25C~O

IILDCAT

WIL CAT

in detail & scale

Bert Kinzey

Airlife Publishing Ltd.England

COPYRIGHT © 1988 BY DETAIL & SCALE, INC.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise,except in a review, without the written consent of Detail & Scale, Inc.

This book is a product of Detail &Scale, Inc., which has sole responsibility for its contentand layout, except that all contributors are responsible for the security clearance andcopyright release of all materials submitted. Published and distributed in the UnitedStates by TAB BOOKS Inc., and in Great Britain and Europe by Airlife Publishing, LTD.

CONTRIBUTORS AND SOURCES:

Grumman Aerospace Corporation

Naval Aviation Museum,

NAS Pensacola, Florida

National Air and Space Museum

National Archives

Stan Piet

Dana Bell

Russell Lee

Warren Munkasy

Flightleader

Cam Martin

Jim Galloway

Ron Hillbury

Burl Burlingame

Lloyd S. Jones

Minicraft

Most photographs in this book are credited to their contributor. Photographs with nocredit indicated were taken by the author.

SPECIAL THANKSA special thanks is due to Lois Lovisolo of the Grumman History Center. Her assistance,generosity, and interest in this publication were instrumental during its research andpreparation. It was th rough her efforts that most of the rare photographs of Wi Idcat detailswere obtained. Detail & Scale is indebted to Lois for her assistance, and extends to her avery special word of thanks.

FIRST EDITIONFIRST PRINTING

Published in United States by

TAB BOOKS Inc.Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0214

Library of Congress Catatogingin Publication Data

Kinzey, Bert.F4F wildcat I by Bert Kinzey.p. em. - (Detail & scale ; vol. 30)

ISBN 0-8306-8040-3 (pbk.)1. Wildcat (Fighter plane) I. Title. II. Series:D & S ; vol. 30.UG 1242.F5K5264 1988 88--12188623.74'64-dc19 CIP

First published in Great Britain in 1988by Airlife Publishing Ltd.7 SI. John's Hill, Shrewsbury. SY1 1JE

British Library Cataloging InPublication Data

Kinzey, BertF4F Wildcat. inciuding British Martlels-- (Detail and scale series; v.30).1. Wildcat (Fighter plane) -- HistoryI. Title II. Series623.74'64 UG1242.F5ISBN 1-85310·607·0

Questions regarding the content of this bookshould be addressed to:

Reader Inquiry BranchTAB BOOKS Inc.Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0214

Front cover: This beautiful painting by aviation artist, Jay Ashurst, depicts Marion Carl's Wildcat over Midway Island.Carl scored 18112 victories, of which 16112 were in the Wildcaf.

Rear cover: A pilot from VMF-111 is about to climb into the cockpit of his Wildcat during the 1941 Army war games.(GroenhofflNASA via Piety

INTRODUCTION

This head-on view of the first F4F-4 shows the Wildcat's stance on its narrow landing gear. The guns have been deletedfrom the photograph by a censor's airbrush, but other details are visible. Note the oil cooler scoops under the wings andthe scoop for combustion air on top of the cowling. Engine and propeller details are also visible, as are details of thelanding gear. . (Grumman)

There are quite a few reference sources available onGrumman's Wildcat series of fighters. While only a fewbooks have been dedicated entirely to the Wildcat, aconsiderably greater number have included it in theircoverage of a number of related aircraft. Additionally, theWildcat has been the subject of scores of articles thathave been published in dozens of magazines. The onething that almost all of these references have in commonis that they will poi nt out the shortcomings of the aircraft.Probably no other aircraft except the F-111 has been sosuccessful yet so much criticized in all of the informationthat has been written about it.

There can be no doubt that the Wildcat was inferior incertain respects when compared to the Japanese fightersthat were its primary opponents. Most notably, it was notas maneuverable, and its rate of climb was considerablyless than the Zero and other Japanese fighters. It alsolacked the range required for the carrier war in thePacific. The change to the Wright R,-1820-56W engine inthe FM-2 provided more power and made the Wildcat abetter performer. But it was the F6F Hellcat that gave theNavy the necessary range it needed in a fighter.

But almost every fighter is in some way inferior to anyother fighter. Over the years, this writer has had theopportunity to talk with at least a dozen former Wildcatpilots to include the highest scoring aces. Not one ofthem has ever wanted to trade cockpits with a Japanesepilot. Given the choice of the Wildcat or any Japanesefighter he fought, each pilot chose the Wildcat. This cer­tainly says something about the advantages of the air­craft, and it counters the impression of almost completeinferiority that many writers seem to express. Many pilotsdid express a desi re to fly the Japanese ai rcraft just forthe experience, but when it came to the shooting part, allwould take the Wildcat. The reasons most often cited forthis unanimous choice was the ruggedness of the Wildcatthat allowed it to absorb a great deal of punishment, andthe fact that it seldom caught fire when hit. In his book,

Joe Foss Flying Marine, the USMC's leading ace (andleading Wildcat ace with twenty-six confirmed victories)states that he only once saw a Wildcat catch fire afterbeing hit. On the other hand, catching fire was the rule forthe Japanese fighters when they were hit. They also pro­vided less protection forthe pilot, and their armament mixof cannon and machine guns was not as effective as thatin the Wildcat. As Scott McCuskey (who scored 6 1/3victories in F4Fs plus seven in the Hellcat) explained,"... it was simply a question of flying your aircraft tomaximize its advantages and minimize its weaknesses."Another pilot said, "Unless you tried to fight a Japanesefighter on his own terms or did something stupid, youwere not at a real disadvantage in the Wildcat. He couldclimb away from you, but you could dive away from him.In the F4F, we were not going to score a kill in every fight,but we never felt that we were at a disadvantage where wewere going to lose."

The Wildcat was the only Navy fighter to servethroughout the entire war from the attack on Pearl Harboruntil VJ Day. It was also the only Navy fighter in produc­tion throughout the entire war. A total of 7898 of allversions were built.

In this publication, Detail & Scale presents a close upand detailed look at all versions of the Wildcat. We havebeen fortunate to obtain many detailed photographs anddrawings from Grumman's files that show cockpits, land­ing gear, engine installations, armament, and otherdetails of this, the first in the line of Grumman's fightingcats. While a number of photographs have been pub­lished before, many are being released for the first time.The five-view drawings of the F4F-4 were drawn by DanaBell and Russell Lee specifically for this publication. Sup­plemental views are included for the F4F-3 and FM-2. Inour Modelers Section we take a look at all of the kits of theWildcat from 1/144th to 1/32nd scale, and review thedecal sheets available for them.

3

DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY

Details of the XF4F-2 in its original configuration can be seen in this photograph. Particularly note the cowl guns thatare mounted well forward, the antenna mast, the scoop on top of the nose just behind the cowling, the rounded wingtips, and the two windows below the wing. A large mass balance is mounted on each elevator. (Grumman)

A period of transition

Most aviation historians would agree that the tenyears just after World War II were filled with the mostdramatic changes in aviation history. It was in that timeframe that the transition was made from pistons andpropellers to jet engines as the means of propulsion formany types of aircraft. Nowhere was this change moreevident than it was for military aircraft. The jet enginesoon moved the speeds past the sound barrier, then 1000miles per hour, and then mach 2 and beyond. Thechanges in aviation brought about by the jet engine, andthe resulting airframe designs into which these engineswere placed, often overshadow the equally importantchanges made in the ten years just prior to World War II.

The 1930s were not as dramatic as the postwar periodwhen it comes to the increased performance afforded byjets, nor were they as well documented, but, had thesechanges not taken place, no jet would have ever lifted offthe ground. One of these important changes was thereplacement of fabric with metal as the skins on theaircraft. Most World War II aircraft had fabric only on thecontrol surfaces, while metal was used on the rest of theairframe. New construction methods and the use of lightmetals changed the aircraft designs from struts, fabric,and wire to sleek designs that increased performanceover older designs almost as dramatically as jets wouldoutpace these designs at war's end.

But the most important transition of the thirties wasthe change from biplanes to monoplanes. Although mon­oplanes had made an appearance as far back as the

4

World War I time frame, the biplane had remained theprimary design used until the thirties. But as the decadeof the thirties progressed, fewer and fewer biplanesremained, and more and more monoplanes appeared. Bythe time the forties began, the biplane had all but disap­peared, and no biplane fighters were left in front lineservice in any of the major air forces of the world.

A transitional design

As the monoplane replaced the biplane, there weremany transitional designs, most of which were surpris­ingly successful. Grumman's Wildcat was one of thesetransitional designs, and actually began life on the draw­ing boards as a biplane which was designated the XF4F­1.lt had the Grumman design numberG-16.ltwasdrawnup in the 1935-36 time frame in response to a November1935 request from the Bureau of Aeronautics for a newcarrier fighter. The Navy realized that biplanes werequickly becoming a thing of the past, and was reallylooking for its first monoplane fighter. Brewster wasworking on this design in the form of the F2A Buffalo, but,with the uncertainties involved with mating monoplanesand carriers, the Navy wanted a hedge, and had Grum­man work on the biplane design.

The chief designer for the XF4F-1 was William T.Schwendler, who came up with an aircraft that had con­siderable similarities to Grumman's F3F. It was a biplanewith staggered wings of an equal span of twenty-sevenfeet. It was twenty-three feet, three inches in length, andwas to have a gross weight of 4500 pounds. It was to be

Grumman XF4F-1/

The design of the XF4F-1 is shown in this three-viewdrawing. The drawing is in 1/72nd scale. (Jones)

powered by either a Wright XR-1670-02 engine that coulddeliver 800 horsepower at 10,000 feet, or a Pratt & Whit­ney XR-1535-92 that was capable of 800 horsepower at8,000 feet. Both engines were twin-row radials that wereto drive a variable pitch, two-blade propeller. The maxi­mum speed was estimated at 264 miles per hour, but thiswas only about ten miles per hour faster than the F3F.Planned armament called for two .30 caliber machineguns in the cowling, or one .30 and one .50 caliber gun.

A feature of the XF4F-1's design was one that hadalmost become a Grumman trademark, and it had beenused on the earlier Grumman biplane fighters. This fea­ture was the fuselage-mounted landing gear that washoused in an enlarged lower section of the forward fuse­lage. Leroy Grumman had produced similar landing gearfor Loening's amphibians, then increased the length ofthe struts in order to incorporate this simple and sturdydesign into Grumman's first aircraft. Although this manu­ally-operated gear would be used on all variants of theWildcat, it would be the last Grumman fighterto have thistype of landing gear.

The contract for the XF4F-1 was awarded on March 2,1936, and Brewster was awarded a contract forthe XF2A­1 in June of that year. The superiority of the monoplanedesign over the biplane became so evident that the Navythen cancelled the XF4F-1 contract only four months

after it was issued. As a result, no XF4F-1 was ever built. Anew contract for the XF4F-2 monoplane was issued, andGrumman began to work feverishly to catch up withBrewster who now had a good head start on their mono­plane design. At Grumman, the XF4F-2 was given designnumber G-18, and it was their first monoplane fighterdesign. It was in all respects a transitional fighter design.It was also to become the first in Grumman's famous lineof fighters to bear the name of various members of the catfamily. Except for the XF5F Skyrocket, a design that wasnever put into production, all subsequent Grumman­produced fighters for the Navy have been named for cats,and they are probably the most successful of any line offighters ever produced.

The prototype

Although Grumman got started later than Brewster,the XF4F-2 first flew on September 2,1937, with Robert L.Hall at the controls. This was over th ree months ahead ofthe XF2A, which did not fly until December. The aircrafthad the number 0383 on the tail, and this number was toremain on the aircraft even after its change to the XF4F-3the following year. Design G-18 was an all metal mono­plane with a span of 34 feet. All flying surfaces hadrounded tips, and it was powered by a Pratt & Whitney

5

=","\';.'"h; \ '\

:II: "",,< ~., ..,$ 4."~- ~~

The XF4F-2 takes off on its first flight. The fuselage­mounted landing gear was a carry-over from earlier bi­wing fighters, and would remain unchanged throughoutthe Wildcat series. (Grumman)

R-1830-66 fourteen-cylinder, two-row engine that had asingle-speed supercharger. It was rated at 1050 horse­power for takeoff and 900 horsepower at 12,000 feet. Itwas delivered to the Navy on December 23,1937, where itwas tested against the XF2A and Seversky's XNF-1.Although the XF4F-2 proved to be the fastest of the th ree,achieving 290 mph at 10,000 feet, bearing failures in theengine and other lesser problems with the designresulted in the XF2A being selected as the winner of thecompetition, thus becoming the Navy's first monoplanefighter. More detailed information on the XF4F-2 can befound beginning on page 16.

But Grumman's defeat was relatively short lived, andwork continued to improve the design and correct thefaults. Stability and control problems were corrected byincreasing the span to 38 feet and changing the tips on allsu riaces to a squared-off desig n. The tai I was completelyredesigned. As such, 0383 became the XF4F-3, makingits first flight in this new configuration on February 12,1939. The engine had been changed to the Pratt & Whit­ney XR-1830-76, which had a two-stage, two-speedsupercharger. This was something new in aviation pow­erplants for that time, and Grumman's gamble on using itin the XF4F-3 was to payoff.

Continued testing resulted in a further redesign of the

"'U:' ,t''*"~

XF4F-2, 0383, became XF4F-3, 0383. The scoop behindthe cowl has been removed, the cowl guns have beenreloca·ted behind the larger cowling, the wing tips havebeen squared off, and the vertical tail has been rede­

signed. The tall antenna mast ahead of the cockpit stillremains. (Grumman)

6

Left side details of XF4F-2, 0383, are shown here. Note thespinner that has been added to the propeller. It was one ofseveral tried in an attempt to solve problems with theengine overheating. A bomb is attached under the leftwing, and a long pitot tube is mounted on the leadingedge. (Grumman)

tai I that included moving the horizontal stabil izers andelevators from the fuselage up to the vertical tail, and achanged vertical tail that was faired into the spine of thefuselage. With these changes made, the final appearanceof the Wildcat was set, and it varied little through theproduction versions. Only the FM-2, with its taller tail anddifferent engine and exhaust arrangement, differed fromthe XF4F-3's final design to any noticeable extent. Acloser look at the details of the XF4F-3 can be foundbeginning on page 21.

Wildcat production

With the design finalized with the XF4F-3, the F4F-3was ordered into production. Following the first twoexamples, the cowl guns were deleted in favor of four .50caliber weapons in the wings. The F4F-3 was followed bythe F4F-4 which was the first Wildcat to feature foldingwings so that more could be fitted into the crampedspaces aboard carriers. The -4 also had six guns insteadof four, but this increased firepower was met with dis­pleasure by most pilots, since it also meant less ammuni­tion per gun and therefore less firing time. The-4 was thelast Wildcat to be built by Grumman, with all subsequentWildcats being built by General Motors' Eastern Aircraft

F4F-3, 1844, shows the basic lines that were used in theWildcat series. The antenna mast is now located behindthe cockpit, and further changes have been made to thevertical tail. The cowl guns still remain, but would beremoved on all but the first two production F4F-3s.

(Grumman)

GRUMMAN WILDCAT BUREAU NUMBERS

* Some FM-1s were renumbered as Martlet Vs.** Some FM-2s were renumbered as Wildcat Vis.

The production F4F-3 is represented here by 1848, whichis painted in the colorful pre-war paint scheme. The cowlguns have been deleted, and four .50 caliber machineguns in the wings now comprise the armament. The pho­tograph is dated December 12, 1940. This Wildcat wasdelivered to the VF-4, the first squadron to receive theF4F, and is painted in their colors. (Grumman)

Division as FM-1s and FM-2s. The FM-2 was still in pro­duction unti I the end of the war, and, in fact, Eastern builtfar more Wi Idcats than Grumman. Excluding prototypes,7898 Wildcats were built, and 5927 of these were built byEastern.

Rather than go into details about the production ver­sions of the Wildcat here, each is treated separately onthe following pages. This includes sections on the FM-1and FM-2, and the British Martlets. All major prototypesare included as well. Each section on the major versionscontains a data table and other important information.Sub-variants, like the F4F-3A and F4F-3S, are includedwith the section on the primary variant from which theywere derived. General details that are common to all ormost versions are covered beginning on page 10.

XF4F-2XF4F-3F4F-3

F4F-3AXF4F-4F4F-4

XF4F-5XF4F-6F4F-7XF4F-8

FM-1*

FM-2**

03830383

1844-18451848-18962512-25383856-38743970-4057

12230-123293905-3969

18974058-40985030-5262

01991-0215203385-0354411655-12227

1846-18477031

5263-528312228-12229

FM-1 & FM-2 BUREAU NUMBERS

14992-1595146738-4683715952-1679146838-4743755050-5564956684-5708373499-7515886297-86973

IMPORTANT CHANGES MADE TO WILDCAT AIRCRAFT AFTER PRODUCTION

Note: This table lists some of the more important changes madeto the Wildcat series of aircraft after production. This isonly a partial listing, but includes all of those changes that would effect the visible appearance of the aircraft. This isespecially important to modelers. A few additional changes of interest are also included.

