The Wildcatfish (Tamiya 1/48 F4F-4 conversion)
A nice way to turn a $30 kit into a $150 model. Tamiya's excellent F4F-4 with the Cutting Edge conversion set to do the F4F-3S "Wildcatfish." and the Just Plane Stuff F3F-3 wing set. The sets included new non-folding wings (JPS) and the pontoons and pylons (CE), along with a True Details vac canopy. The exact positioning of the struts to the floats is not that apparent in the design of the parts, and then there is the problem of getting the struts to attach to the airplane at the right places so that everything is the same on both sides. This involved a lot of test-fitting, trimming, re-fitting, re-test-fitting, wishing for a “Doc Ock” tentacle set to enable me to hold everything in position while applying cyanoacrylate glue and Zip Kicker. Overall, this is not a conversion for the uninitiated. The whole thing is further complicated by the fact that there are only two sets of drawings - and they are incomplete - that show this sub-type, and there were never that many photos taken of the original, and none close up. I would have to say that what finally resulted is a good approximation of the F4F-3S, that looks good on a shelf behind glass from a distance of a couple of feet or more. Definitely a model that gets a second look from viewers and one of only a handful in existence that I know of. If you're a floatplane fanatic, it's one to get (if you can find it on eBay nowadays and don't have a heart attack looking at the price), though be aware the project is expensive and difficult. I did t his back in 2005, when one only had to pay what CE and JPS were charging while they were still in business and in production. This represents the one-off prototype
Tom, that looks great! I've never seen a model of that... you did a wonderful job. Certainly more than I would want to tackle!
Looks pretty good, a couple minor errors, but you really have to be up on the airplane to know they were there.
I have the KL Productions conversion that uses the Tamiya kit that I'm still trying to work up the courage to tackle.
All in all, Well Done.
Great looking model. Bet the real thing flew like an anvil.
Actually, like the Zero when it became the Rufe, the Wildcatfish maintained the maneuverability of the land-based airplane, but lost speed (was about as fast as the Rufe). The project might have proceeded had not the Seabees demonstrated the ability to create airfields "overnight."
Hey Tom, that's a great conversion. I've always wanted to do one in God's Own Scale (1:72), I'll get there someday. Have you seen this picture before? It's from the Grumman archives on Long Island - man, I wish Lois was still there!
http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee406/wrgilman/F4F%20Wildcat/edo002GrummanF4F-3SonEdofloats.jpg