For what it’s worth, I’d like to share my thoughts on the new F4F-4 kit from Trumpeter.
Overall: Good kit, a net plus to the modeling world.
Pro: Cool detail in engine, strut/wheel well area, and cockpit. Nice to have option of open or closed machine gun bays. All control surfaces work, plus wings can be folded. Well-detailed molding.
Con: Disappointed with some burps in the kit. For example, I had to fill in gaps where the wings and horizontal stabilizers meet the fuselage. To be expected with older kits, but not something that is brand new, nor from a kit that is as pricey as this one was. Would have expected better engineering. Kit provided photo-etched metal for workable control surfaces, but no photo-etched material for seatbelts, which seemed like an odd omission. Lastly, the decal sheet is the absolute minimum–just one generic option–the kit doesn’t even identify the plane’s unit.
–Terry