Tamiya, 1:48 scale F4F-4, converted to an FM-1, "Wildcat"
Another of my favorite aircraft to model, Grumman's F4F, "Wildcat" and any of it's variations. I won't go into a long diatribe of how good the Tamiya F4F is, If you've built one you already know that. If you have NOT...please do yourself a favor and pick this kit up and enjoy it. It 's one of my all time favorite models.
To make an FM-1 from the F4F-4, the only modification you will need to make, is the deleation of the outboard wing machine guns. Otherwise, the two types were pretty much identicle in outward apppearence. Fill in a few lines where the gun and ammo bay is, fill in the gun port, and you're done.
I painted my "FM-1" in the Atlantic scheme of dark gray over white. I used True Details for the wheels, wire for brake lines, added paper for the seat harness and stretched sprue for the antenna. Decals are a mix of kit and Aeromaster, (I like the cat flipping off the enemy) . Weathering is thinned oils and pastel chalk.
Again, this Tamiya F4F is a terrific model to build, and I highly recomend it to any and all modelers, especially if you're into the early part of the Pacific war.
Great job, Freddy...attention to detail is superb. Love that Atlantic scheme.
The FM-1 reminds me of that question, "Why don't you ever see baby pidgeons?" Finding photos of FM-1s is tough. I have to wonder if there are a lot of pics out there attributed as a "F4F Wildcat" which are actually FM-1s upon closer inspection.
i have the same problem with Brewster and Goodyear Corsairs.
Thanks for filling in the gap. Your FM-1 is a lot farther along than mine is!
I imagine its just a matter of waiting before somebody posts an article on the FM-2.
-d-
It's really not a hard conversion to pull off because the only real difference between the F4F-4 and the FM-1 was the elimination of the outboard weapons. Well other than the "-4" being built by Grumman and the "FM" built by General Motors.
I also did an F4F-3 conversion, using the Tamiya kit as the base. That required a WHOLE lot more to do, but that'll be a topic for another article...
Great model! Nice to see an FM-1 being posted, even nicer to see it in the Atlantic camouflage scheme.
Nice work!