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Guys, With a couple of builds nearing the finish line (SC-1 and P-47N) which I hope to post in RFI very soon, I started to get a feel for my next build - the Revell F4F-4 Wildcat. This kit was one of the earliest I remember building and I remember struggling mightily with both the undercarriage and the wingfold. Being somewhat more experienced and hopefully a little bit smarter, I want to add the kit to my collection. I think Revell captured the essence of the Wildcat really well, but I will give it a modern treatment with some aftermarket and likely some 3d parts I'll draw up and print along the way. It's going to be finished in an Operation Torch scheme; color pics show off some really interesting tones and weathering that I'll try and capture. Here are the first pics - the inner and outer upper wings are assembled with an healthy dose of sprue goo backing up the joint. The whole build was predicated on getting that joint done well, and I think I have a good starting point, there is a gap, but there is minimal if any step between the parts. Everything else is just taped together. Probably won't kick off in earnest for another 10 days or so as we have a quick trip to Bonaire coming up next week. Looking forward to this build and trip down memory lane - wish me luck! Thanks for dropping by John

After waiting for almost two years our new house is finished, and moving and decorating is done. Time for a new hobby room. Here's the new workbench Ikea drawer desk-cabinet and homemade overhead storage thingy. I picked the Trumpeter F4F-4 out of the pile to restart my hobby. I have the corrected version. I am not going crazy with aftermarket, it will be OOB with maybe some scratchbuilt additions. The cockpit is almost ready, but in the mean time I started with the engine assembly. The push-rod part for the front row of cylinders (and back row for that matter) is quite delicate, plus the sprue attachment points are halfway the rods, making it difficult to remove it from the tree. I damaged it right away when I was sanding away the attachment points. I made new rods from brass rod and wire insulation, drilled holes, and this is what it looked like. Quite fun although fiddly to do. Well, now that I have started I might as well do all of them, for uniformity. On the right you can see how the part is attached to the sprues. That could have been done in a better way I think, but yeah, who cares. Fitting them took some time, but it went well and looks reasonable. Just a quick dry fit to see what it looks like when complete. Not bad. I have managed to free the back-row one without damage, and have used the kit part in the assembly for the second row of cyliners. Not much can be seen anyway. Next I will be adding wires and assemble the engine. Cheers!

CLICK HERE to view and/or buy $12.95 Shipping: $2.70 U.S, - $9.95 elsewhere Includes tracking and insurance. Sheet contains placards and instruments that fit the kit parts with minimal modifications. Because these are dry transfers (applied wet) there is no clear film so the placards fit over and around kit details precisely. Comes with highly detailed illustrated placement instructions which show where the placards and instruments are to be placed on the kit parts. This product is not intended to be a doctoral thesis on Wildcat cockpits. This product is intended to produce an impressive cockpit using only the kit parts with some minor modifications. Photos of test shot Also, we have three new releases for 1/16 Panther tanks so if you know of anyone who may be interested they are listed on our home page HERE Thank you! Woody