Hobby Boss, Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat in 1/48
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Hello friends, today I have another US NAVY aircraft for you. It's the Hobby-Boss 1/48 scale kit that I started about 2 years ago.
The construction is relatively easy, since the components fit together very well. The only challenge was to properly align the relatively filigree undercarriage with its many struts in the fuselage. Since I wanted to display the canopy in the open position again (like I usually do) I had to make a new one as the one from the kit is too thick.
The aircraft shown is based on the kit color profile: F4F-4 VMF-233 Guadalcanal, 1942 Captain Marian E. Carl. The colors are from AK and are from the "real colors" series, top blue gray, underside light gull.
A little hint: If you look closely, you can see my next project on one of the photos 😉
Hope you like the photos and thanks for your interest!
Here you can find an animated version of the spinning prop (just an animated gif):
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMmeKAH4ly1bZfVr-VZTMEDbVSrdbLlbXmXTW8-
Very nice
Thank you!
Ah yes, "Marion Carl's Wildcat." Because all pilots always had their own airplanes.
Allow me to tell the real story of this airplane, as told to me 30 years ago by General Carl: When VMF-121 got back to Espiritu Santo from their tour on Guadalcanal, he was told he was scheduled for a press conference so the correspondents could interview the "leading ace" at Guadalcanal. "I went out to the airport, and a gunnery sergeant and I found this hangar queen that was being cannibalized for parts. We closed it up and pushed it out of the hangar, and took some of the Japanese flag stickers and put them on it. Then I sat on the wing and got interviewed and they took a lot of photos, and that's how that became 'my' airplane."
As far as "my own airplane" went at Guadalcanal: "You jumped in the first one that worked, and flew that." or as Joe Foss once said, "Which one of the 32 Wildcats in my logbook that I flew at Guadalcanal do they want to choose as 'mine'?"
And of course, very nice work as usual Andreas.
I salute your know-how about this historical background information Tom.
And of course that you interviewed Gen. Carl, amazing! Now I can imagine how it went with the available aircraft. Thank you!
That's such a great looking Wildcat Andreas. Thank you for sharing. Nice job on that canopy it really looks great.
Tom, I love these type of inside stories that are somehow left out of the history books. I think that this was the same situation with Boyington's Corsair and Liska/ Lippla's Dauntless and countless others. I still have my Monogram Dauntless in those markings. Even if it is totally wrong, it is nice to have a specific aircraft that we can associate with our heroes.
I may be wrong but I read that even in the modern Navy a pilot's name is added to the canopy rails based on seniority. But that does not make it "their plane," they still fly what is available.
Your use of the blister pack to make the custom canopy was brilliant. Excellent job as always!
Thank you Keith, use the kits canopy as template and practice with old canopys
More excellent work, Andreas!
Thank you John!
A great build indeed! Looking forward to that next build.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Yes Robert, this is my next project. I will refurbish this kit and paint it in gray blue over light gull gray
Nice job, Andreas. Your paint and weathering look great.
thank you Gary, I've been practicing for quite a while
Outstanding, Andreas. The model and the setting are super-realistic. All good.
Thank you Bob, happy that you like it.
Fantastic job, as usual, Andreas!
Thanks again Spiros!
Superb build, Andreas @fletcher
As usual your painting and weathering is amazing.
Great job on that canopy as well.
Love to see your next project.
Lovely presentation! I really like the model, the setting and the photography. Well done sir.
Keith made a good point on the canopy. With out the blister pack the kit canopy would have been a "Buzz Kill" when photographing a close up. Canopies are the eyes of the a/c and a scale clear canopy is one of the focuses in good modeling along with detailed wheels and landing gear or the "Legs" to hold the weight of a a/c.
Excellent photography, lighting and composition, modeling and Imagineering Andreas.
Two thumbs up.
Forced to smash the like button. No choice but, too
wow, top notch work in all respects! The pictures are fantastic also very professionally done! Would like to know how you constructed the new canopy?
Great build of your Wildcat! The finish is exceptional!
Thank you very much Gentlemen. Here you can find a smal tutorial about the canopy on my website:
http://flugzeugwerk.de/make-your-own-canopy
Excellent Wildcat Andreas! ? Man, you build some outstanding models sir! ?
Andreas, this is a real beauty. Very nice paint work.
Thank you very much Gentlemen, next one is ahead...
Well done Andreas - outstanding paint job especially - and great photography too!
Your builds are always top-notch and this is no exception. Beautiful paint work.
Thank you very much Gentlemen!