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

[Lucky13]

Found this cockpit on HyperScale as a future there by Toby Nelson, is this a better colour you'd say?

 

[Catch22]

Looks great Jan!

Normally I'd make my own thread, but this'll be useful for Jan too. Tomorrow I'm going back to the hobby store that I got my Avenger at and I'm going to buy that 1/48th Birdcage Corsair. (I know, too many Corsairs!) I've already built one, but it was for my teacher and I did it in FAA colours, so I have the plans, but I don't know what colours to paint it if I want to do early war (the Blue on White or Grey(?), like the Wildcat). The Tamiya plans say to mix their Medium Blue and their white to a mixture of 2:1 (2 being blue) and for the bottom to mix Sky Grey and White (again 2:1, 2 being Sky Grey). I'd like to avoid mixing paints entirely though. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[R Leonard]

Sorry, Just got home from work. Of the two photos of actual cockpits, the second appears correct and the first is a paint over.

I have two side panels from an F4F. You may recognize them as the funny six sided panels just below and slightly in front of the windscreen on each side. Photo attached showing exterior and interior. These are from the F4F my father flew in the Solomons, b/n 11985, white F-21, in VF-11. In this plane he was credited with two A6M2's on 12 June 43. These pushed his wartime total to its final of 6.

Rich

 

[Airframes]

Nice advice, and great mementos Rich.
Jan, when mixing paint for your Bronze Green, look at the traditional Land Rover green, that's Bronze Green. You'll just have to find a Land Rover and scrape off some of its paint!!

 

[R Leonard]

Also, watch out for shoulder belts. The only F4Fs at Midway with shoulder belts were in VF-8 and those were "field expedient" designed and installed on the ship, not factory installations.

None of the VF-3 or VF-6 F4Fs has shoulder belts, only lap belts.

F4Fs with shoulder belts as a factory installation did not reach units, at least on the west coast, until mid summer of 1942.

Rich

 

[Lucky13]

Thanks Rich, appreciated! So, the green should be a lot darker then? I'll try again tomorrow chaps....

 

[109ROAMING]

Looking good Jan!

 

[Lucky13]

Oh cr*p! Carl was of Norwegian heritage wasn't he? Mr Leonard will be in great company with his "White 13" 8)

Im not sure what heritage Jan, Actually credit goes to my wife at least on edward (Butch) O Hara, she mentioned an aircraft in Ohara airport in Chicago and about an old airplane inside with the number 13 on the side a few years back. I just remembered the story after thinking about it more!!! I had to look it up and found the second aircraft

It was Joe Foss that I was thinking about, not Marion E. Carl..... Get some more done shortly, change the colour in the cockpit etc to a darker green. Painted the landing gear and a few other bits and bobs...

 

[Wurger]

With all here Jan.

 

[ccheese]

Going to be interesting, Jan, two at a time. Don't think I could do that.

Coming along smartly !

Charles

 

[lesofprimus]

Great additional info Rich, love the panel pic u posted, great stuff...

 

[Lucke.stz]

Nice job !

 

[Lucky13]

Found a better green colour for the interior....not 100% but much better. Questions though, should the headrest really be black and the protection at the bottom of the control stick, should it be another colour but green like the rest? The other pics that I posted here show them as leather, is that correct?

 

[Lucky13]

Did some on the Wildcat today....

Sorry for the cr*ppy quality laddies....

 

[Airframes]

Looking good Jan. The headrests on most US aircraft were leather covered, often a dark, reddish brown, sometimes a very dark, almost black brown. The gaiters around the control column linkage were normally either leather or canvas. Leather would be 'natural', i.e. brown, canvas was normally a mid-brown, buff colour, which looked dirty very quickly.

 

[Wurger]

For me it looks good.

 

[Lucky13]

Much obliged chaps!

 

[rochie]

great job so far Jan

 

[Lucky13]

Cheers Karl!

 

[lesofprimus]

Lookin good Jan... Looks like u missed a gap on the starboard side wingroot tho....