Academy 1/48 kit of the Grumman F3F

[RaisingArizona]

I decided for my next build to do the Academy kit of Grumman F3F-2 in 1/48 scale.  AKA, the "Flying Barrel".  Way back as teen I made this kit.  Cannot recall who manufactured it, but it was so far back in time that it would qualify as an antique now.  I believe he Academy kit is similar to the older Accurate Miniatures kit of the same airplane.  This kit I acquired is 2021 kit.  

 

 

 

I decided to do this kit as I really enjoy building biplanes.  They are just so cute.  The Grumman F3F was the last biplane delivered to the US Navy in 1936.  It was retired from service in 1943 and only 147 were produced.   From limited research, it wasn't the best performing fighter the Navy every had, but it was cute and as I understand it very maneuverable.  Its top speed was only shade over 225 mph 

 

There was a civilian version called the Gulfhawk which was pretty much the same airplane.  I have seen a few kits available on eBay and such.  But, going to stay with the US Navy version.  Brings back memories of my childhood.

 

 

Upon opening the kit, I have been pretty impressed with what I am seeing.  The parts have excellent details it looks like bits and pieces will fit together nicely.  Looking forward to the build.  

 

I value any input from others on this build project.  Especially if you may have completed the same kit.

 

Steve

[RJP]

Scalemates does list this as a re-release of the Accurate Miniatures kit so a search of reviews under that name?

[RaisingArizona]

1 hour ago, RJP said:

Scalemates does list this as a re-release of the Accurate Miniatures kit so a search of reviews under that name?

Yep.  Been there.  But the "review" is fairly limited in scope.

[rob Lyttle]

Hi Steve. I'm working on this one right now and enjoying it (mostly....) 

I got the undercarriage assembly wrong 1st time due to vague instructions but resolved the situation. 

I failed with the p.e main rigging, I never done it before, and resorted to my more familiar stretching line. 

It's a great looking little thing and the top wing assembly is really solid and steady. 

I think you'll enjoy this 👍😎

I can put a link to my build which is in the "salty seadog" Group Build section, if you like 

[RaisingArizona]

27 minutes ago, rob Lyttle said:

Hi Steve. I'm working on this one right now and enjoying it (mostly....) 

I got the undercarriage assembly wrong 1st time due to vague instructions but resolved the situation. 

I failed with the p.e main rigging, I never done it before, and resorted to my more familiar stretching line. 

It's a great looking little thing and the top wing assembly is really solid and steady. 

I think you'll enjoy this 👍😎

I can put a link to my build which is in the "salty seadog" Group Build section, if you like 

I just started.  Working on cockpit right now. The instructions are indeed a bit obtuse. 
 

I looked at the rigging and not at all sure if I will use them.  Prolly give it a try but as you stated the stretchy strings works pretty well for doing the rigging.  
 

steve

[tempestfan]

Not sure when you were a teen @RaisingArizona, but Monogram did a 1/32 F3F/Gulfhawk in the early 60s.

[Vesa Jussila]

Gulfhawk looks interesting option. Need to look more about it. I think not too difficult to convert.

[RaisingArizona]

1 hour ago, Vesa Jussila said:

Gulfhawk looks interesting option. Need to look more about it. I think not too difficult to convert.

There are minor differences. The most substantial would be decals.  The Gulfhawk kit is available.  It was made by Accurate Miniatures which is now Academy.  I have seen these 1:48 scale kits at various shopping sites.  
 

steve 

[rob Lyttle]

The Gulfhawk as you can see is in the Smithsonian, and apparently is the only example of one of these Grumman biplanes to survive. It seems that Gulf Oil also took delivery of a 2seater. 

I'm noticing the blisters around the cowling - not featured on this kit. Wonder if Accurate Miniatures /Academy have issued an alternative cowling? 

@RaisingArizona are you doing a Work in Progress thread for the build?? 

[Duncan B]

I managed to find a copy of the origin Accurate Miniatures instructions online. These were really useful as they had notes and tips as well as the normal picture style step by steps. Well worth tracking down as they helped with a couple of tricky steps.

 

Duncan B

[TheKinksFan]

On 29/03/2023 at 04:51, RaisingArizona said:

I just started.  Working on cockpit right now. The instructions are indeed a bit obtuse. 
 

I looked at the rigging and not at all sure if I will use them.  Prolly give it a try but as you stated the stretchy strings works pretty well for doing the rigging.

