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.

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.

This was a great kit. There were zero problems with fit, decals went on nice and easy, and directions were very clear.