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Do to there being interest lately on the boards, I have decided to get back into production of masters for a new FM-2 conversion for the Trumpeter F4f-4 kits. I started this over a year ago, then a series of medical issues caused me to put it on hold. But with this #$%^& virus going on, I am forging ahead. Short overview As most of you know, the FM-2 was a lightened and higher-powered version of the F4f-4, built by Easter Aircraft. Grumman was focused on building Hellcats, while Eastern stuck to the Wildcat to be used on the growing numbers of escort carriers being built. The FM-2 ended up being the most numerous of Wildcat variants by far, with over 4000 built, including 350 built for the FAA. It was called the Martlet VI at first, but that was soon officially changed to Wildcat VI. With the numbers built, and differing camo possibilities, it is a wonder Trumpeter didn't offer this version themselves. Major changes to the F4f-4: Engine changed to R1820. This included a new, shorter, cowl and a longer accessory section(just to make things difficult). Exhaust outlets changed to 'jet' style to add that little bit of thrust, the individual exhaust pipes exiting through four different points around the cowl. Armament reduced to four 0.50 cal MG's with increased ammo load (similar to F4f-3's). Wing oil coolers removed, replaced by a large oil cooler in the accessory area. Tail and rudder enlarged for better horizontal stability due to the increased torque of the R1820. The Trumpeter kits As everyone has probably heard, Trumpy's first release was a pretty nice mess. Supposedly Stevens Imports refused to buy them until they were fixed and so Trumpy did a (partial) re-tooling. Here is the original Trumpeter kit over a set of plans by J. Temma, blown up to 1/32nd scale. Don't mind the short tail, I sawed it off!: You can see the sway down the spine and the woefully shallow area ahead of the canopy. BTW, here is an easy way to know if you have an early or re-tooled Wildcat: The original tooling is the only version that had molded in ribbing behind the cockpit. Here is the re-tooled version against the same drawing: Much better! It is a little short down the spine, but much more livable. They also re-tooled the wings, mainly the surface detail including riveting and areas around MG access panels and oil coolers. But they didn't re-tool everything. Here is two shots of the firewall in the old tooling: See how well the firewall fits top and bottom, and how the cutout for the wheels fits the opening. Here is the new tooled kit: Deeper fuselage, but same part. Now there is a gap top and bottom, and the wheel cutouts don't match the openings. What also worries me is that I wonder about how the fit of the landing gear structure fits in the new tooled kit. One post is in the same place, but the structure that sits at the bottom now is lower. I am going to have to take a look at that, and really, the whole firewall needs to be fixed. I might end up with some parts to do a F4f-3/4 fix as well as the FM-2. More work for me.