I built this Academy re-box last year. You can download the original Accurate Miniatures from Scalemates. https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/9/4/3/166943-50-instructions.pdf

Academy has omitted the original written instruction. I didn't use the PE rigging, instead I used Prym knitting-in elastic, it'so much easier to use. The decals are excellent, joy to work with. A couple of things I would do differently, I would fill the holes on the upper wing, where the small PE antenna masts are glued. The rectangular holes are huge. I would fill them before painting, and then later drill small holes and use stretched sprue for the masts. Flat PE doesn't make sense for masts, anyway. I would also fill in those holes where the PE rigging ends are supposed to go, they are visible & ugly, especially if elastic thread is used instead.

I had difficulty with the  landing gear. I have another in the stash, next time I would use this video build as help, he shows that sequence from multiple angles. 

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by TheKinksFan

[RaisingArizona]

4 hours ago, TheKinksFan said:

I built this Academy re-box last year. You can download the original Accurate Miniatures from Scalemates. https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/9/4/3/166943-50-instructions.pdf

Academy has omitted the original written instruction. I didn't use the PE rigging, instead I used Prym knitting-in elastic, it'so much easier to use. The decals are excellent, joy to work with. A couple of things I would do differently, I would fill the holes on the upper wing, where the small PE antenna masts are glued. The rectangular holes are huge. I would fill them before painting, and then later drill small holes and use stretched sprue for the masts. Flat PE doesn't make sense for masts, anyway. I would also fill in those holes where the PE rigging ends are supposed to go, they are visible & ugly, especially if elastic thread is used instead.

I had difficulty with the  landing gear. I have another in the stash, next time I would use this video build as help, he shows that sequence from multiple angles. 

Thanks for the tip to download the original instructions.  I wish I had those when I was assembling the cockpit.  But I did get it looking ok.  I am at the point right now of assembling the tail hook / rear wheel assembly.  I already cemented the cockpit assembly to the left fuselage after test fitting everything.  But this would have been easier if I had the original instructions.  These new instructions are just terrible by comparison.  And that video is very helpful as well ... thanks for the link.

 

The more I examine the PE parts the less I like them. I used the PE seat blelts and was underwhelmed.  I think the ignition wires for the engine looks OK though.   I believe I will go with elastic string/thread for the rigging.  The Prym elastic thread you mentioned ... is that the 0.5mm size?  Or are you able to source something smaller like 0.3mm?  I have used the E-Z Line elastics and they work fine.  But they have a flat cross section instead of round.  But in the smaller size, it is not very noticeable. 

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[TheKinksFan]

10 minutes ago, RaisingArizona said:

new instructions are just terrible by comparison. 

Yes, thumbs down for Academy, they should have provided the original text, or better make new detailed instructions. 

 

12 minutes ago, RaisingArizona said:

I used the PE seat blelts and was underwhelmed. 

I have the Eduard's PE set for the cockpit, but it doesn't include the seat belts, they're sold separately, FE1305. Just the seat belts cost the same as a whole Eduard Zoom fret use to, and they always included seat belts. But the Academy masks at least fit well, and stay in place, although they're strange thin kabuki tape. 

 

17 minutes ago, RaisingArizona said:

The Prym elastic thread you mentioned ... is that the 0.5mm size?  Or are you able to source something smaller like 0.3mm?

Yes, the Prym thread is 0.5mm, at least in theory. When I compare it with EZ line fine, I don't see much difference. The interplane rigging in F3F is really wide and flat, so if anything I think the Prym thread might be under scale for a 1/48 scale model. 

 

Regards 

Simon

[rob Lyttle]

Yeah, we all seem to have a similar experience with this one. 

I had to rebuild the main undercarriage because of lack of data and details which are probably given in the written instructions. I built the wheel hubs onto the suspension wishbones like a car hub, wishbones top and bottom...... WRONG!! 

Bottom attachment is to the top of the hub, and top wishbone is to the leg at the oleo, letting the hub hang down below the assembly 

Leg struts remade from Ali tube and thin styrene sleeve. 

The AM script would have been deleted in the interest of international inclusiveness..... 😮

I've managed with the p.e cabane wires, but ditched the main flying and landing wires in favour of stretching stuff. So if they get a prod they spring back straight instead of buckling. 

Edited March 30, 2023 by rob Lyttle
Correction of AI smartness

[RaisingArizona]

The cockpit assembly and the fuselage halves are together now.  I admit that this has been a bit of PITA.  The kit details are good and the fit and finish are excellent.  But the instructions are really obtuse.  Thanks to TheKinksFan for providing me the link to the Accurate Miniatures instructions which are much more detailed.

 

Ended up having to perform some minor reshaping to the bulkhead behind pilot's seat to provide a bit more clearance to cement the right fuselage half in place.  Otherwise, everything has gone together well.  Some of the parts are extremely small, but they do self align and with a bit of dry fitting and, in some cases, a bit of scraping or sanding, everything fits very well.