DATE

3/10/41

5/28/41

8/8/4112/23/411/18/423/15/426/6/426/18/4212/5/421/20/43

TYPES AFFECTED

F4F-3

F4F-3

F4F-3, -3A, -4F4F-3F4F-3F4F-3, -3A, -4F4F-3, -3A, -4, -7F4F-3, -3A, -4, -7F4F-3, -3A, -4, FM-1F4F-3, -3A, -4, FM-1

DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE

Installation of provisions for a gun camera in the leadingedge of the left wingElimination of automatic feature in emergency flotationgearInstallation of armor plateInstallation of gun heating systemReplacement of telescopic gun sightInstallation of auxiliary ring and bead gun sightInstallation of rear view mirrorInstallation of shoulder harnessRemoval of auxiliary ring and bead gun sightInstallation of high pressure pneumatic tail wheel

7

These two photographs show F4F-3s under construction at Grumman in the pre-war years. (Grumman)

For the record

The name Wildcat was bestowed on the F4F onOctober 1, 1941, but by then the design was well into itsproduction run, and other F4Fs, bearing the British nameMartlet, had already engaged in combat and had shotdown German aircraft for the Royal Navy. By the timeAmerica entered the war, the Wildcat was the primaryshipboard carrier fighter. This was due to Grumman'scontinued efforts after they initially lost out to the XF2A,and to that design's severe problems and performanceshortcomings that became apparent after its introduc­tion into service. Had work not continued on the XF4F-2and -3, the Navy would have had to fight the first year anda half of World War II with the Buffalo as its primaryfighter, and that may have proved disastrous. While theWildcat did not become the first carrier-borne mono­plane fighter, it did achieve a number of other notablefirsts in addition to being Grumman's first monoplanefighter and first "cat" fighter. It was the first American-

built fighter to shoot down a German plane in the handsof the British on December 25, 1940. It was the firstsuccessful carrier-based fighter monoplane, and the firstto have a two-stage supercharged engine. It was also thefirst fighter to make a carrier takeoff with rocket assist,doing so on March 18, 1944. But most importantly, it gavethe U.S. Navy an aircraft that could fight the Japanese onbetter than equal terms until the more potent Hellcat andCorsair could be put into operation.

As mentioned in the introduction, the Wildcat hasbeen criticized in many circles as being inferior to theZero. In specific performance categories this is undoubt­edly so, but in other categories and as an overall general­ity, it simply is not the case. Not only do former Wildcatpilots dispute this claim, but the figu res do not bear it outeither. The Wildcat was a stable, reliable, and soliddesign. Its terminal dive speed was never determined,although it is known that itwas dived well in excess of 500miles per hour on a number of occasions. In the difficult

Employees gather in front ofand on top ofthe last Wildcat to be built by Grumman. An appropriate sign stating "THIS ISITI" is attached to the propeller. General Motors continued production of the Wildcat series with the FM-1 and FM-2.

(Grumman)

8

months of 1942, Wildcats shot down the enemy at a rateof almost six to one. For the entire war, the rate was 6.9 to1. In air-to-air combat, the Wildcat scored 905 confirmedkills, while losing 178 of its own number. The highlypraised F-4 Phantom should have had such a kill ratio inVietnam! While it is admittedly unfair to compare WorldWar II to Vietnam, and the Wildcat to the Phantom, a killratio of almost seven to one hardly indicates an inferioraircraft, particularly when flown to maximize its advan­tagesand minimize the enemy's as every fighter shouldbe flown. Compared to kill ratios achieved by otherAmerican fighters, the Wildcat's figures are certainly notspectacular, but it seems clear that the Wildcat did morethan simply "hold the line." Without the superior rangeand performance characteristics of the F6F and F4U, thewar in the Pacific would have undoubtedly been vastlydifferent except for the final outcome, but it would havealso been a much more desperate situation if the Wildcathad been shelved when itfirst lost out in competition withthe XF2A.

The operational history of the F4F has been well doc­umented in books and articles more intended to coverthat aspect of the Wildcat than this book is, but severalpoints are worth repeating here. As mentioned earlier,the first kill by an F4F was on Christmas Day in 1940, asRoyal Navy Martlets shot down a Ju-88 over the OrkneyIslands. The first U.S. F4Fs to see combat did no fighting.They belonged to VMF-211, and were at Ewa MCAS,Hawaii, when the Japanese struck on December 7,1941.None got airborne, and nine of eleven were destroyed orseverely damaged on the ground. The first time the Wild­cats did any fighting with American pilots at the controlswas with another detachment of VMF-211 at Wake Islandthat same day, although itwas December8 on that side of

the International Date Line. Although seven were de­stroyed on the ground, five fought bravely for two weeksbefore finally falling to far superior forces. The firstAmerican kill by the Wildcat was scored on December 9,1941. This action at Wake also produced the first Wildcatpilot Medal of Honor winner in Captain Henry F. Floyd.Captain Floyd shot down two Japanese bombers andbombed the destroyer KISAGARA. He was later killed inhand to hand fighting when the Japanese overran theisland. Other pilots who won the Medal of Honor in thecockpit of the Wildcat included the Navy's first ace,"Butch" O'Hare, and the Marine's leading ace, Joe Foss.

Joe Foss chats with armorers between missions on Gua­da/canal. Note where the antenna wire enters the fuse­lage within the national insignia. (Grumman)

Guadalcanal is one of the most famous names in thepages of American combat history. It was there that someof the fiercest and bloodiest fighting in history tookplace, and it was there that land-based Wildcats and theirpilots faced a formidable enemy and some of the worseconditions of the war. Men like Joe Foss, Harold J."Indian Joe" Bauer, Marion Carl, James E. Swett, John L.Smith, Robert E. Galer, and so many others included actsof heroism in their daily routines while facing overwhelm­ing odds fighting both the Japanese and malaria at thesame time. Undoubtedly Joe Foss could have added tohis twenty-six confirmed victories if he had been able tospend more time fighting the Japanese and less timefighting malaria. Yet his twenty-six confirmed kills arestill high enough to make him the leading ace of theMarine Corps. All of his victories were scored in theWildcat. No less than thirty-four Marines became aceswhile flyi ng the Wildcat, and the large majority of Marinevictories were scored in the Guadalcanal area. Twenty­seven Navy pilots became Wildcat aces, flying differentversions of the type throughout the war in many actions.

F4F-4 Wildcats proved their worth on Guadalcanal. It was here that Joe Foss, the leading Marine ace, scored hisvictories. This picture shows the flight line on Fighter One, Guadalcanal's first auxiliary airstrip, as it appeared onFebruary 25, 1943. (Grumman)

9

COMPRESSION LINK

SHOCK STRUT

UPPER DRAG LINK

LOWER DRAG

WILDCAT DETAILS

l

The main landing gear on the Wildcat was very much like that used previously on the Grumman F3F. It was manuallyoperated by a crank in the cockpit which moved the gear through a series of gears and chains. It took about thirtyrevolutions of the crank to completely retract the gear. At left is a photograph of the right main gear in the full downposition. At right, the gear is partially raised, revealing some of the details about how the mechanism worked.

(Both Grumman)

The details of the main gear wheel are illustrated in thisdrawing. Noteworthy is the cover plate (part 1) thatcovered the spoked wheel. Some photographs of Wild­cats show them with this cover removed. This seems tobecome more prevalent later in the war on the FM-2.

(Grumman)

10

13

1 A,le Memb,o,'2 Lowc,O,,,,gLink

3 UpperOrogLink4 8oh-JJ75458011--337566 8011_337627 Boh_AN6-268 C"mpr.";,,n [ink9 Opero!;ng CheiM

10 $p,<><ket11 Compr...ionlink8eom12 8oll_At~4_17

13 SupponTube14 Bolr_AN4_21

15 Coll.,Pin16 Counterbalon,.17 Pin--ll/>l118 8011-3375419 OleoSl,ul20 MoinB."m21 Boh-J37bO22 6011_1065923 Foiring

1 CO"., Plat.2 Grea•• Cap3 Spoclal Nil.4 Co"., Pin5 Wa.h.,6 Con.7 Wh..18 Con.

9 Spacer

10 Ga.k••

11 Spac••12 Snap Retaining Ring

13 Brok.

14 Inn•• R.talnlng Ring15 Spac.,

16 Ga.k••

17 Main Wh••1 A"I.18 landing Gear A"I. M.mb••

MAIN LANDING GEAR DETAIL

This view looks up into the main gear compartment fromthe right side. (Grumman)

With much of the gear removed from the compartment,this photograph shows the right side of the main gear tomuch better effect. It was a very simple but sturdy mecha­nism. However, with the main gear so close together,cross-wind handling was not as good as it would havebeen if the gear had been located further apart on thewings. (Grumman)

The opening for the left wheel is seen in this photograph.Details of the left strut and drag link are visible. Forward isto the left in this photograph. (Grumman)

This close-up view was taken of the bulkhead at the aftend of the main gear compartment, and reveals the chainsystem that raised and lowered the gear.

11

TAIL WHEEL AND ARRESTING GEAR

(.. _ ~_ I~ ,- -~,':J!':

~-"'~ ##

I

··.C

The tail wheel shown at left was a hard rubber tire, and was designed for carrier operations. This one was on theprototype. The inflated tire shown at right was designed for land operations, but many photographs show this largerstyle tire being used on carriers. (Both Grumman)

The arresting hook was a simple, manually-operateddevice consisting of a bar and a hook. It was extendedfrom the cockpit through a system of cables and pulleys,then it dropped to the position shown in this photograph.

(Grumman)

12

1 Conlrol IiGndl. II 801l-AN27-30

2 Pull.y-AN21 0·1 A Nul-AN320-7

3 Cabl. 8u,hing-G2 S-H-T-I 00

4 Guido-9763-5 12 f"oiring

5 Guld~6T9 13 8011-AN6-20

6 Spring-G 102·A3 Nut-AN310-6

7 8011-11658 14 Str"t Ext.ndon

8",hin ll-11657·2 IS Shock Slr"t

Slop N"t-128-108 16 Link and Ecc.ntric St,,"

8 Drag Link 17 Spring-<>102-44

9 Ca".r 18 PI"ng"10 Whltl

The major components of the tail wheel are revealed inthis cut-away drawing. (Grumman)

CANOPY DETAIL

Details of the windscreen are shown to good effect in thisfront view. Note the little air vent/scoop on top.

(Grumman)

This view was taken from above and behind, and showsthe gunsight centered under the windscreen. The walk­ways on the wings and the taper of the forward fuselageare also shown to good effect. (Grumman)

Details of the sliding canopy are revealed here. The upper portion of the seat, the headrest, and the straps of theshoulder harness are also visible in the photo at left. The headrest was black, the straps were white or a very light gray,and the metal inside the cockpit was painted zinc chromate. The aircraft shown in these two photographs, as well as thetwo above, is an F4F-4, as evidenced by the wing fold line that is visible in two of the photos, but who the kill markingsbelonged to is unknown. (Both Grumman)

13

ENGINE DETAIL

Most variants of the F4F Wildcat were powered by differ­ent versions of Pratt & Whitney's R-1830 engine. It hadfourteen cylinders arranged in two rows of seven each asseen here. (Grumman)

This head-on view shows engine scoop detail. The cheekscoops that were located inside of the cowling were forintercooler air. Two intercoolers cooled the engine airflowing between the two supercharger stages, and eachof these two scoops led to an intercooler. The scoop onthe top of the cowl was for combustion air. It was onF4F-3s with the R-1830-76 engine, the F4F-3As with theR-1830-90, and all F4F-4s. It was not on F4F-3s with theR-1830-86 engine. (Grumman)

14

,

Keeping the R-1830 cool was a problem from the begin­ning. A number of spinner designs and cooling flap ar­rangements were tried. Early F4F-3s had a single largeflap on the upper portion of each side of the cowling, butthe final solution was no spinner and eight flaps, four oneach side, arranged as seen in this photograph. This wasused on some F4F-3s, the F4F-4, and the FM-1. The FM-2,which was powered by the Wright R-1820, returned to thesingle large flap on each side of the cowling.

(Grumman)

This cut-away R-1830 is on display at the Naval AviationMuseum at Pensacola NAS, Florida.

The nine cylinders of the R-1820 are clearly visible in thisview. Note the lack of cowl and cheek scoops, but noticethe scoops in between the lower cylinders.

(Grumman)

Above left and right: The two XF4F-5s, two XF4F-8s, andthe 4437 FM-2s all were powered by the Wright R-1820,nine-cylinder, single-row engine. These two photo­graphs show right and left side views of this engine. Oneof the characteristics was the lateral exhausts above thewing. Although this engine had only nine cylinders, theR-1820-56W, which was installed in the FM-2, produced1350 horsepower as compared to the 1200 horsepower ofthe fourteen-cylinder R-1830 in the F4F-4.

(Both Grumman)

More details of the R-1820 are revealed in the cut-awayengine on display at the Naval Aviation Museum.

15

XF4F-2 MOCK UP

This is the XF4F-2 mockup. It is made mostly of wood to include the propeller. It only had a right wing that had to besupported by a strut. Cut-away sections provided a hint of the interior details. (Grumman)

The mock-up went so far as to have a fairly complete cockpit layout that included a telescope sight mounted above theinstrument panel. (Grumman)

16

XF4F-2

The XF4F-2 took off on its first flight on September 2, 1937, with Robert L. Hall at the controls. (Grumman)

When the contract for the XF4F-1 biplane was can­celled, Grumman turned its attention to the XF4F-2 mon­oplane design, and worked at a rapid pace in order tohave the aircraft ready for competition with Brewster'sXF2A and the Seversky XNF-1. In typical Grummanfashion, and in spite of a later start, Grumman had theXF4F-2 in the air three months ahead of Brewster's Buf­falo. In its original form, the XF4F-2 was an all-metalmonoplane with fabric ailerons, elevators, and rudder. Ithad pneumatically operated split flaps on mid-mountedwings that spanned thirty-four feet. The wings and tailsurfaces all had rounded tips. Large mass balances werelocated on the elevators, and the rudder hinge line tiltedforward of vertical. There were two plexiglas windows oneach side of the lower fuselage to provide downwardvisibility, and an access to the aft fuselage accessorycompartment was provided through a door located justaft of the right wing root. The hand-operated landinggear, which had proven reliable on Grumman's earlierbiplane fighters, was mounted in the fuselage ahead ofthe wing.

The engine used on the XF4F-2 was the Pratt & Whit­ney R-1830-66, fourteen-cylinder, twin-row radial with asingle-speed supercharger. This powerplant turned athree-blade Hamilton Standard constant speed pro-

The mass balances on the elevators are shown in this

right rear view. The curved tips on all of the flying sur­faces are also apparent. Note the walkway on the wingand the step and hand hold on the fuselage. These werefeatures that carried through to· the F6F Hellcat.

(Grumman)

peller, and it produced 1050 horsepower for takeoff and900 horsepower at 12,000 feet. There was a rectangularcarburetor air scoop located on top of the fuselagebehind the cowling, and air from this scoop was mixed inthe engine with 110 gallons of aviation gas from the mainfuel tank and twenty additional gallons from a reservetank. At first there were no cowl flaps, but later two flapswere added to improve engine cooling. This was but thefirst attempt to solve engine overheating problems thatwere to plague the F4F series for some time. Variousspinners were also tried to help solve this problem. Aten-inch oil cooler was mounted in the left wing. Airfrombelow the wing was taken into the cooler, then exhaustedout on top of the wing. A large radio mast projected out atan angle from the fuselage, and was located just forwardof and to the left of the cockpit.

Armament consisted of two cowl-mounted machineguns, with two more guns located in the wings. Twohundred rounds were supplied for each gun. A telescopicsight was provided, and was mounted through the wind-

From the left, many more details of the single XF4F-2 arevisible. The engine exhaust is at the bottom of the cowl,and a carburetor air scoop is just aft of the cowl at the top.When this photograph was taken, there was no spinnerfitted and no cooling flaps on the cowl. The large radiomast is on the left side of the forward fuselage, and atelescopic sight is mounted through the windscreen. Along pifot tube is on the leading edge of the left wing. Alsonote how the rudder hinge line tilted forward ofa line thatwas perpendicular to the centerline. (Grumman)

17

Taken at a later date than the photographs on the previous page, this photo shows some changes to the XF4F-2. A smallround spinner has been added to the propeller in an attempt to improve engine cooling. The cowling itself is muchlonger, and is of a different shape. Also noteworthy is the resulting change in the appearance of the cowl guns.

(Grumman)

shield in typical fashion. Provisions were made for abomb rack under each wing with the capacity of one100-pound bomb each.

Grumman was awarded Navy contract number 46973for the XF4F-2 on July 28,1936. Only one example, 0383,was built, and it flew for the first time on September 2,1937. On December 23rd of that year it was delivered tothe Navy for extensive testing and evaluation. It went tothe Naval Aircraft Factory on April 6, 1938. Then, on April11, the engine quit during deck landing tests, and theaircraft flipped over on its back in a crash landing. Duringthese tests, the aircraft had suffered from engine bearingfailures and some stability problems, but it did not seemanything insurmountable as far as Grumman was con­cerned. However, it was enough to convince the Navy tochoose the Brewster XF2A over the XF4F-2 as its initialcarrier fighter. But interest for the XF4F-2 continued, andwith war clouds on the horizon, and the uncertainties ofthe Brewster monoplane, the XF4F-2 was shipped backto Grumman where it would be redesigned and thenwould fly again as the XF4F-3.

