Grumman F4F-3 ‘Wildcat’ Late 1/32 Trumpeter

Grumman’s short and stubby-winged F4F Wildcat is one of its best-known and successful fighters. The F4F-3 Wildcat had a rather short, rounded fuselage with mid-wings of rectangular shape. The wings did not fold for carrier storage. All the main parts of the airplane were located in the front part of the tubby fuselage; the fuel tank and retractable landing gear were right under the pilot.  This concentration of weight made for a quick-handling and maneuverable fighter. Its Pratt & Whitney 1200hp, 14-cylinder, air-cooled, twin row radial engine (R-1830-76 or 86) gave it a top speed of 330 mph. The F4F-3 had a range of 845 miles. The standard armament was four .50 caliber wing mounted machine guns. Service ceiling was 37,500 ft. The F4F-3 offered good durability, pilot armor and a high dive speed. It also had good maneuverability, although it was soon discovered that it could not compete with the Japanese Zero in this area. A common complaint from pilots was the manual hand-cranked retracting landing gear, which required 30 cranks. One slip could result in a serious wrist injury.

Trumpeter often recommends using Tamiya X and XF paints – click here to purchase!

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Product Details:

Scale: 1/32
Skill Level: 3
Length: 10.9”
Wingspan: 14.2”
Parts: 267
– Painting and assembly required
– 7 sprues
– One photo-etched fret
– One decal sheet
– One small and two large black rubber tires
– Two 1mm x 50mm metal shafts
– Six 1mm x 44mm metal shafts
– One 1mm x 26mm metal shaft
– Clear parts including engine cowling
– Film sheet for instrument panel
– Detailed cockpit interior
– Two-piece fuselage
– Moveable canopy
– Illustrated instructions and paint guide
– Includes decals and paint guides for the following versions:

1. Robert Glaer, VMF-244, Guadalcanal, 1942
2. VF-6 on USS Enterprise, 1942

*Cyanoacrylate glue is required for photo-etched parts*

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Paint Guide:

Flat Black
Interior Green
Silver
Red Brown
Russian Green
Grey 22/13
Metal Black
Burnt Iron
Red
Light Grey 338
IJN Grey
Gold
Field Green
Clear Green
Clear Red
Tire Black
Light Gull Grey
Blue Grey
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