 

 

 

I will have to fill in the seam on the fuselage just aft of the cockpit.  Shouldn't be too much bother.  

 

Steve

[RaisingArizona]

Used a bit of CA to fill the seam.  Then after a bit of light sanding, applied a thin line of Mr. Surfacer 1000.  Careful sanding of the surfacer compound should be able to preserve the panel lines.  Hopefully, this will all come out in the end. 

 

 

[billn53]

Just found this thread, looks like a neat project! Mind if I take a seat at the table?

[2996 Victor]

This is absolutely great (I might have to indulge myself in one of these ). The golden wings schemes are stunning, but I have to say I really like the anachronistic look of the wartime Blue Gray/Light Gray scheme as well. Hard to call!

 

The cockpit looks fab and its gone together beautifully, although the undercarriage seems like a bit of a fiddle. Looking forward to your next update.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[TheKinksFan]

53 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said:

This is absolutely great (I might have to indulge myself in one of these )

I suggest you act soon, as these are already becoming hard to find. It seems the number of kits retailers received were not so many, as they sold out pretty fast. I too love the yellow wings era. But it's quite a PITA to paint the yellow wings and mask and paint all the coloured stripes and tails. Especially that area where the horizontal stabilizer connects to the fuselege.

[2996 Victor]

36 minutes ago, TheKinksFan said:

I suggest you act soon, as these are already becoming hard to find. It seems the number of kits retailers received were not so many, as they sold out pretty fast. I too love the yellow wings era. But it's quite a PITA to paint the yellow wings and mask and paint all the coloured stripes and tails. Especially that area where the horizontal stabilizer connects to the fuselege.

Thanks - that's sound advice - I've been having a look in the "usual places" and most of those available do seem quite expensive (I've just off-loaded my entire stash to a company that deals in new and second-hand kits for a decent store credit, so I really want to be using that instead of spending more cash. But they haven't got one of these, so I guess that's justification enough ). Thanks for the heads-up on the awkward bits for painting - that's great info. The Accurate Miniatures instructions show the upper wing fitted first, the lower wings later. Is there any scope for doing it the other way around so that the upper wing could be painted separately?

 

Cheers,

Mark

[TheKinksFan]

1 hour ago, 2996 Victor said:

Thanks for the heads-up on the awkward bits for painting - that's great info. The Accurate Miniatures instructions show the upper wing fitted first, the lower wings later. Is there any scope for doing it the other way around so that the upper wing could be painted separately?

I know that some have painted the horizontal stabilizers separately, and glued them once the fuselage is painted. But if the fit is not good that will potentially leave a gap. I don't remember whether the fit is tight or loose, it's best you test it. 

Interesting that Academy have reversed the order of the wing attachment, the original instructions, like you say tell to glue the upper wing first. I glued the lower wings first, and there's no problem attaching the upper wing & struts after that. 

I hope you find the kit for a reasonable price from somewhere. 

Have you got Eduard's new F4F-3? There's a nice scheme with willow green tail and white cowling in the Profipack. I prefer 1/72, Arma Hobby have announced a 1/72 F4F-3, I'm waiting for that. 

 

Regards 

Simon

[rob Lyttle]

The 4 big cabane struts are strong and stable, I can see that you could build it top first and add the lower wings and outside struts later.

I went the "normal"way and it works fine. Pretty bombproof either way, unlike a lot of biplanes.

Tailplanes are an excellent fit,paint separately by all means.

I guess you guys are talking about the faff of masking for airbrush painting ...? Put it away and get a brush 🤭😂 Absolute doddle with a brush 

[dnl42]

Nice! 

 

I believe Gulfhawk II had an F2F wingset as well as fuel and/or oil tank changes for prolonged inverted flight. My AM Gulfhawk boxing is on the Shelf o'Shame becuase the resin replacement lower wings are poorly moulded. It looks like the mold wasn't properly supported during curing as they are much thicker at the tips than the root. I tried making replacement wings ala Woodman, but wasn't happy with my efforts to follow his excellent method.

[RaisingArizona]

4 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Thanks - that's sound advice - I've been having a look in the "usual places" and most of those available do seem quite expensive (I've just off-loaded my entire stash to a company that deals in new and second-hand kits for a decent store credit, so I really want to be using that instead of spending more cash. But they haven't got one of these, so I guess that's justification enough ). Thanks for the heads-up on the awkward bits for painting - that's great info. The Accurate Miniatures instructions show the upper wing fitted first, the lower wings later. Is there any scope for doing it the other way around so that the upper wing could be painted separately?