XF4F-2 DATA

EngineNormal HP/RPM/Alt

Takeoff HP/RPMWing AreaWeight EmptyCombat Gross WeightPower Loading (Lbs/HP)Max Speed at SLMax Speed at Crit.Landing SpeedMax Rate of ClimbT.O. Dist. (25 kt wind)First FlightNumber Built

P&W R-1830-66900/2550/SL

900/2700/100001000/2640232 sq. ft.

4061 pounds5541 pounds

5.5257 mph28019000

72 mph2650 ftlmin

170 ftSeptember 2, 1937

1

Two small100-pound bombs could be carried under thewings. (Grumman)

18

A much larger spinner is shown here, and was one ofseveral tried. (Grumman)

Grumman XF4F-2

This 1/72nd scale three-view drawing shows the original design of the XF4F-2. The shorter and rounded wings and tailsurfaces are illustrated. (Jones)

19

XF4F-2 COCKPIT DETAILS

This view looks straight down into the cockpit of theprototype. (Grumman)

(Grumman)The right side cowl gun is shown here.

The arresting hook on the XF4F-2 is visible in this photo­graph. The upper portion of the tail cone has beenremoved to reveal the slides on which the arresting hookmoved within the fuselage. Note the tail light mountedabove the hook. (Grumman)

Instrument panel details in the XF4F-2 are revealed in thisphotograph. (Grumman)

20

Lessons learned with the XF4F-2 were worked into a newdesign designated XF4F-3. The same airframe that hadbeen used for the XF4F-2 was used for the XF4F-3, andeven the same BuNo, 0383, was retained. Among thechanges were new wing and tail surfaces with squared­ott tips. The Pratt & Whitney XR-1830-76 engine replacedthe -66 used in the XF4F-2. (Grumman)

When Grumman received the wrecked XF4F-2, itimmediately began reconstruction of the aircraft whileincorporating changes to correct problems that had sur­faced during the initial testing. A Pratt & Whitney XR­1830-76 engine replaced the -66 used in the XF4F-2. Itwas equipped with a two-stage, two-speed superchargerwhich was an unproven concept and a gamble on the partof Grumman. A cooler was placed between the twostages, and cooling air was brought in by two scoopslocated on the inside of the cowling. Butthe arrangementwas effective, producing 1200 horsepower for takeoffand 1000 horsepower at 19,000 feet. A Curtiss Electricpropeller was used, and oil coolers were located underthe wings.

Although the aircraft retained the same number, 0383,as the XF4F-2, only the fuselage remained the same. Thewings were increased in size to a span of thirty-eight feet,and the tips were squared off. The horizontal and verticaltail planes were also squared off, but the horizontal tailremained located on the fuselage. Armament consistedof two cowl-mounted .30 caliber machine guns, and two.50 cali ber guns were located in the wings. G ross weightincreased to 6305 pounds.

The first flight of the XF4F-3 was on February 12,1939,with Robert Hall at the controls again. The flight lastedforty-five minutes. On March 7, the aircraft was deliveredto the Navy for testing, and it was discovered that enginecooling at altitude remained a problem. As a result, sev­eral spinner and cowl flap arrangements were tried, butno entirely satisfactory solution was found. Some stabil­ity problems also remained, and the dihedral of the wingwas increased to one degree. The aileron area was

reduced. But it was not until wind tunnel testing at Lang­ley that further modifications to the tail section were

This in-flight view of the XF4F-3 shows the new wing andhorizontal tail design with the squared-ott tips. The spanof the wing was increased to 38 feet as compared to 34feet on the XF4F-2. (Grumman)

made. These consisted of moving the horizontal tail uptwenty inches from the fuselage to the vertical tail, andthe vertical tai I was enlarged, slightly rounded, and fai redinto the spine of the fuselage. This resulted in the designthat was to be used on all production Wildcats until thetaller tailed FM-2. Finally, in October 1939, the Navyissued contract 63072 for the XF4F-3.

With the final changes made to the design of the tailsection, the aircraft was delivered to Anacostia on April23, 1940, for continued testing. In November andDecem ber 1940 it made carrier tests and evaluationsaboard the RANGER, CV-4, and WASP, CV-7. OnDecem ber 17, with a total of 345.4 hours flying time, 0838crashed at Norfolk killing LTJG W. C. Johnson, whomistakenly tu rned off the fuel selector valve instead ofactuating the flap selector. The fuel selector switch wasadjacent to and similarly shaped to the flap selector. Butby then the Wildcats ordered by France had beendiverted to England, and were about to score the firstWildcat kill of the war only twelve days later. The U.S.Navy had already become convinced that it both wantedand needed the F4F, and the first production F4F-3s werealready entering U.S. service.

21

The right side of 0383 is shown here. The two plexiglasswindows are still located below each wing. The accessorycompartment door is visible just aft of the wing and thestep. No spinner is on the prop at this time.

(Grumman)

XF4F-3 DATA

EngineNormal HP/RPM/Alt

Takeoff HP/RPMWing AreaWeight EmptyCombat Gross WeightPower Loading (Lbs/HP)Max Speed at SLMax Speed at Crit.Landing SpeedMax Rate of ClimbT.O. Dist. (25 kt wind)First FlightNumber Built

paw R-1830-761050/2550/SL

1050/2550/175001200/2700260 sq. ft.

4794 pounds6305 pounds

5.3285 mph

333.5/2050068 mph

2500 ft/min168 ft

February 12,19391

Taken at a later date than the photograph at left, thisphoto shows the addition ofa large spinner. Also note theadded cowl flap. Both the spinner and the flap were ongo­ing attempts to solve engine overheating problems thatpersisted with the aircraft. (Grumman)

Flotation bags were installed in the wings of the XF4F-3,and were designed to automatically inflate in the event ofa water landing. However, after two accidents werecaused by the bags inflating in flight, they were removedfrom all future F4Fs. (Grumman)

-Wind tunnel tests revealed the need for further changes in the design of the tail. Here 0383 is shown in its finalconfiguration, and it is still designated XF4F-3. The vertical tail is fa ired into the spine of the aircraft, and is more curvedthan it was previously. The horizontal surfaces have been moved from the fuselage up to the vertical tail. Alsonoteworthy is the changed radio mast. It is now smaller and located behind the cockpit. The telescopic sight, cowl guns,a single flap on each side of the cowling, and the two plexiglass windows below each wing all remain as features on thefinal design of the XF4F-3.(Grumman)

22

XF4F-3 COCKPIT DETAILS

This is the instrument panel in the XF4F-3.

The right console is shown in this photograph.(Grumman)

Details of the left console are illustrated here.(Grumman)

(Grumman)

This view looks down into the cockpit and shows the seatin good detail. Only lap belts were used at this time. Therewere no shoulder harnesses, so if you crashed orditched,you were sure to eat a part of the instrument panel.

(Grumman)

23

F4F-3

The first two F4F-3s, 1844 and 1845, were used as test aircraft. This is 1844, and it still has the cowl guns. However thereis only one window below each wing. (Grumman)

The F4F-3, Grumman's design G-36, was the first pro­duction Wildcat, 185 of which were delivered to the USNand USMC between August 1940 and late 1941. The fi rsttwo F4F-3s, 1844 and 1845, were used as service testaircraft. Both had the cowl guns of the XF4F-3, andretained spinners for a short time due to the continuedengine overheating problems. Number 1844 was used toconduct armament testing, and this resulted in the deci­sion to delete the cowl guns in favor of four wing­mounted .50 caliber guns instead. 1845 was used for100-pound bomb drop tests and for carrier landing testswhich revealed the need for a strengthened landing gear.The weak tail wheel was strengthened and slightlyenlarged, and this raised the height of the vertical tail toan even eight feet.

Following the first two F4F-3s, the second two weredelivered as XF4F-5s which were fitted with the WrightR-1820-40, nine cylinder, single row engine with 1200horsepower for takeoff. These aircraft had the next two

BuNos, 1846 and 1847. Later, 1846 was fitted with aWright R-1820-54 which had a turbo-supercharger, and1847 had the R-1820-48 with a two-stage supercharger.

Approximately the first one hundred F4F-3s werepowered by the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 engine, withthe remainder being fitted with the -86 that could beidentified by the two magnetos mounted near the top ofthe engine nose case. Two cowl flaps were originallyfitted as on the XF4F-3, but this arrangement later wasreplaced by the eight flap arrangement that becamestandard on the F4F-4. There has been some confusionas to which F4F-3s had the two large cowl flaps, andwhich had the eight flap design. Even more confusionhas existed over the combustion ai r scoop located at thetop of the cowl ring on some F4F-3s and not on others.The breakdown is as follows. The scoop was present withthe two large cowl flaps on the first F4F-3s with theR-1830-76 engine and the F4F-3As that were powered bythe R-1830-90. Late F4F-3s with the -86 engine had the

This is 1845 in flight. The scoop for combustion air has been added to the top of the cowling, and there is a large spinneron the propeller. (Grumman)

24

Because of uncertainties and some developmentalproblems with the two-stage, two-speed supercharger ofthe R-1830-76 and -86 of the F4F-3, the Navy wanted toinsure the delivery of Wildcats even if those problemsbecame large enough to delay or possibly stop deliveryof those engines. As insurance, it ordered one Wildcat,BuNo 7031, with the R-1830-90 engine. It had only asingle-stage, two-speed supercharger which was not ascomplex, but which also had less horsepower at altitudethan the -76 and -86. The service ceiling dropped threethousand feet. This aircraft was given the designationXF4F-6, and it served as the prototype forthe F4F-3A andMartlet II and III. It was delivered to Anacostia for testingin November of 1940, where it continued to serve as anexperimental aircraft after tests with the R-1830-90engine were completed. It crashed on May 25, 1942,killing LCDR James Taylor.

The F4F-3A was the same as the F4F-3 in all respectsexcept that it was powered by the R-1830-90 enginetested in the XF4F-6. As a comparison, the F4F-3A couldonly do 312 miles per hour at 16,000 feet, while the F4F-3could do 331 miles per hour at 21 ,300 feet. The first thirtywere originally intended for Greece, but went to the Brit­ish as Martlet Ills, with the following sixty-five being builtfor the U.S. Navy and Marines between March 18 and May28,1941. One of these, BuNo 3918, was delivered as anF4F-3AP photo version. The first U.S. delivery was toVMF-111 on April 10, 1941. VMF-212 was the only otherUSMC squadron to operate the -3A. Navy squadronsVF-6, VF-5, VF-2, and VF-3 also received this version ofthe Wildcat.

F4F-3 PRODUCTION SUMMARY

F4F-3A PRODUCTION SUMMARY

eight cowl flaps with no combustion air scoop at the topof the cowl ring.

One of the most important things to remember aboutthe F4F-3 is that it had the rigid or non-folding wing. Thelast F4F-3 of the first production batch was tested with afolding wing prior to its installation on the subsequentvariants of the Wildcat series, but otherwise, not oneF4F-3 or F4F-3A had folding wings. Many sources haveshown drawings or paintings of the F4F-3 with foldingwings, and this can be misleading to modelers in particu­lar. More than one painting of O'Hare's and/or Thach'sF4F-3 Wildcats have been done with the wing fold hingeline included, and several three-view and five-view draw­ings and color renditions of the F4F-3 have also shownthe wing fold. While it is understandable to sometimesconfuse the cowl flap or combustion air scoop arrange­ment if a BuNo of a specific F4F-3 is not known, it issimply inexcusable to show an F4F-3 or-3A with a foldingwing. It is also noteworthy that all Wildcats from theRANGER and WASP that were painted in the colorfulpre-war scheme were F4F-3s with the non-folding wing.Again, modelers should keep this in mind when buildingand painting their models. Not one model exists of anF4F-3 in any scale, so folding wings must be converted tothe rigid type to build any F4F-3 or -3A.

The first production F4F-3s were delivered to VF-4aboard the RANGER and VF-7 in WASP. These unitswere subsequently designated VF-41 and VF-71 , respec­tively. Subsequent deliveries were made VF-42, VF-71,and VF-41. The first Marine units to receive the F4F-3were VMF-222, VMF-223, and VM F-214, with VMF-221,VMF-211, and VMF-121 following a few months later.VF-3 and VF-5 were the last units to receive the F4F-3,gaining all of their aircraft by September 1941. The lastone-hundred F4F-3s were delivered during the first fivemonths of 1943, and were used for training purposesonly.

BuNos 2512, 2517, 2526, 2530, 2537, 3985, and 3997were delivered with camera installations as F4F-3Ps.

194022

1940o

1941163

194165

1942o

1942o

1943100

1943o

TOTAL285

TOTAL65

The XF4F-6 was an F4F-3 with an R-1830-90 engineinstalled in place of the usual R-1830-76. It served as theprototype for the F4F-3A. (Grumman)

This is the first U.S. F4F-3A, BuNo 3905, which was deliv­ered to VMF-111 on April 10, 1941. The F4F-3A wasGrumman design G-36, and the first thirty were deliveredto the Royal Navy as Martlet lis. The following sixty-fivewere delivered to the U.S. Navy and Marines as F4F-3As,beginning with BuNo 3905 shown here. It was poweredby the P&W R-1830-90 engine. (Grumman)

25

GYRO HORIZON]BANK a TURN

COMPASS

r;=MANIFOLDPRESSURE

ENGINE GAGEUNIT

rFUEL QUANTITYGAGE

FIRE

~EXTINGUI7

~

This photograph shows the instrument panel in an F4F-3. Callouts designate the instruments and other features.(Grumman)

F4F-3 COCKPIT DETAILS

Details of the left side of the cockpit are shown here. Thelayout of the Wildcat's cockpit was quite simple andstraight forward. (Grumman)

26

PAN£L".z: ..... --.....

I., lt~

• --.!r . .• ·'~TARTER SWITCH'·

VERY'S' PISTOL

This is the right side of the cockpit. Of special interest isthe hand crank that raised and lowered the landing gear.The pilot had to fly with his left hand while turning thecrank with his right hand. This often caused the aircraft toporpoise a bit, particularly when the gear was beingretracted after take off. (Grumman)

An F4F-3 from VF-6 awaits the signal to launch from the USS ENTERPRISE, GV-6. (U.S. Navy)

Details of the guns in the right wing of an F4F-3 are seen here. There were only two guns in each wing, and they werestaggered so as to line up properly with their ammunition boxes. The inboard gun was slightly higher than the outboardgun. Empty ammunition boxes can be seen at the top of the photograph. (Grumman)

27

~_______ ~_~- -2~·"·------ \ rOLQ"'G~PR[LUSE

~ -------/.. ~:: =.'Z':. ~ CATAPULT ARRANGEMENT

bullet-resistant glass windshield formed the forward partof the canopy enclosure. The pilot was further protectedwith 150 pounds of armor plate located forward of thecockpit near the oil tank and also behind the pilot's seat.

Armament consisted of either four or six wing­mounted .50 caliber machine guns depending on variant.Gun charging handles were on the cockpit floor, andheated air from the engine was ducted to the gun com­partments. The guns were normally aimed through aMark 8 reflector gunsight. There were provisions for agun camera in the leading edge of the left wing. A bombrack for one 100-pound bomb could be attached undereach wing.

An approach light was located in the leading edge ofthe left wing, and it illuminated whenever the tail hookwas extended. Formation lights were on the top wingsurfaces, and a section light was on the spine. Runninglights were on the wing tips and the tail. A retractablelanding light was located in the bottom surface of the leftwing, and three recognition lights were on the bottom ofthe fuselage.

The final design of the Wildcat, which experiencedrelatively minor changes throughout the entire produc­tion run, was now set, and can be described as follows.The fuselage was of semi-monocoque construction withan aluminum alloy skin that was held in place with Brazierhead external rivets. The skin was overlapped in sections,giving it a ribbed appearance. Only one plexiglas windowremained on each side of the lower fuselage under thewing. These were removable to provide access to thelower fuselage compartment. Access to the aft fuselagecompartment was through a door on the right side just aftof the wing root. Radio equipment was located in this aftcompartment.

The wings were a full cantilever type with a singlemain beam. On the F4F-3 and its sub-variants, the wingswere rigid, but on later versions a folding wing was used.It consisted of two stub center sections and two foldingouter sections. The outer panels were flush riveted, withBrazier head rivets on the center sections. The aileronswere of aluminum construction covered with fabric. Theleft ai leron had an adjustable tab that was controlled fromthe cockpit, while the right aileron had a bendable tab.Split flaps extended from the fuselage to the ailerons.The tail section was of aluminum alloy constructionwhich was flush riveted. Fabric covered the elevators andrudder, and both had adjustable tabs that were controlledfrom the cockpit.

The main landing gear was retractable through themeans of a manually operated hand crank that requiredabout thirty full turns to retract or lower the gear. Thiscrank worked a chain and sprocket linkage that wasattached to the gear struts. If the engi ne RPM fell below1200, a warning device would sound ifthegearwas notinthe down position. Bendix 26" x 6" wheels were used onthe main gear. Hydraulic brakes were linked to the tops ofthe rudder pedals. The tail wheel was not retractable, andtwo types of tires were used. A wheel with a ten-inchpneumatic tire was used for land operations, while asix-inch solid rubber tire was intended for carrier use. Aforty-one-inch long arresting hook could be manuallyextended or retracted from the cockpit.

