Sorry for being late to the party, that group build somehow escaped my attention.

I started my own anniversary build project a couple of months ago, finishing AM's SB2U-3 Vindicator some time in February. After that, life got in the way and now it's only four weeks until deadline.Challenge accepted.

So I started Hobby Boss' F4F-4 Wildcat the other night, Sure it's not a Tamiya kit, but I have to say I quite like it. It is a bit rough around the edges, flashy even, and the cockpit can use some TLC. Anyway, I bought the kit second hand, it was dirt cheap and even included some Vector resin control surfaces to replace the kit's overstated surface detail. I will throw in an Ultracast seat, and scratch build some of the cockpit detail.

Building the wheel bay forces you to assemble the rear bay bulkhead and attaching it to the lower fuselage insert before painting it. There is an ugly seam that needs to be fixed, so painting this subassembly before sticking it into the fuselage would be pointless. Looing forward to some acrobatic brush-juggling around all these support struts...

The kit supplied wheels show a diamond thread pattern, something that was not commonly used in carrier operations. Easiest fix is to glue them together and remove the profile with steel wool.

Nonetheless, having this kit finished by 4th of June should not be a problem. Heck, I am even contemplating starting on the GWH Devastator as well, just to see what can be achieved in a couple of weeks. What says the jury?

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Never have heard the pseudonym "wind indicator" for the Vindicator...good one. I've heard of the Vultee "Vibrator" before, though - 🙂 - (beautiful build, by the way).

Thanks for the encouragement, guys! Stil not sure, though, if I will start the Devastator.

However, got the Wildcat's cockpit finished, fuselage halves are setting right now. As mentioned, I used an Ultracast seat, additionally some switch boxes were added to the side walls (not that they will ever be seen...), the IP received some bezels from Airscale. Painted with Gunze, weathered with Ammo Panel Line Washes, Pigments, and various pencils.

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The pilot's office really looks great. The seat belts and instruments really make a huge difference ! Fantastic work. Thanks for sharing this with us.

If you don't get to building your TBD, I totally understand. However if you think there's time, that would be cool too.

Thanks again.

Looking good Boris,

Some progress here - building is done, the only issue I found was the fit between the cockpit rear bulkhead and the hull halves. In order to fill and sand the seam properly, I had to remove the headrest and some other details, which will be rebuilt after painting.

I basecoated the whole thing with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, after that the camouflage was applied with Gunze Light Gull Grey and MRP Blue Grey. I stopped preshading panel lines quite a while ago, as I do not like the checkerboard look this technique so often produces. Instead, both colors were airbrushed in a rather random and patchy fashion, followed by diluted coats of the same colors to blend it all together. This techniqe has had received more and more attention over the past years - deservedly so I would say, as it gives a pretty realistic result even before the weathering process starts.

Next up will be a coat of clear gloss, followed by the decals. And yeah, I should paint the canopy, something I totally forgot. Duh.

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Thanks Louis! Another bonus of that technique is that it helps you getting to know your airbrush - after painting tiny spots and squiggles on a couple of airframes one really gets used to controlling paint flow and air pressure:-)

So, I guess that build is finished! I used a mix of kit decals and markings from the spares box to create a rather generic Wildcat from Hornet's VF-8. After these were sealed, I started weathering with Ammo panel line washes (mostly medium grey with some dark brown and black).

Of course it was only after that I noticed I had forgot to paint the walkways, so I had to be careful with masking as to not destroy any decals. The walkways themselves were sprayed with a very dark grey, weathered with dust pigments.

In some reference book I had found quite an interesting picture of a Wildcat's propeller. The prop blades looked rather clean and new, the cuffs, however, were heavily chipped. So I decided to go with that for a change.

Finally, the aerials are UvdR rigging material. This stuff is incredibly easy to use, the only thing you need is a pair of good tweezers. And sharp eyesight...

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Sharp-looking Wildcat. Love the devastator also!