 

Cheers,

Mark

I am planning on painting the top side of the upper wing before assembly.  I will then mask off the entire upper side.  The yellow will wrap around the leading edge extending a bit on the underside of the upper wing ... like this ... 

 

 

I also plan on painting the vertical stripe and border on the fuselage and masking those off too.  I have not had good results trying to apply the decal striping, so plan on using 1mm Tamiya masking tape to make the narrow border for the upper wing red chevron and matching border on the fuselage red stripe.   

 

Once that is painted and masked off, then assemble the wings and what not.  I believe by cementing both the upper and lower wings at the same time, I can make adjustments before the cement sets.  The upper wing should be very stable and relatively easy to position.  Once inverted, the outer struts and lower wings can be mounted and aligned with the fuselage and upper wing.  I think this will work fairly well.  Once everything is fully set, then perform any necessary filling, sanding, etc and then paint the entire model using Vallejo aluminum.  Once that is done and dry, plan on masking the aluminum fuselage to paint the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.  I think this sequence seems like a plan for me, but am interested in hearing any comments from you all.

 

Steve

Edited March 31, 2023 by RaisingArizona
typo in original post

[2996 Victor]

2 hours ago, TheKinksFan said:

I know that some have painted the horizontal stabilizers separately, and glued them once the fuselage is painted. But if the fit is not good that will potentially leave a gap. I don't remember whether the fit is tight or loose, it's best you test it. 

Interesting that Academy have reversed the order of the wing attachment, the original instructions, like you say tell to glue the upper wing first. I glued the lower wings first, and there's no problem attaching the upper wing & struts after that. 

I hope you find the kit for a reasonable price from somewhere. 

Have you got Eduard's new F4F-3? There's a nice scheme with willow green tail and white cowling in the Profipack. I prefer 1/72, Arma Hobby have announced a 1/72 F4F-3, I'm waiting for that. 

 

Regards 

Simon

Thanks, Simon, more useful pointers there and it sounds good that the lower wings can be fitted first. I'd be tempted to build and paint it as a low-wing monoplane and complete and fit the upper wing and outer struts separately.

I've seen Eduard's F4F-3, I'll definitely be getting one. I was interested in Arma's 1/72 version, but a recent epiphany has let to me deciding on 1/48 going forward and shifting all my 1/72 stuff!

 

1 hour ago, rob Lyttle said:

The 4 big cabane struts are strong and stable, I can see that you could build it top first and add the lower wings and outside struts later.

I went the "normal"way and it works fine. Pretty bombproof either way, unlike a lot of biplanes.

Tailplanes are an excellent fit,paint separately by all means.

I guess you guys are talking about the faff of masking for airbrush painting ...? Put it away and get a brush 🤭😂 Absolute doddle with a brush 

Excellent, Rob! I'd definitely be airbrushing - the thought of brushing all that alu' lacquer gives me the heebie-jeebies  

 

53 minutes ago, RaisingArizona said:

I am planning on painting the top side of the upper wing before assembly.  I will then mask off the entire upper side.  The yellow will wrap around the leading edge extending a bit on the underside of the upper wing ... like this ... 

 

 

I also plan on painting the vertical stripe and border on the fuselage and masking those off too.  I have not had good results trying to apply the decal striping, so plan on using 1mm Tamiya masking tape to make the narrow border for the upper wing red chevron and matching border on the fuselage red stripe.   

 

Once that is painted and masked off, then assemble the wings and what not.  I believe by cementing both the upper and lower wings at the same time, I can make adjustments before the cement sets.  The upper wing should be very stable and relatively easy to position.  Once inverted, the outer struts and lower wings can be mounted and aligned with the fuselage and upper wing.  I think this will work fairly well.  Once everything is fully set, then perform any necessary filling, sanding, etc and then paint the entire model using Vallejo aluminum.  Once that is done and dry, plan on masking the aluminum fuselage to paint the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.  I think this sequence seems like a plan for me, but am interested in hearing any comments from you all.

Beautiful photo, Steve! Your proposed "plan-of-attack" sounds good, although if it were me I'd be concerned about being able to paint the top of the cowling under the upper wing, and also the corresponding section of the underside of the upper wing? If it were me, I'd complete the wing and outer struts separately and add them almost at the end. Just my two penn'orth, of course  I like the idea of painting the upper wing chevron/cowl/fuselage band - I'd be worried about getting the borders straight and a constant width.

 

Also, is there any way to add the undercarriage oleos after painting the fuselage/wheel wells? Asking for a friend  

 

Anyway, thread hijack over!!!

 

Cheers,

Mark