Different versions of Pratt & Whitney's R-1830fourteen-cylinder, twin-row engine powered most ver­sions of the Wildcat, with the Wright R-1820 being used inthe FM-2. On most versions a 117-gallon main fuel tankwas located in the fuselage beneath the cockpit, and anemergency tank of twenty-seven-gallon capacity wasbehind the aft cockpit bulkhead. Drop tanks of fifty tofifty-eight-gallon capacity could be carried under eachwing. On those aircraft with the Pratt & Whitney engines,two ten-inch oil coolers were mounted under the wingsnear the fuselage. The eleven-gallon oi I tank was locatedjust in front of the cockpit firewall.

The canopy was the sliding type and was operated bya handle on the right side. It could be jettisoned in theevent of an emergency, and was often left in the openposition while cruising. A rearview mirror was attachedinside the top forward edge of the sliding enclosure. A

28

F4F-3 DATA

EngineNormal HP/RPM/Alt

Takeoff HP/RPMPropellerPropeller TypePropeller DiameterWing AreaWeight EmptyCombat Gross WeightPower Loading (Lbs/HP)Max Speed at SLMax Speed at Crit.Cruise SpeedLanding SpeedMax Rate of ClimbT.O. Dist. (25 kt wind)Range (At Max Speed)Range (At Cruise Speed)Max EnduranceCeiling (Absolute)Ceiling (Service)Fuel (I nternal)Fuel (External)ArmamentBombsFirst Flight

P&W R-1830-7611 00/2550/SL

1000/2550/190001200/2700

Curtiss C5315 (S)3 blade, C.S.

9 ft, 9 in260 sq. ft.

5293 pounds7467 pounds

6.2278 mph

330/22000185 mph75 mph

2050 ft/min228 ft

280 miles1800 miles

9.4 hours32,600 feet31,000 feet147 gallons

2 x 58 gal. tanks4 x .50 caliber MG

2 x 100 poundFebruary 1940

F4F-3S

This front view of the Wildcatfish shows the floats and their mounts to good effect. (Grumman)

During 1942 the United States lost a number of air­craft carriers, and naval planners wondered how muchworse the situation would become before it got betterwhen carriers that were being built could join the fleet.Another question was how fast airfields could be builtonce islands in the Pacific could be taken. As an answer,the Japanese had fitted the Zero fi ghter with a singlemain float and two smaller wing floats. These were usedin sheltered waters to provide air cover until land basescould be built. These float plane fighters, known as Rufeby the Allies, were encountered at Guadalcanal and inthe Aleutians.

In the fall of 1942, the U.S. Navy decided to try thissame approach, and sent F4F-3, 4038, to the Edo Corpo­ration to be fitted with floats. Early in 1943, the transfor­mation to float plane was completed, and it differed fromthat used by the Japanese considerably. Twin floats wereattached to the fuselage with struts. Because the floats

reduced the yaw stability, two small rudders wereattached to the tips of the horizontal stabilizer, and weredesigned to work with the standard rudder. After initialtests, a large fin was placed under the aft fuselage. Thefirst flight was made on February 28, 1943, by Grummantest pilot F. T. "Hank" Kurt.

The American production capability was awesome,and carrier aviation expanded greatly. Further, theNavy's famous construction battalions proved that theircapability to transform jungles into airfields was nothingless than amazing. Airfields became operational almostovernight, and were operating aircraft before construc­tion was completed and while the ground fighting wasstill in progress. These factors, along with the considera­ble reduction in performance of the F4F-3S, as comparedto the standard fighters, caused the project to be can­celled.

These two photos show details of the F4F-3S. Note the small auxiliary vertical fins on the horizontal stabilizers. Eachfloat had a small rudder at the aft end. A large fin has been added to the underside of the aft end of the fuselage, and theholes for the main gear wheels have been almost entirely covered over with sheet metal. (Both Grumman)

29

F4F-3, BuNo 1897, was fitted with hydraulically folding wings, and became the XF4F-4. Production F4F-4s, FM-1s, andFM-2s would all have the folding wings, but they would be operated manually. In the photograph at left, the wings arenot quite all the way back as they are in the rear view in the photo at right. (Both Grumman)

XF4F-4

The XF4F-4 retained the F4F-3's long pitot tube on theleading edge ?f the left wing. It had the combustion airscoop in the top of the cowl and the single large cowl flapon each side. Production F4F-4s would have the eightcowl flaps. (Grumman)

This is the cockpit arrangement proposed for the XF4F-4.(Grumman)

30

XF4F-4 DATA

EngineNormal HP/RPM

Takeoff HP/RPMPropellerPropeller TypePropeller DiameterWing AreaWeight EmptyCombat Gross WeightPower Loading (Lbs/HP)Max Speed at SLMax Speed at Crit.Cruise SpeedLanding SpeedMax Rate of ClimbT.O. Dist. (25 kt wind)Range at Max SpeedRange at Cruise SpeedMax EnduranceCeiling (Absolute)Ceiling (Service)Fuel (Internal)ArmamentBombsFirst FlightNumber Built

P&W R-1830-761100/2550/SL

1000/2550/190001200/2700

Curtiss C5315 (S)3 blade CS

9 ft, 9 in260 sq. ft.

5776 pounds7489 pounds

6.2282 mph

326/19,500200 mph

77 mph2050 ftlmin

245 ft280 miles

1200 miles5.9 hours

35,600 feet34,000 feet147 gallons

4 x .50 caliber MG2 x 100 pound

April 19411

F4F-4

The F4F-4 differed from the earlier F4F-3 in only two major respects. First, it had manually folding wings, and second, itwas armed with six .50 caliber machine guns instead of only four. However, most pilots did not like the fact that therewas less ammunition for each gun. Of lesser note is the smaller pitot tube that is located just under the left wing tip.

(Grumman)

An F4F-4A version of the Wildcat with the R-1830-90engine was planned for the same reasons that the F4F-3Awas built, but the reliability of the two-stage, two-speed-86 engine had been proven by this time. As a result, theF4F-4A was never built. The F4F-4B was delivered to theBritish as the Martlet v.

F4F-4 PRODUCTION SUMMARY

F4F-4 DATA

TOTAL1169

P&W R-1830-861100/3500

1000/190001200

Curtiss C5315 (S)3 blade CS

9 ft, 9 in260 sq. ft.

5766 pounds7964 pounds8762 pounds274 mph/SL

318 mph/194002190 ft/min33,700 feet144 gallons

2 x 58 gallon tanks830 miles

1275 miles6 x .50 caliber MG

2 x 100 pound

1943o

19421164

19415

1940o

Rate of Climb at SLService CeilingFuel (I nternal)Fuel (External)Range (Internal Fuel)Range (External tanks)ArmamentBombs

Takeoff HPPropellerPropeller TypePropeller DiameterWing AreaWeight EmptyGross WeightMax T.O. WeightMax Speed/Altitude

EngineNormal HP/Alt

This photograph shows an early F4F-4 in the two tonepaint scheme and the six-position national insignia withred disc. The red and white stripes are on the tail. Later,the red disc and rudder stripes would be removed.

(Grumman)

The F4F-4 became the most widely produced of theGrumman-built Wildcats and is probably the best known.Although the FM-2 was built in far greater numbers, itperformed mostly second line duties while the Hellcatand Corsair took over as the first line fighters forthe Navyand Marines. It was the F4F-4 that performed most of theheroics in the early days of the war, with the F4F-3 beingless noticeable only because of its far fewer numbers.

The F4F-4 differed from the -3 in two major respects.First and foremost was the incorporation of foldingwings. These wings were manually operated through theuse of handcranks stored in the leading edge at the fold.Small fairings on the top and bottom of the wing surfacescovered the ends of the hinges. Struts braced the wingtips to the leading edges of the horizontal stabilizerswhen the wings were folded. The second major differ­ence was the addition of two more machine guns in thewings, bringing the total to six. Two hundred and fortyrounds were supplied for each gun. All F4F-4s had theeight cowl flap arrangement and the combustion airscoop at the top of the cowl.

31

This excellent shot shows an F4F-4 about to touch down on its carrier. The pilot has flaired out just above the deck, andthe tail hook is about to catch a wire. (National Archives)

At left is a photograph of an F4F-4 on board the USS SANTEE, CV-29. Note that the number 4, which signifies theaircraft number within the squadron, is in white on the fuselage, and is black on top of both wings. Aircraft number 10from the same squadron is shown making a hard landing in the photograph at right. But the Wildcat was a very ruggedaircraft, and more likely than not, the pilot would emerge from such a landing with minor, if any, injuries.

(Both National Archives)

In the left photograph, F4F-4s and TBMs are shown warming up their engines in preparation for launch from an escortcarrier. Note the external fuel tank on aircraft number 5 in the foreground. The same aircraft is seen at right as it is beinghooked up to the catapult. Noteworthy is the angle of the radio mast, the small fairings tor the guns under the wings, andthe lowered flaps. (Both Grumman)

Note: Coverage of the F4F-4 is continued on page 41.

32

WILDCAT COLORS.,..----~ ..-=:;--------------

-~---:. _-.. ...

--

)

--~-=

~ --- ~~

-:---=:=---.::;;;:.;;;;;:::;:~------ - --~­Although this is an FM-2 that has been restored and maintained by the Confederate Air Force, it illustrates the colorfulschemes that were in use when the Wildcat first entered service with the Navy. The markings represent those used byVF-41 aboard the USS RANG ER, CV-4. The entire upper wing surfaces were yellow, and the white diagonal bands wereon them as well as being on the lower surfaces. While this scheme is certainly colorful, the fact is that it was never usedduring World War /I on an FM-2, and thus is incorrect for this particular aircraft.

The next scheme used on the Wildcat was overall non-specular light g!ay. This is a Marine F4F-3 from VMF-121 as seen

in early 1941. (Arnold/NASM via Piety

The overall light gray scheme was also known as the neutrality gray scheme, since America had not yet entered the warwhen it was used. Both of these photographs show F4F-3As from VF-5. In the photograph at left, notice the very smallnational insignia on the fuselage. (Both Arnold/NASM via Piety

33

The overall gray scheme gave way to the two color scheme consisting of non-specular blue-gray (FS 36118) overnon-specular light gray (FS 36440). It is shown here with the large, six-position national insignia with the red disc. Thered and white stripes are on the tail. This photograph of an F4F-4 was taken over Long Island in the spring of 1942.

(Arnold/NASM via Piet)

The same scheme as seen above is also used on the aircraft in these two photographs; however, the red disc and rudderstripes have been removed. Note the name ROSENBLA TTS REPLY on the aircraft in the photo at left.

(Left National Archives via Piet, right National Archives via Leader)

This nice flying shot illustrates the scheme of blue-gray over non-specular light gray very well.

34

(Grumman)

A freshly painted Martlet I is seen here with the registration number NXG2 painted on the wing. Note the red, white, andblue vertical stripes on the rudder. (Arnold/NASM via Piety

This is the last surviving Martlet I, and it is now on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton, Oxfordshire,England. (King)

35

Armament specialists are preparing to boresight the gunson this Wildcat. The photograph was taken at Norfolk in1944. (National Archives via Piety

36

Above left and right: These F4F-3A Wildcats are fromVMF-111, and were used during Army war games inNovember 1941. They are painted in the neutrality graymarkings, and have red crosses added as markings forthe war games. (Both GroenhofflNASM via Piety

This close-up shows engine colors on an FM-2.

(Munkasy)

FM-2 COCKPIT

The Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida, is one of the finest in the world. Among its aircraft is an FM-2.Museum personnel were kind enough to let Detail & Scale photograph the cockpit in this particular aircraft. This is theinstrument panel; however, the gunsight has been removed.

Left console details and colors are seen here.

This is the right console.

The seat is shown in this view. By the time the FM-2 wasbuilt, shoulder harnesses were used in addition to seatbelts.

37

RESTORED WILDCATS

This photograph shows a Wildcat at Silver Hill waiting forrestoration. The aircraft has since been restored, and ison display at the National Air and Space Museum inWashington, D.C. (Munkasy)

This FM-2 was photographed at Chino, California, in May1971. (Munkasy)

Keith Mackey's FM-2 is shown in these two photographs that were taken over Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida, in April1970. The aircraft carries the civil registration N2876D. (Both Munkasy)

Another FM-2 that has been restored to early war mark­ings is coded N315E. The photo was taken in July 1967.

(Flightleader)

38

The same aircraft seen at left is shown again in April 1986at NAS Norfolk, Virginia. It belongs to Lex DuPont. Thepaint scheme is the same, but it now has O'Hare's F-130nthe right side of the fuselage, and Thach's F-1 on the leftside. Thirteen red and white stripes are on the rudder. Thereal F-1 and F-13 were F4F-3s from VF-3 and the USSLEXINGTON, CV-2. (Martin)

This FM-2, coded N11 FE, has two extra seats added in its fuselage. Access is gained through a door in the right side.These photographs were taken at Oshkosh in 1975. (Flightleader)

These restored FM-2s are painted to represent Wildcats assigned to eVEs late in World War II. The aircraft at right is thesame one as pictured above, but has had the two windows in the side covered over. It still carries the code N11 FE, andthis is painted in the wide white band under the horizontal stabilizer. Both photographs were taken in 1979.

(Left Ostrowski via Leader, right Flightleader)

Another beautifully restored FM-2 is seen in these two photographs. The date is September 1977.

(Left Ostrowski via Leader, right Flightleader)

39

WILDCAT ACES

Two of the most famous Wildcat pilots are pictured here. This is LCDR John S. "Jimmy" Thach, the C.O. of VF-3, whobecame famous for developing the "Thach Weave," a tactic where the two aircraft continually weaved in such a way asto always cover the other's tail. (National Archives via Piety

Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare was also from VF-3, and became a Wildcat ace in one mission during the Battle of Coral Sea.For his actions he was presented the Medal of Honor. He was killed in November 1943, while flying a Hellcat nightfighter. (National Archives via Piety

40

LIFE RAFT

An inflatable life raft was contained in a compartment that was located in the spine of the aircraft behind the cockpit. Itproved to be impractical since the aircraft would usually sink after ditching so fast that the raft could not be deployed. Afloatation type seat cushion proved more practical. We have reproduced this photograph as large as possible to show a

number of other details in addition to the raft. The antenna wire that runs from the tip of the horizontal stabilizer to thefuselage (at about 2:30 on the national insignia) is visible, particularly where it is contrasted against the blue disc. Alsonote the step and hand hold, the lift point hole behind the insignia, the door to the aft compartment behind the wing,and the small wing fold fairing on top of the wing. (Grumman)

This close-up shows the raft stowed in its compartment. On this aircraft the antenna wire from the vertical stabilizerand mast enters the fuselage just behind the mast at the top of the spine. (Grumman)

41

.50 CALIBER MACHINE GUN ARMAMENT

Guns were often checked on the carrier as seen in this photograph and the one below. (Grumman)

This photograph shows an F4F-4 from VF-6 aboard the USS ENTERPRISE. All six guns are opened up in preparation fortest firing. Note how the red and white stripes on the tail have been hastily painted out, although some of the white stillshows. The red disc remains in the white star. (Grumman)

42

Details of the inner two guns on the left wing of an F4F-4are shown here. The fact that this is an F4F-4, and notsimply the guns on an F4F-3, is evidenced by the wingfold line and fairing in the upper right corner of the photo.

(Grumman)

Ammunition boxes for the F4F-4 are shown in this view.The boxes for the inner two guns are one behind the otherto the left, and the one for the outer gun is by itself to theright. The outer gun is located between the pair of ammu­nition boxes, and its own single box. The fairings andshell ejector slot can be seen near the center of the photo.

(Grumman)

--?-"-, .

At left is a photograph of the outboard gun on the left wing of an F4F-4. At right, the gun has been removed, revealing theejector slot and other details of the gun bay. (Grumman)

43

WING FOLD DETAILS

Manually operated folding wings became standard on the F4F-4, and were used on the FM-1 and FM-2. They wereoperated by a handle that is visible at the leading edge of the fold in this photograph. Also note the brace runningbetween the wing tip and the horizontal stabilizer. This same folding wing design was also used on Grumman's F6FHellcat and TBF Avenger. (Grumman)

This is a detailed close-up of the wing fold joint on theright wing. Note the small bubble or fairing on the skin ofthe wing at the corner of the hinge. (Grumman)

13

8

8 Flap Operating Cylinder Flex

9 Airspeed Tube.

10 Electric Flex Conduit

11 Airspeed Tube Drain.

12 Triangular Wing Fold Door

'3 Wing Lock Fitting

1 Wing Lock Cylinder

2 Wing LocI( Handle Door

3 Wing Lock Waming Flag

4 Aileron Disconnect Fmlng

S Gun Charging Cable. and Guide

6 Locking Cable

7 Tab Control Shaft

Details of the left wing hinge are named in this drawing.

(Grumman)(Grumman)This is the left wing fold hinge.

44

More details of the wing fold joint are shown here.(Grumman)

This photograph was taken looking over the leading edgeof the inner left wing, and reveals details of the interior ofthe outer wing section at the fold joint.

