it a bit. Once it's positioned properly I press it with a brush or my finger. If the edges don't stick I apply some CA glue underneath with a scalpel. Once settled I dry(!)-sand it with fine-grade sanding paper, particularly around the edges. I repeat the sanding after the first layer of paint or primer. That's it.

 

Cheers, Michael

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  • Toryu changed the title to Fox One ‒ Body beautification (Part 3)

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