MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
I built one of Monogram's 1/32 F3F-3 kits back around 54 years ago and have wanted to build another one for some time. Back in the mid-90's I bought a Revell Germany reissue and I finally sat down to build it a few weeks back. Here are some of my observations and recommendations.
It turns out that the kit was not based on the F3F-3. The Al Williams Gulfhawk kit preceded the F3F bay a few years and the kit really is based on that airplane, probably because the Gulfhawk was available in the Smithsonian for study, while all the F3F's had long been scrapped. The Gulfhawk actually used wings more like that of the earlier F2F, but I did not concern myself with that detail; presumably it would be a challenge to correct.
I recognized the fairing that sticks up from the top of the fuselage just behind the cowling as the carburetor air intake, and drilled it out. Only after I assembled the fuselage and mounted the cowling and engine did I realize that the Profile on the F3F did not show that intake on the Navy F3F's. I suddenly realized that Al Williams was doing low altitude acro and would be more concerned with a good airflow to the carburetor than ultimate top speed. For the F3F the carburetor intake should be cut off, but it was too late to do that.
The instructions have the seemingly odd step of putting the top of the forward fuselage on before you glue the two halves of the fuselage together. This approach is necessary! You can't get the instrument panel installed with the fuselage halves already glued together.
I have copies of the original F3F instructions (exploded parts view attached), the 1990's Revell Germany version and the later Revell US reissue, and all have their good points. But the RG version uses the Marcel Marceau approach (no words) and I did not much care for it. The later Revell version does a nice job of explaining the rigging – but what they have you do will not work! The rigging string is supposed to fit into notches on the fuselage and wings, but the notches are not always oriented in the correct direction to run the string. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that paint will fill up those slots and make it impossible to get the string installed. A better option probably is to do as I did in a few cases, remove the notches and install pins there instead, wrapping the string around the head of the pin and then putting a dab of gel type Superglue on it to secure it.
The instructions do not show the "javelins" installed. These are "broomsticks" that go between the wires fore and aft where the wires make an "X" between the wings. I carved some prices of plastic but in retrospect I wish I had used toothpicks and then cut them to length after the glue dried.
The instructions show a single antenna wire stretching from the center of the top wing to the tip of the tail. The Profile shows a V shaped antenna stretching from the outer upper wing to the tip of the tail with a feedline going from the left side of the fuselage to the left wire; I am trying to duplicate that installation. Used a pin stuck into the side of the fuselage to attach the feedline.
The really fabulous working feature of the model is the linkage between the propeller and the main landing gear. I was determined to make that work, and I came SO CLOSE! But once the linkages were all attached I did not want to remove the bulkheads to put glue in and so I ran liquid Superglue along the bulkhead to fuselage contact area. But the Superglue ran down into the gears and froze them; I should have used gel type Superglue. So I left the gear down.
By the way, the bulkheads (part numbers 7 and 14) that hold the gear assembly stick inward too far and interfere with one another when the fuselage is assembled. You will need to trim the inner edges of the bulkheads.
I am very impressed with the detail in this old kit. Since I have three more of them unbuilt in my collection, including the original version with the colored parts, eventually I'll get that retracting gear to work.
It turns out that the kit was not based on the F3F-3. The Al Williams Gulfhawk kit preceded the F3F bay a few years and the kit really is based on that airplane, probably because the Gulfhawk was available in the Smithsonian for study, while all the F3F's had long been scrapped. The Gulfhawk actually used wings more like that of the earlier F2F, but I did not concern myself with that detail; presumably it would be a challenge to correct.
I recognized the fairing that sticks up from the top of the fuselage just behind the cowling as the carburetor air intake, and drilled it out. Only after I assembled the fuselage and mounted the cowling and engine did I realize that the Profile on the F3F did not show that intake on the Navy F3F's. I suddenly realized that Al Williams was doing low altitude acro and would be more concerned with a good airflow to the carburetor than ultimate top speed. For the F3F the carburetor intake should be cut off, but it was too late to do that.
The instructions have the seemingly odd step of putting the top of the forward fuselage on before you glue the two halves of the fuselage together. This approach is necessary! You can't get the instrument panel installed with the fuselage halves already glued together.
I have copies of the original F3F instructions (exploded parts view attached), the 1990's Revell Germany version and the later Revell US reissue, and all have their good points. But the RG version uses the Marcel Marceau approach (no words) and I did not much care for it. The later Revell version does a nice job of explaining the rigging – but what they have you do will not work! The rigging string is supposed to fit into notches on the fuselage and wings, but the notches are not always oriented in the correct direction to run the string. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that paint will fill up those slots and make it impossible to get the string installed. A better option probably is to do as I did in a few cases, remove the notches and install pins there instead, wrapping the string around the head of the pin and then putting a dab of gel type Superglue on it to secure it.
The instructions do not show the "javelins" installed. These are "broomsticks" that go between the wires fore and aft where the wires make an "X" between the wings. I carved some prices of plastic but in retrospect I wish I had used toothpicks and then cut them to length after the glue dried.
The instructions show a single antenna wire stretching from the center of the top wing to the tip of the tail. The Profile shows a V shaped antenna stretching from the outer upper wing to the tip of the tail with a feedline going from the left side of the fuselage to the left wire; I am trying to duplicate that installation. Used a pin stuck into the side of the fuselage to attach the feedline.
The really fabulous working feature of the model is the linkage between the propeller and the main landing gear. I was determined to make that work, and I came SO CLOSE! But once the linkages were all attached I did not want to remove the bulkheads to put glue in and so I ran liquid Superglue along the bulkhead to fuselage contact area. But the Superglue ran down into the gears and froze them; I should have used gel type Superglue. So I left the gear down.
By the way, the bulkheads (part numbers 7 and 14) that hold the gear assembly stick inward too far and interfere with one another when the fuselage is assembled. You will need to trim the inner edges of the bulkheads.
I am very impressed with the detail in this old kit. Since I have three more of them unbuilt in my collection, including the original version with the colored parts, eventually I'll get that retracting gear to work.
