What are planning? F4F Wildcats.

[Koin-Koin]

With the wildcats officially announced, will you have a squadron of those cute little fatties?
What paint scheme will you aim?

Share your thoughts here.

Personally, this is not my favourite Grumman’s cat but still I’m heading for those.
I’d like to know on which squadron the decals will be so I can try to get historically accurate paint on them.
I’m wondering if a named ace is on his way too.

[Tokhuah]

I am in for at least one squadron, more likely a second over Ace. Paint scheme will be Midway for at least the first squadron.

[Koin-Koin]

Something like that ?

[Tokhuah]

That is the basic idea. What I am thinking of is a bit lighter and with the roundel that first saw action in May 1942:

[Koin-Koin]

I have to admit that it is a bit difficult to find which exact colour is used for this kind of scheme as even pictures of the same plane in a museum can show a lot of variation 😁

I even recently learn that museums recognise that they can make mistakes when repainting military equipment 🤔

Initially I thought of the famous dark blue but if Warlord release the Corsair I will end with a redundant scheme.

[Renko]

I’m waiting til I see how the metal model sits on an Advantage base because I saw the metal ones used at the Hornet Demo and they needed honking big weights to keep them from toppling over

[Koin-Koin]

I just found that an ace will indeed be released with the Wildcats: Joseph J. Foss

[Koin-Koin]

I did a bit of research on vf-121 where Joe Foss was assigned and found this interesting pdf.
http://www.carsonhowe.com/files/History_of_VMF_121.pdf

I still have to buy my Wildcats box so the painting information included are pretty welcome.

[Koin-Koin]

Finally found time to go to a new FLGS this afternoon and get my Wildcats and ace.
I had the good surprise to found one sheet of US decals in each of the box.

Which means that it gives me more than enough stars to put on the seven F4F I now have to paint.

As they are metal models, the same base expansions as the bombers are provided. Without those, the planes won’t stay balanced.

The cast is really nice and there’s little cleaning to perform. There is some very small miscast on some edge, but nothing to worry and it is not a general default. Some unbending can be needed but very easy to perform and no trace left once done.

Now I have to find a way to store them as I can use the method I use for the plastic one (putting them in the ace box with no care).

[Koin-Koin]

I was a bit quick on my decals statement. Unfortunately, with on decals sheet in the squadron box, one in the ace box, one that I bought for the Mustangs and one extra that I bought just in case, I don’t have enough stars to do a full squadron 😒

From what I found so far, the early war’s insignia (the “rounded star”) are 6 on a plane:
– one on each side of the plane
– one on top of each wing
– one below each wing

Only later when the rounded star was replaced by the “winged star” (as for the Mustangs) it was reduced to 4.

[Daryl]

Anyone know if they are swapping all the models over to metal like the F4F?
The detail is amazing.

[Koin-Koin]

From what I understood, the next waves are back to plastic.

[Author]

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