Monogram 1/32 Grumman F3F-3

[mywifehatesmodels]

Finally back to the bench after a whirlwind of summer activities (and the kids are now back to school this week!). So, my next project is for the same friend for whom I built the Hasegawa F4B-4 and BF2C-1. The next biplane in his lineup will be Monogram's F3F-3.

 

This build is going to involve some scratch work, but I'm not going totally crazy with it. The only aftermarket that I believe I'll be using (so far) is an engine from Vector. The engine is one of the kit's biggest letdowns, in my opinion and since it sits in pretty plain view, I thought we should replace it, rather than me trying to polish a turd. Otherwise, the kit is okay for it's age and the cockpit is probably the only other area that will receive a lot of changes (but we'll see what I come up against as I go).

 

Here's what I have to work with, for starters:

 

 

Decals will be mostly from my spares and I may have to make a few on the computer. There are also a few markings that I may have to paint, but we'll see how it goes with the decals. Wish me luck!

 

John

Edited August 25, 2016 by mywifehatesmodels

[Guest]

cool John! I have one too, so I'll be watching.....Harv

[Out2gtcha]

Talking a seat for this one!  

[Hubert Boillot]

I hope you haven't bought the Vector engine yet. This is what stopped me in my project of building the Gulfhawk. The Vector Cyclone has an uneven distribution of the cylinders to leave some space for the fancy representation of the oil sump. Having a 9-cylinders radial wthout 40° between each cylinder is a first, and not one I would have expected from Vector.

 

Better start with an Eduard Cyclone (for the B-17) or I think Silver Wings have one as well.

 

Lone Star Models do a wing correction set, and a cockpit set for this one. The wing correction is needed because the kit is originally designed as William's Gulfhawk, which had the sorter-span wings of the F3F-2 for better aerobatics. The -3 version had a longer span wing. It is possible to scratch it, but it is a bit more complex because of the wing ribs.

 

Will be watching you one this one

 

Hubert

 

Hubert

[Guest Peterpools]

John

Will be following all the way

Keep 'em coming

Peter

[mywifehatesmodels]

Thanks, guys!

 

 

I hope you haven't bought the Vector engine yet. This is what stopped me in my project of building the Gulfhawk. The Vector Cyclone has an uneven distribution of the cylinders to leave some space for the fancy representation of the oil sump. Having a 9-cylinders radial wthout 40° between each cylinder is a first, and not one I would have expected from Vector.

 

Better start with an Eduard Cyclone (for the B-17) or I think Silver Wings have one as well.

 

Lone Star Models do a wing correction set, and a cockpit set for this one. The wing correction is needed because the kit is originally designed as William's Gulfhawk, which had the sorter-span wings of the F3F-2 for better aerobatics. The -3 version had a longer span wing. It is possible to scratch it, but it is a bit more complex because of the wing ribs.

 

Will be watching you one this one

 

Hubert

 

Hubert

 

Thanks for the heads up, Hubert. I was aware of possible wing issues and the LSM wing. Not sure what we will do about that and will have to confer with my friend on our plan of action. My last couple dealings with LSM kind of left me underwhelmed, so I'm not sure if I want to go that route, or not. As for the engine, again, thanks for the tip. I'll have to dig into that a little deeper, as well. At least there are options out there other than completely scratchbuilding an engine or having to make a new resin version of my own.

 

Cheers,

 

John

[Shawn M]

your '110 was great, looking forward to this

[DougN]

Thanks, guys!

 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up, Hubert. I was aware of possible wing issues and the LSM wing. Not sure what we will do about that and will have to confer with my friend on our plan of action. My last couple dealings with LSM kind of left me underwhelmed, so I'm not sure if I want to go that route, or not. As for the engine, again, thanks for the tip. I'll have to dig into that a little deeper, as well. At least there are options out there other than completely scratchbuilding an engine or having to make a new resin version of my own.

 

Cheers,

 

John

Regarding the wing, I think it is probably cheaper to pick up a second kit, and use the wings from that to combine with the original kit wings to create a corrected wing.  IIRC you just need to add 3 rib lenghts to each side, and you can do that easily by removing the outer part of wing 1 and then cutting off the same area +3 rib sections from wing 2 and attaching to wing 1.  At least thats my plan when I build one of these.

[mywifehatesmodels]

Thanks again for all the input. I greatly appreciate it! There have been a couple of developments in the research and planning phase.....

 

 

In speaking with my friend before starting, he stated that he wanted the plane in Enterprise markings of 6-F-13. So, it would have the blue tail and green cowl, stripe and possibly chevron on the upper wing. This was just his preference and not the result of any specific research or photos. But, as luck would have it, I just happened across a photo of "6-F-13" when doing a Google search. And, even luckier (maybe), this aircraft just happens to have been a -2!!!

