Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat Fighter Aircraft

This is a plastic model kit of a 1/48 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat by Tamiya.

Tamiya Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat Fighter Aircraft Plastic Model Airplane Kit 1/48 Scale #61034
 (81)
 Tamiya # tam61034
$25.60
 
Retail $34.00  SAVE 25% !
Tamiya Item # tam61034
Features :
  • Approx 60 parts in medium grey and clear with fine recessed panel lines.
  • Highly detailed engine, wheel well and landing gear.
  • 2 drop tanks included and prop rotates thanks to a polythene bushing in the engine which also lets the prop be added late in assembly.
  • (This makes painting easier and makes prop damage less likely).
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Spotlight Review

 
"A wonderful little kit"
baloo765
The Wildcat has been on my wish list for quite a while so I thought I'd give this one a try. It was a wonderful build. Everything went together easily and the Tamiya quality came through. My one disappointment with was that I was unable to build it with the landing gear up but it is a welcome addition to my collection.

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Features

  • Approx 60 parts in medium grey and clear with fine recessed panel lines.
  • Highly detailed engine, wheel well and landing gear.
  • 2 drop tanks included and prop rotates thanks to a polythene bushing in the engine which also lets the prop be added late in assembly.
  • (This makes painting easier and makes prop damage less likely).

Specs

  • Scale: 1/48
  • Wingspan: 9-1/2" (24.2cm)
  • Fuselage Length: 7-1/4" (18.4cm)
  • Tamiya Product Number: 61034

Includes

1/48 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat plastic model kit


Requirements & Suggestions

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Reviews

  
 
"A real Tamiya gem"
jimmbbo
The Tamiya F4F has been the standard Wildcat of the industry since it was first released. It is accurate in outline and detail, and goes together beautifully... the fit is superb, and with some aftermarket bits, an experienced modeler can be turned it into a real stunner. While it could be built as a first or second model, it is more applicable to someone with a few models built.

 
"Best Wildcat available in 48th scale."
convairb58
I posted the photo of the F4F-4 in Pug Sutherland's markings. The F4F Wildcat was sort of a seminal event in Tamiya's history since it marked the first WWII Navy subject since their F2A Buffalo (which despite its age is still a very nice kit). I think the molds are close to 20 years old or so, but its still the best Wildcat out there. While the choice of versions is rather restrictive (i.e., only the F4F-4 or with a little modification, the FM-1), it is a delight to build. The parts for the most part fit very well. Tamiya has captured the intricate look of the hand-cranked undercarriage and while it looks fiddly to put together, was really not all that bad. The powerplant, just like on their Corsair, is modular in design and very easy to paint. The kit canopy, while clear is a little bit on the thick side and best replaced with a Squadron clear wax or Rob Taurus canopy if you want to depict the canopy slid back. Cockpit detail, even out of the box is very good. There are also lots of aftermarket products available for the cockpit if one wishes. Vector/ Ultracast also has FM-2 conversions as well as some very nice aftermarket wheels available. straightening The actual F4F was covered with a lot of raised head rivets, which Tamiya has depicted. This can cut both ways from a model building standpoint. If you are building a camouflaged F4F and use contemporary painting techniques (e.g., washes) the rivets will appear oversized. Because of that i sanded all of the raised rivets from my model. However, those of you with plans to do a pre-war, silver painted F4F would be better served by leaving them on, since those planes were meticulously cared for anyway. Its a shame Tamiya didn't choose to expand the Wildcat series with an F4F-3, FM-2 or the British/ french/ Greek versions. While those versions are catered for by HobbyBoss, their execution overall is a bit more complicated. My suggestion would be to take this kit on before starting the Tamiya Corsair; It's a good warm-up. The Tamiya kit captures the clunky, pugnacious, transitional in-between-a biplane-and-a-monoplane look of the sturdy and reliable Wildcat. Highly recommended.

 
"F4F"
ek19333
This was a great kit in general in assembling. If my own experience is any good guide, make sure to pay close attention to the undercarriage assembly in the instructions. I got the assembly backward initially not having the greatest spatial skills. I had to carefully unassemble the cemented landing gear and re-assemble it correctly. Luckily, I had used Testers cement and not super glue and was able to correct - albeit messily - my mistake. All in all, a very nicely detailed kit with especially nice decals.

Information

At the onset of the Pacific War in December 1941, the Japanese Navy A6M Zero fighter was the dominant aircraft successful against the allied air forces. The Zero's attempt at total superiority was thwarted by numerous F4F Wildcat fighters flown from U.S. aircraft carriers.

Grumman Aviation produced the G-18, the prototype XF4F-2, which first flew in September 1937. Initial evaluation revealed several performance problems, which led the U.S. Navy to reject the G-18 in favor of the Brewster's F2A "Buffalo". The Navy asked Grumman to continue with the project, and resulted in the G-36, which flew in February 1939. The G-36 tests exceeded the performance of the F2A, resulting in the U.S. Navy approving the design and ordering it into production as the F4F-3 Wildcat. Two yeas following its deployment, during the critical stages of the Pacific War in 1942, the improved F4F-4 Wildcat was introduced. It had folding wings, and three 12.7mm machine guns in each wing, plus the more powerful 1,200 P & W R-1830-86 Twin Wasp engine, giving it a speed of 512km/h. Grumman became known as the "Ironworks" due to its strongly designed aircraft, which could absorb enormous punishment and still fly home.

Although the F4F was inferior in many respects to the Zero, a superb kill ration was attained by Wildcat pilots by using its strong points against the Zero's weak point of fragility and unseasoned pilots.


Markings

  • Decal Options
  • 1: VF-41 (USN), USS Ranger, "41-F-8".
  • 2: VMF-223 (USMC), "28".
  • 3: VGF-29 (USN), USS Santee, "29-GF-4".
  • Color scheme for above versions
  • -Top Surfaces: Blue Grey; Bottom surfaces: Light Grey.
  • 4: VF-22 (USN), USS Independence, "22-F-1".
  • -Top surfaces: Sea Blue; Fuselage sides: Intermediate blue.
  • -Bottom surfaces: White.

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