These two views show details of the inner portion of the wing fold as viewed from behind.

45 ,

AFT FUSELAGE COMPARTMENT

The aft-fuselage compartment of an F4F-4 is shown in these two views. The photo above looks forward, and revealssome of the radio gear and the twenty-seven-gallon reserve fuel tank. The opening to the compartment is seen at right.The photograph below looks aft. Note where the antenna wire enters the fuselage on the right side of the photo. Thetube passing through the fuselage leads to holes in the sides of the aircraft. A tube or bar is placed in one hole, throughthis tube, then out the opposite side, and is used to hoist the aircraft. Again, note the opening to the compartment whichis on the left side on this photo. (Both Grumman)

46

F4F-4 COCKPIT DETAILSI. CLOCK

2. CYLINDER HEAD TEMPERATURE GAGE3. RUDDER PEDAL ADJUSTMENT LEVER

4. PROPELLER CONTROL5. IGNITION SWITCH

6. GUN SIGHT LIGHT SWITCH7. EMERGENCY ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP SWITCH8. CHECK- OFF SWITCH9. WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER

10. ALTIMETERII. DIRECTIONAL GYRO

12. PADDED ELECTRIC GUN SIGHT MOUN113. AIRSPEED INDICATOR

14. TURN a BANK INOICATOR15. RATE OF CLIMB INDICATOR

16. GYRO HORIZON17. MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAGE

lB. TACHOMETER19. OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE20. FUEL QUANTITY GAGE21. PRIMER PUMP22. COWL FLAPS HANDCRANK23. ENGINE GAGE UNIT24. COMPASS

25. OIL DlLUnON SWITCH-':>-- 26. RADIO SIGNAL LIGHT--,

Instrument panel details for the F4F-4 are shown in this keyed photograph. (Grumman)

This view looks straight down into the cockpit, andreveals the control column, floor boards, and otherdetails. The seat has been removed from the cockpit forthis photograph. (Grumman)(Grumman)

(Grumman)

fLECfllICAL0IS1Hl8UTIOrIPA:'1[L

e s...nc>l BOlll fl,ISE~IlEL-Sf'>lAEfUS[S I!lBUL8!

W"",.,.). ST.o.RTER $WITGt<. .....,...,.,~ IIAOIO CONTIIOC-S

6 GlINCHAIIGIHGIi.o.loDL£

t. LANOING GEolRtlANOGfIAl1;(

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9 lAqOlNG GEllJI POSITION INOIC"TOflto.(lEClllll;CIIICI)ITflREAURR£SU

eUrYONSW_llii.... 'I. GUnIlEUlY8GEN(RATOlt tift-OUT

Right side console details are seen here.

.-

This is the left side console.

I. ~1lP 'AS!,PAO l'l PENCI~ Ho\'O(R

2. lANDfIlG GE:M~WAIINING "ORN3. SlIf'E:Il(;t<AIlGE:IlCOIlTlIOtl.EV[1I4. ~U£L T"'1l1 SEl[CrOll VAlVE~ W'NG fLAPS CONTAOI.

&, IIUCOEIlTAIlCOOTROI..7 AILEIl'OHTA9CONTROtI , ..ROTTLE CQNTAOl..9. NICRoPt'lOliE SlIIllCtt BoUflOft

10. "'1)[lUIl:ECONTIIOl

J-----_.- -~--

47

VARIATIONS ON A THEME/

- ~

~ ..~-~_..~._._-'~

Two one-of-a-kind variations on the F4F-4 design are illustrated on this page. In the top photo is a "long wing"experiment (on the left) parked nose to nose with a standard F4F-4 for comparison. Below is a head-on view of BuNo5262, which was fitted with full span (duplex) flaps. The inboard flaps were the same as those on the basic F4F, while theouter flaps were electrically actuated. The wing was the fixed type that was used on ihe,F4F-3. The design wasdesignated G-53, and was ordered by the Navy under contract 75736. The aircraft first flew on May 5, 1942, and it wasthe only Wildcat so modified. (Both Grumman)

48

DIMENSION DATANote: All dimensions are for F4F-3 and sUbsequent aircraft except as noted.

DIMENSION ACTUAL 1/72nd SCALE* 1/48th SCALE 1/32nd SCALEWingspan (extended) 38' 0" 6.33" 9.5" 14.25"Wingspan (folded)** 14' 4" 2.39" 3.58" 5.38"Length*** 28' 9-3/8" 4.80" 7.20" 10.79"Height tail 8' 0" 1.33" 2.00" 3.00"Height tail (FM-2) 8' 9-9/16" 1.47" 2.20" 3.30"Horizontal tail span 13' 8" 2.28" 3.42" 5.13"Wheel tread 6' 4-31/32" 1.07" 1.60" 2.41 "Wing root chord 8' 7" 1.43" 2.15" 3.22"Wing tip chord 5' 1-5/8" .86" 1.28" 1.93"Stab. chord (max) 5' 29/32" .85" 1.27" 1.90"

* For 1/144th scale, divide 1/72nd scale dimensions by two.** The F4F-3 and F4F-3A did not have folding wings.

*** Length measurement is measured overall parallel to fuselage centerline.

(J)rawn by(J)ana {]Jell &[Russell c2ee

DETAIL & SCALE,INC.

.q;;~~ii/..-7~;-N--D--SCALE

~ FIVE-VIEW DRAWING

F4F-3 LEFT WING BOTTOM VIEW

v F4F-3 LEFT SIDE VIEW

vFM-2 LEFT SIDE VIEW

49

DETAIL & SCALE 1/72nd SCALE FIVE VIEW DRAWINGS

72 NO SCALE

~ FIVE-VIEW DRAWING

DETAIL & SCALE,INC.

1

aJrawn byrJ)ana gJell &[Russell clJee

v

ALL VIEWS ARE OF THE F4F-4

50

o-==-__J-..-\f

o 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0

(J)rawn by(J)ana [/Jell &[Russell ePee

72 ND SCALE

"FIVE-VIEW DRAWING

DETAIL &SCALE,INC.

1

51

XF4F-7

The F4F-7 was a long range photo recon version of the Wildcat with a greatly increased fuel supply. (Grumman)

The F4F-7, Grumman design G-52, was a long rangephoto-reconnaissance variant of the Wildcat that wasbased on the rigid-wing F4F-3. The camera installationwas in the aft fuselage section. It had no guns, no armoror bullet resistant windshield. An autopilot was installedto reduce pilot fatigue, because the endurance wastwenty-five hours in the air! Thefixed wing was fitted withfuel tanks, bringing the total fuel capacity to 555 gallons.This quadrupled the range possible with the standardF4F-3. Gross weight increased to 10,328 pounds, makingthe F4F-7 by far the heaviest Wildcat built. In order todump the large amount of fuel quickly, a special dump

system was installed with two outlets protruding from theaft fuselage just below the rudder.

Twenty-one F4F-7s were built and assigned BuNos5263-5283, but only two are known to have been used inthe photographic role at Guadalcanal. An additional onehundred were ordered, but the order was first changed toF4F-3S float planes, then to standard F4F-3s. The firstflight was on December 30,1941, and was made by S. A.Converse. Deliveries began on January 13, 1942, andcontinued until December 18. The first F4F-7 flew fromNew York to Los Angeles non-stop in eleven hours withLCDR "Andy" Jackson in the cockpit.

These two views show more details of the F4F-7. The vent tubes for the fuel dump system are visible below the rudder,and are seen in close-up detailed photos on the next page. (Grumman)

52

The F4F-7 shared common features with both the F4F-3 and F4F-4 as evidenced by these two photographs. The rigid(non-folding) wing of the F4F-3 was used, but was fitted with the small F4F-4 style pitot. The arrangements of eight cowlflaps and combustion air scoop on top of the cowl are visible. There is no armament or armor installed.

(Both Grumman)

F4F-7 DATA

EngineNormal HP/RPM/Alt

Takeoff HPPropellerPropeller TypePropeller DiameterWing AreaWeight EmptyCombat Gross WeightPower Loading (Lbs/HP)Max Speed at SLMax Sp~ed at Crit.

P&W R-1830-861100/2500/SL

1000/2550/190001200/2700

Curtiss C5315 (S)3 blade, C.S.

9 ft, 9 in260 sq. ft.

5468 pounds10,336 pounds

8.6250 mph

309/22,000

Cruise SpeedLanding SpeedMax Rate of ClimbT.O. Dist. (25 kt wind)Range at Max SpeedRange at Cruise SpeedMax EnduranceCeiling (Absolute)Ceiling (Service)Fuel (I nternal)ArmamentBombsFirst FlightNumber Built

200 mph86 mph

1730 ft/min574 ft

470 miles4540 miles25.5 hours29,900 feet28,300 feet

685 gallonsNoneNone

December 30, 194121

These two photographs show the vent tubes of the fuel dump system installed in the F4F-7. Since the F4F-7 carried sucha large amount of fuel, it required a system that could dump excess fuel rather quickly. At left is a close-up of the venttubes, and, in the photo at right, the cover has been removed from below the rudder showing more of the tubes. Note theend of the arresting hook nestled just below the tubes. (Both Grumman)

53

XF4F-8

This is the first of two XF4F-8 prototypes built by Grumman. It has the tail and rudder design used on all productionvariants up to that time. The BuNo was 12228. (Grumman)

This XF4F-8, 12229, was produced with a taller verticaltail and rudder as shown here. The increased height wasnecessary due to the additional torque of the WrightXR-1820-56 engine. (Grumman)

In 1942 the Navy issued a request for a lightweightfighter that cou Id operate from the smaller escort carriersthat were joining both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets inever increasing numbers. Grumman's answer to thisrequest was to Iig hten the F4F's ai rframe, and fit it with alighter and more powerful engine. The nine-cylinder,single-row Wright R-1820-56 replaced the Pratt & Whit­ney R-1830s used on previous variants, and BuNo 12228became the first XF4F-8. It also had slotted flaps at first,but these were later replaced with the standard split flaps.

Tests with the first XF4F-8 revealed the need for ataller vertical tail to counter the increased torque of theWright engine during takeoff and go-around phases ofcarrier operations. The second XF4F-8, 12229, was fittedwith the taller tail, and became the prototype forthe FM-2that was produced by Eastern Aircraft.

1350Hamilton Standard CS

260 sq. ft.5365 pounds7080 pounds

321/16,8003125 ftlmin36,400 feet

4 x .50 caliber MGNovember 8, 1942

2

Takeoff HPPropellerWing AreaWeight EmptyGross WeightMax Speed/AltitudeRate of Climb at SLService CeilingArmamentFirst FlightNumber Built

This close-up shows the taller tail on 12229. With the tailwheelan the ground, the height of the rudder wasincreased to 8 feet, 9-9/16 inches as compared to an even8 feet for the shorter tail. With the aircraft's tail hoisted sothat the centerline of the fuselage was parallel to theground line, the top of the tail was 12 feet, 9-1/16 inchesabove the ground, while the short tail was 11 feet, 10-3/8inches. (Grumman)

Wright R-1820-561200/5000900/18500

XF4F-8 DATA

EngineNormal HP/Alt

54

XF4F-8 COCKPIT DETAILS

The instrument panel in the XF4F-8 is shown here. (Grumman)

This is the left console. (Grumman)

Right console details are shown in this photograph.

(Grumman)This view looks straight down into the cockpit of one ofthe XF4F-8s. (Grumman)

55

FM-1 & FM-2

The tall-tailed XF4F-8 served as the prototype for the FM-2, which was produced by the Eastern Aircraft Division ofGeneral Motors. With the extra horsepower of the Wright 1820-56W, the most widely produced variant ofthe Wildcatwas a much better performer than the earlier Pratt & Whitney powered versions. In addition to the taller tail, the lateralexhausts above the wings were a distinguishing feature ofthis version. Two more exhausts were at the base ofthe cowl.

(Grumman)

As the wartime production industry in America movedtoward capacity, Grumman needed to turn its attention to

the F6F Hellcat. There were a number of strange "ar­rangements" made during these years that found indus­tries that had formerly produced one item making warmaterials that differed greatly from their previouspeacetime products. One such case was the GeneralMotors plants in New Jersey that had built automobiles inthe pre-war years. Now, at government direction, theywould use these same plants to take part of the load ofproducing aircraft. This was not the on Iy example of suchan "arrangement," with Goodyear's production of Cor­sairs being another. These plants became known as theEastern Aircraft Division of General Motors, and theywere to take over production of the Wildcat and Avengertorpedo bomber, leaving the Hellcat to Grumman. Todifferentiate between aircraft produced by the twocompanies, the F4F designation for the Wildcat waschanged to FM, and the TBF designation of the Grum-

The FM-1 Wildcat was essentially an F4F-4 produced bythe Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors. The onlynoteable difference was that the FM-1 had only four .50caliber machine guns instead of six. (Grumman)

56

man Avenger was changed to TBM for the Eastern­produced aircraft.

In the Wildcat series, the F4F-4 production was takenover in mid-stream by Eastern, and the first Eastern Wild­cat became the FM-1. An initial contract was issued onApril 18, 1942, for 1800 FM-1s. However, only 839 weredelivered to the U.S. Navy and USMC before productionwas changed to the more powerful and significant FM-2.The FM-1 was in every respect like the F4F-4, exceptthatit was fitted with four machine guns instead of six. Fourhundred and thirty rounds were supplied for each gun.The first flight by an FM-1 was made on August 31,1942.

While the ESSEX class of carriers would form thebackbone of the American carrier forces in the Pacific,and would be supplemented by the INDEPENDENCEclass of light carriers, the U.S. Navy was building a largenumber of escort carriers in an effort to get as muchairpower to sea as possible. Compared to the fleet carri­ers, the escort carriers were quite small, usually beingconverted from existing merchant ships or built over thehulls of smaller ships. At first, it was thought that thesesmaller carriers would serve as aircraft transports, sup­plying aircraft for the fleet carriers, but it became clearthat flight operations from these escort carriers was notonly possi ble, it was necessary. It was these ships in boththe U.S. and British navies that were to provide air coverall the way across the Atlantic forthe slow and vulnerableconvoys that had suffered devastating losses to U-boatsin the early years of the war. By providing aircovertotheconvoys throughout their voyage, the escort carrierstu rned the war around for the U-boats. Instead of a shoot­ing gallery of almost helpless targets, the Atlanticbecame a graveyard for U-boats. This was due in a large

An FM-2 steps into the airas the catapult bridle falls away.Launching by catapult became more common during thelater stages of the war. (Grumman)

scheme of non-specular blue (FS 35042) on upper sur­faces, non-specular intermediate blue (FS 35164) on thefuselage sides and vertical tail, and flat white on theundersides. This was later replaced with the overall glosssea blue (FS 15042) scheme. But there was one differ­ence on this last scheme when compared to other air­craft. Numerous photos of the FM-2 in the overall seablue scheme show the use of insignia blue discs on thenational insignia. This was usually not done, with onlythe white star and bars used. Just how often this wasdone is not known, but it has been documented in a largenumber of photographs.

FM-2s and other ai rcraft used in the Atlantic used acompletely different scheme. This consisted of dark gullgray being used on the upper surfaces, with white beingapplied to the undersides, sides of the fuselage, and thevertical tail. Some F4F-4 and FM-1 Wildcats that operatedin the Atlantic also were painted in this scheme.

FM-1 & FM-2 PRODUCTION SUMMARY

1942 1943 1944 1945 TOTAL21 818 0 0 839o 310 2890 1237 4437

./

Wright R-1820-56W1200/5000900/18500

1350Curtiss CS, 3 blade

10ft,Oin260 sq. ft.

5542 pounds7431 pounds8221 pounds

289/SL319/19,600

2890 ft/min35,600 feet117 gallons

2 x 58 gallon tanks780 miles

1350 miles4 x .50 caliber MGRockets & Bombs

TYPEFM-1FM-2

FM-2 DATA

Takeoff HPPropellerPropeller DiameterWing AreaWeight EmptyGross WeightMax T.O. WeightMax Speed/Altitude

EngineNormal HP/Alt

Rate of Climb at SLService CeilingFuel (Internal)Fuel (External)Max Range (Internal Fuel)Max Range (External tanks)ArmamentExternal Stores

part to the escort carriers as well as an increase innumbers and improvements to other escorting ships anddetection gear. In the Pacific, the aircraft from the escortcarriers provided close air support to ground forces, flewCAP, and patrolled for enemy submarines, while aircraftfrom the fleet carriers were free to strike the enemy fleet,shipping, and land bases. While not as glamorous as thefleet carriers, the operations of the escort carriers in bothoceans were most important.

In order for these small ships to be as effective aspossible, they needed a small, lightweight fighter, so, in1942, the Navy issued a request for such an aircraft. Thisled to the XF4F-8 as described on pages 54 and 55, andthe XF4F-8 served as the prototype for the FM-2. With4437 examples being built, this was by far the most widelyproduced Wildcat variant. Production began in the fall of1943, and continued until the end of the war in August1945. It was the FM-2 that joined with the Avenger incomposite squadrons aboard these escort carriers toperform the roles listed above.

