DONE: F4F-4 Wildcat "13", VF-3, W. N. Leonard, USS Yorktown, Battle of Midway, GB

Lucky13 · Jul 14, 2009

Maybe just paint those over that won't be needed and replace with new 13's? Would that be acceptable?

Wayne Little · Jul 14, 2009

You could do that...or simply cover the 13 and carefully spray over the others....could earn you another aprentice Jedi stripe!

DBII · Jul 14, 2009

nice pair Lucky.

DBII

wingnutz · Jul 14, 2009

lovely work there...

just my 2 cents on that decal remedy...

either carefully sand them off and re-paint the area affected...or use lighter fluid on a cotton bud and slowly rub it off...sometimes this works, specially if you haven't glossed over the decals yet...

i did that on my avenger build when i set the fuselage roundels horizontally straight instead of slightly angled...

rochie · Jul 15, 2009

looking very nice old boy

Lucky13 · Jul 15, 2009

Cheers lads, appreciated! One "13" will have to moved closer to star, right? Otherwise they'd be offset to each other....

Wayne Little · Jul 16, 2009

Lucky13 said:
Cheers lads, appreciated! One "13" will have to moved closer to star, right? Otherwise they'd be offset to each other....

Correct!...if only the number is used then they would both be in the same location, just forward of the national insignia.

Lucky13 · Jul 17, 2009

Cheers! See if I can spray in such a way that they show through slightly...

R Leonard · Jul 18, 2009

Except, by the spring of 1942, aircraft being delivered no longer came painted for specific squadrons as they did pre-war. The F4Fs which came to VF-3 at NAS Kaneohe came in dribs and drabs until the squadron came up to full strength shortly before going aboard Yorktown. The squadron did not have the "3-F-" on its side numbers as AirBatForPac had already decreed that there would be no squadron identifiers.

And, yes, I know that the TBFs from VT-8 detachment at Midway had "8-T-x" side numbers, but that was because they were shipped directly from San Diego after flying across country from Norfolk, where they fell under AirLantFor which had not yet made the change, and a day or so after arrival at Pearl flew on to Midway. Compare to the VT-8 TBDs aboard Hornet, no "8-" on their sides.

Bottom line, there were no "3-F-" markings to paint over.

Rich