Hey guys, thanks for stopping by. this is the 1/72 Hobby Boss F4F-3 early Wildcat. And let me tell you, thats not at ALL what it is. Being somewhat of a Wildcat expert [its my favorite plane. Lets just say I’ve studied it in depth], I was very disappointed with the HB kit. First off, they do NOT give you decals for the white/black bands on the fuselage and wings. I had to mask and airbrish them. Not fun. Second, the kit itself is NOT an early Wildcat, but a standard -4 late 'Cat. So to correct it, I had to fill the panel lines for the wing fold joint. Removed the buldge on the wing for the wing fold mechanism. And fill the outter maching gun opening and ejection chutes, as well as the ammo door lines. [-3’s only had 4 guns]. The decals you do get, are not the best. After applying them and using microsol, they had a wierd finish to them that took two coats of Future to make smooth. The plane is painted in alclad II Polished Aluminum. The Yellow is a home-brew of Tamiya flat yellow mixed with Polly Scale D&RGW Yellow. The green is Tamiya Dark Green mixed with a bit of clear green. The grey is Tamiya Sky Grey. The bottoms of the ailerons were treated to MM magnesium and aluminum. The prop is Floquil Bright Silver[blades], MM magnesium [cuffs], MM Aluminum [hub] and tamiya colors for the bands [yes, they are hand painted]. Overall I am very pleased with the final outcome. And it fills a nice spot in my wildcat collection. I also put in a pic of my 72 'Cats. The F4F-4 is also a HB kit. The FM-2 is from MPM.
Your -3 came out very well…!! See what happens with a lil TLC and a lil elbow grease. It’s funny how a mfg produces a kit yet it’s not true to it’s form?
I think they do this so we have to work a lil extra hard and they call this a hobby Lol… Anyways, you should be proud of her and she looks rather nice in the early war scheme. Ah yes off the Ranger too… Nice!!
Thanks for sharing and giving us a run down to what you did
thanks guys. Butz, having built the HB -4 as well, I can tell you it was pure marketing. they are the same kit. Just a change in decals and paint so they can market the kit twice.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the piece that goes between the gear doors on the fuselage…doesnt exist. I had to scratch build it.
Thanks guys! I have the HB yellow wig in 1/48th as well. Havent started it, but I am hoping its actually a -3 and not a -4 like this one. otherwise I may not build it as a yellow wing.
Rob excellent work. I built the Hasegawa 72nd -3 at the end of last year. It has the exact same issues. In the instructions they tell you how to fill in the appropriate panel lines and fill the outboard gun ports.
Thanks tempest. Your’s looks great. and got me wondering about the grey cowling. A quick [read as extensive] look through the internet and all o my wildcat references…and sure enough. More HB inaccuracies. I have now removed the cowling for repainting. It should be silver, with a white leading edge and a thin black trim line. Also, I found the pitot tube was for the -4. So it was removed, sanded, repainted, and a new straight PT is being added to the leading edge of the wing. I also found out that the -3 gun barrels stuck out from the front of the wing. So I need to add those. So…this goes back to WIP status. I know I dont HAVE to do all that work, but I have a buddy in the local club that is Frm Navy, builds ONLY Navy, and like me, is a huge Grumman Iron works fan. So HE will know it. I will know it. And I wont be happy till its done. lol
OK. so after lot of work, it is now an F4F-3 from the USS Ranger. The pitot tube has ben removed and remlaced with the correct style. The gun tubes now extend from the leading edge of the wing. The cowling flaps were re-worked to the correct style [-3’s had one per side, not 3]. And the entire nose was repainted to the correct markings. So, finally, my $10 HB “easy kit” is done. And it was anything but “easy”.