The FM-2 was 530 pounds lighter than the F4F-4, and,with a more powerful engine, its performance was signifi­cantly better except at altitude. The Wright engine alonewas a weight savings of 230 pounds as compared to thePratt & Whitney. Flying close air support and anti­submarine patrols did not call for high altitude perfor­mance, so the R-1820-5 engine used in the FM-2 only hada single-stage supercharger, hence the F4F-4 was betterat very high altitude, but elsewhere the FM-2 was consid­

erably better. Being lighter, its rate of climb and maneu­verability was also im proved, and these Wildcats becamea better match for the Japanese aircraft in these perfor­mance categories.

Several versions of the Wright R-1820-56 were used inthe FM-2, to include the -56, -56A, and the -56W or 56WAwith water injection. These water injected engines had atank with a ten minute water supply. There was only the117-gallon fuel tank in the FM-2, with the reserve tankbeing deleted: From 2401st FM-2, BuNo 57044, the tanksize was increased to 126 gallons. Two 58-gallon externaltanks could be carried instead. From the 3301st FM-2,BuNo 74359, racks for six five-inch rockets were fittedunder the wings. Like the FM-1, the FM-2 was armed withfour .50 caliber machine guns and had a total of 1720rounds of ammunition.

In addition to the tallertail, the FM-2 was recognizableby the large lateral exhausts that were located above thewing. They usually streaked the aircraft quite noticeablyalong the sides of the fuselage. Two more exhausts werelocated in the usual positions at the base ofthe cowl, andwere much less noticeable. The underwing oil coolersthat had been on all previous production Wildcats weremissing from the FM-2, being replaced by a single unitlocated in the accessory compartment behind theengine. Another difference was the change to a CurtissElectric constant speed propeller with wide chordblades.

The FM-2 was originally delivered in the tri-color

57

F••d Chut.Outboard Link EI.ctlon Chut.Forward Trunnion Po.t

t2

34 PinSPin6 Ca•• EI.ctlon Chut.7 Rear Mounting Po.t8 Gun Firing Cabl.9 Gun Charging Cabl.

to Gun H.al.r Junction Bo"

t Ammunition F••d Chut.2 Gun Firing Sol.nold3 Trunnion R.leas. Cabl.

4 Gun Charging Cabl.

S Gun H.al.r Junction Bo"6 Link EI.ctlon Chut.

Gun armament on most FM-1s and FM-2s returned to a four-gun arrangement in the wings that was similar to, but notexactly like, that used on the F4F-3. Notably, the gun barrels did not project beyond the leading edge of the wing as theydid on the F4F-3. These drawings show the details of the gun and gun compartments on the FM-2. (Grumman)

Most FM-2s were teamed with Avengers in composite squadrons aboard escort carriers as seen here. The tail markingson the aircraft indicate that this is the USS RUD YERD BA Y, C VE-81. The design ofthe single panel that covered bothguns is visible on the wing of aircraft number 2 in the center foreground. The aircraft are painted overall gloss sea bluewith white markings. (Grumman)

58

In addition to the taller tail, one of the most distinguishingand easily noticeable characteristics of the FM-2 was thelateral exhaust located on each side of the fuselage abovethe wing. This is a close-up of the exhaust on the left sideof the aircraft.

Aileron and hinge details are shown in this view. This isthe underside of the left aileron.

This is a close-up of the two shell ejection slots under theright wing of the Naval Aviation Museum's FM-2. Thewing is in the folded position.

This FM-2 has come to a stop after catching one of the arresting cables on an unidentified escort carrier.

(Grumman)

59

FRENCH WILDCATS

Before France fell to Nazi Germany. Aeronaval had contracted for eighty-one Wildcats under the design designationG-36A. This is the first G-36A which was coded NX-G1. It later served with the Royal Navy as AX753. (Grumman)

In late 1939 and early 1940, the French were lookingfor carrier-based fighters for two new aircraft carriers,the JOFFRE and PAINLEVE, which they had under con­struction. They became interested in Grumman's designG-36 which had been given the American designationF4F-3. An order was placed for eighty-one aircraft withcertain changes specified by the French. The enginewas to be the nine-cylinder Wright GR-1820-G205A-2which provided 1200 horsepower for takeoff. Althougharmament was never installed, it was to consist of fourDarn 7.5mm machine guns, two being cowl-mounted,and the other two were located in the wings. An odditywas that the throttle was to work backwards by conven­tional standards. Power was increased by pulling back onthe throttle, and reduced by pushing forward!

One aircraft was painted in overall light gray withFrench Navy markings that included a six-position

60

national insignia and red, white, and blue rudder andelevator stripes. The registration number NX-G1 wasassigned to the aircraft, and it flew for the first time onMay 11, 1940.

Seven ai rcraft were already under construction whenFrance was overrun by the Germans, and the British, indesparate need of all the fighters they could get theirhands on, took over the order. The seven aircraft thatwere already under construction were reworked to Brit­ish standards to include turning the throttles around sothat they worked in the normal fashion. These aircraft,with the codes NX-G1 to NX-G7 were flown to Canada.There they were taken over by the British and givenserials AX753. AX754, and AL231 to AL235. The rest ofthe order was built from the start to British standards,and all aircraft went to England as Martlet Is, still beingdesignated as design G-36A by Grumman.

Center left and right: These two views show that designG-36A was essentially an F4F-3. Like the first two produc­tion F4F-3s, it had provisions for cowl-mounted machine

guns, but no armament was ever installed. The wingswere the non-folding type. The highly polished propelleris of a different design than that used on the F4F-3, and isas unusual as it is interesting. (Both Grumman)

Left: Upper surface details and markings are shown here.Note the red, white, and blue stripes on the elevators.These stripes were also on the undersides of the eleva­tors. (Grumman)

BRITISH MARTLETS

-------------

A factory-fresh Martlet I displays the highly polished pro­peller used on the French G-36A on the previous page;however, the provisions for the cowl guns have beendeleted. (Grumman)

During World War II, the British obtained and oper­ated almost every type of American-built fighter, toinclude the F4F, F6F, and F4U carrier-based aircraft. Likemost other major powers, the British had realized theimportance of the aircraft carrier, but due to politicalconsiderations, most British carrier-based aircraft werenothing more than "navalized" versions of land planes.

Like the Americans, the British recognized the needfor a small fighter that could operate from escort carriers,and Grumman's G-36 design seemed to be ideally suitedfor this purpose. Throughout the war England wouldobtain almost 1100 aircraft of the Wildcat series, whichwere initially called Martlets. Although built by Grum­man, these ai rcraft were fu rther mod ified and made readyfor British Fleet Air Arm service by Blackburn Aircraft

Ltd., who performed the same tasks on Avengers, Hell­cats, and Corsairs. Among the work done by Blackburnwas the installation of British type radios, oxygen sys­tems, gunsights, batteries, catapult gear, and, on latertypes, the British style rocket rails.

As discussed on page 60, the fi rst Martlets were thosetaken over from the French order after the fall of France.The Martlet Is were armed with four .50 caliber machineguns in the wings, and were in most other respects sim­ilar to the American F4F-3. The major difference was theuse of the Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G205A engine thathad been specified by the French. A Hamilton Standardconstant speed propeller was fitted. Like the F4F-3, theMartlet I did not have folding wings.

The first Martlet I was delivered on July 27,1940, onemonth before the first F4F-3 was delivered to the U.S.Navy. A total of ninety-one were built, but only eighty­one were delivered. The other ten were lost at sea. Deliv­eries were completed by October 1940. Because theylacked folding wings and did not have essential equip­ment for carrier operations, Martlet Is operated only fromland bases, with the first assignment being to No. 804Squadron at Hatston.

As mentioned earlier, it was two Martlet Is that scoredthe first victory for the Wildcat series, and it was also thefirst victory scored by an American aircraft in the handsof the British. The kill was made by Lt. L. L. N. Carver, RN,and Sub Lt Parke, RNVR, flying in BJ515 and BJ526. Theyshot down a Ju-88 that was attacking ships of the British

Martlet Is are seen here parked and waiting for delivery tothe Royal Navy. (Grumman)

home fleet anchored in Scapa Flow in the OrkneyIslands. The kill was made on Christmas Day in 1940,and, as a present, the Royal Navy sent the propeller fromBJ526 to the U.S. Navy. Today, the oldest survivingmember of the Wildcat family is Martlet I, AL246, which ison display at Yeovilton, England. It had been delivered tothe British on August 22, 1940.

The Martlet II was design G-36B, which was poweredby a S3C4-G engine with a single-stage, two-speedsupercharger. This was equivalent to the Pratt & WhitneyR-1830-90 used in the F4F-3A. However the British choseto use a Curtiss Electric propeller with a ten-foot diame­ter. It had an elongated and pointed hub cap as comparedto the stepped hubs used on the American F4Fs. The firstten Martlet lis had the rigid, non-folding wings with fourmachine guns, but the remaining ninety had foldingwings with six machine guns. They were the first of theWildcat series to have the folding wings.

The first carrier-based squadron in the Royal Navywas No. 802 Squadron which took six Martlet lis aboardthe HMS AUDACITY. This was the first British escortcarrier, and it had been converted from a captured Ger­man merchantman. It had no hangar deck or elevator, sothe Martlets had to remain on the flight deck at all times.They scored the first carrier-based kill on September 20,1941, when they shot down a FW-200C Condor. TheAUDACITY herself was sunk by a U-boat on December21,1941.

During the Madagascar Campaign, Martlet lis fromNos. 881 and 882 Squadrons on the HMS ILLUSTRIOUSshot down three Potez 63 light bombers without a loss.Later, in November 1942, during the landings in NorthAfrica, Lt B. H. C. Nation from No. 882 Squadron aboardthe HMS VICTORIOUS saw indications from the Frenchon the airfield at Bilda that they wanted to surrender.After obtaining permission to land, he did so and single­handedly accepted the surrender, thus "capturing" theairfield.

Taking over the French order that became Martlet Iswas not the only occasion the British had to gain aircraftoriginally destined for another nation. The first thirtyF4F-3As had been built for the Greeks in 1941, and werein transit at Gibraltar at the time the allies evacuatedGreece. The British took over the aircraft and designated

61

After the first ten deliveries, all subsequent Martlet lis hadthe folding wings and six .50 caliber machine guns likethe F4F-4. Note the position of the pitot tube on the leftwing. It is mounted just inboard of the aileron aboutthree-quarters of the way back on the wing.

(Grumman)

them Martlet Ills. Being the same as the American F4F­3A, these aircraft did not have folding wings, so the Brit­ish used them only from land bases. They participated inthe operations in the Western Desert of Africa beginningin September 1941, being assigned to No. 805 Squadronwhich flew out of Dekheila.

The Martlet IV was generally similar to the F4F-4, butwas powered by the Wright R-1820-G205A-3 engine witha single-stage, two-speed supercharger. It was fitted witha Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller, and wasarmed with six Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Thefirst unit to operate this Martlet was No. 892 Squadron.

The British received 311 FM-1s from Eastern Aircraft,and designated them Martlet Vs, but, in January 1944, thename Martlet was dropped and replaced with Wildcat tostandardize with the Americans. FM-2s followed the FM­1s, becoming Wildcat Vis. A total of 340 of this type weredelivered, the first being assigned to No. 801 Squadronaboard the HMS PURSUER. Wildcat Vis scored the FleetAir Arm's last victories of the war when No. 882 Squad­ron's aircraft shot down four Me-109s over Norway onMarch 26, 1945.

As was the case with their American counterparts inthe Atlantic, shooting down aircraft was not the primary

The first of 220 Martlet IVs, FN100, is shown here. TheMartlet IV was the last Grumman-built aircraft of theWildcat series that was delivered to the British.

(Grumman)

62

This photograph shows Martlet lis awaiting delivery.Note the panels that cover the gun compartments on thewings. (Grumman)

mission of the British Martlets/Wilcats. For the most partthey operated from escort carriers to provide air coverand protection from U-boats for the all-important con­voys. Although the Martlet Is saw limited action operat­ing from land bases in Great Britain, and the Martlet Illsprovided air support and attacked Axis targets on theground in Africa, other Martlets spent most of their timeoperating from the small carriers. But during the war,

Martlets shot down German, Italian, Vichy, one Japan­ese, and, unfortunately, one British aircraft. The singleJapanese kill was of a Mavis flying boat by No. 888Squadron that was operating from the HMS FORMID­ABLE during a brief side trip to the war on the other sideof the globe. The British aircraft that was shot down bymistake was a RAF Hudson based at Gibraltar.

The lack of opportunities for aerial victories notwith­standing, the MartletiWildcat series was both welcomedand admired by the Fleet Air Arm. Once the first aircraftwas obtained from the previous French order, these air­craft performed the important, if thankless, job of provid­ing air cover to convoys and other shipping. Theycontinued in British service throughout the entire waruntil the surrender of Germany.

Both Martlet IVs and U.S. Navy F4F-4s are visible in thisphotograph during construction at Grumman.

(Grumman)

BRITISH MARTLET/WILDCAT SERIAL NUMBERS

This Martlet IV is shown during a takeoff roll on a Britishescort carrier. (Grumman)

AL236-AL262AX725-AX738AX824-AX829BJ507-BJ527BJ554-BJ570

AM954-AM999AJ100-AJ153UNKNOWN**FN100-FN319JV325-JV636JV637-JV924

JW785-JW836

MARTLET IIIMARTLET IVMARTLET V***WILDCAT VI

MARTLET 1*

MARTLET II

Mart/et lis are seen here during operations aboard theHMS ILLUSTRIOUS. (Grumman)

* Only 81 Martlet Is were delivered.Originally given U.S. Navy BuNos 3875-3904.

*** Only 311 Martlet Vs were delivered.

BRITISH MARTLET/WILDCAT PRODUCTION SUMMARY

TYPE 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 TOTALMARTLET I 81 0 0 0 0 0 81MARTLET II 0 60 49 0 0 0 109MARTLET III 0 30 0 0 0 0 30MARTLET IV 0 0 220 0 0 0 220MARTLET V 0 0 2 309 11 0 322WILDCAT VI 0 0 0 0 240 100 340TOTALS 81 90 271 309 255 100 1102

The Mart/et V, which was later renamed Wildcat V, wasproduced by the Eastern Aircraft Division. It was thesame as the U.S. FM-1. (Grumman)

Wildcat VI was the British designation for the Eastern Air­craft FM-2. This Wildcat VI has made a particularly hardlanding on a carrier, but the pilot walked away unhurt.

(Grumman)

63

and corrected very easily. An antenna mast and a smallpitot tube need to be added. But the shape looks accu­rate, and the model would look good in a 1/144th scalecollection. For someone who is ambitious, a squadron ofthese little models on a 1/144th scale aircraft carrierwould be real impressive! Decals are quite basic, andconsist of four national insignias of the star, disc, and barvariety, yellow USAAF serial numbers 49255 (incorrectfor any Wildcat) and two white 16s. Evidently this sheetwas used for several kits because it has the numbersH-1025, H-1026, H-1027, and H-1028 on it. The instruc­tions show using only the national insignia on this model.Painting instructions are for the tri-color scheme.

Review sample courtesy of Jim Galloway

The smallest Wildcat kit is this 1/144th scale offering fromRevell. It is a very good kit for such a small scale, butunfortunately, it is no longer available.

Comments by Jim Galloway

Bachman F4F in 1/140th Scale, Kit Number 62One of the smallest Wildcat kits ever issued, this

model came assembled with stickers (instead of decals)already in place. It was released around 1970, and bringsabout two to four dollars from collectors.

Aristocraft F4F-4 in 1/72nd Scale, No Kit NumberThis is a highly sought-after collectors' item, bringing

anywhere from fifteen to fifty dollars. It is a black plasticI.D. model from World War II, and it was issued in 1942.There were no decals or markings of any kind, and nodetail was provided.

Aurora F4F in 1/65th Scale, Kit Number 497Molded ina very hard and brittle dark blue plastic, this

model dates from 1962, and is very crude. Twenty-eightparts are molded in the blue plastic and include a two­piece stand. There is also a clear canopy. Two drop tanksare provided, but are identified as bombs on the instruc­tion sheet. The cockpit is sparse, consisting of only a rearbulkhead with a crude pilot figure. The landing gearconsists of three pieces for each side. By 1962, mostmodel manufacturers had gotten away from molding thelocations for the markings into the plastic, but notAurora. The decal sheet provides fou r stars and bars, twowingwalks, two G 2 codes, and two small number 2s forthe cowling. There are eleven Japanese kill markings, adecal for the stand, and four small unreadable whitemarki ngs of unknown use.

Marusan F4F in 1/48th Scale, Unknown Kit Number

Most of the larger Marusan kits were imported byUPC, but, according to Shank's Guide of 1972, there is norecord of the F4F being brought into this country. Burn'sGuide of 1983 states that this is an "Ex-Monogram" kit,but no further information is available.

