Here is what happened today.
It all started with doing some research on the under wing rockets.
This is a screen shot of the various bureau numbers for the FM-2 Wildcats. The reason why I did this is because the rockets were a factory installed item on the last 1,400 FM-2's that were built.
I started thinking about this and wondering if the plane I chose to build had these rockets or not...and I wanted to use the rockets included with the kit. None of my other Wildcat models have them.
So I took these Bureau Numbers and did some basic math. On Joel Baugher's website, the construction numbers are also included. This is what is really needed, because construction numbers were different from Bureau Numbers, and they didn't always fall in line. A prime example of this is how the early "Birdcage" Corsairs were assigned "JT ### " serial numbers out of sequence when they were assigned to the British FAA. Confusing... yep, I know.
What I came up with was this: FM-2 Wildcats from approximately Bureau Number 73995 would have had rocket launching stubs mounted below the wings. Anything earlier than this would likely not have rockets, unless they were installed as a field modification.
The Wildcat I wanted to build was Bureau Number 74626, and it was in the second to last production block. This included planes from the 73499 to 75158 range. It turns out this plane would have been approximately the 619th FM-2 built with rockets, give or take a few... but still in the safe range.
I was a happy man. But, I wanted to see if I could find any pictures of the real plane. As luck would have it, I did.
These are a series of photos from a movie clip that shows a bad day on the deck of the USS Nehenta Bay. This happened on August 5th, 1945. The pilot was LT JG Harry N. O'Connor. The very next day the Enola Gay would be flying over Hiroshima and dropped Little Boy, changing the world forever.
I zoomed in here, and you can see there are indeed rockets mounted under the wings.
So by hand, I drilled out the holes inside the wings using a #68 drill bit. The wings were then glued together. The ailerons are separate, and look like they could be posed off set. However, I chose to keep mine centered / neutral.
I filled in the areas indicated on the fuselage sides using some Tamiya Fine White putty. This will get sanded down tomorrow after it dries overnight. The small scoop on the side of the fuselage was cut off as well.
I also installed the IP coaming. It is a separate part. Now the cockpit openings between the Eduard kit and the Hobby Boss kit look to be much similar in size / position with each other. Before this part was glued in position, I had thought otherwise.
The tail feathers were assembled next. Here is where I found out something else that you should watch out for.
There is an insert that is slid into the front center of the rudder. Care must be taken to get it positioned exactly where it needs to go. Otherwise, the rudder will not fit in position properly.
Luckily I test fit the rudder while the glue was still wet. It allowed me to shift the insert a little as needed. There is a small square hole here molded into the back of the fin on the fuselage.
The tail wheel strut was assembled and glued in place. It looks very fragile. I hope it is not.
The rudder insert has a matching square peg on it.
You should slide the insert to where it needs to be, in order to get the rudder to fit properly on the fin.
If you do not do this, you will be modifying the parts somehow to get things to fit.
At the end of the day, this is what the Wildcat looks like. So far there has not been a need to fill in any seams. The fit has been excellent everywhere.
I'm calling it a night.
As always, comments are encouraged. Thanks for stopping by.
