Introduction

I'm very excited for Eduard's F4F, and one habit I've picked up recently is looking on eBay for any cheap deals. After missing out on a Beaufighter and Mosquito for criminally cheap, I did see this kit for a good price and figured I'd pick it up as a quick build. The Bearcat was an aircraft on the 'I'd like to do but not in the top 10 kits' list, and with the choice being an older Academy/Hobbycraft kit or a Hobbyboss one it was clear to me what I'd chose.

I then put it in the oven to cook for a few hours, whilst we wait for it to bake here is one I prepared earlier:

This older model is from the same boxing, I don't remember much of the build as I was 8~ but I do remember the box art. I'm not even sure how much of the model I did and how much was my Grandad happily building away at the birthday present I received, but I do remember saying the 'silver scheme is cool but I want the cat on it', to which he replied 'it's your model you can have both'.

Regardless, here's a new Bearcat. Looking around online (mostly here) I've been made aware of several issues with the kit. Firstly is the cowl being the wrong shape, I'm hoping to rectify this with some sanding as the resin cowl seems to be a bit of a pain to find and probably will require an import from America which isn't worth it to me. There's also an issue of a pretty sparse cockpit, but it isn't worse than Eduard's Hellcat. Also either the landing gear/wheel bays are wrong on this or the Hobbyboss kit, but I'll cunningly avoid this by going for wheels up.

As for which scheme I'm doing, I am currently undecided. It will be a US Navy sea blue scheme so the painting will be the same regardless. Ideally I want as early of a Bearcat as possible since VF-19 were operational and steaming their way to the Japanese home islands before the war ended but didn't arrive in time, that being said finding reference photographs of early Bearcat from 1945 is a bit rare. I'll keep looking and work out what numbering is needed (if any). If worse comes to worse the kit included 1946 scheme will do fine.

The First Steps

A small aircraft with clean lines, from a 1998 new tool? Yeah, not a complicated build at all. First step was to build up the simple cockpit tub, black and then interior green was applied ready for the brush work. The instrument panel was also painted black again ready for work.

Same story with the fuselage.

The wings were cut from the sprue and the wheel doors were test fitted, by clipping off some flat bit of the sprue (right where the sprue is marked with its corresponding letter) and gluing into the wheel bay I was able to provide a little bit of a seat for the doors to sit on. They actually fit really well and was so far the easiest wheels up modification yet, literally a 0 effort job (although I did cut a bit close on one of the door leaving a gap, my bad).
Overall, not bad for maybe an hour in total work (excluding paint drying), the wing is fully assembled but you'll have to take my word for it until I whip the camera out tomorrow.

3 additional images. Click to enlarge.

Another good entry, my friend @scalerambush! This looks to be a solid kit, your skills promising to produce your usual masterpiece. Loved your pics of your already put together model.

Nice work, Harvey.

Nice, solid progress, my friend @scalerambush!

Moving very quick and very nicely on this kit, Harvey (@scalerambush). When I built mine several years ago I used the "utility" paint scheme in engine gray and yellow wings with red stripes. I set aside the gear doors to add after everything was painted and then promptly lost them somewhere. So, now my model sits in the case without gear doors. Oops. Your plane with its door firmly attached is way ahead of mine. :o)

Maybe it dropped off priority, but what a comeback, my friend @scalerambush!
Your usual superlative paint job!

Thank you! Looks like this is going back on the shelf for a little while though, I think I might go for this Bearcat here

Supposedly from VF-19 aboard USS Ranger in 1945, eitherway fits the scheme well. Issue is I now have to wait for generic lettering decals in the right size. I've seen some models do the lettering in yellow, which I'm not sure if is correct or not, so I'll try and get some research done though I imagine that is going to be hidden away in a book somewhere. It seems like the fuselage lettering is probably yellow (or, not white at least) though but not sure with the wings.

Surely your research will pay off in determining the letters' color, my friend @scalerambush!