MODELERS SECTIONOLDER COLLECTABLE KITS

KIT REVIEWS1/144th SCALE KIT

Revell F4F-4, Kit Number H-1026

This is the only Wildcat model that has been issued in1/144th scale. Unfortunately, it is no longer available, buthopefully Revell will reissue it again. For a model that isso small, it is really nicely done. It consists of thirteenpieces molded in a blue-gray plastic, a two-piece stand inblack plastic, and a clear canopy. The only problem areasare the propeller, which must be reshaped and cuffed,and the engine, which has nine cylinders showinginstead of the correct seven. The lower windows areopaque, but are indented into the plastic. It would be asimple matter to open them up and replace them withclear plastic. The landing gear is quite basic, as would beexpected on such a small kit, but could be detailed out

1/72nd SCALE KITS

AirfixlMPC F4F, Kit Numbers 1112 and 01037While this kit has probably been released a numberof

times, our review sample was the MPC release. Like someother kit manufacturers, Airfix and MPC had a hard timeknowing one type of Wildcat from another, and thisshows in the instructions, on the box, and worst of all, onthe decals. The kit is not of an F4F as stated, but is of anFM-2 instead. As an FM-2, it is fairly accurate, having thetaller tail, only four guns, lateral exhausts, and ninecylinders for the Wright engine. However, they aremolded into the cowling and have too much spacebetween them. The model is generally accurate in shape,and fits together fairly well. Only a little filling and sand­ing is required. Four gun fairings are molded under thewings, but there are no ejector slots or holes in the lead-

64

The Airfix 1/72nd scale model represents an FM-2. Thismodel was painted in the dark gull gray over whitescheme used in the Atlantic.

ing edge of the wings. These are easily drilled out by themodeler. Two external fuel tanks and six rockets areprovided as underwing stores. The rockets look more likeBritish types (as might be expected from Airfix), but therocket racks or stubs are way too thick. We replacedthese with thin card stock, and filled the wide holes in thelower wing. The rockets went into the parts box. Thelocating holes for the external fuel tanks are too far out onthe wings, being outboard of the wing fold line. Theseshould be filled in, and the tanks should be mounted intheir proper positions on the wing's center section.

The cockpit consists of only a seat and a pilot, whichis probably satisfactory if the canopy is assembledclosed. But if it is to be opened up, most modelers willwant to add some details. The propeller is the propernon-cuffed type used on the FM-2, but it has the olderF4F style hub, so this needs to be corrected. The landinggear can be built in the up or down position, but thesomewhat complex strut arrangement is difficult torepresent in 1/72nd scale, and some modelers may wantto improve or even rebuild a more accurate gear fromsprue, wire, or tubing.

Three alternatives are given on the decal sheet in KitNumber 1112; however, not one is for the FM-2 or cor­responding Wildcat VI that the kit represents. One set ofmarkings is for an early F4F-3 from VF-41 and theUSS RANGER, CV-4. It is in the colorful pre-war paintscheme. A second set of markings is provided forO'Hare's F4F-3 coded F-3, but only one VF-3 insignia isprovided, and it is way oversized. Two kill markings arealso included, but they too are about th ree ti mes too largefor 1172nd scale. The last set of markings is for a RoyalNavy Martlet I, coded AL257. For Kit Number01037, twoalternatives are provided. One is for an FM-2, coded M-F,with 00 tail number, and the second is for a Wildcat VI,coded JV708.

Aosima F4F, Kit Number 5, and Aoshima F4F, KitNumber 13

We are assuming that Aosima and Aoshima areindeed the same company, with the single letter differ­ence in spelling due either to poor translation to Englishor a name change by the company. For ou r purposes, thekits are basically the same, so we are reviewing themtogether. The one by Aosima seems to be the earlierrelease, and can be identified by its box art which showsan LSO holding up two paddles as he is just about to getmowed down by a landing Wildcat. It is molded in darkblue plastic, and has a few extra pieces that allow motori­zation of the model. Decals consist of four national insig­nia that are the red disc, inside a white star, inside a bluedisc type. The codes 41-F-8 are provided in white. TheAoshima kit is molded in blue-gray, and does not havethe motorizing feature. Otherwise it is identical to theAosima kit to include the same decals. The rest of ourcomments apply equally to both of these kits.

Like too many of the other Wildcat kits, the engine isthe nine-cylinder Wright R-1820 that was used on theXF4F-8 and FM-2, while the rest of the kit represents anF4F-4, which used the fourteen-cylinder P&W R-1830.These cylinders are molded into the cowling, so wedecided to remove them and replace them with a separ­ate engine from the parts box that more closely repre­sented the R-1830. The eight flaps are represented byscribing that is way too deep and too wide.

The wings are designed to fold, but we recommenddeleting this feature, and gluing all parts together. Thensand out the seams and rescribe the panel lines if you are

The Aosima/Aoshima kit is not one of the better 1/72ndscale models available of the Wildcat. Even though themodel comes with working folding wings, this model wasbuilt by the author as an F4F-3, and has the markings ofthe Wildcat flown by Major Robert E. Galer, USMC.

65

building a Wildcat with folding wings. Our review samplewas built as an F4F-3, so we simply filled and sanded outeverything! The ailerons are separate pieces, but fit fairlywell. However, they lack detail. The cockpit has a midgetpilot who even lacks a good set of legs. He is best dis­carded. There is no other detail for the cockpit. A two­piece canopy is provided, and can be assembled openedor closed. However, it is rather crude, being quite thickand having very noticeable mold marks. A vacu-formedone would look much better.

There are no holes for the guns on the leading edge ofthe wing, so these must be drilled out. The propeller lacksany cuffs, and the landing gear leaves a lot to be desired.Two drop tanks are provided, but are way oversized.

While the overall shape of the finished model is not allthat bad, this is not one of the better Wildcat kits in 1172ndscale. It takes a lot of work in the detailing department toget it to look right even for a basic shelf model. For theyounger modeler, the motor and working wings may beof interest, but for the serious scale modeler, there arebetter kits to work with.

Frog Grumman Wildcat, Kit Number F242FThis kit is no longer generally available from Frog, but

the new Academy/Minicraft kit is very similar. It repre­sen~s an F4F-4, and has many features missing on otherkits in 1/72nd scale. These include openings for the gunsin the leading edges of the wings, the small fairing on topof the wing at the wing fold, a separate engine (asopposed to one molded into the front of the cowling), andclear windows for the bottom of the fuselage. The pro­peller is cuffed, and more closely resembles the real thingthan props found in the majority of the other kits. Twoexternal fuel tanks are also provided. The main landinggear is perhaps the best in 1172nd scale, but it could beimproved with a little work and attention to details.

On the minus side, the clear parts leave a lot to bedesired. The framing and shape of the windscreen por­tion of the canopy is too pointed. A vacu-formed canopymade over a canopy from the Revell kit would look muchbetter. The windows in the lower fuselage are too small inthe vertical dimension. The landing gear can be built withthe gear up or down, but there is a large fairing betweenthe two main wheels. This is far too wide, and should lookmore like a rigid support bar rather than a bubble-likefairing. The D-shaped hole in the rudder is too large, andthe top of the vertical tail is too rounded. The cockpit isalmost void of detail, having only a seat, a pilot, and acontrol stick that attaches to the seat. The strutforthe tai Iwheel is noticeably too wide. It is probably best to removethe entire tail wheel structure and replace it with onemade from scratch. This is a relatively simple task thatwill enhance the appearance of the model.

Scribing is of the raised variety, except for the controlsurfaces and wing fold, which are recessed. The kit ismolded in medium gray plastic which is relatively freefrom flash. Decals are provided for two aircraft. First is anF4F-4 from VF-9 and the USS RANGER, GV-4, for the

66

One of the oldest but one of the better Wildcat kits in1/72nd scale is the Frog model. It is no longer available,but the new Academy/Minicraft kit is very similar to it.

Operation "Torch" landings in North Africa. The aircraftis coded 9-F-10, and has the yellow surround on thefuselage and under-wing national insignia. It is painted inthe blue-gray over light gray scheme. The second set ofmarkings are said to be for a Martlet IV from the 896Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, and the HMS PURSUER, inFebruary 1944. However, the aircraft is numberedJV429,and this would indicate a Martlet V instead. If this is thecase, the outer two guns on each wing should beremoved. The aircraft's code is 8*N, and it is painted in agray and green camouflage with sky undersides.

This is not a bad kit if the modeler wants to make someminor corrections and do some detailing. But since it isno longer available, it is probably best left for the collec­tors. Build the Academy/Minicraft kit instead, because itis readily available, and is virtually the same kit.

Review sample courtesy of Lloyd Jones.

Hawk F4F Wildcat, Kit Number 7-39This model, which was released in 1967, isofan FM-2,

and not an F4F. It provides only the basics, providing noengine, no cockpit, no landing gear, no radio mast, andno pitot tube. The entire kit consists of only eight partsmolded in beige plastic, plus a two-piece stand and aclear canopy. There are no details molded into the plas­tic. There are no guns, blisters, or even engine cylinders.There are hundreds of large rivets that are totally wrong,and they must be sanded off. Otherwise, only a few panellines, the wing fold, and the control surfaces are repre­sented. With the main gear wheels molded as part of thefuselage, the only choice is for an in-flight model unlessthe modeler wants to completely scratch build a landinggear. Quite frankly, the model is not worth it. The boxclaims that the kit provides "colorful decals," but sincethe only markings included are four star, disc, and bartype national insignia, this claim is stretching it a bit.

While this model would not interest the seriousmodeler, we had one, so we thought we would build it justto see what the result would be. The cowling was opened

The 1!72nd scale Hawk kit represents an FM-2, and israther poor. It has no cockpit interior, guns, or engine,and the landing gear is molded in the in-flight position.This model is painted in the markings of VC-81 from theUSS RUDYERD BAY. The stand is from the Academy!Minicraft kit, as are the two external fuel tanks.

up, and an engine was installed. The basis for a cockpitand a pilot were added, as were rocket racks under thewings. Since the kit does not include a radio mast nor apitot tube, these were scrounged from the parts box. Wedid not like the kit stand, so we replaced it with one fromthe Academy/Minicraft Wildcat kit. The external fueltanks also came from the Academy/Minicraft kit. Afterdebating whether to use the tri-color or all blue scheme,we settled on the latter. This was more of an effort to savetime as much as anything else. The propeller wasreplaced with a disc from the parts box. The result was adecent looking desk model that turned out a little betterthan we expected. But for the serious modeler, this is notthe kit to use. The value to the collector is Iisted betweentwo and four dollars.

Revell F4F-4 Wildcat, Kit Numbers H-639 and H-4104This is one of the older Wildcat kits in 1/72nd scale,

being first issued (kit H-639) in 1965. In spite of its age, itis one of the best Wildcat models available. The onlydifference between the releases was the color of theplastic used, the box art, and the decals provided. Kitnumber H-639 was molded in blue-gray plastic, and H­4101 was molded in a pale gray. Decals for the earlier kitwere for an FM-1 coded GS, but only those codes andfour star, disc, and bar type national insignia wereincluded on the sheet. The actual aircraft had a smallS oneach side of the cowl as well. If built out of the box withthese markings, the outboard gun on each wing shouldbe removed, because these markings were for the four-

The Revell 1!72nd scale kit is basically quite good. With alittle work it can built into a nice model. This Revell modelwas converted to an F4F-3 and painted in the colorfulpre-war markings of the USS RANGER.

gunned FM-1, and not a six-gunned F4F-4. In H-41 04, themarkings were for an F4F-4 in the dark gull gray overwhite scheme. They consisted of four star, disc, and barnational insignias and two 4s for the vertical tail. Again,the4s for the cowling are missing. It should be noted thatthis second release was done by Revell of Germany.

The kit is very accurate in outline, and has the correcttwin-row, fourteen-cylinder engine made up of twoseparate parts. It is, without question, the best engine inany Wildcat model except the large 1/32nd scale Revellkit. The upper portion of the cowling can be removedto see the engine; however, this is not how it worked onthe real thing! The combustion air scoop on top of theCOWling is not closed at the bottom, so a bit of thin plasticcard is needed here. The propeller is cuffed, but the cuffsare not as pronounced as they probably should be. Thecockpit has only a seat and a pilot figure, but it can beeasily detailed.

The main landing gear leaves a lot to be desired, andsome flash will have to be cleared away. Many modelerswill probably want to enhance the gear with pieces ofsprue, wire, and other parts as seen in the detailed photo­g raphs on pages 10 and 11. The wheels are plastic as thathave spoke covers that fit on them and attach to the strut.The a wheels can then turn, but the covers do not.

The only clear part is the one-piece canopy, and it isclear and accurate. If it is to be displayed in the openposition, it is best to vacu-formed over it, then cut thepieces apart. There are no clear parts for the lower win­dows, but they are indented into the plastic. It is an easyjob to open them up and add clear plastic. It just wouldhave been nicer if Revell had done the job.

Scribing is raised, and there are many rivets toremove; however, they are not as bad as those on the

Hawk kit. Some light sanding and they are gone. Moldeddetails are good, and an effort should be made not toremove them while sanding off the rivets. The ammuni­tion boxes, ejector slots, and fairings for the guns are allincluded under the wing. On top of the wings, the small

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fairing at the wing fold is missing, as are the compart­ments for the outer guns. There is a flash problem, but itis rather easily taken care of. Considering its age, this isnot a bad kit, and with some work and detailing, it can bemade into a very nice looking model of the Wildcat. KitH-639 originally sold for seventy cents, but is now worthfrom three to six dollars to collectors.

Academy/Minicraft F4F-4, Kit Number 1650Th is is the newest release of a Wildcat kit in any scale,

but it is essentially the same as the Frog kit reviewedearlier. There are a couple of changes that should bementioned. First, the panel lines are now recessed ratherthan being raised. Therefore, they are not as likely to beremoved while sanding. The lower windows are clear, asthey were in the Frog kit, but here the vertical dimensionis even less. The solution is quite simple though. Just cutout the window openings to the proper size and installpieces of clear plastic stock.

The kit inherits some problems of the Frog kit. Amongthese are the oversized D-shaped opening in the rudder,the bubble-like fairing between the main gear, therounded tip of the vertical tail, and the incorrectly shapedwindscreen. The strut on the tail wheel is also too wide,and this too carries forward from the Frog kit. But all ofthese are relatively easy to overcome. The advantages ofthis kit are noteworthy, and include gun openings in theleading edge of the wings, the small fairings under thewings for the guns, and the blister on top of the wings atthe wing fold. They are a bit oversized, but some lightsanding will fix this. It is a lot easier than trying to addthem because they were omitted as in other kits. Wing tiplights also need to be sanded down a bit. Other detailingon the kit includes flap and aileron hinges. As with theFrog kit, two external fuel tanks are included.

The overall shape of the kit looks good except thatthefuselage seems a little too wide from the cockpit forward.

Detailing is required in thecockpitas itis in all Wildcatkits, and most modelers will want to do some work on theengine. The engine is separate with the correct numberof cylinders, but they are merely conical in shape withrings around them representing cooling vanes.

The Academy/Minicraft 1/72nd scale kit is the newestmodel of the Wildcat in any scale. This model carries themarkings of the Marine Corp's leading ace, Joseph Foss.

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Decals are from Scale-Master and include four star,disc, and bar national insignias, two 4s for the tail, andtwo smaller4s forthe cowl. The aircraft is to be finished inthe dark gull gray over white scheme if these markingsare used.

Minicraft is developing some of their own kits that arenot based on other kits. Others, like this one of the Wild­cat, have their roots with previously issued kits. But thegoal of Minicraft is to provide good kits at reasonableprices. All Wildcat kits, including this one, need somework and detailing, but this is a good kit that can be builtinto a nice looking model.

1/48th SCALE KIT

Monogram F4F Wildcat, Kit Numbers P-66, PA-66,and 6798

The best way to describe th is kit is that it is a hybrid ofdifferent versions of the Wildcat. Beginning with the frontand working back, the propeller itself combines theblades of the prop used on the FM-2 with the hub used onearlier versions. The engine is the nine-cylinder WrightR-1820 of the XF4F-8 and the FM-2. The combustion airscoop atthe top of the cowl is present, and it was not usedon the FM-2, but was on most other variants. The cowlflaps are the arrangement used on late F4F-3s and F4F­4s, having the three up and one down on each side. Thefour-gun arrangement of the F4F-3, FM-1, and FM-2 isrepresented under the wings, but there are no holes forthem in the leading edges of the wings. The wings are thefold ing type as used on the F4F-4 and later versions, andthe vertical tai I is the sho rt type used on all ai rcraft exceptthe XF4F-8 and FM-2. What all of this means is that nomatter what version of the Wildcat you want to build, youhave to do a conversion to get it right. There is notenough space available here to explain how to do eachconversion, but we have included Ron Hillbury's detailedexplanation on how to build an F4F-3. His article is infor­mative, and points up many of the things one must do tothe kit in order to build any version of the Wildcat. Therest of this review will deal with the kit as it comes in thebox.

Like several other Monogram kits from the late fiftiesand early sixties, including the Hellcat, Helldiver, andAvenger, this Wildcat kit features operating foldingwing:;. This of course takes away from the accuracy anddetail, so the serious modeler will want to build the wingseither folded or extended, and leave them that way. Thesimpler sol ution is to build them extended, because ifthey are built in the folded position, much detail work andscratch building will be required at the hinge.

There is no cockpit interior except for a pilot thatattaches to the rear bulkhead. A 1/48th scale model cer­tainly deserves a detailed cockpit, so a lot of scratch workwill be needed here as well as in the main gear compart­ment. Using the photographs and drawings on pages 10and 11, the main gear can be completely rebuilt if desi red.The most obvious problem is with the wheels themselves.