 

 

So, the kit wing should be just fine. The next question is on the engine. I see that Vector offers two different versions; early and late. I'm assuming the early version is what I would be looking for, but just wanted to verify which example Hubert was referencing and/or if they are both problematic. I believe the Eduard B-17 Cyclone would be of a later variant, also. So, I still need to do some serious research on which engine it should have, how it should look and the best way to go about it. It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, but if I'm going to the trouble of replacing the kit engine, I would to try to get it as close as reasonably possible. Looks like I have some reading to do!

 

Thanks again for everything, guys!

 

John

 

By the way, anybody know what the small emblem is supposed to be at the top of the vertical stabilizer? A flying pig, perhaps?

Edited August 26, 2016 by mywifehatesmodels

[Rick K]

Bravo on the -2 version!  This kit is in my stash and will hit the bench at same time I start my Greek Navy WNW Dh.9, hopefully before the apocalypse.   Most likely will build with the retractable LG feature.  Might change my mind on that.

 

Further, I have heard the fuselage is too short on the Gulfhawk/F3F-2 and needs to be lengthened by 5.5mm.  Any feedback on that topic will be appreciated.

[Hubert Boillot]

The engine is definitely an -F type compared to the B-17's ones which were -G type for most of them. But the differences are not that big when rendered in kit form (the main one on the 1:1 engines being the number of cooling fins per cylinder or head, but no 1/32 engine kit  will reproduce this faithfully anyway, and the shape of the oil sump, and the accessories, which are behind the engine)  and IMHO less important than the uneven distribution of cylinders ... Check the SW engines for the I-15, sold separately.  They should be close to the first Wright Cyclones.

 

As for the fuselage length, yes it is too short, but again, maybe your friend does not care that much. Even though it is not finisehd (yet - because I WILL return to it), you can have a look at my thread on the Gulfhawk. You will also be able to see what the Vector engine looks like.

 

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=34045&hl=

 

Hubert

[mywifehatesmodels]

Wow, Hubert! Thanks!

 

I see your points about the engine. However, I don't think I will need to be as meticulous about it for this build and the Vector F type will probably work just fine for what I'm doing. I admire your attention to detail, however and hope that you can get back to your Gulf Hawk at some point. It was really looking nice!

 

As for the fuselage length, I think that's another issue we can live with. My goal is to try to complete this in a reasonable amount of time and there will be plenty enough to do in the cockpit and elsewhere!

 

Thanks again,

 

John

[mywifehatesmodels]

Not much to report yet, but at least I've started!

 

I decided to dive right into the instrument panel, first. The kit provides only a flat panel that you are to apply an instruments decal to. This not only looks kinda cheesy, but the layout of the instruments doesn't seem to match the reference photos that I was able to find. So, to remedy all this, I decided to cut out my own panels and drill out the holes for the instruments, then use the kit part as a backing plate. I actually made three attempts at this before getting an example that I found acceptable. By round three, I had also decided that I would add a flat, white panel behind the holes. This white plastic will actually be the print of the instruments, once finished. The plan is to tack the drilled portion to the main panel and then shoot some black paint. Then, I'll go back and carefully scrape away the paint in the gauges, revealing the white "numbers" and lines, etc. There are still a couple of smaller instrument clusters to do in the same fashion, but the largest portion is ready.

 

Here you can see, from left to right, attempts one, two and three, as well as the instrument decal provided in the kit.

 

 

 

After completing the instruments, I'll turn my attention to the rest of the pit. It appears to be a pretty basic layout and shouldn't be too difficult to improve. I'll likely be adding more detail to the floor, sidewalls and consoles, as well as a possible rework of the rudder pedals (the pedals themselves don't quite match the real thing and look kind of boxy, although the frames/linkages seem to be fairly close in layout). There are also a few hard to reach ejector pin marks that I've applied filler to, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to smooth them out, or if I'll have to just make all new parts for those spots. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

Cheers,

 

John

[ClumsyDude]

Love an old kit with a bit of scratch building love ... should be a great project John. IP looks great, keep at it.

 

Jim

[mywifehatesmodels]

Unfortunately, life has been pulling me away from the bench, but I finally got back to it today and pretty much finished the IP, spare a couple of small things. Here are some progress shots on that.

 

 

First, I got everything into place, then tacked the plates with the holes drilled in them before spraying everything flat black.

 

 

 

Once that was dry, I used a needle to etch out the instrument faces in an attempt to resemble reference photos.

 

 

 

Then I added some knobs, levers and switches, as well as some drops of Future to the instrument faces (which I'm still working on building up a little).

 

 

I've also started a little work on the floor, but don't have any photos yet. Also, it sounds like there's going to be a markings change from our original plan. Still a -2, but a different flight. But, more on that later.....

 

Thanks for following,

 

John