Karl's Brit Wildcat

[carlos]

I've cleared off my bench (finished a Revell Swordfish, and put a half-built ICM Tu-2 back in it's box - for now) ready for this chunky fella.
Revell's elderly 1/32 Martlet.

Obligatory Boxart and sprue shots:

[carlos]

It'll be mostly OOB - though I'm planning to do a little bit of plastic-surgery.

The cowling, for instance, is moulded as part of the main fuselage halves, with only the front ring being a seperate part.
There are a couple of removable panels, which would show the engine from the sides, but I'm planning to fix those in place, and cut out the cowling cooling flaps to demark the fuselage to cowling joint.
Also need to scratch something for the exhaust stubs underneath - as they're also moulded as part of the fuselage halves.
I'll probably find other bits I wanna fiddle with too, as the build progresses.
It's a big chunky bit of plastic, but detail is rather lacking for a kit of this scale.

Oh - panel lines are raised too (well it is a 1969 kit) - not yet sure if I'm gonna re-scribe.
I might also motorise the prop - got a few Airfix mini-motors lying around the place.

[aeroplanegripper]

Karl, nice looking kit that. Dont think ive ever seen that one before. Will you be posing the wings folded?
I will be doing the rather minute and basic Academy 1/72 Wildcat as a Martlet next, so will take some inspiration from yours chap.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[splash]

if you are building a Grumman then check out this website http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... =3&t=13327

This link has the wildcat photos http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... 7&start=60

Regards
Splash

[carlos]

Karl, nice looking kit that. Dont think ive ever seen that one before. Will you be posing the wings folded?
I will be doing the rather minute and basic Academy 1/72 Wildcat as a Martlet next, so will take some inspiration from yours chap.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Hi Mark,
I'm planning to fix the wings for flight - I read something a while back (probably when I bought the kit) which said the folding mechanism was particularly bad, so I decided then, not to fold them.

I built the basic Academy Wildcat myself, about a year ago - from what I remember, you need a pilot because the cockpit is so sparse, but the pilot in the kit was horrendous, not much more than an amorphous blob - I had to replace him with a spare...
Canopy is very thick, so I cut it in two, and posed it 'open' - I also scratched a bulkhead between wheelbay and cockpit, because without it you could see clear through the fuselage.

[carlos]

if you are building a Grumman then check out this website http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... =3&t=13327

This link has the wildcat photos http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... 7&start=60

Regards
Splash

Wow, thanks Splash - that's excellent
I have the Squadron Signal 'In Action' book, but pics at those links look far clearer than most of the pics in the SS book.
Superb!!!

[lancfan]

I'm looking forward to this Revell build, I built the original USN boxing when I was eleven years old.
The Academy Wildcat kit is a Frogspawn tool as are a number of their earlier releases.

David.

[AndrewR]

This should be interesting. I think I did the Revell Corsair in this scale.

[ShaunW]

Interesting Karl but you could get carried away with adding the missing detail and correcting stuff on an old kit of this scale and end up still building it this time next year

[carlos]

Interesting Karl but you could get carried away with adding the missing detail and correcting stuff on an old kit of this scale and end up still building it this time next year

LOL - you're spot on there....
Gotta show restraint though, I'm sticking with opening the cowl flaps, scratching lower exhaust stubs, and hopefully motorising the prop.

Must ... resist ... re-scribing ...

Oh - I'm thinking that I can fashion some kind of contact switch for the motor, by allowing the canopy to slide.
Open = Off ... Closed = On ... kinda thing.

[carlos]

Not a lot to show yet - just preparation so far.

First of all - this will have to go....



The office looks like it'll probably look OK when it's built-up, and detail picked out with a bit of dry-brushing, and a wash.



The colour call-out says British (grey-green) interior for seat, instruments, etc - But a yellowish (US) interior green for inside the fuselage walls - Looks odd - I'll be checking that point out, and may end up re-painting one or the other.
Also, in this pic, you can see where I've removed the cowling flaps from the port side.



I had read that the fit of the wing parts was poor in this kit.
'Poor' doesn't do it justice - the fit was horrendous - You can't really see the extent in this picture, but much filling and sanding will be neccesary - which will lead to re-scribing.
And once I've started scribing, I'm gonna have to do the whole thing




The engine.
Those hollows in the back of the prop need filling, and I've had to cut away some of the engine's back-plate, where the edge would be seen through the cowling flaps - just roughly shaping it, and painting black should be enough - It won't be easy to see, but if I'd left the edge, that might have looked odd if you caught a glimpse behind the flaps.




And finally, for now - the rear of the engine back-plate. I've added those pins, so that when the motor is in place, a thick piece of sprue across the top will hold the motor steady.




I probably won't have any more pics for at least a few days now - or at least, not until I've finished the surgery and scribing. And I still don't know what I'm using for the two exhaust stubs that protrude below the cowling.
As Shaun said - I could find all sorts of extra things to do with this - but I'm gonna restrict it, or I'll never make the mid-January deadline.

[Molly-new]

Looking good so far. It's the little additions/alterations that make each build unique, looking forward to seeing how the spinning prop comes out.

[ShaunW]

Get that product info on the outside of the fuselage - what are they like?!? Interesting stuff with the prop motor, which is something I've never tried. I'm one to talk about not adding extra detail Karl, I suffer terminally with wanting to stick additional bits onto kits instead of leaving well alone!

[AndrewR]

Great work on this Karl.

Cheers

Andrew

[carlos]

I haven't forgotten about this - just got a bit waylaid with Christmas hols and suchlike.
Very busy time - but I have managed to get the scribing done.

I've abandoned the idea of motorising the prop, due to deadline constraints, and will be cracking on with it tonight and tomorrow.
Hoping to close the fuselage up, and get ready for external paint before the new year.
Pics will follow at some point tomorrow.