They have a hole all the way through the hubs, makingthe spoke cover hard to represent. The hole must be filledon one side, then sanded smooth to represent the cover.The alternative is to use a substitute wheel, as Ron Hill­bury recommends. The reason that Monogram had thehole go all the way through the wheel was so that the axlepart of the gear strut could extend through and be melteddown on the outside. In this way they provided rollingwheels, and this is just one more of those working fea­tures that detracts from a model's realism. But thesefeatures are mostly a thing of the past, and are not usuallyfound on the majority of today's higher quality models.

The canopy is clear and well formed. It can easily beused as a vacu-form mold, and the resulting vacu-formedcanopy can be displayed in the open position. Simplycutting open the kit canopy will not work, since it is toothick to fit over the spine of the fuselage behind thecockpit.

The kit is molded in blue plastic, and scribing is raisedexcept for control su rfaces and cowl flaps. The surfacesare covered with rivets, but they are lightly done andeasily removed.

Decals include four star, disc, and bar national insig­nias, two white 5s for the fuselage, and two smaller 5s forthe cowling. Two wing walkways are also provided in theform of decals. These markings are intended for a Wild­cat that is painted in the blue-gray over light grayscheme.

The important thing is that the kit is basically accuratein shape and outline. The rest is up to the modeler. Withextensive detailing required by a 1/48th scale kit, there isa lot of work to do providing the details that Monogramleft out. The other thing that is up to the modeler is tochoose the type of Wildcat he wants to build, then deletethe incorrect features and add the correct ones as neces­sary. If these two things are done, the resulting model canbe quite impressive. For collectors, the kit is listedbetween twelve and seventeen dollars.

This is Ron Hillbury's excellent F4F-3 conversion of theMonogram kit in 1/48th scale. It is shown at the IPMSNational Convention at Sacramento, California, in 1986.Ron's informative text tells how the conversion was done.

Burl Burlingame of Honolulu, Hawaii, also converted aMonogram 1/48th scale Wildcat kit to an F4F-3 andentered it in the contest at the 1986 IPMS National Con­vention. It is painted in the colorful pre-war scheme.

Another conversion to the Monogram kit was done by theauthor. This model was built to represent an FM-2 fromthe USS HOGGATT BA Y, CVE-75. An unusual feature ofthe markings on this particular FM-2 was that insigniablue discs for the national insignias were used on the seablue paintscheme. These may be hard to see in the photo,but they are there. The blue outline has been removedwhere the fuselage insignias cross one of the two whitestripes.

Note: Ron Hillbury converted the Monogram 1/48th scaleWildcat to an F4F-3 and entered it in the 1986 IPMSNational Convention Contest. Detail & Scale was soimpressed with Ron's model that we asked him to writeabout the conversion and his work on the model. Thefollowing is what Ron had to say.

The range of Wildcat kits in 1/72nd scale runs thegamut from early Grumman variants to the FM-2 built byGeneral Motors. But in 1/48th scale, there is just one kitavailable, and that is the somewhat ancient Monogram

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offering.The model is offered as an "F4F Wildcat", when it

actually is a combination of the F4F-4, the FM-1, and afew features of the dash three and the FM-2. Building themodel as a dash four or FM-1 is not a major task, becausejust a few details need to be taken care of. But if you wantto bui Id an FM-2, you will have to do a major conversionof the first magnitude. The conversion to a dash three is alittle easier, but, in my opinion, it is still a major job.

While reading the excellent book The First Team,which is on the early days of the war in the Pacific, Ilearned more about Butch O'Hare. After finishing thebook, I was determined to build a 1/48th scale model ofthe ai rcraft he was flyi ng on February 20, 1942, when hetook on a flight of Betty bombers and destroyed five inone sortie. This action not only made him the Navy's firstace in World War II, it also earned him the Medal ofHonor. The only problem with my project was that therewere no dash three models available in "my scale." Myonly choice was a conversion to the Monogram kit.

Having the correct side number, markings, and BuNofor O'Hare's aircraft from The First Team, I now neededmore information on early Wildcats. I can say withoutreservation that Grumman's History Office is the finestsource of information available. A single letter broughtmore than five separate mail ings that included blueprintsof the landing gear mechanism and 8 x 10 glossy prints ofmany F4F-3 details. Grumman was just fantastic!

I was now ready for the job at hand. Here are themajor, and a few of the minor, things that one must do toconvert the Monogram Wildcat to a correct F4F-3.

First, sand off all of the rivets and remove all externalblisters. Remove the tail wheel and its shroud and thearresting hook. Open the windows in the bottom of thefuselage as indicated by scribed lines, then remove theexhaust stu bs. Put the sparse kit-provided cockpit andthe wheels in your spare box. While you are shaving offthose teacup-sized rivets, it would be a good time to thinall exposed cockpit panels to nearly scale thickness, andthen remove the incorrect nine-cylinder Wright R-1820eng ine. When doing this, be sure to trim all the way to thefront of the cowling, and open up the combustion airscoop on top of the cowl.

Next, cut away the control surfaces and prepare themfor reattachment just before painting. You should beaware that moving the rudder, elevators, and aileronspresents no problems. A minimum of filling is required.

The next step is to cut away the center section of thewing assembly, being sure to leave enough wing to glueto the fuselage. Cut the bottom of the wing assembly tomatch the upper section. Now, brace the interior of thewing root assembly and the folding portion of the wingwith thirty thousandth stock so you have a rigid surfacefor the next step. You now have to glue the entire wingassembly together. Remember, the dash three had rigid(non-folding) wings. Fill, and I mean fill! The fit is not thebest. A perfectly smooth joi nt here is critical to successlater on. Also take care to seal yourfilling material as well

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as you can. It will have to take scribing and a star wheellater on without fracturing.

The Wildcat had no floor in the cockpit. The pilot hadhis heels in the runners that sat nearly on top of the fueltank. Take a tank from a Monogram P-15D. With a bit ofshaping it fits very well. It should be painted a mediumgray. The rudder pedals were suspended from a bar thatran across the cockpit. Scratchbuild both, then build theside panels, seat, the armorplate behind the pilot, thethrottle quadrant, and the landing gear handle. Scratch­build the gunsight too. You can use the one from theMonogram P-35 as a base. Also, when you put in the seatbelts, remember that it is belts only. Harnesses were notused until June 1942. Finish the cockpit in interior green,and use as many Waldron pieces as you can for thesmaller details. You can use pieces from the P-47, F4U,P-51, as well as the Radio Faces and Cockpit Placardssets. But remember that you are trying to build just areplica and not a perfect scale reproduction of the realthing. In a quarter scale cockpit it may be best to use onecontrol rod to represent four. You don't want to fill thecockpit with so much plastic that you can't see anythingelse. And remember, there wasn't all that much in thatcockpit anyway.

After you finish the cockpit, fill it with tissue and jointhe fuselage halves. At this time you will need to build thebulkhead just aft of the openings for the wheels. Detailthe bulkhead with model railroad fittings, and representthe chains and sprockets of the landing gearsystem. Youwill need to build the major longitudinal I-beam at thebase of the fuselage and add the structural members andvarious hoses and fittings inside the gear area. Next,build a similar forward bulkhead and detail in the samemanner as the aft bulkhead.

You can toss out all of the gear struts except themains, and those will have to be trimmed down in diame­ter by about a third. The kit-supplied struts, with all ofthei r attachments for the kit gear, have to be trimmed andfiled to shape. All the supporting framework and lowergear doors must be built from scratch. I used stretchedsprue, metal rod, sheet brass, and sheet styrene. Add thewheels from the beaching gearofthe Monogram OS2U-3Kingfisher. They are a perfect fit, and look like thewheelsused on the Wildcat.

The tail wheel also came from the OS2U-3,and theshroud was formed from sheet brass. At this time youneed to add a triangular fillet underneath each wing. Thiswill also fill any gaps under the wing area.

The dash three I was modeling had only onecowlflapon each side. Use your favorite filling material to fill theunneeded flap areas. Also, replace the exhaust stubs withscratchbu ilt ones from either sprue, plastic, or metal tub­ing.

I used the Pratt & Whitney engine from the MonogramTBD-1. The only differences between this engine and theengine in the Wildcat are internal. You will need to addsome push rods and spark plug wires as well as somemodel railroading parts for details. You may also have to

do some trimming on the rocker arm covers of the TBD-1engine if you did not do a good enough job trimming thecowl earlier. You will also have to add the cheek intakes,and these are best made from brass sheet.

The propeller is a major job. First, remove the Hamil­ton Standard blades. The dash three used a Curtiss Elec­tric propeller. You will have to build new blades and cuffsfrom scratch. I used a Curtiss prop from an Otaki P-47,and cut the blades from the cuffs. I then reshaped thecuffs to the proper size and shape, and then set themaside. The P-47 blades then have to be shortened andreshaped prior to remating them to the cuffs. The newly­made cuffs and blades are then glued to the hub from theoriginal kit.

New blisters for the four machine guns were cut fromsprue, as were the blisters covering the flap hinges. Youwill also have to fashion a long blister just ahead of themain gear openings, and add the long pitot boom to theleading edge of the left wing. The oil coolers under thewings were made by vacu-forming them over Britishbombs in 1/32nd scale that I found in the spares box.Hinges for the elevators were fashioned from wire andadded to the kit. A vacu-formed canopy and windscreen,an antenna mast with wire, and recognition lights fin­ished the basic construction.

Humbrol paint was used forthe finish, and weatheringconsisted of many techniques. After the paint was totallycured, I took off a good deal of the thickness of theheavily-pigmented Humbrol paint with a "rub down" ofDio-Sol. If done quickly and with care, you will keep thecolor and lose a great deal of the thickness of the paint.This provides an excellent base for the gloss coat. Decalswere all Microscale which were finished with Solvaset.The victory markings and the VF-3 insignia were 1/72ndscale which fit in 1/48th much better. Oils and washeswere used to highlight panel lines, and the final weather­ing was done with pastels.

The model was placed on a simulated carrier deckwhich was mounted inside a picture frame. It was all setoff with a nameplate and a set of Naval Aviators wings.

After some major modifications and a great deal manyminor ones, you will end up with an excellent replica ofthe early F4F-3 as flown by Butch O'Hare and the rest ofthe pilots on the USS LEXINGTON, CV-2, as well as theMarine pilots on Wake Island and many other Naval Avia­tors in the Pacific.

You should remember that the original Monogram kitis a collection of many Wildcat features, and if built fromthe box without any modifications, it will not accuratelyrepresent any Wildcat variant.

1/32nd SCALE KIT

Revell F4F-4, Kit Number H-299 and 4447

In our estimation, this is far and away the best Wildcatkit in any scale. The original kit, H-299, was released in1969, and, for that time frame, the kit is state-of-the-art,

representing all details as completely and accurately aspossible in molded plastic. The landing gear is fairlycomplete and basically accurate. It can be enhanced withthe addition of smaller parts and brake lines. The landinggear compartment has the sprockets and chains moldedon them, but these would look better if replaced withones that are scratch built. The compartment could use alot of detailing. It would be a shame to build the modelwith the gear up, but this option is provided in the kit.

The landing gear compartment is not the only placethat the modeler can exercise his detailing skills. Theengine forms a good basis for the model, but the additionof spark plug lines and other smaller details will improveits appearance. Removable side panels will reveal theadded detail. The cheek scoops need to be reworked,because the plastic is too thick and the scoops are notwide enough as supplied in the kit. The combustion airscoop needs to be opened up.

The cockpit is about as well done as it could be inmolded plastic, but, using smaller metal parts, wire, andplastic scrap pieces, the cockpit offers a great manypossibilities and a lot of room to work. But even built outof the box, Revell is to be complimented for doing anoutstanding job representing the landing gear, engine,and cockpit in molded plastic.

The wings are designed to fold, and this is one of therare cases where an operating feature is very well done.While we would still not recommend building the modelso that the wing fold operates, Revell has provided morethan the basics for building it with the wings in the foldedposition. With some work and detailing, the wing foldjoint can be made to look completely realistic.

The model is molded in blue-gray plastic, and theraised scribing is finely detailed and generally accurate.There are those rivets that seem to be present on so many

The largest Wildcat model is the 1/32nd scale F4F-4 fromRevell. It is an old kit, but has a lotof nice features. It lendsitself very well to super-detailing. This model was con­verted to an F4F-3 with non-folding wings, four guns. andlong pitot tube on the leading edge of the left wing. Itrepresents an aircraft flown by Butch O'Hare.

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Wildcat models, and these should be removed. The clearparts are excellent, and include a two-piece canopy andthe lower windows.

The original issue, H-299, had decals that includedfour national insignias of the red disc, inside a white star,inside of a blue disc style. Thirteen alternating red andwhite stripes are provided for each side of the rudder, andthe name LCDR J.S. THACH is in white. Below it are threekill markings. The kit has more recently been released inRevell's Smithsonian Series. It comes with markings forthe FM-1 that is now on display at the SmithsonianNational Air and Space Museum. It is coded E 10, and hassix national insignia. These are the white star inside ablue disc type, and have no red disc in the center. Small10s are provided for the cowling, and intermediate sized10s are included for the tops of the wings. All smallstenciling, as now seen on the Smithsonian's aircraft, isalso on the decal sheet. These markings are based on anFM-1 that served on the escort carrier USS BRETON,CVE-23, during World War II. The only problem here isthat the FM-1 only had four guns, and not the six asrepresented in the kit.

Regardless of issue, this is an excellent kit, particu­larly when you consider that it will soon be twenty yearssince it was first released. It allows a modeler to doextensive detailing and test his modeling skills. Not onlycan existing features, like the cockpit, engine, the land­ing gear and its compartment, and wing fold be detailed,but the gun bays can be opened and detailed as well.Built out of the box or super detailed, this is a kit wehighly recommend. For the collector, the original issue,H-299, is now worth from ten to fifteen dollars.

DECALSNote: There are only two decal sheets available for theWildcat other than those provided in the kits. Thereforewe are not following our usual format of providing acomplete decal listing. Instead, we have covered all ofthekit decals in the reviews of the kits. The two after-marketsheets are reviewed below. The lack of decals for theWildcat does not really cause much of a problem. For themost part, Wildcat markings consisted of various stylesof national insignia, code numbers and letters in black orwhite, and kill markings. All of these are available ratherreadily on both kit and after-market sheets. Decals for theHellcat in particular, and to a lesser extent the F4U Cor­sair, provide markings that can be used for the Wildcat.

Microscale Sheet Number 72-287

The problem with this sheet is that it was designed tofit the Airfix 1172nd scale kit which is an FM-2 and not aF4F. This means that the red and white rudder stripessupplied for two of the aircraft will not fit one of the1172nd scale F4F kits. So about the only model you can

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build using these stripe decals is Lex DuPont's FM-2 thathas these rudder stri pes! If you build a correct F4F-3, youmust paint the stripes on by hand, and, quite frankly, theywill look much better painted than they would as decals.

Six aircraft are included on this sheet. All are in theblue-gray over light gray scheme. They include th" fol­lowing:

* F4F-3, F-13, from VF-3, flown by Butch O'Hare atthe Battle of Coral Sea, with five kill markings

* F4F-3, F-1, from VF-3, flown by John S. Thach atthe Battle of Coral Sea, with three kill markings

* F4F-3, MF-1, from VM F-224, flown by Robert E.

Galer at Guadalcanal, with thirteen kill markings* F4F-3, number 8, from VMF-212, flown by Harold

W. Bauer at Guadalcanal* F4F-4, number 53, from VMF-121, flown by

Joseph Foss at Guadalcanal* F4F-4, F-13, flown by Marion E. Carl at Guadal­

canal.

Galer's aircraft had a red stripe around the fuselagethat passed under the national insignias. This stripe isprovided on the sheet, and is shown on the instructionsheet if you know what you are looking for. However, nonote points it out, so it is easily missed. Be sureto use it ifyou build this model. The instructions say that Carl'saircraft had a top color of dark gray. It should be the samestandard blue-gray like the rest of the aircraft on thesheet.

Microscale Sheet Number 32-12This sheet is designed for the Revell 1/32nd scale

Wi Idcat, and provides markings for five ai rcraft. All butone of them are F4F-3s, and not the F4F-4 that the kitrepresents. Yet there is nothing on the decal sheet toexplain that a major conversion is necessary if thesemarkings are to be used. We did this conversion on our1/32nd scale kit, and it was quite a job. Changing thewing from the folding to the rigid type took several daysof work. If you buy this sheet, be prepared to use only themarkings for the VF-41 aircraft, or be ready for a lot ofconversion work. The sheet's instructions show only ninered and white rudder stripes instead of the correct thir­teen.

Markings are provided for the following aircraft, andall are in the blue-gray over light gray scheme:

* F4F-3P, 251 M05, from VMO-251, with flying octo­pus insignia on fuselage

* F4F-3, MF-1, from VMF-224, flown by Robert E.Galer, at Guadalcanal

* F4F-3, number 2, from VMF-223, flown by MarionE. Carl, with nineteen kill markings

* F4F-4, 41-F-8, from VF-41* F4F-3, F-13, from VF-3, flown by Butch O'Hare at

the Battle of Coral Sea, with five kill markingsGeneral small stencil markings are provided for the air­craft and the propeller.